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The Target Report Annual Review – August 2023 TTM M&A Activity

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Navigating the Soft Landing

As readers of The Target Report know, we view the printing, packaging, and related industries from the perspective of M&A transactional activity. Over the past twelve years, we have chronicled, logged, and commented on the robust merger and acquisition activity in the print-centric business segments. At the end of August each year, we take a break from our monthly commentary based on the prior month’s deal activity and look back at the past twelve months. If past is prologue, and to a reasonable extent we believe it is, then we hope to provide a high-level macro perspective on what the deal activity tells us about where the industry is headed. Which segments have experienced more, or less, deal activity? What are the trends in the buyers’ rationale to complete these acquisitions? Are acquirers adding facilities to their networks, or opportunistically folding acquisitions into their existing facilities? What does all this tell us about the potential future transactional activity within each print segment? 

We review, categorize, sort, count, and chart the data we have collected, comparing the trailing twelve months (“TTM”) ended this August to the prior twelve months. This year we have included the prior four years to provide a visual bridge over the pandemic period. 

In pure numeric M&A terms, deal activity during the past twelve months was off 13.1% from last year and was the same as the pandemic year, based on our analysis of the twelve months ended August 2020. We identified approximately 192 transactions of interest during the past twelve months; exactly the same number we tracked in the period ended August 2020, when many companies took the biggest hit from Covid, and dealmakers hit the brakes. 

In April of this past year, we noted an exceptionally slow month in terms of number of deals, the least number of deals in any of the 140 months during which we tracked print & packaging M&A up to that point. We asked the question at the end of April: Was this an aberrant month, or were we headed into deeper turbulent waters? Will we navigate to the elusive soft landing? (See The Target Report: Sudden Drop-Off – April 2023) The answer is still not clear, but the data indicates some ripples that warrant paying attention, as does the recent increase in the restructuring part of our consulting practice here at Graphic Arts Advisors. 

As might be expected, deal activity tends to drop off every year as we head into the summer months. We can clearly see this annual trend in the chart below, as well as the impact of the outbreak of Covid as illustrated by the red line. There was also a dip in the beginning of 2022 when the Omicron variant caused a déjà vu shutdown. We also noted a pronounced and uncharacteristic slump in deal activity during the beginning months of 2019, for reasons that were never clear, at least not to us. The most recent trailing twelve months, noted by the heavy black line, indicates that deal activity is recently running below average, exceeded on the downside only during the immediate post-breakout Covid period.


The chart above showing gross counts of publicly announced M&A deals provides a general view of the industry. However, as we know, the printing industry is not monolithic and in order to understand the market better, we categorize all the deals we have logged over the past twelve years by segment. We then dig deeper into the packaging, commercial printing, direct mail, and wide-format printing businesses, seeking to understand the rationale behind each deal, and gestalt the results by segment. We also analyze bankruptcy filings and non-bankruptcy plant closings to determine in which segments the business challenges are most pronounced.

The next chart breaks down the M&A transactions over the past five years into all the segments we track in The Target Report.


Commercial Printing

Our annual deep dive into the rationale behind the transactions in the commercial printing segment suggests that the commercial printing business has been reasonably stable, even a bit upbeat. The percentage of deals that were structured as tuck‑ins stayed at approximately 30%, the same percentage as in 2022, in contrast to 79%, 44% and 48% of the deals that were tuck‑ins during 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively. In these tuck-in transactions, the customers of the acquired company are transitioned to the buyer’s production facility. Buyers will often leave the disposition of the plant and equipment to the seller, or to the seller’s agent, avoiding responsibility for trade and other debt, and possibly cherry-picking certain equipment that is needed or desirable for the smooth continued servicing of the acquired customers. In our opinion, a higher percentage of tuck‑ins is indicative of overcapacity and financial stress, with the consequential result that there were fewer buyers willing to acquire an operating company within that segment of the industry.


There were 22 acquisitions in the commercial printing segment where the acquired facility was important to the buyer and will remain in operation, as-is-where-is. Notably, twelve of these were sold to “new entry” owners that were not previously invested in the commercial printing industry. This is in stark contrast to the number of transactions in commercial printing that were completed by new entrants in 2019, only two. Clearly, something has changed: outsiders are once again interested in, and more important, they are investing in the printing industry. Printing is not dead.

Digging a little deeper, we looked for instances in which buyers cited geographic expansion and/or adding new services as the rationale behind their acquisitions. We also noted whether a private equity sponsor was involved.


Adding to the company’s geographic footprint is still the most often cited reason for completing a transaction. Geography was followed closely by the desire to add a new service, most often a wide format or promotional specialty company. In addition to a select group of national consolidators, there has emerged a number of serial acquirers that are executing a strategy to grow regionally in a hub-and-spoke fashion with a highly competent commercial printing company at the center (see The Target Report: Commercial Print Awakes from M&A Slumber – June 2022)

Many owners we talk with in the commercial printing segment have told us that their companies did quite well in the second and third quarter of 2022, and that positive performance continued in the first quarter of 2023. Of late, we hear that some owners are now experiencing a moderation in demand. We hear less about labor issues, although finding well-trained operators is still a common problem. Paper supply is no longer a widespread concern, except that, for some owners, there is a need to work off excess inventory that was purchased at inflated pricing. We are beginning to hear that customers are no longer accepting price increases with the ease experienced last year when just having paper stock was sufficient to land an order without a price objection. (We hear similar comments across the various printing and packaging segments, not just from commercial printers.)

With Covid squarely in the rearview mirror, owners that had put their exit plans on hold are now back in the market actively seeking a buyer or preparing for a sale process. Simply put, the average owner’s age is a strong driver to bring their company to market. Rather than commit to another round of capital equipment spending with its related long-term debt, many owners are opting to cash out.

Our candidate for the most interesting transaction in the commercial printing segment during the past twelve months was not one specific deal, but rather the series of transactions completed by private equity funds. The return of financially-driven outside investor interest in the commercial printing business is indicative of both healthier profits across the sector, as well as a social recognition that despite challenges from electronic media, print remains, and is likely to remain, a vital element of marketing and other communications. (See The Target Report: Private Equity Pieces Together Print & Packaging – September 2022)

Packaging

For the third year in a row, the packaging business is again the most active among the segments we track. However, consistent with the reduction in overall deal activity, we found 43% fewer publicly announced transactions in the packaging segments we track. The red hot market for label printing companies has finally cooled off a bit. We hear that buyers are being cautious due to the higher interest rates and possible future economic headwinds. The cherry companies have been picked off and consequently there are fewer stellar opportunities that fit the PE-backed platforms. Nonetheless, transactions involving label printing companies still top the chart.


There has been a steady uptick in the number of transactions in which folding cartons are the primary product of the target company. We foresaw this trend and noted this in past Target Reports. We believe that the interest in folding cartons will continue to increase as private equity funds that look for the recurring revenues inherent in most packaging companies seek alternatives to the higher multiples in the label and flexible packaging businesses. Larger established folding carton companies have also been active consolidators. Social trends extolling the use of more sustainable fiber-based packaging also favor the folding carton. (See The Target Report: Label Roll-Ups are Red Hot; Are Folding Cartons Next? – March 2022)

Owners and investors in the packaging industry tell a very different story than those in commercial printing, when they talk about their rationale for completing an acquisition. Of the 53 transactions that we recorded over the past twelve months in the packaging segment, only one was reported to be a tuck-in and that was the consolidation of a small plant into a nearby existing operation. In most of the deals, the buyers noted that the acquisition of an additional production facility as the critically important reason to complete the deal. Furthermore, the expansion of the company’s geographic footprint was mentioned as very important to the buyer.


Private equity was involved in 30 of the 53 total transactions in packaging, 57% of the total. In absolute terms, private equity’s decrease of twenty two transactions accounted almost entirely for the total decrease of deal activity in the packaging segment. Last year fifteen new players entered the packaging business, nine of which established brand new investment platforms in packaging. In contrast, during the past twelve months, there were only three new entrants, only one of which formed a new PE‑backed platform.


In 22 instances, geographic expansion or diversity of the acquired locations was noted as a key element in the buyer’s logic. An expanded geographic footprint continues to loom large in buyers’ expressed logic for completing acquisitions.

Our candidate for the most interesting transaction in the packaging segment during the past twelve months was the purchase of Impression Paragraph, a folding carton manufacturer, by Canada-based Supremex. The acquisition marks Supremex’s fifth move into the folding carton business, all examples of the company’s laser-focused execution of its strategic diversification plan to acquire packaging companies and supplement its legacy core envelope business. (See The Target Report: The Box is Back – January 2023)

Wide-Format and Related Digital Products

For our purposes in forming a picture of the various market segments that comprise the overall print-centric industries, we separate out companies that produce mostly wide-format and related products from the more generalized commercial printing segment. We include retail display and trade show graphic production in this category, as well as reprographics, indoor architectural environment graphics, and home décor products produced on wide-format equipment.

As noted in prior Target Reports, the salad days for wide format printing are over. Digitally printed banners and wraps are no longer unique, flatbed printing devices are ubiquitous, and the high margins that came with being an early entrant offering large inkjet prints have been compressed by competition. Entry-level equipment is no longer expensive, flatbed cutters and other finishing technology are widely installed. Differentiation in the wide-format business has moved from those that had first-mover advantage to businesses that have perfected more complex online direct-to-customer systems, robust planning and installation capabilities, or value-added services such as printing on canvas for use as home or office décor.

As the wide format business matures, we find that buyers are going down the same road traveled in past decades by commercial printing companies; growth via acquisition, driven mostly by the stated desire to add a production facility. We can ascertain that the overall financial health of the segment is positive from the relatively small number of transactions that are structured as a tuck‑in.


We noted 12 publicly reported transactions in the wide format segment during the past twelve months, consistent with the number we found in 2022, 2021, and 2019, 14, 13, and 12, respectively. Only 2020 was an aberration from the norm, with 24 noted transactions. Several private equity-backed platforms are active in the wide format segment, which leads us to expect that deal activity will continue apace over the next several years. The minimal number of tuck‑ins, bankruptcies, and plant closures all are factors that indicate a stable path ahead, absent any major economic disruption that might once again shut down entertainment venues and retail establishments.


Our choice for the most interesting transaction in the wide format segment during the past twelve months was the acquisition of Advanced Digital Services by Crisp Imaging, the latest in a long list of acquisitions completed by the California-based company. Crisp is an exemplar of the convergence theory in the printing industry: the integration of various printing technologies, digitally connected, enabling print companies to offer a more comprehensive range of services and solutions. Crisp Imaging added five acquisitions in 2022 alone, with a total of eight companies purchased since 2021. For some reprographers, the familiarity with wide-format monochrome printing devices and digital workflows became the foundation upon which to build a more robust business that offered a wide variety of services to a diverse client base. It was a small leap from the digital production of technical drawings to more generalized digital color wide-format printing. Crisp clearly is treading ahead on that pathway. (See The Target Report: Crisp Imaging Adds to West Coast Network – March 2023)

Direct Mail

In our lexicon and analysis, direct mail printing companies are in a class by themselves, apart from the more generalized undifferentiated “job-shop” commercial printing companies that may offer some mailing capabilities. Many direct mail shops also manage, manipulate, store, and utilize data to drive improved results for their customers. Some have expanded into full-service marketing support companies, blending digital communication channels with mail campaigns.

Transactional activity in the direct mail printing segment held steady over the past twelve months, with a total of six deals announced, versus 4, 8 and 9 during the prior three years, respectively. Indicative of the overall positive health of the direct mail segment, there were no tuck‑ins. In another sign of a healthy print segment, two new entrants bought into the segment, both PE-backed and representing new platforms.


Similar to the wide format segment, the reason that owners gave most often for completing a transaction was simply to expand by adding an additional facility. All the other factors we track clustered together evenly as drivers for buyer behavior. In only one of the direct mail transactions did the buyer mention adding a service element as their rationale to move forward with the deal, indicating that most buyers believe that they already have the requisite services necessary to serve their customers. Rather, they are adding facilities to increase capacity and expand their company’s footprint within the direct mail business.


Our choice for the notable transaction of the year in the direct mail segment has to be the acquisition of Communications Corporation of America (CCA), by Moore, the direct mail behemoth originally based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This transaction follows several others in which Moore has tilled the fertile ground for non-profit mailing services around Washington, D.C. The company has executed a clear and consistent strategy embracing all aspects of fundraising. Past acquisitions include a production procurement agency, envelope manufacturers, database services, and a fundraising consultancy that promotes a multichannel approach that utilizes television, radio, print, digital and social media channels, and of course, direct mail. No longer content to be called a direct mail company, Moore now calls itself “a leading constituent experience management company” – the latest term of art in the nonprofit fundraising business. Since that tagline phrase does not exactly roll off one’s tongue, Moore is now otherwise known as a CXM company. (See The Target Report: Direct Mail Providers Stretch Out – October 2022)

Challenged Segments

The transactional activity in an industry segment tells us that the business is changing. However, the simple counting of deals does not tell us if that activity is indicative of positive or negative change. To determine a directional indication, we track the number of bankruptcy filings and non-bankruptcy plant closures and correlate this information with the overall transactional activity. Our thesis, born out over several years and confirmed by industry stats derived from other sources, is that an industry segment with a high number of transactions that is also experiencing closures and bankruptcies is, or will be, in a contraction phase. There will be opportunities for consolidation at bargain prices for those companies that defy the downward trend.

Conversely, segments in which the number of transactions is inversely correlated to closures and bankruptcies are more likely to be expanding. Therefore, consolidation opportunities will come at much higher prices. Virtually all the packaging segments are experiencing steady transactional activity, without the corresponding bankruptcy filings and plant closures, indicating a very healthy environment for sellers as the packaging industry continues to consolidate.

The gist of the data on bankruptcy filings is that the printing and packaging industries are doing just fine. Indicators of financial distress have all been trending downwards over the past five years.


For the first time in our twelve years of studying these trends, the commercial printing segment is not the leader in the number of bankruptcies filed. Not surprisingly, the publishing of newspapers and magazines is now the category leader.

Our candidate for the most interesting bankruptcy filing during the past twelve months, Vice Media, was indeed in the publishing segment. At one point, Vice, which started out as a printed magazine, was the tenth highest valued private company in America. The company transitioned to a media empire, focused on delivering edgy content via online channels. As we can see from the past two years in our deal logs of M&A activity, investors and consolidators are back in the print game, so one might interpret the failure of Vice Media and other electronic media as positive for print. That might be somewhat true, but it would be a mistake to interpret Vice Media’s bankruptcy filing as a halt in the inexorable move to a more digital multi-channel content delivery world. That movement will continue, however there will be fits and starts, new players and channels, and printed material will be there as the steady hand that delivers. (See The Target Report: The Party is Over at Vice Media, and Why it Matters - May 2023)


However, before we become too sanguine about how well our industry is doing, we must note that here at Graphic Arts Advisors we have seen a notable uptick in the number of our restructuring engagements, advising owners of financially challenged and highly distressed businesses. That change became apparent in the Spring of 2023, which is consistent with the data we see for the overall printing and packaging industry over the past twelve months.


We also track activity in non-bankruptcy plant closures as a good indicator of financial challenges within each industry segment, possibly even a more prescient predictor than are bankruptcies. At the lower end of the market in terms of business size, a bankruptcy filing can be the death knell for a company in the printing industry, and in any case, bankruptcy filings are expensive.

While some companies simply close up and just disappear, others find a buyer for the book-of-business and conduct an orderly wind-down process. A closure does not always mean that the company has ceased operating; a closure may simply be due to one of the larger printing firms rationalizing their production capacity. Either way, closures are indicative of change, usually resulting from downward pressure in a market segment.

Converse to the bankruptcy filing data, the number of non-bankruptcy closures in the past twelve months increased to 33 from 23 during the prior year, but are still well below the numbers from 2019 and 2020.


General commercial printing companies once again represent the majority of printing facilities closing up shop in a non-bankruptcy closure or wind-down. Newspaper printing plants also closed in greater numbers than most other segments. Paper mills continued to cease operations and close up, as noted in the materials manufacturing category in the chart below.


We will see, over the next year, if we can stick the elusive soft landing referred to by hopeful economists. In our conversations with printing and packaging company owners across the US, we hear that much of the money from the government largess has been absorbed, loans are coming due for refinancing at higher rates, and print-buying customers are again exerting discipline in purchasing. Similar to the number of bankruptcy filings, the number of reported non-bankruptcy plant closures has crept up, beginning this past Spring. We will be watching and reporting when we enter our thirteenth year of publishing the monthly issues of The Target Report. Stay tuned.


   
2023 August - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
MediaNews Group
(Port co. Alden Global Capital)
No DataDenver, COScranton Times-Tribune (+3 titles)
Prop. Times-Shamrock Communications
No DataScranton, PA8/31/23No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Regional newspapersLink
Graphic Packaging$9,670Atlanta, GABellNo DataSioux Falls, SD8/31/23$262.5AcquisitionFolding CartonsLink
TeamsharesNo DataNew York, NYSuccess Printing & Mailing
(Advised by Graphic Arts Advisors)
No DataShelton, CT8/30/23No DataAcquisition
(Graphic Arts Advisors)
Commercial printingLink
CherryRoad MediaNo DataParsippany, NJDephos Herald
(+7 titles)
No DataDelphos, OH8/30/23No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspapersLink
Lincoln Shields
(Sub. Black Mountain Investment Co.)
No DataPhoenix, AZRunbeck Election ServicesNo DataPhoenix, AZ8/29/23No DataAcquisitionBallot printing & servicesLink
CherryRoad MediaNo DataParsippany, NJHutchinson Print Operations
(Div. Gannett)
No DataHutchinson, KS8/29/23No DataAcquisitionNewspaper printingLink
KDV Label
(Port co. Mason Wells)
No DataWaukesha, WISelective LabelNo DataSugar Grove, IL8/29/23No DataAcquisitionLabel printingLink
Premier PressNo DataPortland, ORKG SpecialtiesNo DataPortland, OR8/29/23No DataAcquisitionApparel decoratingLink
DuravantNo DataDowners Grove, ILNational PresortNo DataFort Worth, TX8/16/23No DataAcquisitionPresorting equipmentLink
Granite Creek Capital PartnersNo DataChicago, ILSalem OneNo DataWinston-Salem, NC8/14/23No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
KERANo DataDallas, TXThe Denton Record-ChronicleNo DataDenton, TX8/7/23No DataAcquisitionCommunity newspaperLink
Clayton, Dubilier & RiceNo DataNew York, NYVeritiv$6,430Atlanta, GA8/7/23$2,300Acquisition
(Morgan Stanley)
Paper distributionLink
CherryRoad MediaNo DataParsippany, NJNews-Press & Gazette Company No DataSt. Joseph, MO8/4/23No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspapersLink
Taylor CorporationNo DataNorth Mankato, MNDMR CreativeNo DataDeerfield Beach, FL8/3/23No DataAcquisitionApparel decoratingLink
Hood ContainerNo DataAtlanta, GASustainable PackagingNo DataDalton, GA8/2/23No DataAcquisitionCorrugated packagingLink
Sustana Fiber
(Port co Blackstone)
No DataDe Pere, WIHanna PaperNo DataMarkham, ON8/1/23No DataAcquisitionPaper recyclingLink
Roland DG$421.6Hamamatsu, JapanDimense
Sub. UAB VEIKA
No DataVilnius, Lithuania8/1/23No DataPurchase of Majority InterestDimensional inkjet printersLink
Content Critical Solutions
(Div. Triangle Solutions)
No DataMoonachie, NJCentury Direct
(Advised by Graphic Arts Advisors)
No DataIslandia, NY8/1/23No DataAcquisition
(Graphic Arts Advisors)
Direct mail printing & serviceLink

   
2023 August - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Case #



Filing Party Address



Circuit



Region & City



Judge



Attorney for Debtor



Notes
Chapter 11 Filings:
Fanjoy8/8/23No Data23-57565Brookhaven, GA 11thNorthern GA
Atlanta, GA
Paul W. BonapfelLeon S. JonesOnline promotional apparel
Chapter 7 Filings:
Big Daddy Signs of Florida, Inc.8/14/23No Data23-10438Laconia, NH1stNew Hampshire
Concord
Bruce A. HarwoodChristopher J. SeufertSign printing
Map 6, Inc.
dba ASAP Printing & Digital
8/10/23No Data23-11317Mandeville, LA5thEastern LA
New Orleans
Meredith S. GrabillRobin R. DeLeoPrinting & copying

   
2023 August - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
CKJ - Printing facility10/28/23No DataLawrence, KSCJK GroupBrainerd, MN8/29/23Publication printing
(Formerly Allen Press facility)
Link
Maro CartonSep-23No DataBellwood, ILNoneN/AAug-23Folding cartonsLink
Shutterfly - Printing facilityJun-24No Data Shakopee, MNShutterfly
(Port co. Apollo Global Mgmt.)
Redwood City, CA8/11/23Photobooks production & warehouseLink
WestRock - Paperboard millSep-23No DataTacoma, WAWestRockAtlanta, GA8/1/23Kraft & white linerboard paper millLink



Is a Soft Landing in Sight? – September 2023 M&A Activity

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 [ˌsôf(t) ˈlandiNG, ˌsäf(t) ˈlandiNG]

soft landing (noun) · soft landings (plural noun)

 

1) a controlled landing of a spacecraft during which no serious damage is incurred.

 

2) in economics, a cyclical slowdown in economic growth that avoids recession. A soft landing is the goal of a central bank when it seeks to raise interest rates just enough to stop an economy from overheating and experiencing high inflation, without causing a severe downturn.


We noted last month in our annual review of printing, packaging, and related industry transactional activity that the past twelve months were characterized by a dip in the number of deals announced. This was the case in almost every category that we track, except for modest upticks in commercial printing, specialty products, and supplies distribution. (See The Target Report Annual Review: 2023 M&A Activity). Nonetheless, within the context that overall deal activity has cooled off from prior years, there is still a steady cadence of deals across all sectors, some of which will be transformative to our industry over the long term.

The classic signs of turbulence ahead have been in abeyance. Tuck-in transactions, in which the seller’s plant is closed and the business moved to the buyer’s production facility, were at or near historic lows. There were fewer bankruptcy filings in our industry this past year than in any year since we began The Target Report twelve years ago. The number of non-bankruptcy plant closures increased slightly, but remained close to the low point we recorded in 2022. As of this writing, the US economy, and our industry along with it, has avoided the hard landing that many predicted as the government largess ran out and interest rates increased.

Lest we be too sanguine about the certainty of a soft landing, we must note that in conversations with owners over the past six months, some tell us that the landing from Covid has not been smooth. Customers have begun to re-assert pricing pressure now that last year’s supply chain issues have mostly been sorted out and paper is generally available as needed. Lenders are more watchful and loan defaults have increased. Wages are increasing. Instead of a crash landing, we see a long tail of minor bumps and dips as the impact of the Covid pandemic and subsequent excesses is worked out over time. That is the view through the windshield, at least in the absence of a surprise event that might trigger a precipitous drop. Keep your seatbelts on, just in case.

Paper Manufacturing

After a couple weeks of rumors that a deal was afoot, Smurfit Kappa, based in Dublin, Ireland, announced a merger with US-based WestRock. When completed, the new company, to be named Smurfit WestRock, will have revenue of $34 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $5.5 billion. Despite being the smaller of the two, Smurfit shareholders will hold a majority of the combined shares and Smurfit senior management will lead the company which will be headquartered in Dublin. The North and South American operations will remain based in Atlanta, Georgia. The merger brings together two integrated paper producers with paper mills, packaging plants, and forestry operations.

WestRock itself is the result of the consolidation of the paper industry in the US, with origins dating back to 1846. Along the way, the operations of the Mead Paper Company and RockTenn were brought into the fold, among other acquisitions. (See The Target Report: The End of the Line for MeadWestvaco – January 2015)

Smurfit Kappa was established as a box-maker in Ireland in 1934. In 1998, Smurfit merged with Chicago-based Stone Container, after which the company was acquired by private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners. Subsequently, the company merged with Kappa Packaging and then returned to the public markets in 2007. The pending deal with WestRock will create the largest publicly held global paper and packaging business. The new entity will be a global fiber-based business operating in 42 countries, with 67 mills, approximately 500 converting operations, and 100,000 employees.

Paper Distribution

Paper distribution is also in transition. Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), one of the granddaddies of private equity, recently announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Veritiv. With revenue in 2022 of $7.1 billion, Veritiv looms large in the supply chain for many printing and packaging companies. In just the corrugated segment alone, in 2022 Veritiv distributed hundreds of millions of boxes that represented more than 4 billion square feet of corrugated material and more than 400,000 tons of kraft paper. In the fine printing papers segment, Veritiv sold and delivered more than 485,000 pallets of paper. In an indication of confidence in its ability to maintain profitable control over the paper supply chain, CD&R is paying a 31% premium over Veritiv’s 30-day trailing average share price.

Paper Mills Closing

The shuttering of paper mills continues unabated. Domtar, a division of the Paper Excellence Group, announced that it is indefinitely shutting down operations at its pulp and paper operations at its Espanola mill located on the Spanish River in Ontario, Canada. The mill had been up for sale in anticipation by Domtar that it would be required to divest certain mills in order to gain approval from the Canadian Competition Bureau to purchase Resolute Forest Products. While Domtar was not required to sell this particular mill, and the deal with Resolute closed earlier this year, no buyer for the Espanola Mill has been found to date.

Citing years of high costs and ongoing operating losses, Domtar is mothballing the pulp and papermaking operations at Espanola. The closure will take approximately 280,000 tons of softwood kraft pulp and 69,000 tons of specialty papers out of the supply chain. According to Domtar, the pulp from the Espanola mill is used to manufacture tissue and towel products, but more importantly to our readers, the pulp from Espanola is well-suited for and also used for medical packaging, coated and uncoated specialty products, printing and writing paper grades.

The closure of the Domtar Espanola mill follows right on the heels of WestRock’s announcement in August that it is permanently ceasing operations at its paper mill in Tacoma, Washington. This closure took 510,000 tons of kraft and white top liner and bleached pulp production capacity out of the market. WestRock noted high operating costs and the need for significant capital investment as factors in its decision to close the mill.

Six days before the WestRock announcement to close the Tacoma mill, UPM Communication Papers announced its plan to permanently close its paper mill in Plattling, Germany. The closure of the Plattling mill will result in a reduction from the market of 380,000 tons of uncoated publication paper and 215,000 tons of coated publication paper. UPM cited the need to align its graphic paper capacity with a profitable level of customer demand.

Landing the Paper Airplane

The recent merger of Smurfit Kappa with WestRock, the move of Veritiv to a private equity platform, and the closures of paper and pulp mills are just the latest in a long string of transactions that are transforming the amount and type of paper supply to the printing and packaging industries. (See The Target Report: Paper Industry in Transition – May 2022)

As with the larger economic picture, it appears that the paper market has managed a soft landing. However, the recent transactions and plant closures suggest that the consolidation and rationalization of production capacity will produce some turbulence along the way.
   

