Reprographics 101

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  • Sales Of New U.S. Homes Increased In May To Two-Year High

    This “sounds like” good news about the residential housing market and much of what’s pointed to in this article runs contrary to the comments I made in a post on the blog yesterday.


    Sales Of New U.S. Homes Increased In May To Two-Year High

    By Lorraine Woellert – Jun 25, 2012 10:17 AM ET

    Demand for new U.S. homes rose more than forecast in May as mortgage rates dropped, bolstering the residential real-estate market while other parts of the world’s largest economy cool.

    Purchases climbed to a 369,000 annual rate, up 7.6 percent from the prior month and the most since April 2010, the Commerce Department reported today in Washington. The median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 67 economists was 347,000. The months’ supply dropped to the lowest in more than six years.

    Falling borrowing costs and more affordable properties may keep luring buyers, even as a cooling job market and limited access to credit restrain the recovery. In a bid to reduce unemployment, sustain housing and prevent a global slowdown from stalling the expansion, the Federal Reserve last week extended a program to keep long-term interest rates low.

    “It’s another sign of life in the housing sector,” said Brian Jones, a senior U.S. economist for Societe Generale SA in New York, who forecast a gain to 362,000. “It’s consistent with a gradual improvement in activity, but we’ve got miles to go before we get back to normal.”

    Stocks held earlier losses after the report amid concern that a meeting of European leaders later this week will fail to help contain the region’s debt crisis. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index dropped 1.5 percent to 1,315.07 at 10:16 a.m. in New York.

    Bloomberg survey estimates for new-home sales, which are counted when contracts are signed, ranged from 327,000 to 375,000. The April reading was unrevised at the previously estimated 343,000, while March and February were revised up.

    Prices Rise

    The median sales price increased 5.6 percent from the same month last year, to $234,500, today’s report showed.

    Purchases rose in two of four U.S. regions last month, led by a 37 percent jump in the Northeast, while the South climbed 13 percent. Demand dropped 11 percent in the Midwest and 3.5 percent in the West.

    The number of newly constructed houses on the market edged up to 145,000 from a record low of 144,000 reached in April and March. The record high of 572,000 was reached in July 2006. The supply of new houses on the market at the current sales pace dropped to 4.7 months’, the lowest since October 2005, from 5 months in April.

    In response to improving demand, builders broke ground on 516,000 single-family houses last month at an annual pace, up 3.2 percent from April and the most this year, the Commerce Department reported last week.

    Gaining Confidence

    The Washington-based National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo sentiment index rose by 1 point this month to 29, the highest since May 2007, another report last week showed.

    United Technologies Corp. (UTX) and Lennox International Inc. (LII), makers of heating and air conditioning units, are among companies benefitting from developers’ positive outlook. Lennox, based in Richardson, Texas, had a 40 percent increase in sales to new-home builders in the first quarter. United Technologies, in Hartford, Connecticut, forecasts about 700,000 housing starts this year, Chief Financial Officer Gregory Hayes said.

    “The expectation is we’re not going to see a huge recovery in the U.S. residential marketplace, but we should see a steady recovery,” Hayes said at a June 14 conference. “Residential is coming back, but it’s very, very slow.”

    The stabilization in housing has boosted builder shares this year. The Standard & Poor’s Supercomposite Homebuilder Index has climbed 33 percent this year through June 22, compared with a 6.2 percent gain for the broader S&P 500.

    Builders’ Contribution

    Residential construction hasn’t contributed to economic growth over the course of an entire year since 2005, when it accounted for 0.4 percentage point of the 3.1 percent increase in gross domestic product. From 2006 through 2009, the homebuilding slump subtracted 0.8 percent point from growth on average. The declines diminished over the past two years.

    Newly constructed houses made up 6.7 percent of the residential market last year, down from a high of 15 percent during the boom of the past decade.

    Sales of existing homes declined in May as fewer distressed properties reached the market, the National Association of Realtors reported last week. The decline in transactions involving foreclosures and short sales, where a lender agrees to accept less than the balance of the mortgage, helped push the median price of a previously owned house up 7.9 percent from the same time last year, the biggest 12-month gain since February 2006.

