Stacey Wenzel Mergers

Insiders offer their perspectives on this industry trend By Stacey Wenzel Mergers and acquisitions played a major role in shaping the industry last year. Not surprisingly, the first few months of 1998 have shown no signs of the acquisition explosion slowing down. "It's the wave of the future," said George Allman, vice president of diversified operations for DFS Business Forms, Townsend, Mass. Allman should know from his recent acquisition experience. On Dec. 23, DFS announced the purchase of Bridgeton, N.J.-based manufacturer Newshire. "This is part of the demand and drive for companies to become more efficient," he said. In addition, Allman noted another motivation behind many acquisitions is that