2023 September - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Modern Litho$50.6Jefferson City, MODirect ImpaqtNo DataColumbia, MO9/26/23No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Durst GroupNo DataBrixen, ItalyAlephNo DataComo, Italy9/19/23No DataAcquisitionInkjet printersLink
CJK Group$631.0Brainerd, MNJoe Christensen$87.0Lincoln, NE9/19/23No DataAcquisitionPublication printingLink
Mason WellsNo DataMilwaukee, WIAccord CartonNo DataAlsip, IL 9/18/23No DataAcquisitionFolding cartonsLink
Western States Envelope & LabelNo DataButler, WIVision EnvelopeNo DataCharlotte, NC9/13/23No DataAcquisitionEnvelope manufacturingLink
Cooper WatsonNo DataEaston, PATower ProductsNo DataEaston, PA9/13/23No DataAcquisitionPressroom chemicalsLink
Charlotte Publishing Company
(Affil. North State Media)
No DataCharlotte, NCCharlotte Print Operations
(Div. McClatchy)
No DataCharlotte, NC9/12/23No DataAcquisitionNewspaper printingLink
Smurfit Kappa$12,270Dublin, IrelandWestRock$20,720Norcross, GA9/12/23$11,000MergerPaper & packagingLink
ValsoftNo DataMontreal, QCDemandBridgeNo DataHunt Valley, MD9/11/23No DataAcquisitionDistributor softwareLink
Welch Packaging GroupNo DataElkhart, INAtCorr Packaging ProductsNo DataGlasgow, KY9/11/23No DataAcquisitionCorrugated boxesLink
Greif$5,410Delaware, OHColePakNo DataUrbana, OH9/7/23No DataAcquisitionCorrugated box partitionsLink
Beaufort Media GroupNo DataSumter, SCLowcountry Local Media
(2 titles)
No DataBluffton, SC9/6/23No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspapersLink
Wick CommunicationsNo DataSierra Vista, AZArizona Daily Sun
(Prop. Lee Enterprises)
No DataFlagstaff, AZ9/5/23No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Regional newspaperLink
Cahaba Media GroupNo DataBirmingham, ALGraphics Pro
(Prop. National Business Media)
No DataWestminster, CO9/1/23No DataAcquisitionPrinting industry publisherLink
CJK Group$631.0Brainerd, MNWorzalla$87.0Stevens Point, WI9/1/23No DataAcquisitionBook manufacturingLink

   
2023 September - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Case #



Filing Party Address



Circuit



Region & City



Judge



Attorney for Debtor



Notes
Chapter 11 Filings:
Westpack Holdings, Inc.9/1/23No Data23-02033Muskegon, MI6thWestern MI
Grand Rapids
Scott W. DalesA. Todd AlmassianCorrugated boxes & fillers
Chapter 7 Filings:
SalesRup Media, Inc.
dba Texas Real Estate Magazine
9/9/23No Data23-32003Granbury, TX5thNorthern TX
Dallas
Michelle V. LarsonDonald E. HoodMagazine publishing
Canada Insolvency Filings:
Metroland Media Group
(Sub. Nordstar Capital LP)
9/15/23No Data---Mississauga, ONSuperior Court
Ontario
N/ASteven L. GraffNewspaper publishing (70+ titles)

   
2023 September - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
Angstrom GraphicsOct-23No DataCleveland, OHNoneN/ASep-23Commercial printingLink
Domtar - Kraft paper millNov-23No DataEspanola, ONPaper Excellence GroupRichmond, BC9/6/23Kraft pulp & specialty paper millLink

On-Product Printing Promotes & Protects – October 2023 M&A Activity

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Most of us do not have to read this label to instantly know that this patch is attached to a pair of the eponymous Levi Strauss original 501 denim blue jeans. The label and the look say it all, these are genuine Levi’s.

Marlon Brando wore a pair of Levi’s 501s in the 1953 movie The Wild One, forever changing blue jeans from farmers’ garb to the ultimate symbol of counterculture cool. James Dean solidified the hip image in 1955 in the film Rebel Without a Cause when his jeans stood out in stark contrast to the letterman sweaters and poodle skirts then popular on high school campuses. Marilyn Monroe made the stitching of the backside pockets famous in a photo for Life Magazine. More recently, Steve Jobs, Bruce Springsteen, Kurt Cobain, and Barack Obama, among many others, all made Levi’s 501s their cool uniform of choice. Regardless of the wearer, we immediately know authentic Levi’s jeans because they sport the printed leather patch (or faux leather nowadays) with the two-horses logo sewn onto the waistband. Printing lets us know that we have the real deal.

OpSec Group, headquartered in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, acquired Global Trim. Based in Yorba Linda, California, Global Trim provides a wide range of custom labels, tags, stickers, and patches for branded apparel. The company’s labels adorn many of the brands we admire and purchase. Highly focused and dedicated solely to serve the needs of the apparel manufacturing industry, the company utilizes many production technologies, including woven labels, printed cloth labels, highly decorated printed hangtags, printed heat transfers, molded silicon, and yes, even leather patches that are printed and debossed.

The buyer, OpSec Group, provides a range of services to protect brand identity and related intellectual property rights, including the management of trademark and brand licenses, monitoring compliance with government and brand regulations such as ethical sourcing requirements, product identification and traceability, enforcement of brand ownership, protection of online digital content, and product authentication technologies. Consistent with its corporate mission to protect intellectual property, with its acquisition of Global Trim, the company now provides distinctive product labels, hangtags, packaging, and other forms of identification that uniquely identifies its customers’ brands. Printing and imaging are integral to the recognition that we associate with the value of a product.

Brand Identity Meets On-Demand Mass Customization

Avery Dennison has announced the acquisition of the Silver Crystal Group. The acquired company manufactures custom sports jerseys that will match any jersey style, from any year, with any name and number, and with the exact fonts associated with the selected team. In the ultimate example of on-demand mass customization, the company has over 250 onsite mini-factories at sports arenas and major league stores where fans can order totally unique one-off versions of a personalized jersey at a user-friendly kiosk. The unique garment is produced on-site while customers watch the game. The jerseys are ready to be picked up when the game is over. Orders can also be placed on mobile and online e-commerce ordering platforms. It’s the apparel version of an automated on-demand white-paper workflow. (See The Target Report: On Demand Everything – May 2021).

Avery Dennison will be integrating the Silver Crystal Group into its Embelex division, hailed as a full-service end-to-end platform for on‑product branding, graphics, and trims. Technologies employed include printing of heat transfer graphics, woven labels and patches, embroidery, raised silicone screen printing, molded silicone, and welded screen printed plastic that can be embossed or debossed.

The Silver Crystal acquisition follows Avery Dennison’s acquisition earlier this year of another company that specializes in textile labeling. In January, the company acquired Syracuse, New York-based Thermopatch, which specializes in labeling, embellishments, and heat transfers for sportswear, industrial laundry, workwear, and other fabrics that need to be labeled or branded.

On‑Product Printing Promotes Safety

R-V Industries acquired the business of R.W. Hartnett, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The acquired company manufactures on‑product printing equipment for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and confectionery industries. Founded in 1879, the company was established on Philadelphia’s “Printers Row,” just two blocks from the historic printing shop operated by Ben Franklin. In the 1800’s, the company maintained an inventory of machine parts and specialized in the repair of printing, bookbinding, and related machines. Shortly after the company’s founding, the company introduced a three-roller ink mill under its own name, competing with the German and English ink mills of the day. With over 60 employees, the company had developed a reputation as excellent mechanics and engineers.

In 1934, the Ford Gum Company, manufacturers of chewing gum and still in business today, asked the Hartnett engineers to design a machine that could print on gumballs. The success of the unique gumball printing machine led soon thereafter to the development of highly specialized printing presses that could print on tablets and capsules, a critical need for the burgeoning pharmaceutical business in and around Philadelphia. In 1949, the company applied for patents on the first tablet and capsule printing machines (it looks like an odd version of the Multilith offset press that I operated as a teenager). From the early 1950’s on, the company continued to develop patented machines capable of printing on little spherical-shaped objects, including not only pharmaceutical products, but jellybeans as well.

The acquisition of R.W. Hartnett is R.V. Industries’ second move into the on‑product printing segment this year. In June, the company acquired the Ackley Machine Corporation in Moorestown, New Jersey. The acquired company designs and manufactures machines that utilize rotogravure offset printing, with options to print in multiple colors and on both sides. Similar to its impact in other printing segments, inkjet technology has made inroads into the business of printing on objects that require non-contact marking. Lasers are employed in other machines for marking difficult-to-print object such as softgel tablets.

The slow, but steady, secular decline of paper-based commercial printing continues to erode the traditional segments of the printing industry that produce brochures, magazines, catalogs, and newspapers. At the same time, developments in on‑product printing technology have increased the options for what can be printed and labeled, strengthening brand identities and improving product safety. (See The Target Report: How Do You Print a Golf Ball? – July 2016). Combined with on-demand customer interfaces that enable mass customization, new methods of on‑product printing continue to open up new opportunities in print.
   
2023 October - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Minuteman Press, White Plains
(New franchisee)
No DataWhite Plains, NYAlloy PrintingNo DataWhite Plains, NY10/30/23No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
Paxton Media GroupNo DataPaducah, KYThe Southern Illinoisan
(Prop. Lee Enterprises)
No DataCarbondale, IL10/28/23No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspaperLink
Kirkwood$64.0Wilmington, MADGI CommunicationsNo DataDGI Invisuals10/27/23No DataAcquisitionWide format printingLink
1Vision$45.0Jackson, MSPreferred Marketing Solutions
(Sub. Papa John's International)
No DataLouisville, KY10/26/23No DataAcquisitionMarketing execution servicesLink
Ian BernsteinNo DataTowaco, NJAllstate Paper BoxNo DataNewark, NJ10/24/23No DataAcquisitionRigid boxesLink
OpSec Group$218.0Lancaster, PAGlobal TrimNo DataYorba Linda, CA10/19/23No DataAcquisitionLabels for apparelLink
Ennis$430.1Midlothian, TX Diamond GraphicsNo DataBensalem, PA10/13/23No DataAcquisitionDirect mail printingLink
Ennis$430.1Midlothian, TX Eagle GraphicsNo DataAnnville, PA10/13/23No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Avery Dennison$8,280Glendale, CASilver Crystal GroupNo DataToronto, ON10/11/23$30.0AcquisitionApparel customizationLink
LabelinkNo DataAnjou, QCSheraton LabelsNo DataCalgary, AB10/6/23No DataAcquisitionLabel printingLink
ParmarcoNo DataRoselle, NJTLS AniloxNo DataSalzkotten,
Germany
10/6/23No DataAcquisition
(Mazzone & Assoc.)
Flexo anilox roll servicesLink
ProMach
(Port co Leonard Green & Partners)
No DataCovington, KYLofton Label & PackagingNo DataInver Grove Heights,
MN
10/4/23No DataAcquisitionLabel and flexible packagingLink
R-V IndustriesNo DataHoney Brook, PAR.W. HartnettNo DataPhiladelphia, PA10/3/23No DataAcquisitionIndustrial printing equipmentLink
Interstate GraphicsNo DataMachesney Park, ILCorpro SignsNo DataLoves Park, IL10/2/23No DataAcquisitionRetail signage Link
GrimcoNo DataFenton, MOTubeliteDencoNo DataApopka, FL10/2/23No DataAcquisitionGraphic supplies distributorLink

   
2023 October - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Case #



Filing Party Address



Circuit



Region & City



Judge



Attorney for Debtor



Notes
Chapter 11 Filings:
Xpress Media Printing LLC10/10/23No Data23-18258Miami, FL11thSouthern FL
Miami
Laurel M. IsicoffK. Drake OzmentPrinting & copying
Chapter 7 Filings:
Trade Finishing and Graphic Services LLC10/20/23No Data23-10881Austin, TX5thWestern TX
Austin
Shad RobinsonChristy L. HeimerTrade bindery
Scribe Media LLC10/16/23No Data23-10868Austin, TX5thWestern TX
Austin
Shad RobinsonLynn Hamilton ButlerSelf-publishing services
G&C Direct Mail Marketing, Inc.10/13/23No Data23-32349Dallas, TX5thNorthern  TX
Dallas
Stacey G. JerniganVictor D. VitalDirect mail printing

 
2023 October - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
Quad/Graphics - Printing facilityDec-23No DataEffingham, ILQuad GraphicsSussex, WI 10/25/23Direct mail printing
(Formerly Worldcolor facility)
Link
International Paper - MillQ4-23No DataOrange, TXInternational PaperMemphis, TN10/18/23Containerboard millLink
EB Display Company11/14/23No DataMassillon, OHNoneN/A10/15/23Retail display & fixturesLink
Sappi - Paper millQ1-24No DataStockstadt,
Germany
SappiJohannesburg,
South Africa
10/10/23Graphic paper and pulp millLink
South Hill EnterpriseOct-23No DataSouth Hill, VAWomack PublishingChatham, VA10/4/23Community newspaperLink
Shields - flexible packaging plantDec-23No DataColdwater, OHNovolexHartsville, SC10/2/23Flexible packaging and filmsLink

The One-Two Punch Platform– November 2023 M&A Activity

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Core Industrial Partners is back in the ring, re-entering the packaging market as a contender in the emerging roll-up of the folding carton business. In 2020, the Chicago-based private equity fund had acquired TCG Legacy, a commercial printing and packaging company in Raleigh, North Carolina. Intended as Core’s platform entry into the print and packaging business, TCG Legacy soon added-on MedLit Graphics, a packaging and labeling company based in Windsor, New Jersey. Rather than continue to build out the TCG Legacy platform, Core soon thereafter exited the investment, in 2022, selling the renamed MedLit Solutions to Resource Label Group.

At the opening bell of its return to folding carton business, Core Industrial announced its investment in Century Box, a folding carton manufacturer based in Methuen, Massachusetts. As is often the case with private equity deals, partnering with Core Industrial represents the first institutional equity investment for Century Box, a family-owned company. The second generation owners of Century Box stated that they had specifically sought out a financial partner with packaging industry experience and expertise to fund and expedite the company’s next phase of growth. Core Industrial fit the bill.

Century Box, which was founded in 1978, operates from two facilities that together are over 200,000 square feet dedicated to folding carton production. The company utilizes a large format offset press and two narrow web presses to produce folding cartons for private-label store-brand food and consumer products. A complement of large format die‑cutters and folder‑gluers enable complete in-house production capability. Automated windowing is a specialty of the company, which supports the company’s focus on supplying food product cartons.

In its announcement of the deal, Core Industrial Partners clearly articulated that Century Box was only the first round in its re‑entry to the packaging industry. Strategic initiatives and complementary acquisitions were planned. Less than a week later, the fund made good on its promise and announced round two, the acquisition of General Converting, a folding carton manufacturer in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

General Converting brings geographic and customer diversity to Core’s new platform company. Operating from a 122,000 square foot facility, the acquired company also serves the food industry, with added penetration into the confectionery segment. Additional markets served include pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and fragrance, as well as other consumer products. Printing is accomplished on sheetfed offset presses. Die-cutting and finishing are completed in‑house.

Core Industrial Partners is not alone. In the past two years, private equity has moved aggressively into the highly fragmented business of manufacturing folding cartons. As we noted a couple years ago, the market for folding carton manufacturing had begun to heat up. In recent months, the purchase of box printing companies outpaced the number of deals that involved label printing companies. That had not occurred before in our eleven‑plus years of tracking and commenting on M&A activity in the printing, packaging, and related industries. (See Label Roll-Ups are Red Hot; Are Folding Cartons Next? – March 2022). We expect that the keen interest from private equity firms in the folding carton business will continue unabated for the next several years. *

The Easy Pickings are Gone

The label business has been positively picked over. The most desirable fruit has been gathered. The owners of the diminishing number of label companies that remain independent are not ready to harvest the fruits of their labor. The valuations of desirable label printing companies, especially those with solid earnings and positive growth prospects, were sky-high relative to other segments in the printing and packaging industries. Many owners took advantage of the very favorable market conditions and sold out to one of the numerous PE-backed aggregators. As a result of the extensive consolidation, fewer highly desirable independent target label printing companies remain available for purchase.

Resource Label Group, now funded by its third PE backer, Ares Management, announced its 30th acquisition with the purchase of Coast Label in Fountain Valley, California. The acquired company produces specialized labels, such as durable industrial labels, sequential bar code labels, numbered machine identification labels, electrical system labels, inventory tracking stickers, traceability labels, and tamper evident labels. Notably, these are not the high-volume prime labels that characterized many of the earlier acquisitions completed by Resource Label Group. (See Private Equity Fuel$ Consolidation of Label Industry – September 2021).

Brook + Whittle, now funded by its third PE backer, Genstar Capital, announced the purchase of FlexoOne, a label printing company in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company specializes in small clear stickers and pressure sensitive labels that are used to indicate apparel sizes in retail environments. Other products include tamper evident labels, as well as some prime product labels. The acquisition of FlexoOne included the purchase of InStockLabels.com, an associated online sales channel. InStockLabels stocks over 4,000 label products that are sold via its website. The products include standard safety labels, color coding stickers, for-sale labels, as well as a complete range of clothing size stickers. Remarkably, the products are not the high-volume prime labels that distinguished the manufacturers that Brook + Whittle acquired in its initial roll-up deals.

Eschewing the lure of private equity funding, OMNI Systems prides itself as being the largest privately owned label converter in the US. Headquartered near Cleveland, Ohio, the company announced the acquisition of Honeywell’s Media Business. The acquired business provides barcode labels, media tags, thermal label stock, RFID labels, and patient wristbands. OMNI Systems specializes in direct thermal stock, anti-theft tags, and preprinted barcode labels. It is worth noting that prime labels, while offered, are not front and center in the company’s offerings.

Compared to the past several years, the number of deals announced in the label segment has declined markedly over the past year. Nonetheless, the PE‑backed label platforms continue to find some select, but potentially less juicy pickings.

* Graphic Arts Advisors, publisher of The Target Report, currently represents a private equity fund seeking to acquire manufacturers of high-value folding cartons.
   
2023 November - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Minuteman Press, N. Conway
(Employee managers)
No DataNorth Conway, NHMinuteman Press, N. ConwayNo DataNorth Conway, NH11/30/23No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
Brook + Whittle
(Port co. Genstar Capital)
No DataGuilford, CTFlexoOne & InStock Labels.comNo DataSalt Lake City, UT11/29/23No DataAcquisitionLabel printingLink
InnoPak
(Port co. Emerald Lake Capital)
No DataDelaware, OHAlbany PackagingNo DataMarkham, ON11/29/23No DataAcquisitionFolding cartonsLink
Hearst Connecticut Media Group
(Div. Hearst Communications)
No DataNorwalk, CTRJ Media Group
(Record-Journal + 7 titles)
No DataMeriden, CT11/27/23No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Regional newspaperLink
Star GroupNo DataMinneapolis, MNExhibit EdgeNo DataWashington, DC11/27/23No DataAcquisition
(Generational Equity)
Trade show exhibitsLink
Moss
(Port co. EagleTree Capital)
No DataFranklin Park, ILMacroArtNo DataSt Neots, UK11/17/23No DataAcquisitionWide & grand format printingLink
Resource Label Group
(Port co. Ares Management)
No DataFranklin, TNCoast LabelNo DataFountain Valley, CA11/16/23No DataAcquisitionLabels & flexible packagingLink
UnicorrNo DataNorth Haven, CTTriState ContainerNo DataBensalem, PA11/9/23No DataAcquisitionCorrugated boxesLink
Image360No DataKansas City, KSWrap it UpNo DataKansas City, KS11/8/23No DataAcquisitionVehicle graphicsLink
Core IndustrialNo DataChicago, ILGeneral ConvertingNo DataBolingbrook, IL11/8/23No DataAcquisitionFolding cartonsLink
Order My GearNo DataDallas, TXDistributorCentralNo DataGardner, KS11/7/23No DataAcquisitionDistributor softwareLink
Packaging Concepts ESOPNo DataSt. Louis, MOPackaging ConceptsNo DataSt. Louis, MO11/7/23No DataAcquisitionBags & flexible packagingLink
Presidio InvestorsNo DataAustin, TXAlmadenNo DataSanta Clara, CA11/7/23No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
OMNI SystemsNo DataMayfield Village, OHHoneywell MediaNo DataFairfield, OH11/6/23No DataAcquisitionLabel & tag printingLink
Graphic Packaging Group
(Affil. Data-Mail)
No DataNewington, CTFlexographic Print SolutionsNo DataRochester, NH11/6/23No DataAcquisitionLabel printingLink
Target Print & MailNo DataTallahassee, FLBowman Promotional SpecialtiesNo DataTallahassee, FL11/2/23No DataAcquisitionPromotional distributorLink
Core IndustrialNo DataChicago, ILCentury BoxNo DataMethuen, MA11/2/23No DataAcquisitionFolding cartonsLink

   
2023 November - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$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:
Cadore Miller Printing, Inc11/25/23No Data23-15794Hickory Hills, IL7thNorthern IL
Chicago
A. Benjamin GoldgarEric G ZelaznyCommercial printing
Amazing Printing Incorporated11/17/23No Data23-61462Woodstock, GA11thNorthern GA
Atlanta
Wendy L. HagenauDanny ColemanPrinting & copying
 
 
2023 November - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
TC Transcontinental - Packaging facilityFeb-23No DataTomah, WITC TranscontinentalMontreal, QC11/17/23Flexible packaging
(Formerly Coveris facility)
Link
4 Color Press1/9/23No DataFort Worth, TXNoneN/ANov-23Commercial printingLink
Duncan Press12/12/23No DataCanton, OHNoneN/ANov-23Commercial printingLink
PrintpackDec-23No DataHendersonville, NCPrintpackAtlanta, GA11/3/23Flexible packagingLink

Climb Another Peak? – December 2023 M&A Activity

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Global M&A activity in 2023 fell approximately 20% compared to 2022, according to Bain & Co, a global business consulting firm. Within that larger context, deals completed in 2023 by private equity firms were off a whopping 35% from the level reached in 2022. Strategic deals, in which one operating company buys another operating company, were down 14%. The general consensus is that the primary culprit was higher interest rates which made deals more expensive to finance. Layer that higher funding cost on top of sellers’ expectations of a higher enterprise value driven by the past decade of low interest rates, and a value perception mismatch developed. That mismatch drove down the number of successfully completed M&A deals.

How Did Our Industry Measure Up?

To find out how the printing, packaging, and related industries fared in M&A terms for the 2023 calendar year, we updated our stats from our annual review which we publish each September that covers the trailing twelve months ended in August each year (See The Target Report Annual Review: 2023 M&A Activity). Our analysis revealed that the trend in deals in the printing, packaging, and related industries, measured by the number of transactions announced in 2023, very closely tracked the decline in overall global strategic transactional activity. M&A deals in our corner of the business world declined 14.3% from 2022, an almost spot-on match to global trends. Maybe we should not be surprised, as the same mismatch between buyer’s higher funding costs and sellers’ expansive value expectations was evident in the industries we follow and work in.

Several distinct, but closely related, trends became apparent to us at Graphic Arts Advisors as summer progressed into autumn. The following are our observations on the M&A market in the lower middle market for printing and packaging companies as we close out 2023.

What Happened #1 
 The End of Post-Covid Demand

The pent-up demand from the Covid shutdown was unleashed in 2022. The increase in demand impacted many sectors of the economy including printing, packaging, and related graphic communication companies. During the past year, we had the privilege to speak candidly with many owners who reported that their companies had enjoyed significant boosts to revenue in 2022, as compared to the prior year. Reported increases were often in the 20% to 25% range, and some even higher. When the disciplined expense management and reduced headcount that Covid made necessary met those higher revenues, profits at many companies soared.

As 2023 unfolded, the pent-up demand was satiated. Demand and production capacity are reasonably back in balance. With the benefits from the post-Covid demand bubble behind them, many companies struggled to repeat their 2022 financial performance. Nonetheless, after the heady days of 2022, some sellers had expectations of an unending upward growth curve. For many, as 2023 progressed, it became clear that the curve was flattening or turning downward. Unable to support an ongoing 20% growth story, some owners became disenchanted with their exit prospects and withdrew from the market.

What Happened #2 
 Supply Chain Equilibrium

The severe paper and substrate shortage of 2022 required intense management attention. Companies that were able to buy available stock did so and built up excessive levels of inventory. A label printing company we know leased an entire additional building to house the massive amount of additional pressure sensitive roll stock they had purchased. It got to the point in 2022 that companies in the US West and Southwest had purchased so much paper that skids were being stored outside. On visits to several companies, I saw parking lots full of paper, lightly covered with plastic wrap, an unthinkable practice on the rainy and snowy east coast that I call home.

Companies that managed to maintain sufficient inventory to keep the presses running enjoyed sudden pricing power that had been absent from the industry for decades. For a few months last year, I heard stories that reminded me of the good times I experienced as an owner of a commercial printing company in the 1990’s when customers without hesitation paid big premiums to rush preparation of proofs or extend press time availability. For some buyers last year, negotiating pricing was not their goal; if you had paper, you got your price.

As the supply of paper and other substrates normalized in 2023, market pricing discipline has returned, putting pressure on the top and bottom lines. For some companies that built up large inventories of paper at the peak of the shortage, the cost of working off high-priced inventory puts more downward pressure on margins. As a result, some owners decided it was better to withdraw from the market until revenue, profits, and inventory levels normalize.

What Happened #3 
 The Landing is Not Soft for Everyone

Over the past eight months, we have seen a noticeable uptick in companies that are experiencing financial challenges. Beginning in May 2023, the number of bankruptcies filed in our industry has notably increased, mostly in the commercial printing segment. The majority of those that declared bankruptcy filed for immediate liquidation under Chapter 7, rather than attempt to resurrect the company under a Chapter 11 proceeding.

In the packaging segment, some minor cracks have appeared. Although the segment remains very attractive to investors, there were several bankruptcy filings by companies in the corrugated carton and display business, indicative of some stress occurring in the fringes. One bankruptcy filed in 2023 was by a flexible packaging company, the first that we have noted in this segment for several years.

In addition, there has been an increase in the number of non-bankruptcy plant and company closures. The percentage of transactions that result in a tuck-in has also increased, which we believe is clearly indicative of overcapacity and softer market conditions. While not at the level to ring alarm bells, the trend is clear, an increasing number of companies are struggling.

It had to happen, and it is. Companies that survived due to the Covid stimulus payments are now running on empty. It is not a torrent, but our work assisting owners of companies experiencing financial challenges has increased significantly, and it appears that there will be more to come. (See The Target Report: Is a Soft Landing in Sight? – September 2023). If opportunities to acquire and tuck-in the business from challenged companies becomes more prevalent, that will negatively color buyers’ expectations of value.

What Happened 
#4  Climb Another Mountain

Add up all of the above and it makes perfect sense. Company owners that had reached peak performance, maybe their best ever, had a high number firmly planted in their mind. If they are subject to the trends enumerated above, a sinking feeling has set in that a sale of the company will not produce the number they were counting on, at least not now.

As with all endeavors, there is always another peak in the distance. Forced by market conditions to climb down from the euphoria of the top, there is another summit to conquer. Even at advanced age when retirement beckons, the lure of that higher number summons. Reinvestment ensues, another capex and debt cycle begin, and ultimately a new higher exit goal is set. Some will try to climb that next mountain without a refresh of the production equipment. Like the mountain climber who does not have the right gear for the mission, trouble looms. In the meantime, as some owners set their sights on that next peak, they decided to withdraw from the market.

