Reprographics 101

(more than you ever wanted to know about the reprographics industry)

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  • C2 Repro Expands Capabilities With Acquisition of Robins Signs

    June 12, 2012 18:46 ET

    Expansion of C2 Will Enhance Service and Grow Its Color Product Offerings

    COSTA MESA, CA–(Marketwire – Jun 12, 2012) – C2, the largest privately owned reprographics firm in Southern California, announced its December 2011 acquisition of Robins Signs, a sign company serving Southern California since 1910. The values and stability of the 100-year-old company perfectly complement the good old-fashioned service model that C2 was founded upon.

    Former Robins Signs customers will benefit from the availability of additional products and services. C2’s clientele will find a wider depth and breadth of digital capabilities and color & sign production. Combining the expertise of a century in business with C2’s state-of-the-art technology and color specialists make C2 a powerful one-stop shop for sign production and installation.

    Robins Signs President Bob Burandt will continue to lead and operate Robins Signs, doing so as part of C2’s color product offering, within the C2 headquarters.

    “Bob’s leadership has contributed to the longstanding success of Robins Signs, and that’s something we couldn’t just replace,” says Gary Crisp, President of C2. “He’s great with customers, and his expertise and dedication to customer service are important assets that we know will benefit all of us as we move forward as a single company. We’ve always considered our people to be at the core of our success, and Bob is a shining example.”

    The expansion brings C2 the additional equipment, vehicles and personnel to further develop its capabilities as a full service sign and installation provider. C2 previously delivered architectural renderings, marketing materials, construction and trade show signage under its C2 Color Studio Division. The division is now able to produce and install any form of non-electrical signage including: vehicle graphics, dimensional signs, parking signage, menu displays, vinyl cut lettering, sight signs (Braille), ADA signs, fleet graphics, dimensional lettering, safety signage, trade show graphics, banners, exhibits and displays, back-lit displays, monument signs, lobby signs, warehouse signage, equipment identification, window graphics, POP signs, wall graphics, city pole signs and street banners.

    “We’ve always prided ourselves in the premier quality of our work and consistent service, and that’s what kept clients coming back during more than a century of service,” says Burandt. “Robins Signs and C2 really enhance each other’s brands. We’re embarking on an exciting new chapter in the business, and I’m enjoying the experience of being a part of that.”

    Gary and Julie Crisp founded C2 in 2002 and made its staff and customers a priority from the beginning. Their successful approach led to rapid growth resulting in seven (7) offices in Orange, Los Angeles, San Diego counties and the Inland Empire — a feat accomplished by outworking and outperforming competitors.

    ABOUT C2: C2 is the largest privately owned reprographics firm in Southern California, with production offices in the Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego and Inland Empire areas and hub stores in Costa Mesa, San Diego, Ontario and downtown Los Angeles. Founded by Gary and Julie Crisp (the two “C”s in C2) in 2002, the firm provides premier reprographic services to the legal and courtroom, AEC (architect, engineer and contractor) and commercial business-to-business markets. The company’s C2 Color Studio, C2 Business Solutions, C2 Legal Solutions and C2 Reprographics divisions are known for exceptional customer service. For more information, visit www.c2repro.com.

  • Hot Off The Presses – Conductive Ink

    Very interesting article in the Business section of the New York Times today.

    This article is about “conductive ink” – fascinating stuff.

    I’ve placed copy of the article in my Google Docs library:

    Link page 1

    https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B81al4kFAU9JNXhSWXZOQnBETjQ

    Link to page 2

    https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B81al4kFAU9JbEg4WXd5TGc3SWM

  • Service Point Solutions – First Quarter 2012 Financial Results Report

    On May 13, 2012, we posted information about a Press Release Service Point Solutions issued on May 11, 2012, about its Q1 2012 results. If you care to look back at that previous post, here’s a link to that post:

    http://reprographics.blogspot.com/2012/05/service-point-solutions-sps-issues.html

    Yesterday, when I visited SPS’ web-site (www.servicepoint.net), I found that SPS had published its Q1 2012 financial-results-report; that report is now posted in my Google Docs library and can be accessed with this link:

    https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B81al4kFAU9JZzZMZzBqc3JSdDA

    Please note: I found only a Spanish-language version of the Q1 2012 Financial report. BUT, numbers are numbers; you don’t need to know Spanish to understand the numbers in the report.