    Less competition from existing houses and even lower mortgage rates may keep spurring the market. The average rate on a 30-year fixed loan dropped to 3.66 percent last week, the lowest in data going back to 1972, according to Freddie Mac.

    The central bank last week aimed to keep borrowing costs low.

    Policy makers announced they will expand the Operation Twist program to extend the maturities of assets on its balance sheet. They said they stood ready to take further action to put unemployed Americans back to work. Fed officials also lowered their outlook for growth and employment.

    To contact the reporter on this story: Lorraine Woellert in Washington at lwoellert@bloomberg.net

  • US home sales slipped 1.5 percent in May and Rate on 30-year mortgage falls to record low

    This post contains two different articles, but, to me, the articles are very much related to each other.

    Early on, not long after I began Reprographics 101, I put forth the opinion that a decline in the housing market (“residential” design / development and construction the housing market) would eventually lead to problems in the commercial (“non-res”) market, and, sadly, that did happen …. leading to a recession (I still refer to it as a “depression”) in the “overall” A/E/C Industry and, of course, that had a very negative impact on firms involved in the reprographics industry. I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again, I don’t think our economy, overall, is going to fully recover unless and until the “housing market” first bottoms out, and I don’t think that we’ve yet bottomed out. And, I say that because of two reasons; #1 – there are still huge numbers of families underwater on their mortgages; there will be another wave of foreclosures, #2 – banks (and others who hold mortgages) have not yet written down (admitted) all of their problem loans. Add to that the fact that getting a loan is now much more difficult than it used to be (and I would add, more difficult than it should be), so even people who have decent credit aren’t finding it easy, or going to find it easy, to mortgages. Rates on mortgages are now at an all-time-low, but that’s because demand for mortgages must also be at an all-time-low.

    In my view, we have two choices: (a) continue to let these problems linger, and, if we do that, the recession in the “residential” construction industry may endure for three, four or five more years, or (b) convince the banking industry to very quickly to complete all foreclosures and move quickly to sell all REO properties at whatever prices those properties will bring, even if that means more hits to bank balance sheets. The sooner we get to the bottom, the sooner a real recovery can begin to take shape. Our country’s unemployment numbers don’t have any chance of significantly improving until the housing market (and all of the business related to that market) begin to improve.

    There were two or three articles in the NY Times yesterday (Sunday), in the business section, about mortgages and our anemic economic growth, and I’d encourage you to pick up a copy of yesterday’s Times. The articles that appear below are not from the NY Times, they are articles I found on-line.

    1st ARTICLE:

    US home sales slipped 1.5 percent in May

    Published June 21, 2012, by Associated Press

    WASHINGTON – Americans bought fewer homes in May than April, suggesting a sluggish job market could threaten a modest recovery in housing.

    The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that sales of previously occupied homes dropped 1.5 percent in May from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.55 million.

    Sales have risen 9.6 percent from a year ago, evidence that home sales are slowly improving. Still, the pace has fallen since nearly touching a two-year high in April and it remains well below the 6 million that economists consider healthy.

    The monthly decline follows a report that employers added the fewest jobs in May in a year. Weaker hiring has slowed the broader economy and could lead some to reconsider buying a home, even with record-low mortgage rates.

    “Not a surprise that existing home sales took a step back in May,” said Jennifer Lee, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. Lee noted that the level of home sales is still “descent.” But she said “softening job growth could slow the housing recovery.”

    First-time buyers, who are critical to a recovery, made up just 34 percent of sales in May. That’s down slightly from 35 percent in April. In healthy market, the number is more than 40 percent.

    One positive sign: The supply of homes for sale remains low. The inventory of unsold home in May was just 2.49 million, roughly the same level as April. It would take little more than six months to exhaust the supply at the current sales pace, a ratio last seen in 2006 when the housing market was booming.

    A low supply typically encourages more people to put homes up for sale. That generally improves the overall quality of the homes on the market, which drives prices higher.

    The median price for a home sold in May was $182,600, up 5.1 percent from $173,700 in April. It was the highest median price since June 2010 — when sales benefited from a federal home-buying tax credit.