Reset Expectations for 2024

The unique trends that impacted the market for M&A transactions in 2023 all led to a value perception mismatch between sellers and buyers, depressing the number of completed transactions.

In addition to the trends of the moment, some trends are timeless and inexorable. Owners will age out and some will not have a next generation family member eager to take over. Technology will progress and equipment will become obsolete. Presses will wear out. Content will continue to be digitized and delivered electronically. Macro-economic conditions will bear down on or push up all businesses, but not evenly.

Sellers will continue to perceive the value of their companies at the top end of what is possible within their particular segment of the industry, and buyers will maintain their disciplined approach to valuation. Nonetheless, enough owners will decide that they have climbed their last hill and are ready to exit ownership. Even in a slower market that was down 14.3% year over year, 85.7% completed a transaction.
   
2023 December - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
CorrPak GroupNo DataZeeland, MIWestpack Packaging SolutionsNo DataMuskegon, MI12/21/23$0.8363 Sale in Ch. 11Corrugated boxes & fillersLink
Sentinel Capital PartnersNo DataNew York, NYOnline Labels Group
(Port co. Tenex Capital Mngt.)
No DataSanford, FL12/19/23No DataAcquisitionLabel printingLink
Monotype Imaging HoldingsNo DataWoburn, MAColophon FoundryNo DataLondon, UK12/19/23No DataAcquisitionType foundry (fonts)Link
Panther Premier Print SolutionsNo DataSioux Falls, SDAdvertising ArtsNo DataSioux Falls, SD12/18/23No DataAcquisitionScreen & wide format printingLink
EP Graphics$28.2Berne, INDemocrat Printing & LithoNo DataLittle Rock, AR12/18/23No DataAcquisitionPublication & catalog printingLink
Allied Printing ServicesNo DataManchester, CTXL ColorNo DataBloomfield, CT12/17/23No DataAcquisitionWide-format printingLink
Müller Martini GroupNo DataZogingen
Switzerland
Hunkeler Group No DataWikon, Switzerland12/6/23No DataAcquisitionFinishing equipmentLink
Spectra Systems$22.0Providence, RICartor Security Printers$20.5Wolverhampton,
UK
12/4/23$19.0AcquisitionSecurity document printingLink
Sonoco$6,820Hartsville, SCInapel Embalagens$7,300Sao Paulo, Brazil12/1/23No DataAcquisitionFlexible packagingLink


2023 December - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$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:
McClelland Press, Inc.12/16/23No Data23-12062Alexandria, VA4thEastern VA
Alexandria
Klinette H. KindredSean E. UnderwoodCommercial printing
Dothan Printing & Lithographing, Inc.12/4/23No Data23-11347Dothan, AL11thMiddle AL
Dothan
Christopher L. HawkinsCameron A. MetcalfCommercial printing

  
2023 December - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
Catapult MEFeb-24No DataMinneapolis, MNNoneN/ADec-23Commercial printingLink


Paper-Based Journalism is Melting Away – January 2024 M&A Activity

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The churn in newspaper ownership continues unabated. While some newspapers simply close up, there remains a robust market as local publications are scooped up by new players. As it has always been, newspaper ownership confers a certain position of power and influence on the owners. The allure of being the next William Randolph Hearst is still present, wielding sway over politics, art, and social norms. Billionaires and multi-millionaires are drawn to the newspaper business, despite the risk of financial failure and diminishment of their fortunes.

However, one overriding trend is clear, and that is that eventually time-sensitive news will not be printed. In each and every instance, the new owners understand and articulate the need to transition news from a print-based delivery mechanism to a digital online channel. They are buying printed newspapers as the vehicles to the future of news.

Print & Digital News Compete in Baltimore

The citizens of Baltimore are not yet sure what to make of the latest change at their beloved metro newspaper, The Baltimore Sun. Ownership of the paper’s parent company, Baltimore Sun Media, has flipped again, this time to local businessman David D. Smith. The new owner is the family scion and executive chairman of the Sinclair Broadcast Group, the second-largest owner of television stations in the United States, measured by number of stations owned. The Sinclair Broadcast Group issued a statement that Smith purchased the paper personally, and that the television and entertainment giant was not involved in the transaction to acquire the newspaper. Nonetheless, Smith suggested that future partnership opportunities and synergies between the TV stations and the newspapers were possible.

The ownership of the Baltimore Sun has bounced around for years, and for nearly four decades has not been owned locally. Smith’s purchase changes that. Not only will Baltimore’s newspaper now have local ownership, other Maryland papers, including those serving Annapolis and Towson, were included in the transaction.

Smith partnered with conservative commentator Armstrong Williams to purchase the company. Williams is an author of several books on race relations in America, is a syndicated columnist and hosts a nationally syndicated television program. Williams and Smith have worked together since 2013 on the purchase and sale of multiple television stations, and for a while Williams was principal owner of the largest African-American-owned group of televisions stations in the US. With headquarters in nearby Washington DC, Williams adds to the aura of local ownership conferred in the transaction.

Smith grew up in Baltimore, graduated from Baltimore City College, and has a track record of funding local good government measures aimed at corruption in Baltimore City. Despite his well-known interest in and support of conservative politics, Smith promised that they “have one job, to tell the truth, present the facts, period. That’s our job.” Co-owner Williams noted that “We just want to get back to journalism. We want to show that newspapers can work if you have the right partnership.” The paper’s publisher and editor-in-chief chimed in and expressed his hope that the new ownership will continue the Sun’s tradition of holding city government officials accountable via its investigative journalism, for which the paper has received multiple Pulitzer Prizes.

For those of us in the printing and paper-based industries, the most important aspect of the transaction may rest on Smith’s assertion that he plans to grow subscriptions and advertising for The Sun and the other publications by focusing on local and community news and by “boosting the use of video and social media and integrating technology in ways that other print media companies have been unable to do.” Backroom functions will continue to be provided by Alden’s Tribune Publishing company. No intent to acquire printing assets was mentioned.

Wealthy hotelier and Democratic politician, Stewart Bainum Jr., had previously attempted a conversion of The Baltimore Sun to the nonprofit model. Despite the commitment of $200 million of his own money, the effort failed. In response, he founded The Baltimore Banner, named after the famous star-spangled banner, the flag that flew over Baltimore’s Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and which gave its name to our national anthem. The Baltimore Banner launched in 2022 with 42 journalists, with plans to eventually employ 100 full-time journalists. The Banner has hired some former Baltimore Sun journalists, as well as a former president of The Economist magazine. The Baltimore Banner is an all-digital publication, no printing or paper required.

Technology Company Acquires Print-Based Businesses

CherryRoad Media acquired the assets of Page 1 Printers*, a combination coldset web and full-color sheetfed printing company located in Slayton, Minnesota. The acquired company served the local newspaper, publication and general commercial print and mail markets. CherryRoad Media, based in Parsippany, New Jersey, was founded in 2020 with the mission to acquire, start-up, and build local news organizations with resident journalists in the communities it serves. Building its network of newspaper via acquisitions by the summer of 2023 to over 80 publications in 17 states, CherryRoad was primed to begin printing its own papers and acquired its first print operations with the purchase of Gannett’s printing operation in Hutchinson, Kansas. The acquisition of Page 1 Printers is the company’s second purchase of an existing print operation and supports CherryRoad’s interest in providing more print products, including color publications, to its network of newspapers.

CherryRoad Media is the newly-formed newspaper publishing division of the much larger CherryRoad Technologies. Founded in 1983 as an information technology company, CherryRoad Technologies is primarily focused on providing cloud-based information and communication services to local governments, public sector services including first responders, K-12 schools and higher education institutions, transportation systems, healthcare networks, as well as select private sector companies.

While certainly not eschewing print, as evidenced by the investment in two printing operations, the CherryRoad Media division clearly envisions that its added-value expertise in delivering digital technology to local organizations will be the connective tissue between the technology parent and the delivery of local news. As stated on its website, the company’s goal “is to bring secure, easily accessible, and affordable digital innovations to the communities where we work, live, and play.” Printed newspapers are the vehicle, digital transformation is the destination.

Alternative Ownership Models Link Print to Digital

Alternative models of ownership of local newspapers have emerged in tandem with the decline in revenues as advertising migrates to digital forms of communication. The Daily Iowan, the independent student newspaper owned by the University of Iowa, purchased two weekly local newspapers from Woodward Communications. The two papers, the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun and the Solon Economist, will now be operated under the auspices of the university’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication. With a combined total staff of only seven full-time employees, the acquired papers will get an assist from the more than 100 student journalists that work on The Daily Iowan serving the university’s student population.

Notably, the curriculum at the University of Iowa’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication is replete with courses about the business of media, ethical considerations in journalism, digital and gaming culture, video production, audio production, photography, newscast production, and narrative sports journalism, among other topics. But no courses are listed that focus on the delivery of news via the print medium. The two purchased local newspapers will continue to print weekly editions, and presumably will provide a link to the tradition of ink-on-paper as the next generation of journalists inexorably transition local news to digital media.

In addition to university ownership and partnerships, there are other trials underway in the effort to transform and save the integrity of local news reporting. Some are experiments at big-city papers, such as the switch to nonprofit status at The Salt Lake Tribune. Another alternate model is a sale to the National Trust for Local News, founded specifically to save local newspapers. (For more, see The Target Report: 116 Laps Around Fenway Park, Barefoot – July 2023.) In one model that has gained traction, local public broadcasting stations have acquired local papers, bringing their electronic media expertise to the local news business.

Impact on Printing and Paper Industries

The fate of the newspaper publishing business in Canada has been similar to the decline in the US and hit another failure point in January. Black Press Ltd. filed for creditor protection under the Canadian Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, shortly thereafter filing for Chapter 15 protection in the US to secure its interests in Hawaii, Alaska, and Washington State. The company plans to restructure its debt and remain in business, publishing its newspapers while working through the insolvency proceedings. The company has lined up a buyer group that has made a stalking horse bid for the 94 newspapers it publishes in Canada, mostly in British Columbia, plus several titles in the US. In court documents, the company noted that it will be cutting costs by consolidation of its print operations.

Paper Excellence, the latest successor in a long line of owners of the Catalyst mill located in Crofton on Vancouver Island, has announced that the mill will indefinitely cease papermaking operations. In October, 2022, Paper Excellence announced the cessation of papermaking at this mill. Canadian federal government funding forestalled the shutdown, but after a two-year delay, it appears that the mill will now cease papermaking for the foreseeable future and operate only as a pulp mill. The machines at the Crofton mill primarily manufactured newspaper grades of paper.


* Graphic Arts Advisors, publisher of The Target Report, served as exclusive advisors to Page 1 Printers in this transaction.

   
2024 January - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
The Daily IowanNo DataIowa City, IAMount Lisbon Sun (2 Titles)
(Prop. Woodward Communications)
No Data Mount Vernon, IA1/30/24No DataAcquisitionCommunity newspapersLink
Salem One
(Port co. Granite Creek Capital)
$38.6Winston-Salem, NC iTekNo DataConcord, NC1/22/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
CherryRoad MediaNo DataParsippany, NJPage 1 PrintersNo DataSlayton, MN1/22/24No DataAcquisition
(Graphic Arts Advisors)
Publication printingLink
BindTechNo DataNashville, TNEckhart & CoNo DataIndianapolis, IN1/18/24No DataAcquisitionBook binding & finishingLink
Sherburne PartnersNo DataNew York, NYDigital Color ConceptsNo DataMountainside NJ1/17/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
David D. SmithNo DataBaltimore, MDBaltimore Sun Media
(Prop. Alden Global Capital)
No DataBaltimore, MD1/16/24No DataAcquisitionRegional newspaperLink
WinbrookNo DataBillerica, MABrandmark CreativeNo DataMashpee, MA1/12/24No DataAcquisitionManaged print & promoLink
Thrive Screen PrintingNo DataPhoenix, AZNight Owls Print ShopNo DataHouston, TX1/11/24No DataAcquisitionScreen printing apparelLink
PressworksNo DataPlain City, OHPost PrintingNo DataMister, OH1/10/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Max Solutions
(Port co. Jefferson Capital Partners)
No DataBristol, PABellwyck PackagingNo DataToronto, ON1/8/24No DataAcquisitionFolding cartons & labelsLink
Digital Print SolutionsNo DataRichfield, OHAmericas Print ShowNo DataCleveland, OH1/4/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting industry trade showLink
Vivid ImpactNo DataLouisville, KYImpressionsNo DataLouisville, KY1/3/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Mittera$572.4Des Moines, IABrooke GraphicsNo DataElk Grove Village, IL1/3/24No DataAcquisitionDye sublimation printingLink
Crisp ImagingNo DataCosta Mesa, CADRSi / G&H PrintNo DataBellevue, WA1/3/24No DataAcquisitionReprographics & wide formatLink
Flywheel BrandsNo DataHixson, TNDynamic Decals / Bespoke PrintingNo DataHixson, TN1/3/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printing & promoLink
Runbeck Election Services
(Port co. Black Mountain)
No DataPhoenix, AZGlobal MobileNo DataAtlanta, GA1/2/24No DataAcquisitionVoting software appLink

   
2024 January - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Case #



Filing Party Address



Circuit



Region & City



Judge



Attorney for Debtor



Notes
Chapter 11 Filings:
Dusobox1/29/24No Data24-00391Orlando, FL11thMiddle FL
Orlando
Tiffany P. GeyerMichael A. NardellaCorrugated cartons & displays
Flawless Screen Printing, LLC1/15/24No Data24-50019Morgan City, LA5thWestern LA
Lafayette
John W. KolweThomas St. GermainScreen printing apparel
Chapter 7 Filings:
Charis Books, LLC1/29/24No Data24-10170Abita Springs, LA5thEastern LA
New Orleans
Meredith S. GrabillWayne M. AufrechtSelf-publishing book printer
Mail Print LLC1/20/24No Data24-10280Las Vegas, NV9thNevada
Las Vegas
Natalie M. CoxGuinness OhazuruikePrinting & copying
Chapter 15 Filings:
Black Press Ltd. 1/15/24No Data24-10044Surrey, BC3rdDelaware
Wilmington
Mary F. WalrathStanley B. TarrNewspaper publishing & printing

   
2024 January - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
Paper Excellence - Papermaking operationsJan-24No DataCrofton, BCPaper Excellence GroupRichmond, BC1/25/24Papermaking millLink
Quad/Graphics - Printing facility5/4/24No DataSaratoga Springs, NYQuad GraphicsSussex, WI 1/22/24Magazine & catalog printingLink
Quad/Graphics - Mail processing facility2/24/24No DataBolingbrook, ILQuad GraphicsSussex, WI 1/22/24Mail processing & logisticsLink

Stationers in Turmoil – February 2024 M&A Activity

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The Stationers across the country are up in arms! Shock waves hit this specialty corner of the printing industry on Valentine's Day, certainly ironic timing for printers and print distributors that specialize in messages beautifully printed on beautiful paper. Workers at the Crane Stationery division of Mohawk Fine Papers were notified the day before Valentine’s Day that they were laid off effective immediately. Social media buzzed among the stationery cognoscenti that the employees were locked out of the company and their email was turned off. Remote workers received the same message via a FedEx letter. The Crane website went offline, except for the cryptic message “We are Taking a Moment to Reflect” and a bizarre quote, given the circumstances, from Coco Chanel that “Fashion Changes, But Style Endures.” Orders in progress from designers and printers that rely on Crane came to a screeching halt. Customers searched, to no avail, for information about when, and if, the company might resume operations and deliver those orders. The event is a small echo of the waves of change roiling the paper industry.

The wave that was the impetus for the Crane shutdown came across the ocean from the Italian papermaker Fedrigoni, which acquired the assets of Mohawk Fine Papers. The Fedrigoni Group is a manufacturer of specialty papers, self-adhesive materials, and RFID solutions. Founded in 1888, the company was acquired by Bain Capital in 2018. Despite the holiday, there was no love in the air when Fedrigoni reached the cold-hearted decision that the Crane Stationery division was not of any interest to them going forward. No funeral notice, no proper burial, just shut it down.

However, there may be more to this than meets the eye at first glance from the perspective of the aggrieved stationers. Fedrigoni made it clear in their press release that Mohawk Fine Papers was facing financial challenges and that they, Fedrigoni, were effectively the white knight in this situation, not the bad guys. In the press release announcing the deal, Fedrigoni noted that the sale process was “initiated by a financial institution, following a period of significant financial distress that affected the U.S.-based company in the past months.” There is no ambiguity in that statement; Mohawk was forced to the marriage alter by its lender and/or equity investors. Further positioning itself as the savior of the Mohawk company, Fedrigoni added that the “transaction entirely cleared the new company from existing indebtedness, allowing to preserve the majority of existing jobs, industrial activities, and customer relationships.” As we know at GAA from our work with financially challenged companies in the printing industry, the sudden shutdown of the Crane Stationery subsidiary may have been an unfortunate, but necessary, sideshow to the main event, which was saving Mohawk Fine Papers as an ongoing enterprise.

Crane Stationery has its own storied past. Its founder, Stephen Crane, participated in the Boston Tea Party, and Paul Revere used Crane paper for his engraved banknotes which helped finance the American Revolution. Shortly thereafter, Crane was printing currency and many other types of official documents. After a long and winding history that eventually led to the formation of the Crane Currency company, the manufacturer of specialty papers used to print paper money for more than 50 countries around the globe, the company was acquired in December 2017 by Crane Co. a similarly named but unrelated global engineered technology and manufacturing company best known for its ubiquitous toilet fixtures found in millions of homes, offices and factories. However, separate from the manufacturing of the currency papers, the rights to manufacture the well-known Crane’s Bond, a wonderful 100% cotton writing paper, had been sold off to Neenah Paper back in 2009. (For more, see The Target Report: Will the Real Crane Please Stand Up? – December 2017.)

In one more twist of the Crane legacy, in April 2018, Mohawk Fine Papers purchased Crane Stationery, including the printing operation in North Adams, Massachusetts. When Covid hit the country in 2020, the social events that drove the invitational business of Crane Stationery were canceled. Mohawk management then got into a spat with the Governor of Massachusetts over the essential nature of its printing business and the decisions about operating the plant. The Covid shutdown came shortly after the bankruptcy of Crane’s largest single customer, Schurman Fine Papers, the parent company of Papyrus mall-based retail stationery stores. Mohawk decided to close the Massachusetts factory, laid off over 200 employees and moved the remainder of the business to its Cohoes, New York, operation.

There may yet be redemption for the Crane Stationery company and its customers. WPS Holdings, an upstate New York investment firm, has announced plans to acquire and restart the Crane Stationery company. As of this date, the deal is not definitive as WPS attempts to extricate and separate the Crane business from Fedrigoni’s Mohawk Fine Paper company.

Mills and Converting Plants Closed

The papermaking industry continues to rationalize production capacity and capabilities. Announcements in February brought down the curtain on several other facilities. Mohawk’s converting plant in Ashtabula, Ohio, midway between Erie and Cleveland, was also hit in the Fedrigoni Valentine’s Day massacre. Employees there learned at the end of their workday that their jobs were eliminated, effective immediately and that the plant was shutting down permanently at the end of the week. In its letter to the dismissed employees, Mohawk indicated an exemption from the 60-day WARN Act advance notice requirement due to “very recent and unforeseen circumstances” which is often an indication that the company doing the layoffs is under significant financial stress, known as “faltering” in WARN-Act speak.

Canadian papermaking company Cascades announced that it was closing three facilities that it deems no longer competitive now that its facility in Bear Island, Virginia, is up and running. The recently idled corrugated plant in Trenton, Ontario, will be permanently closed. Two corrugated converting facilities, in Ontario and Connecticut, will be closed as well. The announcement was not one of doom and gloom, however, but rather a message of repositioning production into other facilities, including Bear Island, with available capacity and more modern equipment.

Paper Mill Changes Hands

In an expression of faith in the future prospects of fiber-based packaging, Clearwater Paper acquired the bleached paperboard facility in Augusta, Georgia, from Graphic Packaging. The transaction value was reported as approximately $700 million, based on adjusted EBITDA of $100 million. Clearwater justified the price paid with its projection that EBITDA would reach $140 to $150 million annually by the end of 2026.

Clearwater Paper was founded in 2008, as the papermaking spin-off from the Potlatch Corporation. Having jettisoned its papermaking operations, Potlatch fully transitioned itself into a timberland real estate investment trust with timber sawmill operations. The Clearwater name was not new to the industry – Potlatch traces its roots back to 1900 when Frederick Weyerhaeuser and a group of investors founded the Clearwater Timber Company to purchase prime white pine lands in North Central Idaho. The Clearwater name was retired in 1931 when the Great Depression forced the merger of several companies into the consolidated Potlatch Forests company.

Freed from the Potlatch forest operations, Clearwater Paper acquired tissue product companies and is now a leading provider of tissue products for many private label store brands, as well as paperboard products used in packaging. Gone from the company’s product roster are the fine printing paper grades of yore that Potlatch produced. Potlatch’s printing papers included my go-to coated sheets back in my printing operations days: the workhorse number one paper Vintage Velvet, and the wonderfully smooth and true-white premium paper, Quintessence Dull.

Paper Industry Transition

Papermaker Nekoosa, headquartered in Kimberly, Wisconsin, announced the launch of its new Dye Sublimation Transfer Paper. The specialty substrate is designed to take advantage of the growth in the dye sublimation printing process. The new paper works to transfer digitally printed images to hard surfaces including ceramics, metal, glass, wood, and fiberglass, as well as fabrics used in apparel, flags, banners, and signs. The new product is paper used for printing, yes, but it is not paper for printing brochures and the like. Instead, the new paper is used for the dye sublimation process of printing on everything else. (For more, see The Target Report: On-Product Printing Promotes & Protects – October 2023.)

It remains to be seen what additional changes will be made by Fedrigoni at Mohawk. Unlike the discontinued Potlatch coated sheets, my favorite uncoated paper, Mohawk Superfine, is still in production. However, we can say with confidence that the acquisitions, plant closures, repurposing of mills, and introduction of new paper products supporting new printing technologies will continue as the industry accommodates the changes in the printing and packaging industries. (For more, see The Target Report: Paper Industry in Transition – May 2022.)
   
2024 February - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Prisma
(Port co. CenterGate Capital)
No DataPhoenix, AZSpectrum PrintingNo DataTucson, AZ2/29/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Prisma
(Port co. CenterGate Capital)
No DataPhoenix, AZCapital PrintingNo DataAustin, TX2/29/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Image360, Middle River
(New franchisee)
No DataMiddle River, MDImage360, Middle RiverNo DataMiddle River, MD2/28/24No DataAcquisitionWide format printingLink
Brook + Whittle
(Port co. Genstar Capital)
No DataGuilford, CTPouchItNo DataAtlanta, GA2/26/24No DataAcquisitionFlexible packagingLink
Welch Packaging GroupNo DataElkhart, INInnovative Packaging SolutionsNo DataYork, PA2/24/24No DataAcquisitionCorrugated boxes & displaysLink
FedrigoniNo DataVerona, ItalyMohawk Fine PapersNo DataCohoes, NY2/23/24No DataAcquisitionPaper manufacturingLink
Crisp ImagingNo DataCosta Mesa, CARGS ReproGraphic SolutionsNo DataLas Vegas, NV2/23/24No DataAcquisitionReprographics & wide formatLink
Veritiv
(Port co. Clayton, Dubilier & Rice)
No DataAtlanta, GAVivaboxNo DataRockville, MD2/21/24No DataAcquisitionBespoke packagingLink
Jamestown ContainerNo DataBuffalo, NYMidwest BoxNo DataCleveland, OH2/19/24No DataAcquisitionCorrugated boxesLink
Minuteman Press, White Plains
(New franchisee)
No DataSpokane, WAStandard PrintworksNo DataSpokane, WA2/19/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
Inland Press
(Div. Detroit Legal News Co)
No DataDetroit, MIGraphics EastNo DataRoseville, MI2/19/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
CJK GroupNo DataBrainerd, MNMagazine Print Unit, Div. LSC
(Port co. Atlas Holdings)
No DataWarrenville, IL2/12/24No DataAsset PurchaseMagazine & catalog printingLink
CJK GroupNo DataBrainerd, MNKodi Collective, Div. LSC
(Port co. Atlas Holdings)
No DataNashville, TN2/12/24No DataStock PurchaseMarketing execution servicesLink
Quad$3,220Sussex, WIDART InnovationNo DataMorrisville, NC2/6/24No DataAcquisitionIn-store digital media Link

   
2024 February - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$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:
Ford Press, Inc.
dba Eastern Impressions
2/21/24No Data24-11602West Caldwell, NJ3rdNew Jersey
Newark
Stacey L. MeiselRussell L. LowCommercial printing
Alpha Omega Printing, Inc.2/6/24No Data24-10118Roswell, NM10thNew Mexico
Albuquerque
Robert H. JacobvitzR. Matthew BristolPrinting & copying

 
2024 February - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
Mohawk Paper - Converting facility2/15/24No DataAshtabula, OHMohawk PaperCohoes, NY2/15/24Paper convertingLink
Sheridan Wisconsin - Printing facility6/28/24No DataMadison, WICJK GroupBrainerd, MN2/14/24Educational book manufacturing
(Formerly Webcrafters)
Link
Crane Stationery2/14/24No DataCohoes, NYMohawk PaperCohoes, NY2/14/24Stationery printingLink
Cascades - Corrugated FacilityJan-24No DataTrenton, ONCascadesKingsley Falls, QC2/13/24Corrugated millLink
Cascades - Corrugated Facility5/31/24No DataBelleville, ONCascadesKingsley Falls, QC2/13/24Corrugated converting plantLink
Cascades - Corrugated Facility5/31/24No DataNewtown, CTCascadesKingsley Falls, QC2/13/24Corrugated converting plantLink

Half a Loaf is Better than None – March 2024 M&A Activity

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Chatham Asset Management, the owner of R.R. Donnelley (“RRD”), the country’s largest printing company, tried and failed last year to acquire the entirety of Vericast. Not to be denied, however, Chatham has now settled on a partial acquisition of its target. With the tenacity that has characterized Chatham Asset Management in their pursuit of acquisition targets, Chatham persevered and has now successfully bit off a major chunk of Vericast which includes the legacy print and marketing business formerly known as Valassis. Chatham’s latest offer was under the RRD umbrella, the company they wrestled Atlas Holding to the mat to acquire. (For more, see The Target Report: Slugfest Breaks Out Over RR Donnelley – November 2021.)

In the Spring of 2023, Chatham submitted an offer to buy all of Vericast for $2.85 billion, reportedly an amount equal to Vericast’s debt at the time. It was a classic loan-to-own strategy: Chatham owned nearly half of Vericast’s debt, with first and second-lien positions in much of that debt.

The owner of Vericast, Ronald Perelman’s holding company MacAndrews & Forbes, turned down Chatham’s offer last year, despite Vericast’s precarious position with several tranches of high-interest loans due over the next four years, some of which were trading at 70 cents on the dollar. Perelman, one of the most famous buyout kings, known for his long history of acrimonious dealmaking (Revlon, Gillette, Sunbeam, Barkin, and many more) entered the printing industry in 2011 with the take-private acquisition of check printing company Harland Clarke and related entities. Harland Clarke subsequently acquired the retail insert company Valassis in 2013. In an attempt to shed its historical print-centric brand names, the company was rebranded in 2020 as Vericast.