    For Q1 2012, Service Point Solutions reported:

    Sales – 54.843 mil Euros

    Net Loss – 1.671 mil Euros

    I’m wondering if these results provoked the senior management changes SPS recently announced?

  • FLM Graphics Appoints New CFO / COO and Corporate Development Officer

    Friday, June 29, 2012

    Press release from the issuing company

    FLM Graphics has announced the appointment of Mark R. Hahn to the position of CFO/COO and Corporate Development Officer. Mr. Hahn has responsibility for the company’s financial matters and all print operations, and will work closely with the managers of the wide-format, reprographic and information technology functions.

    Frank M. Misischia, President of FLM Graphics and FLM Reprographics, stated, “We are very pleased to welcome Mark back to the FLM family of companies, and I look forward to working with Mark as we embark on a renewed strategy of growth and service to our clients. Mark has an extensive background in the printing industry and having previously served as FLM’s CFO/CIO from 2004 to 2008, he knows the company and its management team. Mark brings strong analytical and leadership skills to our internal operations, as well as experience working with mergers and acquisitions in our industry.”

    Hahn added, “I am excited to return to the FLM team, resuming the role of CFO, and now with the added role of COO, I’ll have a more direct connection with the company’s print manufacturing, both traditional offset and the company’s growing capabilities in digital print. In my new role at the company, I will be working closely with Frank M. Misischia, to continue and build on FLM’s tradition of excellence and efficiency in print and related marketing services.”

    According to Hahn, FLM is financially strong and well positioned to grow as the market for print evolves and consolidates. Mr. Hahn added, “In my role as Corporate Development Officer, I will be working with Frank L. Misischia, Chairman and CEO of FLM, actively seeking to acquire companies in all of our service areas, including wide format, web-to-print applications, digital printing and traditional offset printing, as well as our reprographic services for the AEC market (architectural, engineering, construction). In addition, we are interested in acquiring, or forming strategic alliances with, providers of social media and mobile applications. We are a customer-centric organization and everything we do will be considered in light of how we can make it easier and more cost-effective for companies to rely on FLM Graphics for their marketing related services.”

    Prior to rejoining FLM Graphics, Mark Hahn was a Managing Director of Brownstein Corporation, where he recently served as the lead onsite financial advisor in an engagement with a midsize regional electronics retail chain and as financial advisor to a yellow pages publisher. Mr. Hahn’s financial experience ranges from full responsibility for financial systems, managing monthly internal reporting and interfacing with outside auditors, to managing financial restructuring, cash flow planning, transactions and sales of businesses. His sales experience includes contract negotiation, managing sales teams, planning and directing marketing campaigns, and direct sales. He has extensive experience in planning optimum manufacturing workflows, executing the launch of new printing facilities, implementing quality programs, and entrepreneurship.

    In his previous tenure with FLM Graphics, Mr. Hahn served as the CFO/CIO, providing strategic and quantitative analysis of acquisition candidates, with responsibility for all accounting functions, financial controls, management information systems, estimating and purchasing functions. Previously, he was a management consultant specializing in the printing and digital media industries, focused on the sale and restructuring of businesses, and also operated his own printing company

    Mark Hahn has also worked in the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries. He serves on the Advisory Board of EcoGreenHotel, a privately held company which provides sustainability solutions to the hospitality industry through energy efficiency programs, an educational website and an online marketplace. Hahn is a graduate of Ramapo College of NJ, where he obtained B.S. degrees in Business Administration and Environmental Science, with a concentration on energy efficiency and solar energy design. Mr. Hahn has authored several articles, including the series “Rx for Tough Times”, published in printing industry trade and management journals, and is the author of “The Target Report” a monthly online deal log and commentary for the evolving printing and related industries. He has served as a volunteer for Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), providing oversight to the N.J. Family Court on behalf of abused children.

  • RSA’s June 2012 Newsletter

    I just received RSA’s June 2012 newsletter this morning.