    Home sales neared a two-year high in April, adding to other signs of modest improvement in the industry nearly five years after the housing bubble burst.

    Builders are more confident and are starting to build more homes. The government reported Tuesday that builders started work on more single-family homes in May and requested the most permits to build homes and apartments in 3 and a half years.

    Sales rose 1 percent in the Midwest, the only region to show an increase. Sales fell 4.8 percent in the Northeast, 3.4 percent in the West and 0.6 percent in the South.

    2nd ARTICLE:

    Rate on 30-year mortgage falls to record low

    By Marcy Gordon, Associated Press (also published on June 21st)

    WASHINGTON – The average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage fell this week to a record low for the seventh time in eight weeks.

    Cheap mortgages have helped drive a modest recovery in the weak housing market this year.

    Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average on the 30-year loan dropped to 3.66% from 3.71% last week. It’s the lowest rate since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s.

    The average rate on the 15-year mortgage, a popular refinancing option, declined to 2.95%. That’s down from 2.98% last week and just above the record 2.94% of two weeks ago.

    The rate on the 30-year loan has been below 4 % since December.

    Low rates could provide some help to the economy if more people refinance. When people refinance at lower rates, they pay less on their loans and have more money to spend.

    Still, the pace of home sales remains well below healthy levels. Sales of previously occupied homes dipped in May to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.55 million, although they are up from the same month last year.

    Many people are still having difficulty qualifying for home loans or can’t afford larger down payments required by banks. Some would-be home buyers are holding off because they fear that home prices could keep falling.

    Mortgage rates have been dropping because they tend to track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note. Uncertainty about how Europe will resolve its debt crisis has led investors to buy more Treasury securities, which are considered safe investments. As demand for Treasurys increase, the yield falls.

    And the yield will likely fall even lower now that the Federal Reserve has said it will continue selling short-term Treasury securities and using the proceeds to buy longer-term Treasurys. That goal of the program is to drive long-term interest rates lower to encourage more borrowing and spending.

    To calculate average rates, Freddie Mac surveys lenders across the country Monday through Wednesday each week.

    The average does not include extra fees, known as points, which most borrowers must pay to get the lowest rates. One point equals 1% of the loan amount.

    The average fee for 30-year loans was 0.7 point, unchanged from last week. The fee for 15-year loans was 0.6 point, down from 0.7.

    The average rate on one-year adjustable rate mortgages fell to 2.74% from 2.78% last week. The fee for one-year adjustable rate loans was unchanged at 0.5 point.

  • Swiss manufacturer of large-format print finishing systems goes bankrupt

    Today, I received an e-mail – from one of my European reprographer friends –to inform me of the bankruptcy (and, it looks like, closing) of a Swiss company that manufactures and sells “large-format” print finishing equipment (folders, stackers, etc.)

    There’s always the chance that you, or your friends in the industry, have previously purchased, or have been considering the purchase of, equipment from this company, so I wanted to bring this news to all reprographers, wherever they may be located.

    Here’s a link to the company’s web-site:

    http://www.bay.ch

    Here’s a link to photos of the equipment this company has been manufacturing:

    https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B81al4kFAU9JQTRxbk5EbXFVdWM

    First article about this: – in German

    Firma Bay AG Subingen im Konkurs

    Die Solothurner Firma Bay AG mit Sitz in Subingen geht in Konkurs. Das zuständige Amtsgericht bestätigt eine Meldung der Solothurner Zeitung. Alle 14 Angestellten der Firma verlieren ihre Stelle.

    Die Firma Bay AG aus dem solothurnischen Subingen hat die Bilanz deponiert und Konkurs angemeldet. Alle 14 Angestellten der Firma verlieren ihre Stelle. Die Firma hat praktisch alle ihre Produkte exportiert. Aufgrund des starken Frankens sei die Firma nicht mehr konkurrenzfähig gewesen, schreibt die Solothurner Zeitung. Die Bay AG produzierte Papier-Falz-Maschinen.