Printing, Anyone?

RRD announced the acquisition of the “Vericast Digital Marketing & Technology business” with a long list of the services that will be offered: “display advertising, contextual targeting, connected TV, dynamic mobile, digital out of home, social media marketing, email marketing, local search, and zero-party data capture.”

In the segment of our business here at GAA in which we assist owners of commercial printing companies to buy, sell, and merge, we do find that there is convergence between the print marketing channel and digital marketing channels, so most of these services were certainly familiar as I attempted to figure out exactly what did RRD buy here? Admittedly, I had to look up what contextual targeting was (nothing fancy about this really, just putting ads on webpages where it makes sense, such as advertising for hammers if you are buying nails). I discovered that “connected TV” means you have a smart TV, or as in my case, a Roku box hooked up to an older large screen set. Display advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, and the others required no additional research.

Zero-party data capture was also a mystery, as I could not guess what or who is a “zero-party.” With a little bit of research, I now know that zero-party data is simply information that a consumer knowingly chooses to share with the advertiser through surveys, permission click-boxes, mobile apps, loyalty programs, and similar opt-in choices. Zero-party data is differentiated from first-party data (information from cookies that track your online activity), second-party data (your cookie-data has been sold to someone else), and third-party data (information that is aggregated and then sold in bulk by list companies).

Oh, and by the way, the RRD announcement briefly mentioned that the transaction also includes “Vericast’s print marketing business, including shared mail and free-standing inserts, as well as the digital and print coupon clearing business.” In other words, RRD has now acquired the Valassis business.

The King of Coupons

George Valassis emigrated from his native country of Greece at an early age. Born in 1929, he grew up in the time when radio and television were in the ascendency. Starting in the advertising business, he eventually was, however, drawn to the printing business, establishing Valassis Communications in 1970 as a small printing business based in Michigan. In short time, he shifted his focus to the growing coupon and direct marketing business.

Along the way, Valassis was acquired by Consolidated Press Holding (“CPH”), an Australian company. The company went public in 1992 and CPH divested its remaining shares in 1997. Valassis went on to acquire other familiar names in the direct marketing and coupon business, including Advo and Clipper Magazine, among others. Valassis also purchased coupon processing and clearing house NCH Marketing in 2003, effectively closing the coupon advertising loop with its advertisers, from delivery of printed flyers to reimbursement of redeemed coupons.

That little printing business eventually grew into the company that served 15,000 advertisers in the United States, Europe, Mexico, and Canada. Employees in 28 states and nine countries, supported by several geographically diverse printing plants, served up highly localized advertising. The presses churned out millions of freestanding inserts and coupon mailers, and consumed 170,000 tons of paper a year, with an annual capacity of 92 billion pages. When the Perelman-owned company came calling in 2013, the price tag was a mouthwatering $1.8 billion.

The Valassis freestanding insert and coupon business was a pioneer of managing information to provide highly localized printed pieces. Whether delivered in a newspaper or via the postal service, as is now more common due to the decline of local newspapers, those advertising circulars are customized to include advertising from grocery and other stores that are within reasonable distance of the recipients’ homes. Not quite personalized on a 1‑to‑1 basis, but revolutionary in its day.

As might be expected of a pioneering marketing company, Valassis was an early adopter of internet-based coupons. At the dawn of the internet age, in 1999, the company launched Save.com, an internet coupon website. However, the site was unable to gain sufficient critical mass to attract enough advertising and was shuttered in 2001. You might recognize the Save name, as it was recently resurrected for the printed advertising circular, replacing the RedPlum title that previously graced the cover sheet.

With the recent proliferation of mobile-based couponing that can be scanned or e-coupons that are checked off on a mobile-digital shopping list, consumers are no longer required to cut out coupons or print online coupons onto paper for redemption at the point of sale. No wonder that RRD was much more vociferous about the digital components of the business they purchased and downplayed the core print-based assets.

What is left of Vericast?

Vericast did not entirely abandon the printing business with the sale of Valassis. Vericast is retaining its original core business, the Harland Clarke check printing business, as well as a financial solutions business. With the sale of the Valassis business, Harland Clarke sheds $1.2 billion of debt, greatly reducing its anticipated leverage and improving its expected cash flow.

The check printing business benefits from recurring long-term sticky customer relationships with financial institutions which outsource the check servicing business to Harland Clarke. Although the check printing business is clearly shrinking, the company believes that it can manage the long slow decline with cost savings, combined with price increases.

In an analysis that may seem counterintuitive about the check printing business, which everyone knows is in decline, the S&P Global Ratings company has upgraded its rating on Vericast’s debt. S&P forecasts that Vericast’s leverage will improve to a moderately-leveraged 5.0x by the end of 2024, which is down from its highly-leveraged mid-7x range before the transaction with RRD. S&P also forecasts that Vericast’s EBITDA margins will improve to 35% in 2024, much better than the company’s EBITDA margin of 19% in 2023 before the sale of the Valassis business.

   
2024 March - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Carpenter Media Group w/
Canso Investment Counsel
No DataNatchez, MSBlack Press MediaNo DataSurrey, BC3/25/24No DataCCAA Acquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspapersLink
Resource Label Group
(Port co. Ares Management)
No DataFranklin, TNLabelcraftNo DataPickering, ON3/21/24No DataAcquisitionLabel printingLink
Label SourceNo DataNorcross, GA Allied Label Printing SystemsNo DataFlowery Branch, GA3/21/24No DataAcquisitionLabel printingLink
Marketing.com
(Port co. JAL Equity)
No DataEureka, MOSmith-Edwards-DunlapNo DataPhiladelphia, PA3/20/24No DataAcquisition
(New Direction)
Commercial printingLink
ProAmpac
(Port co. Pritzker Partners)
No DataCincinnati, OHUP PaperNo DataManistique, MI3/19/24No DataAcquisitionRecycled kraft paper millLink
Sun Print SolutionsNo DataSalt Lake City, UTPlumb MarketingNo DataEnglewood, CO3/18/24No DataAcquisition
(Graphic Arts Advisors)
Direct mail & marketingLink
R.R. Donnelley
(Port co. Chatham Asset Management)
$11,520Chicago, ILDigital & Print Businesses
(Div. Vericast)
No DataSan Antonio, TX3/18/24No DataAcquisitionRetail mailers & insertsLink
Minuteman Press, White Plains
(New franchisee)
No DataCaldwell, IDPrintcraftNo DataCaldwell, ID3/14/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
WP Strategic HoldingsNo DataAlbany, NYCrane Stationery
(Div. Mohawk Paper)
No DataCohoes, NY3/14/24No DataAcquisitionStationery printingLink
ProAmpac
(Port co. Pritzker Partners)
No DataCincinnati, OHGelpac
(Port co. Namakor Holdings)
No DataMarieville, QC3/13/24No DataAcquisitionBags & flexible packagingLink
WiseNo DataAlpharetta, GAMini Data FormsNo DataCharlotte, NC3/13/24No DataAcquisitionBusiness forms printingLink
AdvertekNo DataVaughan, ONCustom Colour ImagingNo DataToronto, ON3/12/24No DataAcquisitionPhotobooks & printsLink
CJ Graphics$25.0Mississauga, ON Large Format Printing Operations
(Div. Media Resources)
No DataOakville, ON3/8/24No DataAcquisitionWide format printingLink
KDI Office TechnologyNo DataAston, PAKelly and PartnersNo DataPhiladelphia, PA3/7/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
UworldNo DataCoppell, TXAspen Publishing
(Port co. Transom Capital Group)
No DataBurlington, MA3/6/24No DataAcquisitionEducational publishingLink
Rupt VenturesNo DataAustin, TXSweeter CardsNo DataSt. Louis, MO3/6/24No DataInvestmentGreeting cardsLink
Minuteman Press, White Plains
(New franchisee)
No DataQuincy, MAInk SpotNo DataQuincy, MA3/5/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink

   
2024 March - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Case #



Filing Party Address



Circuit



Region & City



Judge



Attorney for Debtor



Notes
Chapter 11 Filings:
The Regal Press, Inc.3/13/24No Data24-10485Norwood, MA1stMassachusetts
Worcester
Christopher J. PanosD. Ethan JefferyCommercial printing
Chapter 7 Filings:
No Chapter 7 Filings Found this Month---------------------------
Canada Insolvency Filings:
SaltWire Network Inc3/13/24No Data---Halifax, NS---Halifax
Nova Scotia
John KeithuMaurice ChiassonNewspaper publishing (26+ titles)

   
2024 March - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
Gannett - Printing facility6/23/24No DataCherry Hill, NJGannettMcLean, VA3/22/24Consolidating print to other plantsLink
Democrat PrintingApr-24No DataLittle Rock, ARNoneN/AMar-24Publication & catalog printingLink
Metrographics
(Fiduciary Agent: Graphic Arts Advisors)
3/20/24No DataCharlotte, NCNoneN/AMar-24Commercial printingLink

Paper Manufacturers Shift Grades – April 2024 M&A Activity

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In a classic bidding war that played out in the public markets, International Paper announced that it had prevailed over Mondi in the competition to land DS Smith. It was an about-face for the London-based DS Smith company. The Mondi and DS Smith boards were confident they had arrived at a final price and structure. In early March, they jointly announced an agreement for Mondi to acquire DS Smith in an all-share offer.

Less than three weeks after the deal with Mondi was announced, US-based International Paper came roaring out of the sidelines and pushed Mondi out of the way with a stock-exchange offer for DS Smith valued at $7.2 billion. This deal is just one of many over the past several years as the paper industry sorts itself out, reduces its reliance on printing papers, and shifts to packaging grades. (For more, see: The Target Report: Paper Industry in Transition – May 2022.)

DS Smith – A Path to Corrugated

DS Smith is a London-based packaging company focused on manufacturing corrugated cartons. Founded in 1940 by David Solomon Smith and his cousin, the company originally started as a manufacturer of folding cartons. In what was a propitious decision at the time, the company specialized in the production of cigarette cartons for the British-American and Imperial Tobacco companies. As war raged in the skies over London and across the channel in Europe, as evidenced by pictures of British pilots and American GIs from the time, packaged cigarettes were in high demand and ample supply.

In addition to cigarettes, the company focused primarily on manufacturing lithographed cartons for consumer brands such as Creamola and Helena Rubenstein. The company bumped along for several decades, with annual revenue in the early 1980s still stuck under $10 million. In 1983 the company was acquired in a leveraged buyout by a financial manager. He followed up on the purchase shortly thereafter with the acquisition of a maker of boxes for ladies’ shoes. In 1985 the company acquired Abbey Corrugated, a transformational deal that paved the way for DS Smith’s eventual concentration on the corrugated box business. In a sequence of transactions that reads like a who’s who of paper brand names for those of us in the business back then, the company acquired the UK division of US-based St. Regis Paper Company and set up a partnership to make heavy-duty corrugated cases with Weyerhaeuser. Other acquisitions expanded the company’s operations into France, Poland, Italy, Belgium, Spain, Israel, the Dominican Republic, down under in Australia and New Zealand, and to the US. Along the way, the company acquired its first paper mill, a foundation for the eventual vertical integration in what is now a completely circular production pathway from recycled waste material to new boxes.

Through a steady stream of acquisitions and divestitures, DS Smith evolved to its current state as a leading supplier of fiber-based products utilizing recycled and sustainably sourced fiber. The company has 12 paper mills across Europe and 2 in North America, that collectively produce approximately 4 million tons of corrugated case materials and specialized paper products. Operating in more than 30 countries, DS Smith employs over 30,000 people. Almost all of the company’s products now end up in packaging applications. Revenue for the most recent fiscal year reached $10.3 billion.

International Paper – American Industrialist

Unlike the entrepreneurial spirit that drove the establishment of DS Smith in 1940‑wartime England, International Paper was established in 1898, in the heyday of the US trusts that sought to consolidate industries such as railroads, sugar, and steel. Papermaking was not immune to the pressures to merge, and, under the guidance of William Augustus Russell, International Paper was formed by bringing together 17 pulp and paper mills that collectively held the rights to 1.7 million acres of timberland in the Northeastern US states and Canada.

Russell’s father was in the papermaking business in Exeter, New Hampshire, and in 1848 at the age of 17, the younger Russell worked in the business. At the age of 20, he founded the Russell Paper Company in partnership with his father. He went on to expand his business interests as far away as Minnesota in the pulp, paper, lumber, and power businesses. He served three terms in the US House of Representatives, where he promoted tax laws and tariffs favorable to American industry. In 1890, Russell was president of the American Paper and Pulp Association, a trade association that lobbied for favorable government regulations and promoted the paper industry. As the consolidation of industries reformed the American industrial landscape, Russell joined another industrialist, Hugh Chisholm, to establish the International Paper Company.

Hugh Chisholm might well be the most eligible person to be the ideal lead character in a Horatio Alger novel, the 19th- century stories about impoverished boys who rose to good fortune and comfort through hard work and good deeds. One of ten children whose father died when he was thirteen, Chisholm left school and sold newspapers at the local train station. He became friends with Thomas Edison, who also sold newspapers on the railroad. Chisholm eventually bought out his employer and soon had over two hundred newsboys hawking newspapers, magazines, and books to rail and steamboat passengers. That led to the establishment, with his brother, of the Chisholm Brothers Publishing company in Portland, Maine. Travel guides were next and with the adoption of lithographed halftone printing, the production of picture postcards. Printing led Chisholm to an interest in papermaking, and along with other capitalists of the time, he started several paper companies in Maine.

When Russell died unexpectedly, Chisholm took over the presidency of the fledging International Paper Company, which he managed for eight more years. During that time, the consolidated paper mills under his guidance produced 60 percent of all newsprint sold in the United States and International Paper was the largest paper company in the world. Not one to rest on his laurels, Chisholm also founded an iron foundry, and a power company, initiated the first forest management program for International Paper, and began construction of Strathglass Park, one of the first planned communities for mill workers, in Rumford, Maine.

International Paper – Focused on Packaging Grades

In 1931, amid the Great Depression and under pressure to create new products due to the drop in demand for its newsprint and printing paper grades (sound familiar?), International Paper began the production of linerboard for packaging on a papermaking machine, which produced inexpensive, high-quality grades for use in corrugated boxes. The company followed this up with the production in 1939 of bleached kraft grades for folding cartons, including the unique application of paperboard to make paper-based milk cartons.

International Paper diversified over the past seven decades, which included the purchase and eventual sale of companies that produced plastics, chemicals, and a paper distributor, among other sidelines. After clearing its portfolio of those diverse products and services, International Paper appears poised to refocus its efforts on the corrugated packaging grades it pioneered during the 1930s. However, that direction was not abundantly clear from its actions, that is until International Paper made the move for DS Smith. In fact, the company seemed headed in the other direction, reducing its portfolio of products, including the sale of several packaging-related divisions.

In 2017, International Paper shed a major packaging business unit in a transaction that transferred its consumer products folding carton business to Atlanta-based Graphic Packaging. The deal included a papermill in Domino, Texas, which produces coated paperboard used in the production of printed folding cartons. This followed an earlier sale of three US-based paperboard converting facilities to Atlantic Corporation.

In March 2020, the company entered into an agreement to divest its corrugated business in Brazil. The selloff included three containerboard mills and four box plants. The company cited its inability to operate the Brazilian plants profitably.

In December 2020, International Paper made public its plans to spin off its printing papers business, primarily the uncoated grades, including the well-known brands Accent, Hammermill, Williamsburg, and papers for HP. The new company, under the new name Sylvamo, was spun off in October 2021 and cleaved off approximately $4 billion of revenue and 6,500 employees. With the divestiture, the chairman of International Paper proclaimed that “International Paper is now a highly-advantaged, corrugated packaging-focused company.” In the midst of endless corporate gobbledygook mission statements, a strategic proclamation does not get much clearer than that.

Despite the well-crafted assertion that it was committed to the corrugated packaging market, shortly thereafter, in January 2021, the company announced the sale of its corrugated packaging facilities in Turkey to Mondi, its archrival in the bidding contest to acquire DS Smith.

As recently as October 2023, the company announced the permanent closure of the containerboard mill in Orange, Texas, with the cessation of production on two of its pulp machines, one in Riegelwood, North Carolina, and one in Pensacola, Florida. The closure of the Texas mill reduced the company’s annual containerboard capacity by 800,000 tons. Nonetheless, the company retained its core capability and strength in containerboard production and was poised to pounce when the right opportunity arose.

When Ireland-based Smurfit Kappa announced the purchase of US-based WestRock in September 2023, International Paper was suddenly faced with losing its position as the number one producer in the world of fiber-based packaging. When that deal is completed later this year, the Smurfit-WestRock company will be the world's biggest paper and packaging company, with approximately 100,000 employees, 500 converting operations, 67 mills, and an annual production capacity of 23 million tons of fiber-based board products.

Faced with losing the opportunity to retain its strategic leadership position in containerboard-based products, it is easy to see why International Paper did not want DS Smith to get away from it in the sale to Mondi. When faced with the larger offer from International Paper, Mondi announced that it would not be making a counteroffer. The bidding war was over, with the victory going to International Paper. Notably missing from this clash of giants is any focus on the printing grades of yore. It is all about packaging.
   
2024 April - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Minuteman Press - FlemingtonNo DataFlemington, NJPrintechNo DataFlemington, NJ4/23/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
ProMach
(Port co Leonard Green & Partners)
No DataCovington, KYEtiflexNo DataMexico City, Mexico4/22/24No DataAcquisitionLabel printing & tagsLink
The Ampersand GroupNo DataAkron, OHDuncan PressNo DataCanton, OH4/22/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
New Iberia Newsmedia
(Sub. Carpenter Media Group)
No DataNatchez, MSThe Daily Iberian
(Prop. Wick Communications)
No DataSierra Vista, AZ4/18/24No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspapersLink
International Paper$18,510Memphis, TNDS Smith$10,326London, UK4/16/24$7,200AcquisitionCorrugated boxesLink
Amtech
(Port co. Peak Rock Capital)
No DataFort Washington, PALabel TraxxNo DataMilwaukee, WI4/12/24No DataAcquisitionPackaging MIS softwareLink
International Sign AssociationNo DataAlexandria, VAThe Wrap InstituteNo DataCarrollton, TX4/11/24No DataMinority InterestTrade associationLink
Minuteman Press -
Spokane Valley
No DataSpokane Valley, WABerreth Thomas PrintingNo DataSpokane Valley, WA4/11/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
ArchimediaNo DataDanvers, MAAIR GraphicsNo DataNorth Quincy, MA4/9/24No DataAcquisitionReprographicsLink
Max Solutions
(Port co. Jefferson Capital Partners)
No DataBristol, PALTi PrintingNo DataSturgis, MI4/8/24No DataAcquisitionFolding cartons & labelsLink
West Fraser Timber Co$6,450Vancouver, BCCariboo Pulp and Paper
(JV w/ Mercer International)
No DataQuesnel, BC4/2/24No DataJV DissolutionKraft pulp millLink
JAL EquityNo DataSarasota, FLPrinting.com
(Prop. Software Circle)
No DataManchester, UK4/2/24$2.3AcquisitionInternet domainLink
Fortis Solutions Group
(Port co. Harvest Partners)
No DataVirginia Beach, VAPrint Division
(Sub. MASA Corporation)
No DataNorfolk, VA4/2/24No DataAcquisition
(Boxwood Partners)
Label printingLink

   
2024 April - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Case #



Filing Party Address



Circuit



Region & City



Judge



Attorney for Debtor



Notes
Chapter 11 Filings:
A.R.D. Marketing, Inc.4/23/24No Data24-13156La Verne, CA9thCentral CA
Los Angeles
Deborah J. SaltzmanSamuel M. BoyamianDirect mail
Chapter 7 Filings:
Hippo Premium Packaging, Inc.4/25/24No Data24-01448San Diego, CA9thSouthern CA
San Diego
Christopher B. LathamChris D. KuhnerCannabis packaging design

 
2024 April - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
No Plant Closures Found this Month------------------------

Book Manufacturing in Turmoil – May 2024 M&A Activity

$
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Change continues to rock the book manufacturing business. Contracts for book printing and bindery services have declined as publishers pull back on new orders and work off the excess inventory that built up in response to demand during the Covid years. Print-on-demand book technologies are placing further downward pressure on traditional book manufacturing. Although there is widespread confidence that the printed book will survive the digital onslaught better than many other forms of print, there are shifts and cracks in the book printing world.

Consolidators are buying companies with long histories and respected pedigrees that have served and continue to sell to the trade and educational publishers. At the same time, others are closing down huge manufacturing facilities as overall volumes decline in certain segments. On-demand digital ordering, prepress, and printing technologies, driven primarily by the plethora of installed highly productive continuous form inkjet printing devices, has reduced the need for publishers to order long runs and keep large inventories.

Robust Acquisition Activity in Book Manufacturing

Grafica Veneta (the GV Group), based in Trebaseleghe, Italy, acquired P.A. Hutchison, a traditional book manufacturing company with an annual production capacity of 50 million books. The acquired Pennsylvania company is over one hundred years old and focuses on the production of textbooks and other educational materials. GV group announced plans to install four-color web printing capability at the plant and increase annual capacity to over 100 million books. Left unsaid is whether the web printing technology will be high-volume traditional offset or be based on more nimble digital color print engines.

This is GV Group’s second foray into the US market, a follow up to its purchase in February 2021 of Lake Book Manufacturing in Melrose Park, Illinois. That acquisition was a huge first step into the US market for the Italian printing company. That deal brought 300 employees and in excess of $117 million in revenue to GV Group. Lake Book served the publishing trade with capability to produce one- to four-color hardcover and softcover books. At the time, GV Group reported that the acquisition increased the combined company’s annual production capacity to 300 million books. (For more, see: The Target Report: So Many Books, So Little Time – February 2021.)

Other companies continue to have faith in and invest in the book manufacturing business. CJK Group, a printing industry roll-up based in Brainerd, Minnesota, placed another bet on its core interest in book and journal printing with the acquisition in September 2023 of Worzalla in Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Prior to the acquisition, Worzalla was one of the largest remaining independent book-printing companies in the US, in business for over 130 years. With 365,000 square feet of manufacturing, and approximately 340 employees, the company primarily served the children’s book and trade publishing market. The acquisition was a straight-down-the-middle strategic move for CJK, totally about books.

CJK Group has built a mammoth business with a core focus on book manufacturing. We first reported on the CJK Group in 2013, when it was known as Bang Printing. The company had just completed a Section 363 asset purchase in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding of Hess Print Solutions. (For more on CJK’s early acquisitions, see: The Target Report: CJK Group Opens Next Chapter with Loan-to-Own Strategy – March 2019.)

In June 2023, Lakeside Book, the scion of the original R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company, and the largest US printing company focused primarily on book manufacturing, acquired Marquis Book Printing, ending the independence of another significant book printing company. With several plants in Canada, the Marquis company dates back to 1937, and had approximately 600 employees.

It has been a topsy-turvy journey for Lakeside Book. Originally the book printing division of R.R. Donnelley, it was spun out in the ill-fated three-way split of the company in 2015. The divested division was rebranded as LSC Communications, with a nod to the original name (hence the LS in LSC). After a dizzying array of acquisitions, LSC Communications succumbed to the weight of all the incurred debt and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2020. Later that year, in September, private equity firm Atlas Holdings emerged as the stalking horse bidder for LSC Communications. Under Atlas’ guidance, LSC spun out the book printing division and rebranded it Lakeside Book (not to be confused with the aforementioned Lake Book acquired by GV Group). Further rationalization occurred earlier this year when LSC divested its magazine and catalog printing operating units, as well as its rebranded marketing execution division, Kodi Collective. Oddly, the buyer of these disparate operations was CJK Group, which with this acquisition appears to have veered off its well-defined path paved with books.

With the consolidation of book manufacturing, many of the independent trade binderies serving smaller book printers ceased operations. An exception has been BindTech, a roll-up of trade binderies that serve printers, publishers, and marketing agencies. Earlier this year, BindTech added to its network of specialized binderies with the acquisition of Eckhart & Co., a supplier of hardcover, softcover, and mechanical binding services. Other specialized services offered by BindTech include Smyth sewing, gilding, leather covers, gold stamped embossed ornamentation, ribbon markers, hub spines, hand crafted endsheets, and other book bindery arcana.

Out of Print

Bertelsmann Printing Group USA, a division of the German global publishing and printing powerhouse, announced the closure of the Offset Paperback Manufacturers (OPM) plant in Dallas, Pennsylvania. At one time, the plant was the second largest paperback manufacturing facility in the world, with about 1,000 unionized employees, running 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with annual output of more than 250 million books. According to the WARN notice filed with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, employment at the factory had dwindled to approximately 100 employees. Book production has declined to about one million books per month. Reportedly, the company had deferred any capital improvements at the facility for quite some time, with the result that productivity slumped, accelerating the cycle of decline. The company cited a rapid decrease in the market demand for mass-market and digest format books, the exact type produced at this plant.

It has not been all acquisitions for CJK Group. Earlier this year in February, the company announced that it was closing its plant in Madison, Wisconsin. The company cited the decline in demand for book production which has followed publishers’ post-covid buildup in inventory combined with the continued shift to digital publishing in the education sector which the plant specialized in. The plant was scheduled to cease all production and close completely by the end of this month. The facility was formerly known as Webcrafters, and before that as Democrat Printing, which had begun, as had many printing companies, in the 1800’s as a newspaper publisher.

The final edition is set for the Book1One on-demand book printing and bindery services company in Rochester, New York. All the equipment will be auctioned off later this month, resulting in the complete closure of the plant. Book1One was founded in 2005 with the mission to provide personalized books, utilizing digital printing technologies, ordered via an online publishing software platform. The company also provided digital book printing and bindery services to smaller independent publishers. Clearly, competition is heating up in the on-demand book printing sector, as well as in the more traditional high-volume trade.