    A couple of highlights from the newsletter:

    – – CSI Adds “New” Project Information Manager Occupation Code

    – – How to Find Regional Construction Tracking and Forecast Information

    Here’s a link to the newsletter, which is now in my Google Docs library:

    https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B81al4kFAU9JUGdkWXBIenlWV00

  • Eastern Reprographics Association – alive, well and looking forward

    Received by e-mail early this afternoon:

    Hi Joel:

    How are you? Long time no talk. I hope things are going well for you.

    Attached is a press release about the Eastern Reprographics Association. As you well know, the ERA is one of the last remaining associations for the reprographics community. The press release describes some upcoming developments, and is intended to show the community that the association is still vital.

    I hope you’ll be able to publish this information in Reprographics 101. Your blog is one of the last places people can still find good info about the industry. Let me know if you’d like to talk to someone at the association.

    Thank you very much.

    Ed Avis


    Okay, here’s the Press Release that Ed asked me to put up on Repro 101:

    June 26, 2012

    Contact: Ed Avis, edavis@edavisassociates.com, 708-218-7755

    Eastern Reprographics Association Looks Forward

    Gathering planned, newsletter underway, dues on hold

    The reprographics industry has seen a number of challenges in recent years, and the Eastern Reprographics Association is helping its members successfully face those challenges. The association is planning several initiatives in the coming year: an inspiring gathering, an information-packed newsletter, and a year-long dues vacation.

    Panama City Gathering

    The association is planning its next gathering in Panama City, Florida, on April 18-21, 2013. The event, to be held at the Bay Point Golf Resort & Spa, will feature a full schedule of educational and social events to help reprographics professionals network with others and learn ways to grow their businesses. The business program will feature presentations of new market opportunities by leading vendors. The gathering, open to members and prospective members, will provide an inspiring forum to help attendees increase their success.

    ERA Newsletter

    The association is launching a newsletter that will provide news about the association and the A/E/C industry, and how-to articles to help members improve their businesses. The newsletter, to be edited by former Modern Reprographics editor Ed Avis, will be provided in hard-copy and electronic formats. The first issue of the newsletter will be sent to members in late summer 2012.

    Dues Vacation

    To help members strengthen their bottom lines, and to encourage new members, the ERA will not be charging dues in 2012. The “dues vacation” will save members $125.

    “The Eastern Reprographics Association is a vibrant organization, and we want to help our members succeed as well,” says Stephanie Justice, ERA president and operations manager at Bay Area Blueprint and Reprographics. “And we hope these exciting initiatives will encourage other reprographics professionals, from the Eastern U.S. and other parts of the country, to join us.”

    For membership and other information about the Eastern Reprographics Association, contact the association at membership@eastrepro.com.

  • Pending Sales Of U.S. Homes Climbed More Than Forecast

    Article By Michelle Jamrisko, reporting for Bloomberg.com

    June 27 2012

    Link to article:

    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-27/pending-sales-of-u-s-homes-climbed-more-than-forecast-in-may.html

  • Design team goes paperless on large construction project; reportedly saves over $5 million by using Egnyte

    I saw this article mentioned in the “Apprentice Group” on LinkedIn, and thought that it would be an interesting article to mention on Reprographics 101.

    First, a couple of comments….

    A couple of numbers mentioned in the article that really stuck out:

    – mention that Balfour Beatty eliminated having to print 9,000 lbs of large-format paper prints

    – mention that the design team saved $5.1 million in costs, by using “Egnyte”

    At first glance, 9,000 lbs of prints sounds like a lot of large-format prints, but, by my calculations, 9,000 lbs of large-format bond paper would yield approximately 500,000 sq ft of large-format b/w prints. (I hope I did that calculation correctly, if not, I’m going to be embarrassed!) In today’s market, a large GC customer would likely be able to get 500,000 sq of prints produced for somewhere between $30,000 – $60,000 dollars (plus sales tax). Assuming my calculations are close to accurate and assuming my guess at the total-print-cost is a good guess, then there must have been a lot of other things that generated the rest of the $5.05 million in savings for the design team. And, now I’m wondering what those other savings were.

    Here’s the article I mentioned….