    First article – translated into English, using Google Translate:

    Bay Company Ltd Subingen in bankruptcy

    The Solothurn Bay Company Ltd, based in Subingen goes bankrupt. The local court confirmed a report in the newspaper Solothurn. All 14 employees of the company to lose their jobs.

    The Bay Company AG in Solothurn Subingen has deposited the balance sheet and filed for bankruptcy. All 14 employees of the company to lose their jobs. The company has exported virtually all of their products. Due to the strong Swiss franc, the company had not been competitive, writes the newspaper Solothurn. The Bay AG produced paper-folding machines.

    – – – – – – – – –

    Second article about this: – in German

    14 Beschäftigte der KMU-Firma O. Bay AG in Subingen verlieren den Job

    Die O. Bay AG, Herstellerin von Papierfalzmaschinen, aus Subingen, hat am Donnerstag den Betrieb eingestellt. 14 Beschäftigte verlieren die Arbeitsstelle. Inhaber Christian Bay begründet die Schliessung mit dem starken Franken und der Euro-Konkurrenz von Andreas Kaufmann

    Die Ankündigung kam zwar nicht aus heiterem Himmel, tränenreich und überraschend war sie dennoch für die Angestellten der Bay AG in Subingen: Am Donnerstagmorgen musste Inhaber Christian Bay der 14-köpfigen Belegschaft (12,5 Vollzeitstellen) die sofortige Stilllegung des Betriebs mitteilen. Die Bilanz musste deponiert werden.

    Druck im Euroraum wurde zu gross

    «Seit dem Euro-Einbruch Anfang 2011 haben wir diverse Massnahmen zur Kostensenkung eingeleitet. Aber um den Währungsverlust von 20 Prozent aufzufangen, hat es nicht mehr gereicht», sagt Bay. Als Herstellerin von Papierfalzmaschinen sei man in einem Nischenmarkt mit einem Exportanteil von 99 Prozent tätig. «Im Euroraum sind immer mehr Konkurrenten aufgetreten, womit unser Wettbewerbsvorteil als fast alleiniger Anbieter schleichend wegfiel. Und wenn jemand plötzlich 30 Prozent günstiger anbietet, können wir dem nichts mehr entgegenhalten.»

    Auch das Internet trägt Mitschuld

    Zudem habe im Zeitalter des Internet die Notwendigkeit von Papier als Träger und Transportmittel massgeblich an Bedeutung verloren, fügt er als weiteren Grund für den Niedergang an. Damit geht in Subingen ein KMU zugrunde, das 1953 von Christian Bays Vater Otto Bay gegründet worden war. Um die Frage zu beantworten, was mit der Firmenliegenschaft geschehen soll, ist der Zeitpunkt für Bay noch zu früh.

    Familiäres Team hat bis zum Ende gekämpft

    Soziale Auffangmassnahmen für die nun arbeitslose Belegschaft wird es keine geben. So gibt Bay auf Anfrage bekannt: «Das ist in einem so kleinen Betrieb gar nicht möglich.» Allerdings betont er, dass man als familiäres Team zusammengespannt habe, um den wirtschaftlichen Schwierigkeiten zu begegnen. «Ich habe mitgekämpft und mitgelitten», so der Geschäftsinhaber, der nun ebenfalls von einem Tag auf den anderen arbeitslos geworden sei. «Letztlich wären wir ohne den Wechselkurseinbruch auf gutem Weg gewesen», so sein Fazit. Schliesslich habe man lange in ein exzellentes Produkt investiert.

    Probleme bei Lohnzahlungen

    Schwierigkeiten bei der O. Bay AG scheinen sich schon länger abgezeichnet zu haben, wie auch die Schilderungen einer bei der Firma tätigen Person nahelegen: «Seit zwei Jahren wurde der Lohn nicht mehr pünktlich ausgezahlt», erinnert sie sich. Zuguterletzt habe die Belegschaft die Geschäftsleitung auch mit der Möglichkeit einer Betreibung und Arbeitsniederlegung konfrontieren müssen. Nun ist es ironischerweise zwangsläufig dazu gekommen. Doch auch in der Mitarbeiterschaft ortete man den Grund in der Euroschwäche. Bay selbst hat sich nach eigenen Angaben nicht davor gescheut, seinen eigenen Lohn zu kürzen: «Wir haben hier keine Teppichetage, die einfach nur absahnt.»

