How Valuation and Post-Transaction Intent Mold the Shape of M&As To Come
Published October 22, 2012
For printers seeking to acquire another company or to be acquired by one, the options are straightforward. Where does your business fit in the M&A planning matrix?
The "Great Communicator" Wows 'em in the Windy City with Something Very Tiny-and Potentially Very Huge
Published October 11, 2012
Nobody else could have made as persuasive a case for an as-yet unproven technology as Benny Landa did at Graph Expo when he captivated a crowd with his vision of nanographic printing.
Silence, or Something Pleasantly Close to It, Is Golden at Graph Expo
Published October 10, 2012
If you listen closely, you can hear the new, quieter sound of Graph Expo. It's easier on the ears, and it makes for a much improved trade show experience.
A Print Industry "Oligopoly" is on the Way: Are You In, or Are You Out?
Published September 18, 2012
Given present trends, the industry could be dominated by a relative handful of firms in a few years. Some companies can grow profitably into this new landscape. Others can make a safe exit before it fully unfolds. Each outcome demands a strategy-now.
Visit to HP “Experience Center” Finds the Graphic Solutions Business Unit in “Business as Usual” Mode
Published August 24, 2012
Recent news from HP has been turbulent, raising questions about the status of the company’s graphics business. Some light was shed last week at a customer event at HP’s Graphic Arts Experience Center.
Pouring Another Cup O’ Joe: Points for Sellers to Ponder as the M&A Climate Improves
Published August 14, 2012
A pent-up eagerness for deals makes it all the more important for those venturing back into the M&A marketplace as sellers to be clear about why they should sell—and why buyers should want to acquire them.
Fail To Plan, Plan To Fail: the Necessity of Strategizing Acquisitions
Published July 30, 2012
It may be possible to run a printing company without a formal plan, but buying or selling a printing company will be very difficult to bring off successfully without the help of a written roadmap. An acquisition plan is a vital navigation aid that guides the process and certifies the desirability of the deal.
Clean and Simple: FlexoConcepts Offers Uncomplicated Solution for Better Washups
Published July 3, 2012
With its microprocessors, relays, sensors, and software, a modern printing press is a marvel at squeezing time and cost out of production runs. But, one maker of press cleaning accessories contends that these complex systems can still get a big helping hand in a key press function from a simple but strategically placed strip of durable plastic.
Steve Forbes Accepts 26th Prism Award from NYU-SCPS at Record-Setting Event
Published June 28, 2012
The graphic communications industry continues to struggle with declining sales, squeezed profit margins, restricted access to capital, and business pressures of every imaginable kind. But, none of that has dampened the enthusiasm of those who support the Prism Awards, a high-profile achievement recognition program that rings with optimism every year under the auspices of New York University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS).
M&A Mythbusting: Just How Good an Investment Is a General Commercial Printing Business?
Published June 12, 2012
Some think that general commercial printing companies aren’t worthy targets for acquisition by other printing firms. That’s a major misperception, say the M&A experts of NDP.
drupa Post-Show Report: Around the Messe in 50 Tweets
Published June 8, 2012
This time, instead of a long-form review of product announcements at drupa 2012, here are the highlights in a format that many of us are getting accustomed to: Tweetable bursts of 140 characters or less.
Two State-of-the-Industry Briefings at drupa Give Equal Reason for Optimism and Concern
Published May 21, 2012
“We need to be in the outcome business, not the output business,” said a printing executive at drupa. “They trust you,” said a senior spokesman for a vendor about the underlying strength of printer-customer relationships. Both presentations were rich in insights about the state of print markets and the prospects that printers will discover in them.
You Closed the Deal—What’s Next? Here Are the Steps To Take Now That the Ink Is Dry
Published May 15, 2012
Inking the merger of two printing companies is the formality that signals the beginning of the hard part: implementation. Methodical planning and careful communication can go a long way toward smoothing the transition.
At drupa, Senior Executives Take the 10,000-foot View
Published May 14, 2012
As would be expected during an event of this kind, most of the media briefings at drupa were focused on product announcements and technology introductions. From time to time, though, speakers put the salesmanship aside and offered broader commentary on industry trends and print market conditions.
Xerox “drupa Visualizer” Tracks Top Tweets and Trends
Published May 9, 2012
It's better to label drupa 2012 “the _______ drupa” with the prefix of your choice, so try dipping into the Xerox “drupa visualizer.” This live infographic lets Xerox track and share the top trends being discussed in relation to drupa across the Twitterverse.
First Reactions to drupa 2012: Searching for a “Big Picture” of the Big Show
Published May 8, 2012
What were the principal take-aways from drupa 2012? What was new and exciting in the exhibit halls? Where is the industry headed? We’re sifting our notebooks for the answers. In the meantime, here are some broad observations about the character and “feel” of the show.
Plaudits from Pundits Are Abundant in “Tribute to Tribute” at drupa
Published May 8, 2012
Regular readers of WhatTheyThink need no reminder of who Andy Tribute is or of how much value he has added to the WhatTheyThink editorial space. Admirers of his writing probably will not be surprised to learn that his peers hold him in as much personal affection as they do in professional esteem.
Package Printing to Be a Highlight of KBA’s drupa Presentations
Published May 2, 2012
Much of the activity at KBA’s stand in Hall 16 at drupa will center upon packaging, an application in which the company has always claimed a competitive edge. At drupa, KBA will reassert the claim with systems it describes as engineered to meet today’s highest-priority requirements in packaging production.
At drupa, KBA’s RotaJET 76 Digital Inkjet Press Will Reveal Deep Roots in Web Offset Production
Published April 26, 2012
KBA’s venture into digital printing with its new RotaJET 76 inkjet web press has origins in a market that the company knows well: high-volume offset web production.
At drupa, Social Media Will Help Xerox Share the Experience
Published April 23, 2012
When Xerox exhibits at drupa, its presence won’t be limited to stand A62 in hall 8b. Throughout the show, the company intends to maintain an equally high profile in the realm of social media as it attempts to viralize not just its own drupa experience but the pulse and the intelligence of the event as a whole.
KBA Prepares for drupa in Confident, Customer-Focused Frame of Mind
Published April 16, 2012
Every four years, the international printing community gathers at drupa and asks itself a question: How are we doing? The Koenig & Bauer Group (KBA) believes that if every vendor’s experience over the last few years had been as positive as its own, the collective answer would have to be: Never better.
High-Profile Industry Figure in Latest Role: Frank Steenburgh, a.k.a “DocuFrank,” Joins NDP as Partner
Published April 16, 2012
It would be impossible to speak for very long about the evolution of digital printing without bringing Frank Steenburgh’s name into the conversation.
Geographics: Portrait of a Printing Company with M&A in Mind
Published March 12, 2012
Ever since he founded Geographics in 1976, Norvin Hagan hasn’t tried to purchase another company—until now. Read why he’s ready to complement organic growth with the kind that comes from a well planned and executed acquisition.
PrintCity Alliance Builds Momentum for Strong Showing at drupa 2012 (Part 2)
Published February 28, 2012
By exhibiting as a group at drupa 2012, the members of the PrintCity Alliance hope to present a continuum of solutions that visitors will find well adapted to the new realities of the print marketplace. Previews of some of their show offerings are here.
PrintCity Alliance Builds Momentum for Strong Showing at drupa 2012
Published February 21, 2012
At drupa 2012, the PrintCity Alliance will emphasize and promote the future of print from its usual location on the Messe Düsseldorf fairgrounds. Last week, some of its members gave a preview of what awaits visitors to Hall 6.