    Balfour Beatty Construction, LLC Saves Over $5 Million By Using Egnyte on Dallas Fort Worth Airport Reconstruction

    Posted (on the Egnyte Blog) on May 16, 2012 by Emily Ganz

    Egnyte Launches Vertical Market Initiative for the Construction Industry

    Today we released a new case study outlining the benefits of deploying a hybrid cloud solution in a large scale construction project. Balfour Beatty implemented Egnyte’s HybridCloud File Sharing solution as a part of the Dallas Fort Worth Airport reconstruction, allowing their design team to save $5.1 million (71%) in costs and eliminating 9,000 lbs of paper printing. Utilizing the data from this and other construction industry customers, Egnyte is also launching its Construction Vertical Market Initiative (VMI).

    “Egnyte provides our partners at BARC (the joint venture on the project, which includes Balfour Beatty) the flexibility they need and the security we require,” said Perfecto Solis, Vice President of Airport Development and Engineering at DFW. “As part of our sustainability initiatives we continue to look for ways within our organization to go paperless and hope to use products like Egnyte for future projects.”

    Jeff Pistor, the Project Manager at Balfour Beatty noted “The Dallas Fort Worth Airport Terminal Reconstruction and Improvement Program presented us with a unique challenge because of the scale of the project and security requirements. The drawing set was projected to be 20 times larger than our other large projects. Because of the complexity of the project, the number of subcontractors working on concurrent projects and the distance between the jobsite and the jobsite office, we needed a way to make the current drawings available to everyone electronically. We use Egnyte as the backend storage and iPads in the field as the display device, assuring us that everyone in the field has access to the most current drawings and greatly reducing the risk of a subcontractor working off the wrong plans.”

    Balfour Beatty initially selected Egnyte because of the security and control they had in setting up and managing folders. Implementation of Egnyte’s Local Cloud (ELC) was critical because accessing the drawings from the cloud was hampered by a slow Internet connection. By syncing a copy of the data behind the firewall and inside the network, they were able to eliminate need for more bandwidth to the Internet and increase the access speed to drawings. Pistor further noted, “Because ELC access was managed at the jobsite, we were able to use it for collaboration with our design team. The team members working with large 3D models were housed in our office and were able to store and share their files on the ELC even though they were all on their own company machines and did not have logins to our network. Our network security was maintained and the team was able to accomplish their need to exchange information quickly.”
    About Egnyte’s Construction Vertical Market Initiative

    Construction companies face unique problems when it comes to file access, sharing and storage. Whether it’s collaborating on extremely large drawing sets and blueprints, giving granular, highly controlled access to contractors, subcontractors and clients or accessing their files from remote jobsites using tablets and laptops, they need a solution that is easy to implement, easy to use and cost effective. Egnyte HybridCloud is designed to meet their needs. To learn more about Egnyte’s Construction VMI please visit us at http://www.egnyte.com/engineering-construction/

  • Service Point Solutions Announces Significant Management Changes

    Here’s what I received in an e-mail from SP, in Spanish:

    Hecho relevante

    21 de Junio 2012

    Cambios en la composición del Consejo de Administración de Service Point

    En el día de ayer fueron adoptados por el Consejo de Administración de la Compañía los siguientes acuerdos, con efectos desde el día 28 de Junio de 2012 en que se celebrará la Junta General de Accionistas de la Compañía:

    • Aceptar la dimisión de D. Juan José Nieto Bueso como Presidente Ejecutivo del Consejo de Administración de la Compañía, quien continuará ostentando el cargo de Consejero y vinculado al grupo, nombrando a D. José Manuel Arrojo como Presidente No Ejecutivo del Grupo y a D. Jimmie Holmberg como nuevo Consejero y Consejero Delegado.

    D. Jimmie Holmberg es actualmente el responsable del negocio de SPS en Escandinavia y acumula una experiencia de más de 20 años en el sector de la impresión digital, habiendo creado una de las compañías líderes en Suecia, adquirida por SPS en 2011.

    • Con el objetivo de dotar a la compañía de mayor agilidad se ha propuesto a la Junta que reduzca el número de consejeros a siete, por lo que se ha aceptado la dimisión a su cargo de los miembros del Consejo de Administración: D. Angel García-Cordero Celis, Dª Ana María Llopis Rivas y D. Pedro Mateache Sacristán.

