The evolution of printing companies into internet savvy multi-media service providers continued with deals consummated by some of the signature names in the printing industry. Quad Graphics purchased a minority interest in Pixability, a company that provides expertise and analytics for video advertisers using the YouTube platform. Courier, one of America’s oldest and largest book printers, acquired FastPencil, a content management and self-publishing platform. Shutterfly, never a traditional printer, acquired MyPublisher, building on its strong position in personal printed products sold through online storefronts.
Manufacturers of printing devices moved major pieces around on the international game board. Lexmark, as we reported in March, is moving away from the devices and firmly into managing content and delivering that content to a wide variety of output devices, sold its inkjet business to Funai Electric of Osaka, Japan. Moving in the opposite direction, Brother Industries, also headquartered in Japan, took the stalking horse position as the buyer of scanners and related assets in a proposed 363 sale in Kodak’s bankruptcy proceeding.
When it announced its purchase of Wausau’s specialty paper business last month, KPS Capital Partners hinted that it had a second target in its sight. Contingent on the completion of the Wausau transaction, KPS will acquire Thilmany Papers’ two mills that produce specialty papers. The new entity will comprise four Wisconsin mills and has yet to be named, but it’s clear that general commercial grades need not apply.
Consistent with the larger trend reported across all industries, the number of bankruptcies filed in the printing industry appears to have also declined. We found only three Chapter 7 bankruptcies, and no Chapter 11 filings. The Edward Hine Company, which ceased operations back in 2011, finally filed Chapter 7 liquidation.
The decline in the use of three of the most traditional and challenged forms of printing led to two plant closings in the newspaper business, as local publishers in New Hampshire and Washington shut down their presses and outsourced the printing of their papers. SuperMedia is closing its plant in New York State that prints phone books, and check printing Deluxe Corporation will shut its plant in Indiana before year end.
| 2013 April - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries | |||||||||||||
Deal Party #1 (Surviving Entity) |
Pre-Deal Revenues ($Mil ) |
Party #1 Address |
Deal Party #2 |
Pre-Deal Revenues ($Mil ) |
Party #2 Address |
Date Deal Public |
Deal Value ($Mil) |
Deal Structure (Intermediary) |
Notes |
Press Releases |
|||
| Shutterfly | $641.0 | Redwood City, CA | MyPublisher | No Data | New York, NY | 4/30/13 | No Data | Acquisition | Custom photo books | Link | |||
| Quad Graphics | $4,324 | Sussex, WI | Pixability | No Data | Cambridge, MA | 4/30/13 | No Data | Minority interest | YouTube & video advertising | Link | |||
| Courier | $261.3 | North Chelmsford, MA | FastPencil | No Data | Campbell, CA | 4/30/13 | No Data | Acquisition | Publishing software | Link | |||
| Anderson & Vreeland | No Data | Bryan, OH | Provident Group | No Data | Englewood, CO | 4/25/13 | No Data | Acquisition | Flexo supplies | Link | |||
| KPS Capital Partners | No Data | New York, NY | Thilmany Papers | No Data | Kaukauna, WI | 4/23/13 | No Data | Acquisition | Mfg. specialty papers | Link | |||
| Brother Industries | $1,500 | Nagoya, Japan | Eastman
Kodak (Document Imaging Assets) |
$7,200 | Rochester, NY | 4/15/13 | $210.0 | 363 Sale in Ch. 11 | Scanners, software & services | Link | |||
| Ace Lithographers | No Data | East Hanover, NJ | Twill | No Data | Berkeley, NJ | 4/15/13 | No Data | Acquisition (NAPL) |
Commercial printing | Link | |||
| Tampa Media Group | No Data | Tampa, FL | Clearwater Gazette | No Data | Clearwater, FL | 4/9/13 | No Data | Acquisition | Regional newspaper | Link | |||
| Arthur Frommer | No Data | Mountain View, CA | Frommer's
Travel Guides (John Wiley & Sons) |
No Data | Mountain View, CA | 4/5/13 | No Data | Acquisition | Travel Guides | Link | |||
| Hilex Poly | No Data | Hartsville, SC | Clondalkin
Group (Flexible packaging unit) |
No Data | Philadelphia, PA | 4/4/13 | No Data | Acquisition | Flexible packaging | Link | |||
| Packaging Coordinators | No Data | Philadelphia, PA | AndersonBrecon | No Data | Rockford, IL | 4/2/13 | $308.0 | Acquisition | Contract pharma packaging | Link | |||
| Funai Electric | ¥295,923 | Osaka, Japan | Lexmark (Inkjet business) |
$3,798 | Lexington, KY | 4/1/13 | ¥9,500 | Acquisition | Inkjet patents & mfg. | Link | |||
| Full
House Press (Full House/Minuteman) |
No Data | Bel Air, MD | Minuteman Press | No Data | Bel Air, MD | 4/1/13 | No Data | Merger | Commercial print | Link | |||
| 2013 April - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries | ||||||||||||
Filing Party |
Date Case Filed |
Pre-Petition Revenues ($Mil ) |
Case # |
Filing Party Address |
Circuit |
Region & City |
Judge |
Attorney for Debtor |
Notes |
|||
| Chapter 11 Filings: | ||||||||||||
| No Chapter 11 Filings Found this Month | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | |||
| Chapter 7 Filings: | ||||||||||||
| Squire Corrugated Container Corp. | 4/19/13 | No Data | 13-18378 | South Plainfield, NJ | 3rd | New
Jersey Trenton, NJ |
Raymond T. Lyons, Jr. | Pro Se | Corrugated cartons & POP displays | |||
| Edward Hine Company | 4/10/13 | No Data | 13-80732 | Peoria, IL | 7th | Central
IL Peoria |
Thomas L. Perkins | Sumner Bourne | Commercial Printing | |||
| Cousin
Graphics (DBA Sir Speedy) |
4/16/13 | No Data | 13-71988 | Hicksville, NY | 2nd | Eastern
NY Central Islip |
Dorothy Eisenberg | Charles H Scupp | Printing & copying | |||
| 2013 April - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries | |||||||||||
Closed Company / Facility |
Date of Closure |
Pre-Closure Revenues ($Mil ) |
Closing Address |
Related Party | Related Party Address |
Date Closure Public | Notes |
Press Releases |
|||
| Herald | 4/28/13 | No Data | Everett, WA | Sound
Publishing (Gained printing contract) |
Poulsbo, WA | 4/27/13 | Newspaper outsourcing print operations | Link | |||
| New
Hampshire Union Leader Printing Facility |
Jun-13 | No Data | Manchester, NH | Seacoast
Media Group (Gained printing contract) |
Dover, NH | 4/25/13 | Newspaper outsourcing print operations | Link | |||
| Beacon Printing | Apr-13 | No Data | Dana Point, CA | None | N/A | 4/25/13 | Commercial printing | Link | |||
| SuperMedia - Printing Facility | No Data | No Data | Albany, NY | Merging w/ Dex One | Dallas, TX | 4/3/13 | Publisher of phone books | Link | |||
| Deluxe Corp - Printing Facility | Dec-13 | No Data | New Albany, IN | Deluxe Corp. | Shoreview, MN | 4/15/13 | Check printing | Link | |||