    «Subingen verliert Perle»

    Aus Sicht von Subingens Gemeindepräsident Hans Ruedi Ingold geht der Gemeinde mit der Firmenschliessung «eine Perle verloren, die gute Produkte hergestellt hat». Damit falle nicht nur ein Steuerzahler weg, sondern – noch wichtiger – ein Arbeitgeber: «Für ein Dorf wie Subingen mit rund 3000 Einwohnern sind 14 Arbeitsplätze nicht bedeutungslos.»

    Second article – translated into English, using Google Translate:

    14 employees of the SME company O. Bay AG Subingen lose your job

    The O. Bay Ltd., a manufacturer of Papierfalzmaschinen from Subingen, has ceased operations on Thursday. 14 employees lose their jobs. Owner Christian Bay due to the closure of the strong franc and the euro-competition

    Article by Andreas Kaufmann, reporting for http://www.solothurnerzeitung.ch

    The announcement came not out of the blue, tearful and surprisingly it was still for the employees of Bay AG Subingen: report on Thursday morning had to owner Christian Bay, the 14-member staff (12.5 FTEs) for the immediate cessation of operations. The balance had to be dumped.

    Pressures in the euro area was too large

    “Since the early 2011 € intrusion, we have initiated various measures to cut costs. But in order to absorb the currency has lost 20 percent, “it is no longer enough, says Bay. As a manufacturer of Papierfalzmaschinen it was operating in a niche market with an export share of 99 percent. “In the euro zone have occurred more and more competitors, making us a competitive edge gradually fell away as almost the sole provider. And when someone suddenly 30 percent cheaper offers, we may argue, however nothing more. “

    The Internet also bears the blame

    Moreover, in the era of the Internet have the need for paper as a carrier and transport lost significantly more important, he adds that another reason for the decline. This is based in Subingen an SME, which was founded in 1953 by Christian Bay Bay’s father, Otto. To answer the question of what to do with the company’s property, the date for Bay is still too early.

    A family team fought until the end

    Social safety measures for the unemployed workers now there will be none. So there known Bay on request:. “This is not possible in such a small operation” However, he stressed that they had as a family team eager to face the economic difficulties. “I have fought and pitied,” said the shop owner, who is now also a day to the unemployed. “Ultimately, we would be without the exchange rate collapse was well under way,” he concluded. Finally, we have long invested in an excellent product.

    Problems with wage payments

    Difficulties in O. Bay Ltd seem to have signed off for some time, as well as the descriptions suggest a person working at the company: “For two years, the wage is no longer paid on time,” she recalls. Last but not least, the workforce and the management with the possibility of prosecution and work stoppage had to confront. Now, ironically, is inevitably to come. But even in the workforce is pinpointed the reason for the euro weakness. Bay itself has not spared claims to be about to cut his own salary, “We have no carpets days that just skims.”

    “Subingen lost pearl”

    From the perspective of Subingens mayor of the municipality Hansruedi Ingold goes with the business closing “a pearl lost, has made good products.” This fall off is not just a tax payer, but – more importantly – an employer: “For a town with 3,000 inhabitants as Subingen 14 workstations are not meaningless.”

  • Kevin Cully leaving AIR Graphics (Boston/Quincy MA)

    Press Release: June 20, 2012

    Longtime Business Executive leaving AIR Graphics

    Boston MA – AIR Graphics co founder and long time Boston business executive Kevin Cully has announced that he will be stepping away from day to day operations effective June 30, 2012. Kevin will remain a shareholder and on the governing board. Mr. Cully has been Executive Vice President since 1987 with responsibility for business development and emerging new products and services.

    Mr. Cully cofounded the multiple location reprographic and digital services firm in 1987 and has been instrumental in growing the company to multiple locations in Massachusetts and Maine. AIR Graphics is a digitally based print provider, delivering high quality & quick turn-around. Services include color digital print, wide-format presentation graphics, Managed Print Services (MPS), CADD plotting and equipment.