   
2024 May - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Resource Label Group
(Port co. Ares Management)
No DataFranklin, TNBeyer GraphicsNo DataCommack, NY5/23/24No DataAcquisitionFolding cartonsLink
Carpenter MediaNo DataNatchez, MSThe Meridian Star (+9 titles)
(Prop. CNHI)
No DataMontgomery, AL5/23/24No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspapersLink
Screen Graphic Solutions$3,336Kyoto, JapanCGS OrisNo DataHainburg, Germany5/22/24No DataAcquisitionColor management softwareLink
FedrigoniNo DataVerona, ItalyPoli-Tape GroupNo DataRemagen, Germany5/21/24No DataAcquisitionHeat transfer vinyl substratesLink
PeakEquity PartnersNo DataVillanova, PA Art StorefrontsNo DataAustin, TX5/21/24No DataAcquisitionOnline art prints & promoLink
Mittera$572.4Des Moines, IARogers PrintingNo DataRavenna, MI5/20/24No DataAsset Acquisition
(Graphic Arts Advisors)
Commercial printingLink
Lithographix ESOPNo DataHawthorne, CALithographix$98.0Hawthorne, CA5/15/24No DataESOPCommercial printingLink
Orbus Visual CommunicationsNo DataWoodridge, IL CRĒO Industrial ArtsNo DataWoodinville, WA5/13/24No DataAcquisitionSignage & displaysLink
DirectMail2.0No DataClearwater, FLWho's Mailing What!No DataNew York, NY5/8/24No DataAcquisitionDirect mail databaseLink
JTS DirectNo DataHartland, WIMTI ConnectNo DataMilwaukee, WI5/7/24No DataAcquisitionDirect mail printingLink
El Rito MediaNo DataLos Lunas, NMAlamogordo Daily News (+2 titles)
(Prop. Gannett)
No DataAlamogordo, NM5/7/24No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspapersLink
Tide RockNo DataSolana Beach, CAPremier PackagingNo DataLouisville, KY5/6/24No DataAcquisitionCorrugated boxesLink
Ironmark
(Port co. Post Capital Partners)
$51.4Annapolis Junction, MDL & D Mail Masters$22.4New Albany, IN5/6/24No DataAcquisitionDirect mail printingLink
Ironmark
(Port co. Post Capital Partners)
$51.4Annapolis Junction, MDDeliver No DataTampa, FL5/6/24No DataAcquisitionMulti-channel marketingLink
Ballantine CommunicationsNo DataDurango, COFarmington Daily Times
(Prop. Gannett)
No DataFarmington, NM5/6/24No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspaperLink
View Newspaper GroupNo DataLapeer, MIJ-Ad Newspapers
(7 titles)
No DataHastings, MI5/5/24No DataAcquisitionCommunity newspapersLink
O'Rourke Media GroupNo DataGilbert, AZTimes Publishing Newspapers
(10 titles)
No DataMorrisville, PA5/5/24No DataAcquisitionCommunity newspapersLink
ArkemaNo DataColombes, FranceFlexible Packaging Adhesives
(Div. Dow)
$250.0Midland, MI5/2/24$150.0AcquisitionFlexible packaging adhesivesLink
Grafica VenetaNo DataTrebaseleghe, ItalyP.A. Hutchison $35.7Mayfield, PA5/2/24No DataAcquisitionBook manufacturingLink
Lithographics CommunicationsNo DataMunster, INLargus Graphix SolutionsNo DataMunster, IN5/1/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Anderson & VreelandNo DataFairfield, NJAdheso-GraphicsNo DataAmsterdam, NY5/1/24No DataAcquisitionSpecialty graphic tapesLink
WiseNo DataAlpharetta, GAPhoenix DataNo DataMontgomery, PA5/1/24No DataAcquisition
(Corp Dev Assoc)
Business forms printingLink
Image 360, Palm Desert
(New franchisee)
No DataPalm Desert, CAImage360, Palm DesertNo DataPalm Desert, CA5/1/24No DataAcquisitionWide format & signageLink
SupremeX$287.0Lasalle, QCForest EnvelopeNo DataBolingbrook, IL5/1/24$1.8AcquisitionEnvelope manufacturingLink

   
2024 May - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$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:
No Chapter 7 Filings Found this Month---------------------------


2024 May - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
General Diaries6/10/24No DataInwood, NYN/ANone5/23/24JournalsLink
Book1One6/20/24No DataRochester, PAN/ANone5/21/24BookbindingLink
Offset Paperback Manufacturers5/31/24No DataDallas, PABertelsmann Printing
Group USA
Hicksville, NY5/16/24Paperback book manufacturingLink
Annie's Fun House - Printing facility6/19/24No DataBatavia, ILSCP HoldingsBatavia, IL5/15/24Screen printing operationsLink
Dallas Morning News - Printing facilityQ1-25No DataPlano, TXDallasNews Corp.Dallas, TX5/14/24Moving print operations to new locationLink
Georgia-Pacific - Corrugated box plantJul-24No DataMilan, MIGeorgia-Pacific
(Div. Koch Industries)
Atlanta, GA5/6/24Corrugated boxesLink

Corrugated Consolidation – June 2024 M&A Activity

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There has been a steady uptick in the number of acquisitions over the past twelve months of companies focused on the production of corrugated cartons. Recent deal activity involving the corrugating, printing, and converting of corrugated box products now exceeds that of any of the prior five years, including the number of deals we logged in the corrugated segment during 2019, the benchmark year before Covid disrupted everything.

From the largest players, such as International Paper, to the midsize integrated companies including Hood Container and Green Bay Packaging, to Welch Packaging, which is rolling up smaller companies, interest in fiber-based corrugated box businesses is keen and shows no sign of letting up. However, unlike the private equity-induced fever-pitch pace of deals in the label and flexible packaging segments that occurred prior to the Covid shutdown and continued apace up to the first quarter of 2023, transactions in the corrugated business have been, to date, driven primarily by buyers that are themselves steady-as-you-go family businesses.

We began to see an increased interest in the box, of all types, as 2023 began, concurrent with the decline in the number of deals in labels and flexible packaging. It appeared, at least to us, that the purchase price multiples in the label and flexible packaging businesses had reached unsustainable levels, coinciding with a dearth of suitable acquisition candidates; many of the best already having been cherry-picked by the surfeit of private equity funds vying to snag the next label or flexible packaging deal. (For more, see: The Target Report: The Box is Back – January 2023.)



Vertical Integration Enables M&A Scale

Green Bay Packaging announced the acquisition of SMC Packaging Group, a corrugated box manufacturer based in Springfield, Missouri. Originally founded in 1972 as Southern Missouri Containers, the company expanded via acquisitions and now operates in four locations in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. With over 550 full-time employees, the acquired company was an early adopter of the employee-ownership structure, converting to an ESOP structure in 1978, only four years after the roll-out of the formal ESOP model that was defined and encouraged with the passage in 1974 of the federal Employee Retirement Security Act (ERISA).

SMC Packaging’s capabilities include a corrugator that produces a wide range of corrugated flute profiles, including B, C, E, and combinations of these. Printing is up to four colors over two colors in one pass, with capability to mount preprinted top sheets for higher level graphics. The company provides design and inventory management. In addition to boxes, SMC manufactures retail displays that use corrugated substrates.

While SMC Packaging’s capabilities are impressive, the merger into Green Bay Packaging brings the vertical integration to a completely different level. Starting with the company’s management of several hundred thousand acres of forestland, Green Bay Packaging harvests and reforests approximately 5,500 acres per year, planting 5,000,000 pine trees annually. The Green Bay Mill division, in Wisconsin, produces recycled content containerboard. The Arkansas Mill division, with multiple locations along the Arkansas River, produces containerboard with a mix of recycled and virgin fibers, along with lumber, and waste products used for energy production.

Further down the corrugating production sequence, Green Bay Packaging has 30 corrugated converting operations, mostly in the Midwest. There is a folding carton division a short distance up the Fox River from the Green Bay Mill location, and eight locations that produce paper and film pressure-sensitive label stock, bringing the total to over 40 operations.

Founded in 1933, Green Bay Packaging is still family-owned, led by the third-generation, operates in 16 states, and employs more than 4,500 people. With the scale and vertical integration of its operations, the company was well positioned to take on the smaller, but still sizeable, SMC Packaging Group.

Combining Manufacturing with Outsourced Production

SupplyOne, which touts its advantage as being “equal parts manufacturer, distributor, and service provider,” announced the acquisition of Columbia Corrugated Box Company, a manufacturer of corrugated boxes. The company uses flexo technology to print up to six colors plus UV coating directly onto corrugated. High-level graphics are achieved by laminating digitally or offset-printed top sheets onto the corrugated substrates. As is common in the corrugated box business, retail display production and inventory management are offered.

Based in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, SupplyOne claims to be “the largest independent supplier of corrugated and value-added packaging products, equipment, and services in North America.” Founded 25 years ago as a packaging management company that relied on an outsourced network of manufacturers, the company has grown to include both internal manufacturing capabilities and distribution, in addition to the outsourced production model.

SupplyOne’s growth has been fueled by a steady program of acquisitions; the purchase of Columbia Corrugated Box is the company’s 41st addition. Based in the northwest, Columbia represents a significant geographic expansion for SupplyOne. While many of the companies in the corrugated segment remain family-owned, SupplyOne is an exception and is owned by private equity firm 'ing Capital Management.

Focused on Family-Based Corrugated

Welch Packaging Group, based in Elkhart, Indiana, rolled up two more acquisitions of family-owned corrugated box companies in the past year. Most recently, Welch acquired Innovative Packaging Solutions, a corrugated box and retail display manufacture based in York, Pennsylvania. The transaction stays within Welch’s laser-focused lane, the corrugated box business, however the expansion is a significant leap outside Welch’s traditional geographic focus on businesses in the Midwest and Midsouth regions.

Within the past year, Welch also acquired AtCorr Packaging Products, a family-owned manufacturer of corrugated boxes located in Glasgow, Kentucky. The sellers noted that Welch’s twenty-plus locations and its network of sheet plants would support their ability to service existing customers and expand their business on a going-forward basis. The retention of the acquired business operation is consistent with Welch’s strategy that reflects the local nature of much corrugated production and delivery to end users. (For more, see: The Target Report: Catching the Wave in Corrugated Cartons – February 2020.)
   
2024 June - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Paxton Media GroupNo DataPaducah, KYState Gazette (+3 titles)
Prop Rust Communications
No DataCape Girardeau, MO6/28/24No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspapersLink
FedrigoniNo DataVerona, ItalyBoingTech
(Sub. Shanghai Inlay Link)
$60.0Ayer Keroh,
Malaysia
6/25/24No DataPurchase of Majority InterestRFID inlays & tagsLink
Ennis$411.9Midlothian, TX Printing TechnologiesNo DataIndianapolis, IN6/25/24No DataAcquisition
(Corp Dev Assoc)
Label printingLink
New Milford PrintingNo DataNew Milford, CTJ&J PrintingNo DataNew Milford, CT6/24/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
International Minute Press
(New franchisee)
No DataCoeur d’Alene, IDAction PrintersNo DataCoeur d’Alene, ID6/18/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
NickelyticsNo DataTampa, FLSigns Printing SolutionsNo DataMiami, FL6/11/24No DataAcquisitionWide format printingLink
CCL Industries$4,807Toronto, ONPacman-CCL
(JV w/ Albwardy Investment)
No DataDubai, UAE6/10/24$105.6AcquisitionLabel printingLink
SupplyOne
(Port co. Wellspring Capital Mngt.)
No DataNewtown Square,
PA
Columbia Corrugated BoxNo DataTualatin, OR 6/7/24No DataAcquisitionCorrugated boxes & displaysLink
Green Bay PackagingNo DataGreen Bay, WISMC PackagingNo DataSpringfield, MO6/6/24No DataAcquisitionCorrugated boxesLink
Vinsak GroupNo DataHaryana, IndiaRotatekNo DataMartorelles, Spain6/4/24No DataAcquisitionFlexographic pressesLink
Carpenter MediaNo DataNatchez, MSPamplin Media
Portland Tribune (+23 titles)
No DataPortland, OR6/3/24No DataAcquisition
(Cribb, Cope & Potts)
Community newspapersLink
The Sourcing Group (TSG)No DataNew York, NYDrew & RogersNo DataFairfield, NJ6/1/24No DataAcquisitionPrint & promo managementLink

   
2024 June - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$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:
Print N Go Inc.6/27/24No Data24-02682Mayaguez, PR1stPuerto Rico
Ponce
Maria GonzalezGloria IrizarryPrinting & copying
GAI Printing, LLC6/10/24No Data24-23069Mequon, WI 7thEastern WI
Milwaukee
Beth E. HananNicholas KerkmanCommercial printing

 
2024 June - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
Hi-Tech Printing Company7/17/24No DataPompano Beach, FLN/ANoneJul-24Commercial printingLink
Load King7/30/24No DataJacksonville, FLN/ANoneJul-24Retail environmentsLink
Leader-Telegram - Printing facilityAug-24No DataLake Hallie, WIAdams Publishing GroupCoon Rapids, MN6/5/24Consolidating print to other plantLink


Troubled Times for Graphic Machinery Innovators – July 2024 M&A Activity

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Two Innovators in the design and manufacture of machinery used in graphic-related industries recently filed for bankruptcy, bringing to light the challenges of being out front with new ideas. One company pioneered an entirely new method of coloring thread, enabled by digital printing technology. The other abandoned more than a century of experience in the very traditional business of building bookbinding equipment in an attempt to position itself for the possible future when content goes all digital.

On-Demand Thread Dyeing in Demand

It started with a simple idea. Apply inkjet technology to thread to create colors on-demand.

The traditional method to sew a multi-color embroidered design on promotional branded garments is to change the spool of thread multiple times, or employ machines with multiple stitching heads, each drawing from different color threads.

Instead, if you could simply dye white thread in real time, in-line, and in any color, you could sew a multi-color logo without ever changing the thread. Swedish technology company, Coloreel Group AB, pioneered this idea, met all the challenges to perfect it, and introduced on-demand thread dyeing to the embroidery market. As the machine whirrs away, the thread changes color as called for by the software-driven design integrated with the market-leading automatic embroidery machines. With the Coloreel technology, colors across the spectrum are available at all times. As an added bonus, gradual fades and color transitions, never possible before, are now options.

It is the embroidery equivalent of the plain-paper workflow that has transformed the direct mail industry. Printing companies that have embraced branded embroidered items within their promo offerings are beneficiaries of the flexibility offered by the Coloreel technology. Any color logo is instantly produced from one color of stocked thread: white.

Hailed as a step forward in the search for sustainable solutions in the textile industry, the Coloreel technology potentially eliminates the need to stock multitudes of colors, reducing stocking inventory, multiple setups, obsolescence, and waste. The core of the system is an inkjet printing engine that reportedly reduces water consumption by 97% compared to traditional dyeing methods.

The company was founded in Sweden in 2003 as a research company. It was not until 2019 that the company announced its first highly marketable industrial application. In 2021, the company shifted its focus to manufacturing the machines to bring its technology to market, supported by an $8 million round of funding from its existing and new investors. In September 2023, Coloreel announced that it had secured a $2 million investment from an unnamed Asian manufacturer to enable it to meet the increased demand for its thread-dyeing units.

Coloreel filed for bankruptcy on July 10th. It is unclear from the reports if the company will be attempting to reorganize, however the tone of the press release announcing the bankruptcy is funereal, at best, and at least on the surface, offers no hope of corporate resurrection. The company’s Board Chairman announced the bankruptcy with a “heavy heart” and expressed remorse that the company’s “relentless efforts” were insufficient to keep the company afloat.

The bankruptcy filing comes as a sudden turn of events. As recently as May 2024, Coloreel announced that the company had entered into an agreement to provide its technology to Juki, the Japanese sewing machine manufacturer. The venture was the first step to move Coloreel beyond embroidery into the much larger sewing market.

All the good news was not enough, even for a truly innovative company that has over 120 patents across 45 markets. The company blamed the bankruptcy on its inability to expand its business quickly enough to meet demand in accordance with its financial model, insufficient funding, and failure to minimize operational costs. As of this writing, the Coloreel website is not functioning; the message displayed states “payment required.”

Having seen this technology in action, we suspect that this story is not over yet.

Your Vacation may be Longer than Expected

Workers at the Kolbus plant in Rahden Germany received the news while on their company-wide summer holiday. The company, which designs and manufactures graphic product finishing machines, announced that it was insolvent and had entered into a voluntary proceeding to restructure. At least for the time being, the employees will return to work and be paid; under the German insolvency laws, salaries and wages are guaranteed by a government agency for three months while the company plans and negotiates its restructuring plan. What happens after that is still not clear.

A trustee has been appointed from Pluta, a European restructuring firm, to assist the company management to self-administer the reorganization plan (similar to a Chapter 11 reorganization in the US). The company has stated that business will continue to operate as normal. Orders for new machinery will be fulfilled, including those placed at the recent Drupa show held in Düsseldorf.

The current Kolbus headquarters and primary facility sits on the very same spot where, in 1775, Christian Henrich Kolbus established the roots of the company that still bears his name. Young Kolbus had spent his early years shoeing horses for the Prussian army (Germany as a nation did not exist for almost a hundred more years). He settled down in Rahden to start a blacksmith shop and family farm.

In 1877, in what by then was part of the German Empire, Christian’s grandson Franz built a forge on the same site. Franz begins his business with the manufacture of farming machinery, cast-iron stoves, and components for church-tower clocks and windmills. In what would become the critical turning point for the Kolbus family, Franz sent his son August to America where he spent 13 years learning the bookbinding trade. With his acquired deep knowledge of the bookbinding business, August returns to Rahden, where he designs and builds a book spine rounding and surface pressing machine. Affectionately called the “Rupert,” the machine established Kolbus in the business of bookbinding equipment, a path followed until 2018 (except for the period during World War II, when the factory was repurposed to produce armaments for the German Army, and as a consequence, was completely demolished by the Allies).

After 243 years in business, and well over a hundred years as a world-class bookbinding machine manufacturer, in 2018, Kolbus took a dramatic strategic left-hand turn and exited the majority of its bookbinding equipment business. In January of that year, Kolbus sold its perfect binding and book line business to Switzerland-based Müller Martini. To retain the deep expertise of the Kolbus book business, about 250 employees were transferred to the Müller Martini business unit, which then set up a separate factory in Rahden.

At the time, the long-run book business appeared to be in a steady decline, and demand for packaging was increasing. Kolbus then executed the next step of its strategic plan, and in September 2018, the company acquired British machine manufacturer AutoBox. Kolbus forged ahead with its new strategic direction, introducing a highly automated modular flexo printing and diecutting machine that produces corrugated boxes, printed on one or two sides, all in one pass. Other machines produce a variety of box types, including automated production of wrapped rigid boxes.

Kolbus is now almost entirely in the packaging equipment business. After almost 250 years, the company has navigated the transition from a simple blacksmith shop to a manufacturer of sophisticated machinery, rebuilt itself after total destruction in war, and built a world-class highly respected brand.

Despite the recent financial challenges that resulted in the insolvency filing, the Kolbus story is not over yet. In light of its long history, we believe that it would be premature to pre-judge the long-term rightness of Kobus’s shift from bookmaking to packaging. If the company is able to restructure for short-term survivability, it may turn out to be as prescient as the switch from manufacturing of wood stoves in favor of bookbinding equipment was over a century ago.
   
2024 July - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
MeyersNo DataMinneapolis, MN Johnson Printing & PackagingNo DataFridley, MN7/31/24No DataAsset AcquisitionFolding cartonsLink
Inovar Packaging Group
(Port co. Kelso & Company)
No DataDallas, TXThe Kennedy GroupNo DataWilloughby, OH 7/31/24No DataAcquisition
(Mesirow)
Label printingLink
Lake City PressNo DataLake Charles, LAPort PrintingNo DataLake Charles, LA7/28/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
Postmedia$297.2Toronto, CanadaSaltwire (20+ titles)No DataHalifax, NS7/26/24No DataAcquisition
(CN insolvency sale)
Community newspapersLink
Sofidel America
(Sub. Sofidel S.p.A.)
No DataHorsham, PATissue business
(Div. Clearwater Paper)
No DataSpokane, WA7/22/24$1,060AcquisitionTissue paper productsLink
Toof American Digital PrintingNo DataMemphis, TNAmplifyNo DataGermantown, TN7/18/24No DataAcquisitionWide format printingLink
Lorraine GregoryNo DataEdgewood, NYAxle EightNo DataScottsdale, AZ7/16/24No DataAcquisitionDigital marketing servicesLink
Vernon PublishingNo DataEldon, MOSt. Clair Courier (+2 titles)No DataOsceola, MO7/15/24No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspapersLink
Suzano$7,700 Bahia, BrazilPaper mills (2)
(Div Pactiv Evergreen)
No DataPine Bluff, AR
Waynesboro, NC
7/12/24$110.0AcquisitionPaperboard millsLink
All Seasons Tint & Graphic DesignsNo DataN. Richland Hills, TXWalls PrintingNo DataDallas, TX7/12/24No DataAcquisition
(Generational)
Commercial printingLink
AWT Labels & Packaging
(Port co. Morgan Stanley Capital)
No DataMinneapolis, MN American Label TechnologiesNo DataGarner, NC7/10/24No DataAcquisitionRFID & NFC labelsLink
Hemlock Display Solutions
(Div. Hemlock Printers)
No DataBurnaby, BCColortec Creative Print SolutionsNo DataBurnaby, BC7/9/24No DataAcquisitionWide format printingLink
Times Media GroupNo DataTempe, AZFirebrand MediaNo DataLaguna Beach, CA7/3/24No DataAcquisitionCommunity newspapersLink
Banner Capital ManagementNo DataLehi, UTVision Graphics
SBR Technologies
No DataSalt Lake City, UT7/1/24No DataAcquisitionWide format printing / ReproLink

   
2024 July - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$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:
Pujol Printing & Publishing, LLC7/17/24No Data24-31559Geneva, AL11thMiddle AL
Montgomery
Bess M. Parrish CreswellRafael Gil, IIIPrinting & copying
LNL, LLC Dba We Print Vegas7/6/24No Data24-13414Paradise, NV9thNevada
Las Vegas
Natalie M. CoxErik C. SeverinoPrinting & copying

   
2024 July - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
Monarch Litho - Printing facility9/19/24No DataMontebello, CAMonarch LithoSanta Teresa, NMJul-24Commercial printingLink

The Target Report Annual Review – TTM August 2024 M&A Activity

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Covid in the Rear-View Mirror, Finally

Over the past thirteen years, we have chronicled, logged, and commented on the merger and acquisition activity in several print-centric business segments, with special attention to commercial printing, packaging (labels, folding cartons, & flexible packaging), wide-format, and direct mail companies. At the end of August each year, rather than focusing on the prior month’s deal activity, we take a look back at the past twelve months. If past is prologue, and to a reasonable extent we believe it is, then we hope to provide a high-level macro perspective on what the deal activity tells us about where the industry is headed. Which segments have experienced more, or less, deal activity? What are the trends in the buyers’ rationale to complete these acquisitions? Are acquirers adding facilities to their networks, or opportunistically folding acquisitions into their existing facilities? What does all this tell us about the potential future transactional activity within each print segment?

At the end of August every year, we review, categorize, sort, count, and chart the data we have collected, comparing the trailing twelve months (“TTM”) with the same period of prior years.

During the Covid years, we extended our look-back time frame to bridge the pandemic. We thought that the longer time period was necessary, and used 2019, the pre-Covid year, to provide a benchmark across the chasm created by the shut down, so that we might know when the market has returned to normal. In our M&A practice at GAA, we have finally reached the point where we no longer have to do mathematical somersaults in order to extract the impact of Covid from our analysis (well, not entirely, there are still PPP loans and ERC credits salted into many financial statements, but less and less as each month goes by). The Covid years of 2019 to 2021 are fading into the distance in our rear-view mirror, and we have returned to our pre‑Covid practice of a three-year comparison in most of the charts presented here.

In pure numeric M&A terms, deal activity during the past twelve months was off 5.0% from the prior TTM period, which was in turn off 10.0% from the prior year. We identified 189 transactions of interest during the past twelve months; the lowest number we have tracked in any period since we began counting for our annual reviews in the autumn of 2016.

Last year at this time, the big question was whether the economy could ease its way down from the euphoric post-Covid bulge in demand. We noted that the classic signs of turbulence were in abeyance, and it appeared that the economy, and therefore by extension the printing and packaging segments, might navigate the turbulence and nail the elusive soft landing. We noted last autumn that not all was well in our industry, however, as paper manufacturers and distributors announced deals that further consolidated the industry. Some paper mills closed, and other mills converted from printing to packaging grades, portending another possible tightening of the paper market in the future. (See The Target Report: Is a Soft Landing in Sight? – September 2023).

With the year behind us, as we head into the autumn of 2024, it appears that the US economy has in fact managed the soft landing. However, there are some bumps on the landing runway that indicate not all is well. The data noted below about bankruptcy filings and non-bankruptcy plant closings indicate a bumpy ride for some. We hear from many owners, but not all, in all printing segments, across the country, that there has been a softening of demand. At GAA, our special situations practice, in which we assist owners of financially challenged and highly distressed companies, has been unusually busy for most of 2024.

We are often asked what time of the year is the best time to go to market and when are buyers likely to close on deals? Historically, deal activity tends to drop off every year as we head into the summer months. This year was an exception. Although deal activity was off a bit overall this year, on the basis of a three-month trailing analysis, the announcements kept up a fairly steady pace throughout the past twelve months.


The chart above shows total counts of publicly announced M&A deals and provides a general view of the industry. The printing industry is not monolithic and in order to understand the market better, for the past thirteen years, we have categorized all the deals logged by the segment in which the acquired company primarily operates. We then dig deeper into the packaging, commercial printing, direct mail, and wide-format printing businesses, seeking to understand the rationale behind each deal, and gestalt the results by segment. We also analyze bankruptcy filings and non-bankruptcy plant closings to determine in which segments the business challenges are most pronounced.

The next chart breaks down the M&A transactions over the past three years into all the segments we track in The Target Report.



Commercial Printing

Our annual deep dive into the rationale behind the transactions in the commercial printing segment suggests that the commercial printing business has been reasonably stable, you might even say a bit upbeat. The percentage of deals that were structured as tuck‑ins dropped to an all-time low of 25%, in contrast to a high of 70% back in 2019. In these tuck-in transactions, the customers of the acquired company are transitioned to the buyer’s production facility. Buyers will often leave the disposition of the plant and equipment to the seller, or to the seller’s agent, avoiding responsibility for trade and other debt, and possibly cherry-picking certain equipment that is needed or desirable for the smooth continued servicing of the acquired customers. In our opinion, a higher percentage of tuck‑ins is indicative of overcapacity and financial stress, with the consequential result that there were fewer buyers willing to acquire an operating company within that segment of the industry.



There were 26 acquisitions in the commercial printing segment where the acquired facility was important to the buyer and will remain in operation, as-is-where-is. Sixteen of these buyers acquired the target company to add a location, with the stated goal of keeping the plant operating, the opposite of the tuck-in strategy. Notably, the other ten of these were sold to “new entry” owners that were not previously invested in the commercial printing industry. This is in stark contrast to the number of transactions in commercial printing that were completed by new entrants in 2019, only two. Clearly, something has changed: outsiders are once again interested in, and more important, they are investing in the printing industry. The idea that printing is dead is dead.

Digging a little deeper, we looked for instances in which buyers cited geographic expansion and/or adding new services as the rationale behind their acquisitions. We also noted whether a private equity sponsor was involved.



Adding a new service offering edged out expanding the company’s geographic footprint as the most often cited reason for completing a transaction. Adding wide-format was a common reason, while a couple were non-printing companies that added commercial printing.

Many owners we talk with in the commercial printing segment have told us that their companies did quite well in 2022, and that positive performance continued right up to the third quarter of 2023. That started to change as the fourth quarter of 2023 rolled into 2024, and we have been told by many owners that they have adjusted to a new normal, which is off from the go-go year of 2022. We hear even less about labor issues than we did last year, however some owners note that finding well-trained operators is still a common problem, especially for analog machines. We hear almost no complaints about the paper supply and most companies have worked off the excess inventory that was purchased at inflated pricing. We also hear from owners that their company’s customers do not accept price increases with the ease experienced when paper supplies were tight. (We hear similar comments across the various printing and packaging segments, not just from commercial printers.)