    Asimismo se hace constar que Paosar será representada a partir del 28 de junio de 2012 por D. Jaime Castellanos, que sustituye en el cargo a Dª Maria Vega de la Cruz.

    Los comunicados y notas de prensa aquí difundidos reflejan la opinión de SERVICE POINT, S.A. sobre la situación y probable evolución futura de la compañía. No obstante, dichos comunicados y notas pueden incluir datos, informaciones y valoraciones de expectativas de futuro, por lo que deben ser tomados con la debida prudencia.

    Service Point Solutions (SPS) cotiza en el mercado continuo, en consecuencia, siendo la volatilidad una característica de la inversión en renta variable, ruega a los Accionistas e inversores que soliciten adecuado asesoramiento independiente. SPS se financia a través de la combinación de: a) Flujos de caja b) Instrumentos de financiación bancaria a largo plazo (normalmente préstamos a 4-7 años) c) Líneas de financiación bancaria a corto plazo a renovar con vencimientos anuales. d) Vendor financing (préstamos por parte de proveedores para adquirir maquinaria y equipos). e) Emisiones de acciones, obligaciones convertibles y otros instrumentos financieros. Dichos instrumentos de financiación contribuyen al desarrollo de la compañía. Estos tipos de actuaciones obviamente dependen de la evolución del entorno financiero, macro-económico y geo-político. SPS opera principalmente en un mercado que puede verse afectado por los ciclos económicos y por la adaptación a las tecnologías en los procesos relacionados con la gestión documental.

    Translated to English using Google-Translate:

    Significant

    June 21, 2012 Changes in the composition of the Governing Council Service Point

    In yesterday were adopted by the Board of Directors of the Company the following resolutions, effective on June 28, 2012 to be held at the General Meeting of Shareholders of the Company:

    • Accept the resignation of Mr Juan José Nieto Bueso as Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, who continue to hold the position of Director and linked to the group, naming D. Jose Manuel Arrojo as Non-Executive Chairman and Group (Director) D. Jimmie Holmberg as the new Chief Executive Officer.

    D. Jimmie Holmberg is currently responsible for the SPS business in Scandinavia and has accumulated experience of more than 20 years in the digital printing industry, having created one of the leading companies in Sweden, acquired by SPS in 2011.

    • In order to give the company greater flexibility has been proposed to the Board to reduce the number of directors to seven, so it has accepted the resignation from his position as members of the Board of Directors: D. Celis Angel Garcia-Cordero, Ms Ana Maria Llopis Rivas and D. Mateache Peter Sexton.

    It also notes that Paosar be represented as of June 28, 2012 by D. Jaime Castellanos, who is replacing Ms. Maria Vega to Cross.

    The statements and press releases disseminated here reflect the views of SERVICE POINT, SA on the status and likely future evolution of the company. However, such statements and notes may include data, information and assessments of future expectations, so it should be taken with caution.

    Service Point Solutions (SPS) is listed on the continuous market, thus being a characteristic volatility of the equity investment, pray to Shareholders and investors seeking appropriate independent advice. SPS is funded through a combination of: a) Cash flows b) Instruments of long-term bank financing (loans typically 4-7 years) c) Lines of short-term bank financing to renew annual maturities. d) Vendor financing (loans from suppliers to purchase machinery and equipment). e) Issues of shares, convertible bonds and other financial instruments. These financial instruments contribute to the development of the company. These types of actions obviously depend on the changing financial landscape, macro-economic and geo-political. SPS operates primarily in a market that may be affected by economic cycles and the adaptation of technologies in the processes related to document management.

  • Service Point Solutions – Investor Presentation document

    I’ve posted in my Google Docs library what I think is Service Point Solutions’ latest investor presentation document.

    Service Point Solutions’ stock is traded on the Spanish stock exchange.

    I hope your Spanish language skills are good, because, apparently, SP only published this document in Spanish.

    It’s a very good looking presentation!

    The file is rather large, so give it some time to load up in your browser.

    Here’s a link to the document:

    https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B81al4kFAU9JRHdSUFZsUG9GRTg