    AIR Graphics operations will continue under the leadership of fellow co founders Mike Cully and Kevin O’Neill.

    1-800-734-3373

    http://www.airgraphics.com

  • Kevin Cully leaving Air Graphics (Boston/Quincy MA)

    Longtime Business Executive leaving AIR Graphics

    June 20, 2012

    Press Release:

    June 20, 2012

    Longtime Business Executive leaving AIR Graphics

    Boston MA – AIR Graphics co founder and long time Boston business executive Kevin Cully has announced that he will be stepping away from day to day operations effective June 30, 2012. Kevin will remain a shareholder and on the governing board. Mr. Cully has been Executive Vice President since 1987 with responsibility for business development and emerging new products and services.

    Mr. Cully cofounded the multiple location reprographic and digital services firm in 1987 and has been instrumental in growing the company to multiple locations in Massachusetts and Maine. AIR Graphics is a digitally based print provider, delivering high quality & quick turn-around. Services include color digital print, wide-format presentation graphics, Managed Print Services (MPS), CADD plotting and equipment.

    AIR Graphics operations will continue under the leadership of fellow co founders Mike Cully and Kevin O’Neill.

    1-800-734-3373 http://www.airgraphics.com

  • AIA ABI Index for May 2012 dropped to 45.8; that's not good news

    Substantial Drop in Architecture Billings Index 


    All regions report declining demand for design services

    For immediate release:


    Washington, D.C. – June 20, 2012 –

    Following the first negative reading in five months, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) has had a significant drop in May.

    As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending.

    The American Institute of Architects (AIA) reported the May ABI score was 45.8, following a mark of 48.4 in April.

    This score reflects a sharp decrease in demand for design services (any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings).

    The new projects inquiry index was 54.0, down slightly from mark of 54.4 the previous month. 



    “For the second year in a row, we’re seeing declines in springtime design activity after a healthy first quarter. Given the ongoing uncertainly in the economic outlook, particularly the weak job growth numbers in recent months, this should be an alarm bell going off for the design and construction industry,” said AIA Chief Economist, Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA. “The commercial/industrial sector is the only one recording gains in design activity at present, and even this sector has slowed significantly. Construction forecasters will have to reassess what conditions will look like moving forward.”

    
Key May ABI highlights:

    Regional averages: Northeast (48.6), West (47.6), Midwest (46.8), South (46.1)

    Sector index breakdown: commercial / industrial (50.7), multi-family residential (48.9), institutional (45.6), mixed practice (41.5)

    Project inquiries index: 54.0

    The regional and sector categories are calculated as a 3-month moving average, whereas the index and inquiries are monthly numbers.

    For further information, contact: Scott Frank
202-626-7467

    
sfrank@aia.org

  • Revit Architecture 2013 – Product Review

    AECbytes Product Review
June 19, 2012

    Product Summary

    Revit Architecture 2013 is the new release of Autodesk’s BIM application for architectural design. It is available as a module in an integrated multi-disciplinary version of Revit or as a stand-alone application.
 


    Pros: Includes several improvements made to the core Revit platform, such as the ability to specify an image file as the background in rendered views, a ray trace visual style that allows real-time photorealistic rendering mode, the ability to add real-world properties to materials to enable more accurate analysis and visualization, improved interoperability and IFC support, improvements to both parts and assemblies for construction modeling, and various dimensioning enhancements; expanded Stair and Railing tools, facilitating the creation of custom stairs and the modeling of railing transitions, extensions, and supports; ability to create and recall selection sets of elements; improved Help documentation and the availability of many video tutorials to learn different aspects of the application.
 


    Cons: Continues to have most of the limitations pointed out in previous versions, including large and difficult-to-manage file sizes, support for multi-processing only across some rather than all areas of the application, and lack of intuitiveness and ease of use in its conceptual modeling environment compared to popular conceptual design tools; lack of built-in Help documentation means that one cannot rely on any guidance without Internet access; no dramatic new features or any real “game-changers” in the new release.