After a quiet period at the beginning of 2024, owners that had put their exit plans on hold are now back in the market actively seeking a buyer or preparing for a sale process. The average owner in the commercial segment is older, and having survived the turbulence of the Covid period, many are deciding to bring their company to market. Rather than commit to another round of capital equipment spending with its related long-term debt, many owners are opting to cash out.

Our candidate for the most interesting transaction in the commercial printing segment during the past twelve months was RR Donnelley’s huge jump into the free-standing insert business with the acquisition of the Vericast business (See The Target Report: Half a Loaf is Better than None – March 2024).

Packaging

For the third year in a row, the packaging business is again the most active among the segments we track. However, consistent with the reduction in overall deal activity, we found 26% fewer publicly announced transactions in the packaging segments we track. The red-hot market for label printing companies has continued to cool off and is now matched by the number of transactions involving corrugated packaging.



Owners and investors in the packaging industry tell a very different story than those in commercial printing, when they talk about their rationale for completing an acquisition. Of the 43 transactions that we recorded over the past twelve months in the packaging segment, only one was reported to be a tuck-in and that was the consolidation of an older folding carton plant into a nearby existing operation that has capacity from the divestment of its non-packaging business. Similar to all prior years, the majority of the buyers noted that the acquisition of an additional production facility was the critically important reason to complete the deal. Furthermore, the expansion of the company’s geographic footprint was mentioned as very important to the buyer.


Private equity was involved in 22 of the 43 total transactions in packaging, 51% of the total. In absolute terms, private equity’s decrease of eight transactions accounted almost entirely for the total decrease of deal activity in the packaging segment. Five new players entered the packaging business, three of which established brand new investment platforms in packaging.
    

In 14 instances, geographic expansion or diversity of the acquired locations was noted as a key element in the buyer’s logic. An expanded geographic footprint continues to loom large in buyers’ expressed logic for completing acquisitions.

Our candidate for the most interesting transaction in the packaging segment during the past twelve months was not one specific deal. Rather, the intensive interest in the corrugated box business by players big and small, regional, national and global, proved of interest to many readers of The Target Report. (See The Target Report: Corrugated Consolidation – June 2024).

Wide-Format and Related Digital Products

For our purposes in forming a picture of the various market segments that comprise the overall print-centric industries, we separate out companies that produce mostly wide-format and related products from the more generalized commercial printing segment. We include retail display and trade show graphic production in this category, as well as reprographics, indoor architectural environment graphics, and home décor products produced on wide-format equipment.

As we have noted in prior Target Reports, the salad days for wide-format printing are over, and the maturation shows in the transactional activity. Digitally printed banners and wraps are no longer unique, flatbed printing devices are ubiquitous, and the high margins that came with being an early entrant offering large inkjet prints have been compressed by competition. Entry-level equipment is no longer expensive, flatbed cutters and other finishing technology are widely installed. Differentiation in the wide-format business has moved from those that had first-mover advantage to businesses that have perfected more complex online direct-to-customer systems, robust planning and installation capabilities, or value-added services such as printing on canvas for use as home or office décor (and even these attributes are no longer sufficient to provide unique differentiation).

The wide-format business has matured. Company owners are following a path long ago traveled by commercial printing companies; growth via acquisition, driven mostly by the stated desire to add a production facility. What is new this year, and a certain sign that the segment is reaching saturation, is the significant increase in the number of tuck-in transactions.



We noted 21 publicly reported transactions in the wide-format segment during the past twelve months, close to double the number we found last year. Private equity remains active in the wide-format segment, which leads us to expect that deal activity will remain robust over the next several years.



Our candidate for the most interesting transaction in the wide format segment during the past twelve months was Meyer’s back-to-back announced transactions, the acquisition of Johnson Printing & Packaging, followed shortly thereafter by the divestiture of its temporary display and signage business, which it sold to Imagine. The CEO of Meyers noted that the sale “reinforces our commitment to focus on, and grow, our core business strength of packaging and labels” which was clearly demonstrated just two weeks prior with the addition of the Johnson folding carton business. The dual transactions were a classic demonstration of using M&A to advance a strategic plan to fundamentally change a company’s position in the marketplace.

Direct Mail

In our lexicon and analysis, direct mail printing companies are in a class by themselves, apart from the more generalized undifferentiated “job-shop” commercial printing companies that may offer some mailing capabilities. Many direct mail shops also manage, manipulate, store, and utilize data to drive improved results for their customers. Some have expanded into full-service marketing support companies, blending digital communication channels with mail campaigns.

Transactional activity in the direct mail printing segment has fallen steadily over the past several years, with only three transactions noted this past year that we considered to be so purely involved in volume mail as to be broken out from the commercial printing category. The sample size is too small to draw any firm conclusions, but the decline is worth noting, as well as the inclusion of a tuck-in within the count. We also note that four direct mail companies filed for bankruptcy in the past year, double the prior highest number in a segment in which there are no bankruptcy filings in most years.



Two of the three buyers noted that the rationale for the transaction was to expand by adding a facility. One of those two noted an expanded geographic footprint as well. In one of the direct mail transactions, the buyer, the same one that was backed by private equity, mentioned adding a service element as their rationale to move forward with the deal.

Our candidate for the most interesting transaction in the direct mail segment during the past twelve months was Ironmark’s simultaneously announced acquisitions of Deliver Media and L & D Mail Masters. These moves by the PE-back Ironmark brought data predictive analytics to their clients’ multi-channel marketing campaigns and at the same time expanded the company’s geographic footprint with a secure data management and direct mail production environment. These are the attributes driving acquisitions in direct mail today, moving upstream into data analytics, procuring secure certified facilities, and diversifying mail processing geographically.



Challenged Segments

The transactional activity in an industry segment tells us that the business is changing. However, the simple counting of deals does not tell us if that activity is indicative of positive or negative change. To determine a directional indication, we track the number of bankruptcy filings and non-bankruptcy plant closures and correlate this information with the overall transactional activity. Our thesis, born out over several years and confirmed by industry stats derived from other sources, is that an industry segment with a high number of transactions that is also experiencing closures and bankruptcies is, or will be, in a contraction phase. There will be opportunities for consolidation at bargain prices for those companies that defy the downward trend.

Conversely, segments in which the number of transactions is inversely correlated to closures and bankruptcies are more likely to be expanding. Therefore, consolidation opportunities will come at much higher prices. Virtually all the packaging segments are experiencing steady transactional activity, albeit fewer deals than in prior years, without the corresponding bankruptcy filings and plant closures, indicating that packaging remains a very healthy environment for sellers as the segment continues to consolidate.

The data on bankruptcy filings is beginning to flash a moderate warning sign. Indicators of financial distress in our industry have mostly trended downwards over the past five years, but during the past twelve months that trend has reversed.



The commercial printing segment once again, after a one-year hiatus, retakes the ignominious position as the leader in the number of bankruptcies filed. Not surprisingly, the publishing of newspapers and magazines is now back in second place. Also notable is the four bankruptcy filings in the direct mail segment.



Our candidate for the most interesting bankruptcy filing during the past twelve months was the failure of a company that showed great promise in the embroidery business. The story is about the failure of Coloreel, the developer of technology that dyed white thread in real time to create multi-color sewn emblems without changing spools or using machines with multiple stitching heads. (See The Target Report: Troubled Times for Graphic Machinery Innovators – July 2024).

We also track non-bankruptcy plant closures as a good indicator of financial challenges within each industry segment, possibly even a more prescient predictor than the number of bankruptcies. At the lower end of the market in terms of business size, a bankruptcy filing can be the death knell for a company in the printing industry, and in any case, bankruptcy filings are expensive.

While some companies simply close up and just disappear, others find a buyer for the book-of-business and conduct an orderly wind-down process. A closure does not always mean that the company has ceased operating; a closure may simply be due to one of the larger printing firms rationalizing their production capacity. Either way, closures are indicative of change, usually resulting from downward pressure in a market segment.

The number of non-bankruptcy closures began to climb last year and continued that trend in the past twelve months. In absolute terms, we found 41 publicly announced plant closures during the prior year, once again approaching the numbers from 2019 and 2020.



General commercial printing companies once again represent the majority of printing facilities closing up shop in a non-bankruptcy closure or wind-down. Newspaper printing plants also closed in greater numbers than most other segments. Paper mills continued to cease operations and close up, as noted in the materials manufacturing category in the chart below.



We will see, over the next year, if the slight rumblings get louder or the new normal is exactly that, a return to a normal level of transactions with occasional company failures sprinkled in. The trends we heard last year are still prevalent in our conversations with company owners; the money from the government largess has been absorbed, spent, or saved, loans are coming due for refinancing at higher rates, and print-buying customers are exercising price discipline. We will be watching and reporting as we enter our fourteenth year of publishing the monthly issues of The Target Report. Stay tuned.


2024 August - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Carpenter Media GroupNo DataNatchez, MSNowata PrintingNo DataSpringfield, MO8/30/24No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Newspaper & insert printingLink
Carpenter Media GroupNo DataNatchez, MSPhillips Media Papers (16 titles)
(Prop. Phillips Media)
No DataHarrison, AR8/30/24No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspapersLink
eProductivity Software (ePS)No DataPittsburgh, PAEnterprise Print Management Systems (EPMS)No DataMiddleborough, MA8/29/24No DataAcquisitionPrint MIS softwareLink
Marketing.com$640.0Eureka, MOAction PrintingNo DataFond du Lac, WI8/28/24No DataAcquisition
(Graphic Arts Advisors)
Commercial printingLink
Mill Rock Packaging
(Port co. Mill Rock Capital)
No DataNew York, NYWoodland Packaging
(Div. Everett Graphics)
No DataOakland, CA8/28/24No DataAcquisitionFolding cartonsLink
M2S Group
(Port co. Wynnchurch Capital)
No DataAppleton, WIIconex label business
(Port co. Atlas Holdings)
No DataDuluth, GA8/27/24No DataAcquisitionLabel printingLink
Minuteman Press, Roxbury
(New franchisee)
No DataWest Roxbury, MAHercules PressNo DataBoston, MA8/26/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
Range PrintingNo DataBrainerd, MNJohnson PrintingNo DataRochester, MN8/21/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Duncan-ParnellNo DataCharlotte, NCCopycat Print ShopNo DataWilmington, NC8/15/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
Imagine
(Port co. Cerberus Capital Mngt.)
$400.0Minneapolis, MNRetail display business
(Div. Meyers)
No DataMinneapolis, MN8/14/24No DataAcquisitionWide format retail displayLink
Group BayportNo DataSuwanee, GAOptamarkNo DataNorwalk, CT8/14/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printing & promoLink
McClatchy
(Port co. Chatham Asset Mngt.)
No DataSacramento, CAAccelerate360
(Port co. Chatham Asset Mngt.)
No DataSmyrna, GA8/5/24No DataMergerNews & magazine publishingLink
Kingswood Capital ManagementNo DataLos Angeles, CAKodak Alaris
(Port co. UK Pension Protection Fund)
No DataRochester, NY8/1/24No DataAcquisitionPhoto & document servicesLink
Thomas Printworks$54.5Richardson, TXTriangle ReprographicsNo DataOrlando, FL8/1/24No DataAcquisitionReprographicsLink
Premier Press$53.0Portland, ORGlad I Did It!No DataPortland, OR8/1/24No DataAcquisitionPromo managementLink

   
2024 August - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$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:
Mail Call Direct, LLC8/5/24No Data24-32900Henrico, VA4thEastern VA
Richmond
Kevin R. HuennekensBrittany B. FalabellaDirect mail

   
2024 August - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
The Telegram printing facility8/24/24No DataSt. John's, NLSaltwireHalifax, NSAug-24Newspaper printing plantLink
Christensen Printing 9/25/24No DataLincoln, NEN/ANoneAug-24Book manufacturingLink
Greater Dallas Press10/23/24No DataGarland, TXN/ANoneAug-24Newspaper printing plantLink

Print Providers Seek Variety Via Acquisitions – September 2024 M&A Activity

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0
0

As the commercial print industry continues to evolve, more printing companies are moving upstream into multi-channel digital marketing services to better serve their customers. Digital marketing services enable printing companies to escape the traditional printing company job‑shop business model and differentiate themselves from competitors that only print. As digital print engines of all types become ubiquitous, the integration of digital marketing methods with variable print campaigns is a natural next step for industry leaders who are thinking ahead. The right acquisition can prove to be the quickest and surest path to build out the desired diversity of services.

From Color Separators to Multi-Channel Digital Marketers

In September, Scottsdale, Arizona-based Artisan Colour acquired MarComm, a digital marketing agency that specializes in cross-channel marketing strategies and campaign integration. The company’s stated goal is to “dissolve the boundaries between print and digital to provide a unified approach where print and digital strategies are seamlessly integrated, data is leveraged across channels, and every touchpoint is optimized.” Services offered, in addition to the company’s traditional print-centric products, now include marketing strategy, CRM/HubSpot implementation, web design, SEO, content marketing, social media, and not to be ignored, integration of those digital marketing services with print.

According to the company’s website, the owners’ journey to the diversity achieved with this acquisition began at the end of the last century when their knowledge in the now extinct art of color separations gave them the confidence to start their own company. The color separation business led naturally to the addition of a full-service on-site photo studio. Combined with these services, color management expertise helped the company land the catalog production work for demanding high-end retail companies Neiman Marcus, Chicos, and Patagonia. In 2009, following the path of many color separation companies (or at least those that managed to survive the transition to digital imaging), Artisan Colour acquired Mighty Imaging, a local wide-format printing company. Digital sheetfed printing was eventually added, a necessary element needed to set the stage for the move into comprehensive integrated multi-channel marketing services.

Digital Acquisitions Transcend Geographic Boundaries

In July, New York-based Lorraine Gregory Communications acquired Axle Eight, a digital marketing services company located in Scottsdale, Arizona. Lorraine Gregory, historically a print-centric company, has been steadily expanding its offering of marketing services. This latest acquisition gives the company a foothold in the Southwest US market, and enhances the company’s marketing expertise in advertising, SEO, content creation, email marketing, strategy, public relations, and social media. The Axel Eight staff had transitioned to at-home work during the Covid pandemic, and the plan is to continue working remotely as part of the Lorraine Gregory team.

Lorraine Gregory has its roots in direct mail and lettershop services. Acquired by the current owner in 1992, the company took a direction not often taken by print-centric businesses, adding a video studio, and entering the business of TV commercial production. By combining traditional print, video production, and now digital marketing services, Lorraine Gregory is positioned as a multi-channel marketing service provider.

Just over a year ago, the Marek Group, a diverse graphics company based in Waukesha, Wisconsin, acquired HighNote, a marketing services company based in Louisville, Kentucky. This acquisition is another example of a company that started purely as a printing operation that has steadily and intentionally moved upstream into marketing execution services. The addition of HighNote enhances Marek's ability to blend print and digital marketing offerings to meet the growing demand for integrated marketing solutions. The purchase is also illustrative of the geographic regional expansion trend we see in the commercial printing segment, as this acquisition expands the Marek Group’s reach into the South-Central US markets.

The strategic goals achieved by Lorraine Gregory and the Marek Group with the acquisitions of Axel Eight and HighNote, respectively, adding digital marketing services and achieving regional geographic diversity, is consistent with current market trends and the rationale behind many of the M&A deals within the commercial printing segment over the past three years. (For more, see: The Target Report Annual Review – TTM August 2024 M&A Activity.)

Marketing Execution at Scale

CJK Group, one of the largest players in the US market for print services, acquired the Kodi Collective division of LSC Communications in February 2024. In addition to print solutions, the Kodi Collective website extolls the company’s digital marketing production, photography & video studio services, experiential marketing, and marketing execution outsourcing. The acquisition of the Kodi Collective was another step in CJK’s long-term diversification of services offered.

However, the acquisition of Kodi Collective seemed out of character for the CJK Group as it appeared to be a major departure from CJK’s consistent focus on acquiring companies in book manufacturing and publication printing. In the space of ten years, CJK Group had grown via acquisition to become one of the dominant US companies in book manufacturing and journal printing. The company has kept up a steady drumbeat of acquisitions since 2013, when CJK’s predecessor company, Bang Printing, completed a Section 363 asset purchase in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding of book printing company Hess Print Solutions. In 2017, CJK acquired Sheridan, which established CJK as a major player in the journal printing business. Many more acquisitions followed, including the recent acquisitions of book manufacturing companies Worzalla, based in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and McNaughton & Gunn, a book manufacturing company in Saline, Michigan. (For more, see: The Target Report: Book Manufacturing in Turmoil – May 2024.)

In 2020, CJK added upstream services with the purchase of Cenveo’s global content services business. That acquisition added layers of services on top of CJK’s core ability to print publications, including project management, content development, editorial services, peer review management, art and design services, rights and permissions management, translation and accessibility services, eLearning, and online hosting. (For more, see: The Target Report: CJK Goes Global as Cenveo Unwinds – September 2020 .)

In March 2023, when LSC Communications announced the formation of the Kodi Collective brand, it seemed, at least from our perspective, that the new division was an odd mix of hard-core high-volume printing assets, print management outsourcing, marketing execution, and creative services. Wasting no time, CJK has begun to rationalize the Kodi brand by shedding non-core assets and retaining a coherent mix of print and marketing execution services. In late September, CJK announced the divestiture of Kodi’s high-volume printing operation in Maple Grove, Minnesota, selling the plant to Arandell, the catalog and publication printing company now owned by Saothair Capital. Also in September, CJK announced that the digital printing division, which had been subsumed into the Kodi Collective brand by LSC Communications, would be spun out and resume operating under its original brand identity, Digital Lizard. As we write this Target Report, CJK has announced the closure of the Kodi printing facility in Danville, Kentucky, in a further focusing of the Kodi brand and services.

As Print Goes Digital, Digital Accepts Print

The increasing use of digital print engines has brought new skills into many printing companies. It is now not uncommon to have data analytic and coding expertise in-house, skills that are needed on a daily basis to drive personalized and automated-response print campaigns. At the same time, the proliferation of digital marketing service companies has led to the need for all‑digital marketing companies to differentiate themselves from the crowd. With the proven effectiveness of tangible printed content that is combined with a multi-channel approach to marketing, the technical and cultural divide between providers of digital marketing execution services and printers has lessened. Printer and digital marketing types have learned to play nicely together in the same sandbox.

Recent transactions exemplify how commercial print providers are leveraging acquisitions to effectively and efficiently build out digital marketing capabilities. Digital marketing companies are finding that print is indeed not a dead medium, but rather that a printing company with digital expertise can be a solid platform and landing spot for their businesses when it is time to sell.

   
2024 September - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Hoffmann Media Group
(Div. Hoffman Family of Companies)
No DataFort Myers, FLNapa Valley Register (+2 titles)No DataNapa, CA9/30/24No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspapersLink
Dynamic DiesNo DataHolland, OHAllied Steel Rule DiesNo DataIndianapolis, IN9/30/24No DataAcquisitionCutting diesLink
Local News NowNo DataArlington, VAGazetteLeader
(Prop. O'Rourke Media Group)
No DataArlington, VA9/25/24No DataAcquisitionCommunity newspaperLink
Arandell
(Port co. Saothair Capital  Partners)
$118.0Menomonee Falls, WI Maple Grove Print Operations
(Div. CJK Group)
No DataMaple Grove, MN9/24/24No DataAcquisitionDirect mail printingLink
Epson$8,683.0Suwa, JapanFiery
(Port co. Siris Capital Group)
No DataFremont, CA9/19/24$591.0AcquisitionDigital image softwareLink
MaxcessNo DataOklahoma City, OKInternational Cutting DieNo DataMelrose Park, IL9/18/24No DataAcquisitionRotary cutting diesLink
CoberNo DataKitchener, ONPrint & Signage Business
Div. West Canadian Digital
No DataCalgary, AB9/18/24No DataDivestitureDigital printing & wide formatLink
Sebis DirectNo DataBedord Park, ILStandard Printing Company (SPC)No DataPhoenix, AZ9/18/24No DataAcquisitionTransactional printLink
ADDEV MaterialsNo DataLyon, FranceAdhesive Tape & Label (ATL)No DataMenomonee Falls, WI 9/17/24No DataAcquisition
(TKO Miller)
Label printingLink
NparallelNo DataMinneapolis, MNAtomic Props and EffectsNo DataSaint Paul, MN9/16/24No DataAcquisitionRetail & experiential graphicsLink
SeaChange$43.6Minneapolis, MNPacesetterNo DataAllentown, PA9/10/24No DataAcquisitionDirect mail & fulfillmentLink
Artisan ColourNo DataScottsdale, AZMarCommNo DataGilbert, AZ9/10/24No DataAcquisitionDigital marketing servicesLink
Novolex
(Port co. Apollo Global Mngt.)
No DataHartsville, SCAmerican TwistingNo DataSouth Haven, MI9/4/24No DataAcquisitionPaper bag handlesLink
PrintWestNo DataWoodinville, WALitho CraftNo DataLynnwood, WA9/4/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Blower-DempsayNo DataSanta Ana, CAUS Display GroupNo DataCorona, CA9/3/24No DataAcquisitionRetail displayLink
Smart SourceNo DataSuwanee, GAKaye-SmithNo DataBellevue, WA9/3/24No DataAcquisition
(Corp Dev Assoc)
Print managementLink
XSYSNo DataWillstaett, GermanyMacDermid Graphics Solutions
(Div. Elements Solutions)
No DataAtlanta, GA9/3/24$325.0AcquisitionFlexographic printing platesLink
Veritiv
(Port co. Clayton, Dubilier & Rice)
No DataAtlanta, GAOrora Packaging Solutions (OPS)
(Div. Orora)
No DataBuena Park, CA9/3/24$1,200AcquisitionCorrugated boxesLink

   
2024 September - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$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:
Mail Right International Inc.9/18/24No Data24-19233South Plainfield, NJ 3rdNew Jersey
Trenton
Christine M. GravelleDouglas A. GoldsteinInternational mail services
Turn Marketing Services Inc9/13/24No Data24-12306Fullerton, CA9thCentral CA
Santa Ana
Theodor AlbertKevin TangFulfillment & printing
Western Pacific Pulp & Paper, Inc9/9/24No Data24-12268Santa Ana, CA9thCentral CA
Santa Ana
Scott C. ClarksonChristopher J. LangleyPaper recycling

 
2024 September - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
BC Graphics11/15/24No DataSouth Baltimore, MDMooreLanham, MD9/18/24Direct mail printing
(Formerly Barton Cotton)
Link
New England Duplicator9/16/24No DataManchester, NJN/ANone9/16/24Printing & copyingEmail
Notice

Paper Industry Transformation Moves Forward – October 2024 M&A Activity

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It didn’t take long. The ink was hardly dry. International Paper’s shareholders had just approved its acquisition of DS Smith, the UK-based manufacturer of corrugated case materials and related fiber-based products. Only days before, DS Smith had obtained its own shareholders’ approval to proceed with the deal. Within the following week, International Paper announced the closure of no fewer than six facilities, spread out from North Carolina to Texas, mostly in the corrugated box segment. The job of rationalizing the total combined production capacity of the merged operations was clearly underway in advance of the deal’s consummation. Unlike many plant closures in the paper manufacturing industry, we view these changes as a signal that the demand for corrugated packaging products will remain strong. Consequently, International Paper is positioning itself as a leading global player in the segment. (For more, see: The Target Report: Paper Manufacturers Shift Grades – April 2024.)

International Paper Gets Lean Before Merger with DS Smith

Five months into the job, new Chairman & CEO Andrew Silvernail continues to shake up things at International Paper as restructuring, cost cutting and workforce reductions continue. The mega US-based pulp and paper company seeks to expand its European presence, cementing its position as the world’s largest paper giant (by revenue) at a time of consolidation in the paper industry. Fiscal-year revenues are expected to exceed $18.8 billion for 2024. When combined with DS Smith, International Paper’s pro-forma annual revenues are projected to be approximately $28.2 billion, with 90% of sales coming from corrugated products.

International Paper is permanently shutting down facilities in six states: two packaging plants in Rockford, Illinois, and Kansas City, Missouri, respectively; two corrugated container plants, one in Statesville, North Carolina, and the other in Cleveland, Tennessee; one corrugated sheet feeder plant in San Antonio, Texas; and a cellulose pulp mill in Georgetown, South Carolina. The combined result of the recently announced mill closures is an expected $230 million improvement in adjusted earnings.

Additionally, some 400 people at its Memphis headquarters are being let go. In all, 989 employees face being without their jobs by mid-December – that number represents about 2.5% of the company’s workers in 35 states and 10 countries worldwide. These moves follow another 900 layoffs announced 13 months ago, when a containerboard mill in Texas was closed and two pulp machines (one North Carolina and the other in Florida) were retired.

No More Fluff?

At the end of October, International Paper announced that it is reviewing strategic options for its global cellulose fibers (GCF) business. The company plans to shutter the aforementioned South Carolina mill by year’s end. The Georgetown, South Carolina, facility produces approximately 300,000 tons of high-quality absorbent pulp, often called “fluff” pulp, designed for a range of consumer applications, from baby diapers and incontinence pads to feminine hygiene products. The specialty pulp is also used as a sustainable raw material used in textiles, construction materials, paints and coatings.

International Paper plans to replace 100% of the mill's fluff pulp capacity by transferring production to other sites. Overall, the GCF business generated $2.9 billion in revenue for International Paper in 2023, and has operations in three countries, with eight mills and two converting facilities.

However, International Paper announced that it is reviewing the strategic options for its GCF business, leading us to believe that it may be spun off. On International Paper’s Q3 earnings call with investors, CEO Silvernail hinted at a harbinger of additional changes to come, previewing plans to reinvest some recent cost savings into new greenfield or brownfield box plants. He revealed the company had “multiple opportunities” to do this and will share more details in 2025.

The Georgetown mill that is closing also produces uncoated freesheet papers that it sells to Sylvamo. Production of non-packaging grades for Sylvamo will end December 31, 2024 when the mill closes. Sylvamo itself was formerly the printing papers division of International Paper, and is the maker of primarily uncoated grades, including the well-known brands Accent, Hammermill, Williamsburg, and white-labeled papers for HP. Sylvamo was spun off in October 2021 and cleaved off approximately $4 billion of revenue and 6,500 employees.

It appears that International Paper will double-down and increase its box and board manufacturing operations. That strategic direction is consistent with the report released in October by Precedence Statistics, which projects that the global corrugated box market will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 5.14% over the next decade. International Paper’s spinoff, closures and purchase of DS Smith are consistent with the overall industry movement we have observed in which mill closures and conversions trend away from printing paper grades, and in favor of packaging grades. (For more, see: The Target Report: Paper Industry in Transition – May 2022.)

Printing Plants Close

October was a high-water mark in our reporting on non-bankruptcy closings, exceeding, in number, every month since we began tracking these closures in 2012. In addition to the aforementioned closures by International Paper, several major printing operations will be shutting down.