    Review Link

    http://www.aecbytes.com/review/2012/RevitArch2013.html

  • Management Changes announced by Allegra Network

    COO Steve White Leaves Allegra Network

    Source: signs now, a division of allegra network llc, june 15, 2012

    Allegra Network LLC has announced that Steve White, Chief Operating Officer and President of Signs Now has decided to resign his position and leave the company to pursue new interests.

    Allegra Network LLC has announced that Steve White, Chief Operating Officer and President of Signs Now has decided to resign his position and leave the company to pursue new interests.

    White had been with the company for 18 years. He served as Director of Sales and Marketing, Executive Vice President of the Allegra brand and, in 2006 moved to Sarasota, FL, shortly after Allegra Network purchased Signs Now. He returned to company headquarters in Plymouth, MI, in 2010 to assume his most recent role. He was also an investor in the company.

    Prior to his involvement with Allegra Network, White was an executive at Domino’s Pizza and a former officer in the United States Army.

    White cited his desire to take on new challenges in the franchise industry as his reason for leaving.

    Mike Marcantonio, President, CEO and Majority Investor of Allegra Network since 2011 commented, “Clearly our loss will be someone else’s gain. Steve is a knowledgeable and capable executive with 25 years’ experience in the franchise industry. He will be missed by our staff and our franchisees. We wish him the best in whatever new challenges he chooses to tackle in the next chapter in his career.”

    Marcantonio added that Allegra Network’s senior management team will announce organizational changes to assume White’s responsibilities within a few weeks.

    and…..

    Allegra Network Appoints New Executive Leadership

    Tuesday, June 19, 2012

    Press release from the issuing company

    Allegra Network LLC, the marketing, print and graphic communications franchisor of Allegra, American Speedy Printing, Insty-Prints and Signs Now brands has announced the appointments of Bob Milroy as president of the company’s Print/Marketing Division and Ray Palmer as president of the Sign Division.

    Milroy, a former marketing agency president, joined the Allegra Network executive team in 2009 as chief marketing officer. He has guided the company’s aggressive plan to help franchise members evolve into professional marketing services providers.

    “Bob has been instrumental in spearheading the training, sales support, internal marketing resources and supplier partnerships that are enabling our franchise members to make the transition to offering broader-based marketing services,” said CEO Mike Marcantonio. “He has made a significant impact in a short amount of time, and his wealth of knowledge and experience will continue to drive new opportunities for our franchise system.”

    Most recently president of Columbia, Md.-based Signs By Tomorrow (SBT), Ray Palmer has also assumed the leadership role for Signs Now to become president of the Allegra Network Sign Division. Members of Allegra Network’s investment group, Palmer and SBT Vice President of Operations Andrew Akers, assumed controlling interest in SBT earlier this year.

    Palmer’s appointment as president of Allegra Network’s Sign Division was made as part of a strategic decision to provide executive oversight for both brands, which share very similar business models, though they will remain separate companies with separate support staffs and programs.

    “Ray’s industry insights as a multi-unit franchise owner and proven record in the Signs by Tomorrow franchise system will be assets to Signs Now,” said Marcantonio. “During his tenure at the helm of the SBT network, it has enjoyed nearly two years of solid sales growth, a testament to his leadership skills and business acumen.”

  • Add "no wipe" to Toshiba's "no print" day

    Well, well, well, Toshiba’s “NO PRINT” DAY initiative has caused quite a stir in and around the printing industry! Below, you’ll find a letter written by the guy who heads up PIA. Quite a number of others have authored similar letters and posts. One thing’s for sure – if Toshiba wanted to get “noticed”, it has certainly managed to accomplish that! I think we should add “no wipe” to the “no print” day!

    Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 13, 2012—Printing Industries of America’s President and CEO Michael Makin encouraged the U.S. printing industry to reject a call by Toshiba America Business Solutions for a National No-Print Day (NNPD).

    “Needless to say, we find such a proposal ridiculous and an insult to the more than 800,000 Americans who owe their direct livelihood to our industry,” said Makin.