Quad, the publicly-traded printing company based in Sussex, Wisconsin, announced it is shutting down its 120,000 square-foot plant in Waukee, Iowa. The plant came into the Quad family via the acquisition of Worldcolor in 2010, and primarily prints directories which have been in secular decline ever since the advent of internet-based online data sources. In October, Quad also announced the sale of most of its European operations to private equity firm Capmont. Joel Quadracci, Chairman, President and CEO of Quad, explained that “the decision to divest the majority of our European operations supports our ongoing strategic focus to optimize our business portfolio for growth as a marketing experience company.” However, Quadracci made clear that print will still be a major business for Quad in the near future, stating “we will maintain state-of-the-art printing operations in locations that best support our ever-evolving MX offering.”

Kodi Collective, the former division of LSC Communications recently acquired by the CJK Group, announced that it would be closing its plant in Danville, Kentucky. The plant produced magazines and catalogs. As run lengths in these segments have decreased, CJK noted that the company will have capacity at its other facilities in Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri to absorb the work formerly produced at the Danville site. CJK has previously staked out positions upstream and downstream from print. The company made another move that is additive to its core print offerings with its acquisition of Accucoms International. The acquired company, based in the Netherlands, operates globally and provides sales and marketing services to academic and professional publishers. Accucoms will be integrated into CJK’s KnowledgeWorks Global division. (For more, see: The Target Report: CJK Goes Global as Cenveo Unwinds – September 2020.)

SG360°, a portfolio company of private equity firm ICV Partners since 2016, is closing its Broadview, Illinois plant. The direct mail facility was acquired by SG360° with its acquisition of Lehigh Direct in 2014. Earlier this year, the company announced that it would be consolidating its web offset printing operations and increasing its investment in its digital print capacity. The company noted that despite the downsizing, its corporate headquarters in Wheeling, Illinois will be the home of thirteen inline web presses, still a formidable production platform for high-volume direct mail.

Other reported closures included two newspaper printing plants, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch printing facility, owned by Lee Enterprises, and the Star-Ledger printing facility in Montville, New Jersey, a publication of NJ Advance Media. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch will, for now, continue to produce a printed edition on a seven-day schedule, which will be printed at the Columbia Press, owned by Gannett, Lee’s rival in the newspaper publishing business. The New Jersey papers will not fare as well, at least not in printed form, as the plant closure is the death knell for the printed edition of the Star-Ledger, as well as three other New Jersey regional papers. The New Jersey papers, including the Star-Ledger which has been highly acclaimed for its investigative reporting, are moving to an entirely online publishing model.

Each of these printing plant closures is indicative of the inexorable trend: content that can move online will move online. As a result, paper manufacturers will continue to shift away from printing and newsprint paper production and focus on packaging grades.


2024 October - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Graphic Village
(Port co. Revitalize Capital)
$35.7Cincinnati, OHAAA Laminating & BinderyNo DataFairfield, OH10/31/24No DataAcquisitionBindery & finishing servicesLink
Hood PackagingNo DataAtlanta, GAIndustrial packaging operations
(Div. TC Transcontinental)
$50.0Thomasville, NC10/28/24$95.0AcquisitionIndustrial packagingLink
Carpenter Media GroupNo DataNatchez, MSEO Media Group (15 titles)No DataSalem, OR10/23/24No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspaperLink
Shaw MediaNo DataDixon, ILDaily JournalNo DataKankakee, IL10/23/24No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspaperLink
CapmontNo DataMunich, GermanyEuropean Operations
(Quad subsidiaries)
No DataSussex, WI10/22/24$45.0AcquisitionDiversified print & marketingLink
Mittera$572.4Des Moines, IARex3No DataSunrise, FL10/18/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Foundation Investment PartnersNo DataChagrin Falls, OHAmerican Spool & PackagingNo DataHartsville, SC10/15/24No DataAcquisitionFolding cartons & specialtiesLink
SupplyOne
(Port co. Wellspring Capital)
No DataNewtown Square,
PA
Gulf PackagingNo DataBay Minette, AL10/9/24No DataAcquisitionCorrugated boxesLink
CJK GroupNo DataBrainerd, MNAccucomsNo DataDen Haag, Netherlands10/8/24No DataAcquisitionPublishing marketing servicesLink
Minuteman Press, Columbia
(New franchisee)
No DataColumbia, SCApexgraphixNo DataColumbia, SC10/7/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
Multi-Color Corporation
(Port co. Clayton, Dubilier & Rice)
No DataCincinnati, OHStarport TechnologiesNo DataKansas City, MO10/4/24No DataAcquisitionRFID label manufacturingLink
Oak Street VenturesNo DataSheridan, ARJ.M. Fry Printing InksNo DataHenrico, VA10/2/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting inksLink
Antalis
(Sub. KPP Group Holdings)
No DataBoulogne-Billancourt, FranceXerox EMEA paper business
(Div. Xerox)
No DataRochester, NY10/1/24No DataAcquisitionPaper DistributionLink
DigiCopyNo DataSteven Point, WIThe Print ShopNo DataBlack River Falls, WI10/1/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
WiseNo DataAlpharetta, GABusiness forms business
(Div. Victor Printing)
No DataSharon, PA10/1/24No DataAsset AcquisitionBusiness formsLink


2024 October - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Case #



Filing Party Address



Circuit



Region & City



Judge



Attorney for Debtor



Notes
Chapter 11 Filings:
Digital Graphics Plus, LLC10/4/24No Data24-05422Longwood, FL11thMiddle FL
Orlando
Grace E. RobsonJeffrey AinsworthWide-format & apparel
Chapter 7 Filings:
No Chapter 7 Filings Found this Month---------------------------

   
2024 October - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
International PaperDec-24No DataGeorgetown, SCInternational PaperMemphis, TN10/31/24Cellulose Pulp millLink
Quad - Printing facility1/10/25No DataWaukee, ILQuadSussex, WI10/30/24Directory printing
(Formerly Worldcolor facility)
Link
Star-Ledger - Printing facility2/2/25No DataMontville, NJAdvance PublicationsNew York, NY10/30/24Newspaper printing plantLink
International Paper12/18/24No DataKansas City, MOInternational PaperMemphis, TN10/18/24Corrugated boxesLink
International Paper12/18/24No DataCleveland, TNInternational PaperMemphis, TN10/18/24Corrugated boxesLink
International Paper12/18/24No DataStatesville, NCInternational PaperMemphis, TN10/18/24Corrugated boxesLink
International Paper12/18/24No DataRockford, ILInternational PaperMemphis, TN10/18/24Corrugated boxesLink
International Paper11/18/24No DataSan Antonio, TXInternational PaperMemphis, TN10/16/24Corrugated sheet productionLink
St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Printing facilityJan-25No DataMaryland Heights, MOLee EnterprisesDavenport, IA10/15/24Newspaper printing plantLink
Kodi CollectiveQ4-24No DataDanville, KYCJK GroupBrainerd, MN10/7/24Magazine & catalog printingLink
Ocean State Bookbinding12/5/24No DataProvidence, RINoneN/AOct-24Book binding servicesLink
SG360° - Printing facilityQ4-24No DataBroadview, ILSG360°
(Port Co. ICV Partners)
Wheeling, ILOct-24Direct mailLink

On-Demand Print & Merch is BIG Business for Private Equity – November 2024 M&A Activity

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The future of print will increasingly be individually customized with the images we want, delivered wherever we want, printed on demand when we want, and applied to whatever products we choose  – The Target Report, May 2021.

This inexorable trend has accelerated in the Covid and post-Covid periods. Initially, social distancing and the ease of online ordering was a factor, as was the desire to spruce up our personal at-home spaces with personalized décor. Going online first to order unique items is now often the go-to first response, picking up the phone and engaging in personal interaction a comparative nuisance. Ordering many types of printed items is no exception.

Building a robust and efficient online system has increasingly been accomplished with the support of well-heeled private equity funds seeking the higher margins possible with the scale and automation obtainable in an online environment. 

Two Online Print Businesses Merge, Different Models Remain 

Printful and Printify announced on November 5th that the companies will merge in what is being billed as a merger of equals. By the 20th of the month, the shareholders and regulatory authorities had indicated final approval of the transaction, and the new executive team positions were announced. The Printful CEO will be the new CEO of the merged company, taking the top position, while the Printify CEO is now the President and Head of Platform. The two brands will continue to operate separately, at least for now, with the name of the holding company still undetermined.

Both companies are providing what is known as white-label services to hundreds of thousands of independent resellers of on-demand printed products. In a white-label business, the manufacturer produces products that can be sold under the reseller’s brand. Designers offer unique products under their own name, logo, and brand identity, never revealing that the product was made by others. With the white-label strategy, the two sites support a thriving network of online designers and retailers, many of which self-identify as being part of the “Print-On-Demand Community.”

When the merger was announced, the influencers on YouTube that act as self-appointed print-on-demand consultants were all in a dither about the merger, but they quickly coalesced in a near unanimous and positive opinion that the merger was good for the Community.

There are several major categories that are the primary driver of revenue on both systems. Apparel is the number one featured category. Personalization is available on a multitude of wearable items, from the expected tee shirts, hoodies, hats, and jackets, to more unique items such as swim trunks and sports bras, all of which can be individualized with print. Other categories include home and office décor, drinkware, stationery, and customized gift items. The merged company can now offer in excess of one thousand distinct products. 

Theirs is a tale of two business models that are fundamentally different. Printful, founded in 2013, is an online print-on-demand service that owns and manages its production facilities, and with fulfillment centers in North America and Europe. Printing technology utilized by Printful in its manufacturing sites includes Kornit Digital fabric printers and the Coloreel embroidery system (For more on Coloreel, see: The Target Report: Troubled Times for Graphic Machinery Innovators – July 2024.)

On the other hand, Printify, founded in 2015, is purely a technology company that acts as an intermediary, connecting its creator community to 85 third-party pre-qualified suppliers. Based on this asset-light model, Printify is able to offer a much broader product range and wider geographic footprint, including manufacturing partners in China, Australia, the US, and multiple countries in Europe. If you want to offer customized dog collars, Printify is the way to go. 

As one Reddit user put it: “Printful makes stuff. Printify lists products made by different manufacturers.” In both cases, the companies have prospered by serving the print-on-demand community in the new diversified universe of design-driven retailers, sometimes dubbed the “creator economy.” 

Institutional Investors Provided the Capital to Fuel the Growth

In May of 2021, Bregal Sagemount, a private equity fund based in New York City, invested $130 million in Printful. Based on the percentage of equity acquired, the investment implied that the enterprise value of Printful exceeded $1 billion, giving the company the right to claim “unicorn” status, a first for any company that was originally based in Latvia (see The Target Report: On Demand Everything – May 2021). 

Printify, also originally based in Latvia, obtained a $45 million venture capital investment from Index Ventures, among other early investors, to fund the company’s growth during its startup phase. In a heartfelt congratulatory posting, a principal investor at Index Ventures has this to say about the merger: “While the two companies share cultural DNA, their journeys affirm that there’s no single blueprint for building a high-growth startup. Their different paths – one building manufacturing capacity, the other a marketplace; one expanding to the US early, the other doubling down on European talent – prove that companies can take different routes to the same summit.” 

Reading between the lines, TechCrunch, a technology news website, opined that the recent announcement “underscores the struggles that startups in the on-demand manufacturing space, and the creator economy, are facing as stand-alone companies. Funding for later-stage startups has been especially challenging in Europe over the last several years, and it looks like 2025 will be no exception.” With that understanding as a backdrop, we can see that the use of a merger transaction enables these two companies that serve a common market to build scale without the need for an extensive recapitalization or sale to a bigger private equity firm in a secondary buyout. At least not yet. 

The Money is Betting on Print On Demand


Over the past five years, we have identified 315 investments by private equity funds in companies in the printing, packaging, and related industries. While the number of investments in print-on-demand businesses is a sliver of the total, in the world of online print these transactions are significant. These investments provide the capital needed to scale, automate, and transform print business models. Investors are keen on businesses that harness digital solutions to streamline order intake, optimize production, and enhance customer experience.

Customizable product platforms like those offered by Printful and Printify have set new benchmarks for ease of use, increased the variety of printable items offered, and enabled the ability to personalize at the level of one. Private equity firms are investing in companies that can offer these services at scale, and that hold out the promise for future growth. While the two companies featured in our commentary this month principally print on apparel and promotional items, the same dynamics are at play in the commercial printing market segment with companies such as Digital Room and Circle Graphics. Traditional printing companies that ignore these trends risk obsolescence and increased competitive pressure from online printing companies of all sorts.
   
2024 November - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Sunset PrintingNo DataWharton, NJArtcraft - Print businessNo DataNorth Attleboro, MA11/30/24No DataAsset Acquisition
(Graphic Arts Advisors)
Print & brand managementLink
CFSNo DataNorton, MAArtcraft - Promo businessNo DataNorth Attleboro, MA11/30/24No DataAsset Acquisition
(Graphic Arts Advisors)
Promo managementLink
Digital Color Concepts
(Port co. Sherburne Partners)
No DataMountainside, NJTigerPressNo DataEast Longmeadow,
MA
11/26/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial & folding cartonsLink
Multi-Color Corporation
(Port co. Clayton, Dubilier & Rice)
$3,000Rosemont, ILStarport TechnologiesNo DataKansas City, MO11/21/24No DataAcquisitionRFID tag productionLink
River Associates InvestmentsNo DataChattanooga, TNID LabelNo DataLake Villa, IL11/15/24No DataAcquisitionBarcode labels & asset tagsLink
Package Design & Supply
(Port co. Fairchild Capital Partners)
No DataBuffalo, NYTrue North PackagingNo DataRochester, NY11/14/24No DataAcquisitionCorrugated boxesLink
X-RiteNo DataGrand Rapids, MIColorwareNo DataAmsterdam
The Netherlands
11/14/24No DataAcquisitionColor measurement softwareLink
TentCraftNo DataTraverse City, MIWorld Class DisplaysNo DataCedar Rapids, IA11/8/24No DataAcquisition
(Benchmark Int'l)
Trade show displaysLink
Minuteman Press -
Grand Blanc
No DataGrand Blanc, MIKendall PrintingNo DataFlint, MI11/7/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
LabelinkNo DataAnjou, QCInternational Label & PrintingNo DataElk Grove Village, IL 11/7/24No DataAcquisitionLabel printingLink
Proforma Printhouse$4.0Kalamazoo, MIProforma MarketplaceNo DataRoseville, MI11/6/24No DataAcquisitionPrint & promo managementLink
Clampitt PaperNo DataDallas, TXColorado EnvelopsNo DataBroomfield, CO11/6/24No DataAcquisitionEnvelope manufacturingLink
Aterian Investment PartnersNo DataNew York, NYOutlook Group
(Port co. Heartwood Partners)
$94.8Neenah, WI11/6/24No DataAcquisitionLabels, flexible, folding cartonsLink
DMM Direct
(Affil. PDF Print Communications)
$32.5Signal Hill, CADirect Mail of MaineNo DataScarborough, ME11/5/24No DataAsset Acquisition
(Graphic Arts Advisors)
Direct mail printingLink
Printful
(Port co. Bregal Sagemount)
No DataCharlotte, NCPrintifyNo DataWilmington, NC11/5/24No DataMergerOn-demand productsLink
Veritiv
(Port co. Clayton, Dubilier & Rice)
No DataAtlanta, GAPAX Global$45.0Naperville, IL11/4/24No DataAcquisitionSpecialty packagingLink
Domtar$7,059Fort Mill, SCIconex Paper
(Port co. Atlas Holdings)
No DataAtlanta, GA11/4/24No DataAcquisitionThermal receipt paperLink
Data Communications Management$493.7Brampton, ONZavy LimitedNo DataAuckland,
New Zealand
11/4/24No DataAcquisitionSocial media marketingLink
SBPI GraphicsNo DataEarth City, MOKopytek / Print it BigNo DataEarth City, MO11/1/24No DataAcquisitionWide format printingLink
Kirkwood$67.0Wilmington, MAJet Mail ServicesNo DataHudson, MA11/1/24No DataAcquisitionMailing servicesLink
INX Group Limited
(Div. Sakata INX)
No DataSchaumburg, ILCoatings & AdhesivesNo DataLeland, NC11/1/24No DataAcquisitionCoatings & adhesivesLink

  
2024 November - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Case #



Filing Party Address



Circuit



Region & City



Judge



Attorney for Debtor



Notes
Chapter 11 Filings:
SGZ Group, Inc., dba Kendall Press11/20/24No Data24-12330
Sub Ch. V
Chelsea, MA1stMassachusetts
Boston
Janet E. BostwickDavid B. MadoffCommercial printing
Chapter 7 Filings:
No Chapter 7 Filings Found this Month---------------------------

  
2024 November - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
The Artcraft Company
(Fiduciary Agent: Graphic Arts Advisors)
11/19/24No DataNorth Attleboro, MANoneN/ANov-24Engraving, wide format, & promoLink
Gannett - Printing facilityMar-25No DataProvidence, RIGannettMcLean, VANov-24Consolidating print to other plantsLink

Zig-Zagging – December 2024 M&A Activity

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From Printing to Print Management to Business Process Outsourcing

Printing companies increasingly seek to diversify their service offerings via acquisitions of companies that support their customers’ communication needs outside of print. However, despite the increasing use of electronic media, print remains one of the critical channels in today’s messaging mix. Print-centric companies that proactively grow via an M&A strategy go back and forth, shifting directions, alternately completing transactions that bring in additional print volume, and then subsequently acquire a company with services that are adjacent to print, but not core to the mission of putting ink on paper.

RR Donnelley is Back in the Acquisition Game

In late December, RR Donnelley (RRD), now owned by Chatham Asset Management, announced its second big deal of 2024, the acquisition of Williams Lea. The deal is a classic example of “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” or more correctly “buy ‘em.”

The acquired company, based in London, is one of a handful of firms that have successfully placed themselves firmly between printing companies and their large enterprise-level customers. As the intermediary between printer and customer, these firms purport to drive competition between print providers more effectively than can be achieved if the corporations leave print buying to their own internal staff.

The CEO of RRD noted that the acquisition of Williams Lea aligns the company’s strategy to build on their business support offerings to achieve their “vision of the Digital, Creative and Business Support Services segment.” The combination will enable their clients to “maximize their own customer engagement strategies and streamline their business operations.” No mention of acquired print volume.

For Williams Lea, the acquired company, the transaction is a full-circle return to its printing roots. German immigrant John Wertheimer came to London in 1820 with a letter of introduction to a member of the wealthy Rothschild family. Wertheimer used the resultant connections to start his printing business under the moniker Wertheimer & Co. Products produced were traditional printed items including books, stationery, and publications. With its German and Jewish roots, the company specialized in foreign language translation and printing, including Hebrew and German, a fact with subsequent impact on the company’s fortunes.

In 1864, the same year that Richard Robert Donnelley started his printing business in Chicago, John Edward Lea joined the London printing company, and the name was changed to Wertheimer Lea & Co. to reflect the new ownership. In 1884, a partnership was formed with John Henry Williams, a year after Wertheimer’s death. With the outbreak of the First World War, amid the anti-German sentiment in Britain, the Wertheimer name was dropped, and the firm’s name was changed to Williams Lea.

The company continued to grow, eventually housed in five separate manufacturing plants. In 1899, the company built its iconic six-story building in London on the corner of Clifton and Worship streets and consolidated its operations. At the time of construction, the building was considered state-of-the-art with electricity powering all the machines. That building still stands today, having survived the Blitz aerial bombing attack on London during the Second World War. As a specialist in foreign language printing, the company printed many of the propaganda leaflets dropped over Germany, as well as printed information that was distributed among the French underground resistance fighters.

As the London financial community blossomed during the last two decades of the twentieth century, the company launched an outsourcing business, initially focused on serving the City community (London’s Wall Street). That turned out to be a fortuitous decision and led to the transition of the company into its current form, primarily focused on serving financial, legal, and professional service firms.

In the year 2000, Williams Lea invented the disruptive print management model and landed a ground-breaking contract with AXA insurance, in which the company assumed all responsibility for the management of all AXA’s print production activities in the UK. According to their press release at the time, “this radical solution involved a substantial number of staff transfers” (from AXA’s payroll to Williams Lea’s). Reduction in the customer’s head count of non-core staff (e.g., print buyers, copy center operators) became a key selling point and led to other firms jumping on the print management bandwagon (e.g., Innerworkings, now part of HH Global). In this way, the Williams Lea strategy was more than just external cost reduction achieved through aggressive buying practices. As Williams Lea discovered, hiring a client’s print purchasing personnel enabled them to promise and deliver fully burdened cost reductions that most printers simply could not match.

Shortly thereafter, Williams Lea brought its outsourcing model to the US. As the owner of a commercial printing company at the time, I personally became aware of Williams Lea and its ability to insert itself into a formerly solid printer/customer relationship. A large regional eastern-US bank, which was then a significant customer of my printing company, told my business partner who managed the account that the bank would no longer be buying print directly. In what is now a familiar drill for many printing companies, we were introduced to a young analyst who worked for Williams Lea. We were told that to keep the bank’s print business, we needed to reduce our pricing by double-digits, commit to a punishing progressive rebate schedule, and submit to aggressive ongoing bidding and negotiations. Eventually, the demands were unsustainable, and we had to walk away from that formerly profitable customer. We had been intermediated.

With its print management and business process strategy fully developed, Williams Lea grew into a multi-national company with more than 8,000 employees across three continents. In 2006 the Williams family sold a controlling interest in the business to Deutsche Post, the German postal and logistics company. Deutsche Post envisioned synergies between its logistics and supply chain business and William Lea’s expertise in handling large volumes of sensitive documents.

Under Deutsche Post’s ownership, as mail volumes declined, a strategic plan was launched to move upstream in the value chain of document and marketing material production. To accomplish this, in 2011 Williams Lea acquired Tag Worldwide which provided creative, prepress and production services. Tag not only worked with advertising agencies, but it also competed with its clients in the creative sphere.

As it turned out, e-commerce volumes exploded, Deutsche Post reconsidered its strategy and decided that William Lea’s services fell outside its core operations. Consequently, in 2017 the business was sold to Advent International, the global private equity giant headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. (For more see: The Target Report: Williams Lea Tag is on the Move – August 2017.)

Having been divested from Deutsche Post and now under Advent’s stewardship, Williams Lea completed its own divestiture and in 2023 sold Tag Worldwide to the Dentsu Group, the global advertising and public relations company based in Tokyo, Japan. This sale marked a strategic decision to separate the creative production arm, Tag, from Williams Lea’s core focus on document management and business process outsourcing services. Effectively, the sale of Tag was an about-face, a reversal of the upstream strategy, returning Williams Lea to its clear focus on the more pedestrian enterprise of business process outsourcing.

Back in the World of Print

This latest acquisition is in stark contrast to RRD’s purchase in March 2024 of the retail insert business (formerly Valassis) from Vericast. (For more see: The Target Report: Half a Loaf is Better than None – March 2024.) While the rhetoric surrounding RRD’s acquisition focused on the many forms of digital marketing included in the acquisition, the core of the acquired business was the newspaper advertising insert, coupon, and free-standing insert print business. The Zig to the Williams Lea Zag.
   
2024 December - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Walsworth$240.0Marceline, MODocumationNo DataEau Claire, WI12/23/24No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Xerox$6,370Norwalk, CTLexmark
(Sub. Ninestar Corp.)
No DataLexington, KY12/23/24$1,500AcquisitionPrinting devices & servicesLink
R.R. Donnelley
(Port co. Chatham Asset Management)
No DataChicago, ILWilliams Lea
(Port co. Advent International)
No DataLondon, UK12/20/24No DataAcquisitionBusiness process outsourcingLink
GrimcoNo DataFenton, MOGraphic Solutions GroupNo DataDallas, TX12/20/24No DataAcquisitionGraphic supplies distributorLink
Multi-Color Corporation
(Port co. Clayton, Dubilier & Rice)
$3,000Rosemont, ILEximproNo DataLos Reyes Acaquilpan, Mexico12/19/24No DataAcquisitionShrink sleeve labelsLink
Porat ItayNo DataRamat Gan, IsraelAdvanced Vision Technology
(Div. Esko)
No DataGhent, Belgium12/19/24No DataAcquisitionPrint inspection systemsLink
Toppan Group$11,430Tokyo, JapanTFP Business Unit
(Div. Sonoco Products Company)
$1,300Hartsville, SC12/18/24$1,800AcquisitionThermoform & Flex packagingLink
Total Printing SystemsNo DataNewton, ILPerfection PressNo DataLogan, IA12/11/24No DataAcquisitionBook manufacturingLink
Reflex Group$236.3West Yorkshire, UKCB Printed TechnologyNo DataCommerce, CA12/9/24No DataAcquisitionLabel printingLink
Carpenter Media GroupNo DataNatchez, MSM. Roberts MediaNo DataLongview, TX12/6/24No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspapersLink
Allegra, Vaughan
(New franchisee)
No DataVaughan, ONAllegra VaughanNo DataVaughan, ON12/6/24No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
Peczuh Printing & PaperboxNo DataPrice, UTPerma Graphics /
Custom Plastic Laminating
No DataSalt Lake City, UT12/3/24No DataAcquisitionBindery & finishing servicesLink

   
2024 December - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$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:
Denbar Publishing, Inc.
(dba Senior News)
12/7/24No Data24-18287Elgin, IL7thNorthern IL
Chicago
Janet S. BaerStephen J. CostelloSpecialty newspaper publisher

   
2024 December - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
GraphicsDec-24No DataCalmar, IANoneN/A12/9/24Newspaper printingEmail
Notice

Print Everything Everywhere All at One Place – January 2025 M&A Activity

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We are inundated with printed images. While the steady decline of newspapers and other forms of print gives a general societal impression that print is a dying industry, the truth is that we are surrounded by more print in more places on more things than ever before. The use of printed images in our environment has proliferated.

Enabled by continual development of digital print technologies, almost everything we use has images printed on it in one form or another. Just about anything we can imagine being printed, can be printed, and is. Online ordering systems drive evermore printed editions of one. (For more see: The Target Report: On-Demand Print & Merch is BIG Business for Private Equity – November 2024.) In our malls and shopping centers, entire retail environments are created, and recreated, again and again, in short time, with the use of printed graphics. Cultural venues, such as museums, are rich with graphic displays that keep up with the times and changing exhibitions. Tall buildings are wrapped and draped. Vehicles of every sort carry branding and messages.

Private Equity Investors Believe in Print

About ten years ago, one of the leading partners in a well-known PE firm that invests in the lower end of the middle market told me that they would not even consider an investment in a company that provided marketing-related commercial print services. Too risky. Old technology. Messaging is moving online. No potential for meaningful returns.

What a difference a decade makes. Print has evolved into a multi-faceted visual communication industry that eagerly applies graphics to almost every surface in any location, with incredible images, rendered in high fidelity, and in quick order. In January, that same PE firm, The Riverside Company, announced its investment in The Vomela Companies. The smart money has rediscovered print, or as it is now more accurately described: visual communications, or specialized graphic solutions, or visual solutions, and other such non-print monikers.

Visual Communications on the Move

The Vomela Companies, as a whole, represent an incredible range of printed graphic capabilities. The company’s slogan is “Big Ideas, Any Surface, Any Scale.” The company is now comprised of multiple divisions, with over 1,300 employees and more than 20 locations across North America.