    Toshiba’s nationwide campaign purports to encourage, educate, and challenge individuals and companies to commit to one day of “no printing” and to raise awareness of the impact printing has on our planet. Its event is scheduled for October 23, 2012.

    “Toshiba claims that our industry has failed ‘to make the link between printing waste and its negative impacts on our landfills, natural resources and the environment.’” This is patently untrue. “Our industry has long led the way utilizing sustainable processes. The primary raw material for printing is paper, which comes from trees, which are a renewable resource—so renewable that today, our country has 20 percent more trees than it did on the first Earth Day which was held more than 40 years ago,” added Makin.

    “Printing is the only medium with a one-time carbon footprint—all other media require energy every time they are viewed. Electronic devices, which Toshiba produces, for example, require the mining and refining of dozens of minerals and metals, as well as the use of plastics, hydrocarbon solvents, and other non-renewable resources. Moreover 50–80 percent of electronic waste collected for recycling is shipped overseas and is often unsafely dismantled. For Toshiba to call for such a ban on printing is hypocritical to say the least.”

    Mr. Makin reiterated that print will very much be alive on October 23 and asked the company how it would feel if that day became “National No-Toshiba Day?”

    Printing Industries of America has put together a tool that can be used to dispel the misconceptions about the Printing Industry. This campaign, The Value of Print, contains a flip-book that can be used to dispel the myths about the industry. The flip-book has four sections: Misconceptions, which gives responses to the common misconceptions about print; Effectiveness, which gives statistics on how print is an effective part of the marketing mix and how people still prefer print; By the Numbers, which discusses the importance of the industry and its large economic footprint; and Resources, which lists websites where more information on the subject can be found.

    ###

    About Printing Industries of America
Printing Industries of America is the world’s largest graphic arts trade association, representing an industry with approximately one million employees. It serves the interests of more than 10,000 member companies. Together with its nationwide affiliate network, Printing Industries delivers products and services that enhance the growth, efficiency, and profitability of its members and the graphic communications industry through advocacy, education, research, and technical information.

    Program Contact:
Lisa Rawa 
lrawa@printing.org 
+1 412-259-1810

    Media Contact:
Megan Flynn
mflynn@printing.org
+ 1 412-259-1837

  • PBMS Receives Partner Innovation Award from EMC

    (PMBS is one of the largest “managed print services” providers in the U.S. and in the world)

    Tuesday, June 19, 2012

    Press release from the issuing company

    Pitney Bowes Management Services, Inc. (PBMS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pitney Bowes Inc., announced today that it was awarded a Partner Innovation Award during the 2012 EMC World conference.

    The content management partner award — Excellence In Design Integration — recognized PBMS for its expertise in designing document processing solutions that help clients enhance their customer experience by integrating critical documents and data — both physical and digital — with enterprise content management systems to drive key business processes and workflows.

    Chris McLaughlin, vice president of Channels and Alliances for the Information Intelligence Group division of EMC Corporation, said, “It is a great pleasure to recognize Pitney Bowes for innovation excellence. As a longstanding partner, PBMS continues to leverage EMC Captiva to help customers achieve true business transformation. We congratulate them, and look forward to meeting customer demand together.”

    Pitney Bowes Document Processing Solutions (DPS), which utilize EMC Captiva for capture, indexing and delivery of business critical documents, are delivered via a “best site” service model that gives clients the flexibility of on-site, off-site or a hybrid services model that best meets their unique needs.

    “Pitney Bowes is proud to receive this Partner Innovation award from EMC for Excellence in Design Integration,” said Scot Laudicina, practice principal, managed mail and document services, Pitney Bowes Management Services. “As critical customer communications evolve to multi-channel formats, it is more important than ever for enterprises to integrate their inbound documents and data with their critical business processes. We’ve combined our document management expertise with EMC’s capture technology to deliver a flexible and scalable outsourced service model for document processing.”

    Pitney Bowes received the awards at the 2012 EMC World conference during the Information Intelligence Group’s Global Partner Summit in Las Vegas. Annually, EMC’s IIG organization recognizes select partner firms that have developed innovative go-to-market solutions using EMC’s information management technologies.