Core to the company’s success over the past several decades has been its transportation group. The division prints and installs graphics on fleets of trucks, motorcoaches, trains, buses, delivery vans, and cars. Founded in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1947, Vomela enjoyed a close relationship for many years with the 3M company, specifically working together in the development of techniques to print on pressure sensitive vinyl stocks and die cut unique shapes for custom decal applications. According to company history, the 3M company was the major customer of Vomela and dominated its manufacturing capacity for two decades up to the early 1980’s. That relationship led Vomela into the fleet business, for which it provided decals for truck fleet marking as well as specialized decals for the automotive and motorcoach markets as an OEM supplier.

In concert with 3M, Vomela’s dedication to develop durable custom decals for the automotive manufacturers gave many cars a unique style that was only achievable by the application of printed graphics. There were, of course, the usual racing stripes and big bold lettering, but some decals went much further, became iconic emblems, and defined a brand.

The original Firebird nameplate emblem was derived from a stylized image of a bird based on a Hopi Native American symbol. With its wings turned downward, head turned sideways, and its one eye apparently half closed, the logo became known inside GM as the “Sick Chicken.” Seeking to design a more uplifting positive image for Pontiac’s signature sporty car, Bill Porter, the Pontiac Studio Design Chief at the time, designed a new logo. He lifted the bird’s wings up into a victory pose. He positioned its head to be looking upward with flame shooting from its mouth. He took further design inspiration from the feathery pattern on a Tiffany vase in his private collection. The result was the addition of a surround of fiery lines sweeping up and around the bird.

With this new refreshing and energetic logo in hand, the design team applied a large test bird decal to the hood of a bright red Pontiac Firebird. They drove the newly decorated car up and down the strip in Detroit, stopping at local diners, drive-ins, gas stations, and hangouts. The reaction to the car from young folks convinced the design team to float the idea of adding the large graphic bird image to the car, a radical departure from the standards of the time. It took a couple years to convince Pontiac’s top management to allow the bird decal to be put on the hood of their cherished hot-selling sports car, but eventually they relented and in 1973 the graphic was offered as an option for an additional $55. The “Hood Bird” caught on and became a standard on the tricked-out models offered for sale, with the decal glued to the hood of every high-performance Special Edition, Anniversary and Pace Car model sold until 1981. No longer the sick forlorn downward-facing bird, the new printed firebird has ever since been affectionately known by car enthusiasts as the “Screaming Chicken.”

Diversity of Graphic Solutions

When 3M pulled its decal manufacturing inhouse in the early 1980’s, Vomela contracted, laying off a significant portion of its workforce. Getting back on its feet, the company began a four-decade journey, fueled by serial strategic acquisitions, to arrive at its current highly diversified position.

In addition to transportation graphics, the company is a powerhouse in retail wide-format printing applications. The company’s C2 division, with locations across the US and in BC, Canada, specializes in retail signage and on-demand digital printing. Markets are served with products including in-store displays, store décor, wayfinding graphics, and event & experiential marketing. The Pratt Visual Solutions division manufactures permanent retail displays and signage, among other retail decorations.

The company also has a commercial printing group built via a series of acquisitions. Former companies now under the Vomela commercial umbrella include the Master Print, Elk Graphics, and Tepel Brothers printing companies. While Vomela remains largely a wide and grand format printing organization, this regional diverse group of commercial printing facilities provides collateral and direct mail support for its national enterprise-level customer base.

From its initial start as a small company founded by Jack Vomela that began by decorating Christmas gift tags with glitter and flocking, in 2024 the company reported revenue of $364 million. While it may not print on everything, everywhere, all in one place, the company surely is part of the trend to apply graphics in ever new and diverse ways.
   
2025 January - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Associated Printing ProductionsNo DataMiami Lakes, FLAll In One Mail Shop
dba All In One Marketing Solutions
No DataMiami, FL1/31/25No DataAcquisitionDirect mail printingLink
Carpenter Media GroupNo DataNatchez, MSEnterprise Media Group
(10 Titles + 3 shoppers)
No DataBlair, NE1/30/25No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspapersLink
TactivNo DataIndianapolis, INConcept PrintsNo DataIndianapolis, IN1/28/25No DataAcquisitionScreen printing & embroideryLink
Minuteman Press, ClawsonNo DataClawson, MIThe Print StopNo DataBerkley, MI1/24/25No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
RoyerComm
(RoyerComm Prism)
No DataPennsauken, NJPrism ColorNo DataMoorestown, NJ1/22/25No DataMergerCommercial printingLink
Allcard LimitedNo DataCambridge, ONAmpersand PrintingNo DataGuelph, ON1/21/25No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Komori Chambon Group
(Sub. Komori)
No DataOrléans, FranceCPS Canadian Primoflex SystemsNo DataCambridge, ON1/20/25No DataAcquisitionFlexographic pressesLink
Alliance Machine Systems Intl
(Div. Barry-Wehmiller)
No DataSpokane, WAJD EngineersNo DataJoure,
The Netherlands
1/17/25No DataAcquisitionFolder gluer machineryLink
Wortman PrintingNo DataEffingham, ILPatton PrintingNo DataEffingham, IL1/16/25No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Koozie Group
(Port co. H.I.G. Capital)
No DataClearwater, FLSkinner & KennedyNo DataSt. Louis, MO1/14/25No DataAcquisitionCalendars & notepadsLink
Jeff HarperNo DataDetroit, MIGraphic Engravers
vdba GEI Graphics
No DataBensenville, IL1/10/25No DataAcquisition
(Generational)
Flexographic printing platesLink
Brook + Whittle
(Port co. Genstar Capital)
No DataGuilford, CTStouse$56.2New Century, KS1/9/25No DataAcquisitionLabel printing & promoLink
Tidewater Direct$52.0Centreville, MDThe Notepad StoreNo DataWallingford, CT1/8/25No DataAcquisitionNotepads & promoLink
The Riverside CompanyNo DataNew York, NYVomela$364.0St. Paul, MN1/7/25No DataAcquisition
(Cascadia Capital)
Wide format & retail displayLink
Vision Graphics
Port co. Banner Capital Mngt.
No DataSalt Lake City, UTQueen of WarpsNo DataSalt Lake City, UT1/2/25No DataAcquisitionWide format - Vehicle wrapsLink
PromoCentricNo DataNewmarket, NHScreen GemsNo DataSeabrook, NH1/2/25No DataAcquisitionScreen printing & embroideryLink
H.I.G. CapitalNo DataMiami, FLBest Version MediaNo DataBrookfield, WI1/2/25No DataAcquisitionCommunity publicationsLink

   
2025 January - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Case #



Filing Party Address



Circuit



Region & City



Judge



Attorney for Debtor



Notes
Chapter 11 Filings:
Image Direct Group LLC1/15/25No Data25-10353Frederick, MD4thMaryland
Greenbelt
Lori S. SimpsonLawrence HeffnerDirect mail printing 
Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc.1/14/25No Data25-10308Hunt Valley, MD4thMaryland
Baltimore
David E. RiceJordan RosenfeldComic book distribution
Chapter 7 Filings:
No Chapter 7 Filings Found this Month---------------------------

 
2025 January - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
Trumbull Printing3/6/25No DataTrumbull, CTNoneN/AJan-25Coldset web printingLink
Joliet Pattern Works
(Fiduciary Agent: Graphic Arts Advisors)
3/5/25No DataCrest Hill, ILNoneN/AJan-25Retail displayLink
Rainbow Graphics2/28/25No DataMundelein, ILQualfonHighland Park, MIJan-25Direct mail forms printingLink
Shout Out Loud2/18/25No DataColumbus, OHNoneN/AJan-25Screen printing Link

Think Outside the Rectilinear – February 2025 M&A Activity

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As we have noted in prior Target Reports and emphasized in our Annual Review, the salad days for wide-format printing are over. Digitally printed banners and wraps are no longer unique, flatbed printing devices are ubiquitous, and the high margins that came with being an early entrant in the market for large inkjet prints have been compressed by competition. Entry-level equipment is no longer excessively expensive, flatbed cutters and other finishing technologies are widely installed.

Differentiation in the wide-format business has moved from those that had first-mover advantage to businesses such as those that have perfected more complex online direct-to-customer systems, robust planning and installation capabilities, or value-added services such as printing on canvas for use as home or office décor. The ability to print, stretch, and mount printed fabrics in a multitude of formats, venues, and environments is one such specialization.

Moss, a wide-format fabric printing company based in Franklin, Illinois, has grown to in excess of $100 million in revenue by staying focused almost exclusively on the unique niche application of graphic tensioned fabric installations. That growth has come via the serial execution of acquisitions, each expanding its geographic range and breadth of applications, but remaining laser-focused on the use of printed fabrics held in tension.

With financial backing from private equity firm EagleTree Capital, Moss acquired Rocket Graphics. The acquired company, based in Watford, UK, is Moss’ second purchase of a UK-based company, and expands on its European presence, which also includes operations in Germany and Poland. Rocket Graphics prints super-wide format visuals for stadium events, trade exhibitions, stage productions, retail displays and other large graphic applications. It is no accident that the company boasts of its extensive installation capabilities as the selling owner started his career as an installer. Onsite installation of very large projects is evidently deep in the corporate DNA, which was clearly a driver in the matchup with Moss.

That acquisition followed closely on the heals of the announcement in December 2024 that Moss had acquired Stretch Shapes, an innovative company based in Eugene, Oregon, that brings the use of tensioned fabrics to a whole new level. In addition to the usual and expected use of printed fabrics for branding, the acquired company uses stretched fabric to create borderless projection screens, colorful wall panels, event entrances, ceiling panel sails, and unique outdoor shade structures.


From Pop-Up Tents to Architectural Icons

Bill Moss, an artist and industrial designer, forever changed outdoor recreation with the invention of the pop-up tent in 1955. After a stint in the US Navy, he pursued an education in art at the famous Cranbrook Academy of Art in his home state of Michigan. After graduation, Moss landed his dream job as an illustrator for Ford Times, a travel magazine produced by the Ford Motor Company. An avid outdoorsman, duck hunter, and ice fisherman, he was frustrated by the heavy canvas upside-down-V-shaped pup tent design that dates back to the civil war. His industrial design training kicked in and what emerged was the now ubiquitous lightweight fabric tent held in tension by flexible support poles.

Moss was convinced that he had come up with a hit design and cleverly named his invention the Pop-Tent. In a burst of enthusiasm, he patented the concept and proceeded to order 1,000 Pop‑Tents. To his great disappointment, his first customer, outfitter company Abercrombie and Fitch, placed an order for one Pop-Tent. Things changed for the better when Life Magazine ran an article, with photos, of Bill and his family camping out in a roomy and easy-to-assemble Pop‑Tent. The tent was a hit. Many elegant beautiful new tent designs followed in the ensuing decades, along with articles in Time Magazine, Esquire, and GQ. Tensioned fabric structures designed by Moss were exhibited in the Louvre and the Smithsonian, and his 1978 Stargazer Tent was placed in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

The Trade Show Transformation

Bill and his wife Marilyn had moved to Maine and established the Moss Tent Works, utilizing local labor to sew and manufacture the unique tent products. The couple were living the Bohemian lifestyle of the times. They spent their summers in a large multi-room tensioned fabric treehouse tent mounted thirty feet up in the Maine pine trees on a 50-by-50-foot-wide platform. However, there were ups and downs in the business, as Bill had the artist’s inclination to move on to another project before completely realizing the benefits of his last design.

Seeking to save costs, the Moss Tent Works company designed its own trade show exhibit using tensioned fabric to showcase its unique tents. Marilyn, who was focused on the business aspects of the company, took it upon herself to assemble the lightweight elegant display. Accomplishing the task in mere minutes, all while wearing high heels, she impressed the other exhibitors with the new type of trade show display (at least that is the story). Recognizing the potential of using printed stretched fabric for trade show displays, Marilyn spearheaded the company’s pivot into custom trade show exhibits, and in the process introduced tension fabric technology to the global graphics market.

Eventually, the couple divorced, Bill Moss moved to Arizona to pursue his art, and Marilyn took over the management of the business. She guided the company through strategic transformations, focusing increasingly on the more profitable trade show display business. In 1994, the year Bill Moss died, Marilyn sold the tent division to outdoor company REI and focused exclusively on the graphics business. By 2000, Moss Inc. had grown to $15 million in revenue and 164 employees before being sold in its first successful private equity investment transaction.

Global Graphics Powerhouse – Via Acquisitions

In 2008, Los-Angeles private equity firm Century Park Capital Partners acquired the renamed company, Moss, Inc. Century Park guided the company through four strategic acquisitions, exiting the investment in 2016 with the sale to EagleTree Capital (formerly known as Wasserstein & Co.) Under the ownership of EagleTree Capital, Moss has completed three additional acquisitions and moved the company into a new 180,000 SF global headquarters in Franklin Park, Illinois. In 2018 and 2023, the company invested in new production facilities in Changzhou, China and Poznań, Poland, respectively, establishing the company as a global player in the market for large-scale tensioned fabric graphics.

The Moss company has now completed a total of nine acquisitions, each one expanding the company’s reach and depth, but nonetheless staying close to the core mission of creating unique environments, spaces, and branding using graphic imaging technologies. The company provides a great example of executing a proactive coherent M&A strategy to expand within a relatively narrow niche market.

Moss Acquisition History – Strategic Coherence

Year

Acquisition

Location

Strategic Focus

Impact

2002

Exhibit Architecture

Chicago, IL, USA

Manufacturing for exhibit structures

Expanded production capacity

2007

Nichols

Salt Lake City, UT, USA

Premier fabric printing expertise

Enhanced print capabilities with tensioned fabric

2010

Pink

New York, NY, USA

Event décor industry leader

Added creative event solutions

2011

Flying Colors

Berkeley, CA, USA

Sports venue/event branding

Entered sports industry branding market

2014

Andres Imaging & Graphics

Chicago, IL, USA

Digital & print fabrication for branded environments

Added advanced print technology

2015

Marx+Moschner

Lennestadt, Germany

European tension fabric structures

Established international production in Europe

2018

New Facility

Changzhou, China

New production facility to support Asian market

Expanded presence in Asia with 80,000 sq ft facility supporting APPPEXPO Shanghai

2023

MacroArt

Saint Neots, United Kingdom

Large-format graphics and signage

Expanded UK presence and production capacity

2023

New Facility

Poznań, Poland

Production facility

Increased European capacity and distribution

2024

Stretch Shapes

Eugene, OR, USA

Fabric-based products for immersive environments

Expanded live event space capabilities

2025

Rocket Graphics

Watford, UK

Wide-format graphics for experiential spaces

Strengthened UK and experiential graphics presence


Originally, a quirky, but innovative, tent company, Moss was transformed via the insightful recognition by Marilyn Moss of a serendipitous positive response when graphics were applied to tensioned fabrics. With financial backing and guidance of sequential private equity firms, the Moss company has grown into a global provider of what it calls “immersive branded environments,” also known as experiential graphics.
 
In addition to developing unique capabilities that fueled the company’s growth, Moss used its M&A strategy to expand its capacity and extend its geographic footprint. Both of these rationales are consistent with the dominant trends we found in our annual analysis of M&A activity in the wide-format printing segment. (For more see: The Target Report Annual Review – 2024 M&A Activity.)
   
2025 February - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Southern TorchNo DataFort Payne, ALDeSoto PrintingNo DataFort Payne, AL2/28/25No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
West-Camp PressNo DataWesterville, OHLake Graphics Label and Sign
(Advised by Graphic Arts Advisors)
No DataCleveland, OH2/27/25No DataAsset Acquisition
(Graphic Arts Advisors)
Label & wide-format printingLink
Moss
(Port co. EagleTree Capital)
$101.0Franklin Park, ILRocket GraphicsNo DataWatford, UK2/25/25No DataAcquisitionWide & grand format printingLink
UpSwell
(Port co. Clearview Capital)
No DataMarietta, GATaradelNo DataGlen Allen, VA2/20/25No DataAcquisitionLocal direct mail marketingLink
Hearst Newspapers
(Div. Hearst Communications)
No DataNorwalk, CTAustin-American Statesman
(Prop. Gannett)
No DataAustin, TX2/19/25No DataAcquisition
(Dirks, Van Essen)
Community newspaperLink
CERMNo DataOostkamp, BelgiumOMIKAI SystemsNo DataVästerås, Sweden2/18/25No DataAcquisitionPrinting MIS softwareLink
Handgards
Port co. Wynnchurch Capital
No DataRosemont, ILInnoPak
(Port co. Emerald Lake Capital)
No DataDelaware, OH2/18/25No DataAcquisitionDiversified food packagingLink
General DataNo DataCincinnati, OHInternational Label Mfg.No DataTerre Haute, IN2/14/25No DataAcquisition
(Corp Dev Assoc)
Label printingLink
General DataNo DataCincinnati, OHNational Custom LabelsNo DataBrazil, IN2/14/25No DataAcquisition
(Corp Dev Assoc)
Specialty label manufacturingLink
Resource Label Group
(Port co. Ares Management)
No DataFranklin, TNImprimerie Ste-JulieNo DataSainte-Julie, QC2/10/25No DataAcquisitionLabel printingLink
JTSNo DataHartland, WIAM SolutionsNo DataMadison, WI2/7/25No DataAcquisitionDirect mailLink
Prisma
(Port co. CenterGate Capital)
$137.0Phoenix, AZVivid Ink Graphics$30.0Baton Rouge, LA2/6/25No DataAcquisitionWide-format printingLink
Welch Packaging GroupNo DataElkhart, INSOKY Pack & PalletNo DataGlasgow, KY2/5/25No DataAcquisitionCorrugated boxesLink

   
2025 February - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Case #



Filing Party Address



Circuit



Region & City



Judge



Attorney for Debtor



Notes
Chapter 11 Filings:
Pacer Print2/18/25No Data25-10187Simi Valley, CA9thCentral CA
Santa Barbara
Ronald A Clifford IIISteven R. FoxPackaging design & outsourcing
Buffalo Newspress Inc.
(dba BNP Empowered Print)
2/5/25No Data25-10125Buffalo, NY2ndWestern NY
Buffalo
Carl L. BuckiKevin R. LelonekWeb offset printing
Overgaard's Artcraft Printers, Inc.2/18/25No Data25-30202South Bend, IN7thNorthern IN
South Bend
Paul E. SingletonEdward P. BenchikPrinting & copying

   
2025 February - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
Fusebox One3/27/25No DataUrbandale, IANoneN/AFeb-25Commercial printingLink
International Paper - Red River MillApr-25No DataCampti, LAInternational PaperMemphis, TN2/13/25Containerboard productionLink
International Paper - Recycling plantApr-25No DataPhoenix, AZInternational PaperMemphis, TN2/13/25Paper & corrugated recyclingLink
International Paper - Box plantApr-25No DataHazleton, PAInternational PaperMemphis, TN2/13/25Corrugated box manufacturingLink
International Paper - Sheet feeder facilityApr-25No DataSt. Louis, MOInternational PaperMemphis, TN2/13/25Corrugated sheet productionLink

Experiential Graphics Under the Lights – March 2025 M&A Activity

$
0
0
 
There was a time when signage and event graphics were primarily viewed as an extension of commercial print. The business was transactional, deadline-driven, and rooted in production. That time has passed. March’s M&A activity provides further evidence that event graphics have fully crossed into a new category: a hybrid of visual communications, logistics, experience design, and brand execution. Two acquisitions—Wasserman’s purchase of bluemedia and Impact XM’s acquisition of Touch Associates—mark the continued evolution of this space and the growing sophistication of what was once simply called “signage.”

The Super Bowl of Wide Format

Wasserman, a global sports marketing and talent management agency, acquired Arizona-based bluemedia, a firm well known for transforming environments through large-format printing, installation, and branding. Bluemedia was founded in 1997 as a consulting company that provided signage and merchandising for small golf charity events. While bluemedia’s capabilities now span building wraps, experiential displays, and innovative architectural graphics, the company is perhaps best recognized for its work with major sporting events, national sponsorships, and iconic outdoor productions. The company has come a long way from its humble beginning: in addition to brand activations for major national brands, bluemedia’s work was all over New Orleans as they wrapped up the company’s eleventh year as the main décor contractor for the Super Bowl, probably the best and most demanding showcase for high-impact, high-stakes graphic branding! This is print that’s meant to be seen, photographed, and shared—where the physical presence of graphics serves both brand visibility and emotional engagement.

Founded in 2002 by Casey Wasserman, grandson of media mogul and super talent agent Lew Wasserman, the firm started as a boutique agency focused on talent representation in sports and entertainment. Over time, Wasserman expanded its portfolio through acquisitions and organic growth to include brand marketing, sponsorship activation, media strategy, and analytics. The company became a major force in Olympic and global sports marketing, notably playing a role in bringing the 2028 Summer Olympics to Los Angeles. The firm’s strategic positioning is built around influencing audiences at the intersection of media, athletes, and brands. Its acquisition of bluemedia is consistent with this broader vision: enabling the live experience where branding happens in real time, in full scale, and in full view.

Wasserman’s move signals an intent to further embed production and environmental branding directly into its service stack. This is less about reducing outsourcing costs and more about control—controlling the outcome, the quality, and the delivery of high-stakes, high-visibility installations. The plan is to integrate and merge the bluemedia company into the Wasserman Live division, which provides branding, signage, custom fabrication, and live event production across sports, music, entertainment, and cultural events. The merger is a great opportunity for the bluemedia team to expand and build on its huge success with US-based sporting events; Wasserman has a global presence, with operations in more than 70 cities, in 28 countries, on 6 continents.

The acquisition also suggests something else: that the ability to produce graphics is often no longer enough and must be accompanied by the ability to activate a brand in a space. For sports venues, live events, and consumer-facing pop-ups, the print is the experience. As such, bluemedia doesn’t just print banners and wrap buildings, it creates temporary environments that reflect the philosophy and character of the event, thereby enhancing the perceived value of the brand itself.

Impact XM Expands Range

Impact XM, a New Jersey-based company focused on experiential marketing and trade show activations, announced its acquisition of UK-based Touch Associates. The transaction adds a layer of international reach and event logistics expertise, reinforcing Impact XM’s capacity to serve global clients with complex, multi-region event needs. With backing by PE firm The Riverside Company, Impact XM layers this latest expansion on top of its acquisition in October 2024 of Illinois-based environmental design and fabrication company Matrex Exhibits.

Originally founded in 1973 as Impact Unlimited, a small exhibit house, the company went through several evolutions and ownership changes before becoming Impact XM in 2015 when it merged with Canadian experiential agency Aura XM (See The Target Report: Impact XM Adds Gamification to Exhibits & Events – January 2018.) Today, the company serves clients in the pharmaceutical, financial, and technology sectors with services that range from exhibit design and fabrication to strategy, content development, and digital integration. Over the past decade, the company has positioned itself at the intersection of physical and digital experiences, developing in-house capabilities for hybrid events, immersive spaces, and turnkey experiential campaigns.

Touch Associates brings a reputation for content development, live event production, and a consultative approach. The deal appears to be less about redundancy or consolidation and more about extending the range of what Impact XM can offer and increasing the company’s presence in the UK and European markets.

The experiential event market, especially as it relates to brand activations and awareness, has grown significantly more demanding in recent years. Clients expect consistent branding, technical precision, and a seamless experience across print, digital, and environmental touchpoints. Impact XM’s acquisition of Touch Associates responds to that complexity by bringing more of the puzzle under one roof.

From Production to Experience

These two deals align with a broader trend we’ve noted in previous reports: wide-format and display graphics companies that succeed are doing so not by simply printing better, but by serving a much broader range of branding services that create a visual and even total sensory immersive experience. In last month’s edition of The Target Report, we highlighted Moss, another firm that built its growth strategy not just on equipment investment in wide-format printed products but rather on its ability to offer integrated solutions across events, retail environments, and branded interiors. (See The Target Report: Think Outside the Rectilinear – February 2025.)

The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated this transformation. When trade shows and live events halted, the firms that survived were those that could pivot—offering virtual exhibit support, temporary signage for shifting regulations, or branded environments for hybrid workspaces. Those that adapted came out stronger, and they did so by embracing the idea that graphics are part of a much larger experience framework.

What we’re now seeing in M&A activity is the formal recognition of that evolution. Strategic buyers and investors are looking beyond print capacity. They want organizations that can consult, design, manage, and deliver. Firms like bluemedia and Touch Associates are attractive acquisition candidates not just because of what they can print but because of what they can plan and execute.

Graphics companies that can handle full environmental transformations—including, but not limited to, wayfinding, exhibit design, sponsorship placements, and personalized graphics—are commanding a different kind of relationship with clients. They’re not quoting against a commodity printer down the road; they are building long-term relationships that support national rollouts or a multi-market activation. That shift elevates the conversation, and the margin structure follows.

We’ve seen this model play out in the growing role of private equity in related sectors. Companies like Circle Graphics, Vomela, and others have been built out as platforms that straddle production and creative services. In each case, growth has come not just from acquiring output capabilities but from integrating service offerings that push the value chain further upstream into product development, data management, and branding strategies, as well as downstream to installation and deinstallation. (See Print Everything Everywhere All at One Place – January 2025 .)

The impact of this trend reaches beyond event graphics. It points to the diminishing utility of purely transactional print models, particularly in large-format segments where physical production is no longer the differentiator. It also reflects client expectations; brands increasingly want fewer vendors, broader capabilities, and the assurance that delivery will match the vision.

For independent print service providers still focused on hardware and throughput, this shift presents a challenge. Competing on production specs is no longer sufficient in a market where the client is buying an outcome, not a substrate. The companies gaining attention and investment via an acquisition from private equity firms or global players such as Wasserman, are those that bring print into the context of experience. For an industry long defined by mechanical capability, this is a cultural shift, and one that’s beginning to reshape how the core wide-format segment grows, invests, and competes.
   
2025 March - Mergers and Acquisitions in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries

Deal Party #1
(Surviving Entity)
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #1 Address


Deal Party #2
Pre-Deal
Revenue
(US$Mil)


Party #2 Address
Date
Deal
Public
Deal
Value
(US$Mil)

Deal Structure
(Intermediary)


Notes
Link
Alliance Machine Systems Intl
(Div. Barry-Wehmiller)
No DataSpokane, WAAutomatanNo DataPlover, WI3/19/25No DataAcquisitionLaminating equipmentLink
Alliance Machine Systems Intl
(Div. Barry-Wehmiller)
No DataSpokane, WASystec ConveyorsNo DataIndianapolis, IN3/19/25No DataAcquisitionCorrugated handling equipmentLink
ValorFlex PackagingNo DataDickson, TNJet Packaging GroupNo DataDickson, TN3/13/25No DataAcquisitionFlexible packagingLink
Image360, Westminster
(New Franchisee)
No DataWestminster, MDImage360, WestminsterNo DataWestminster, MD3/11/25No DataAcquisitionWide-format printing & signsLink
Paxton Media GroupNo DataPaducah, KYSouthern Standard (+ 1 Title)
(Prop Morris Multimedia)
No DataMcMinnville, TN3/10/25No DataAcquisitionCommunity newspaperLink
Minuteman Press, Dayton
(New franchisee)
No DataDayton, OHWestendorf PrintingNo DataDayton, OH3/10/25No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink
Crestview PartnersNo DataNew York, NYSmyth Companies
(Port co Novacap)
No DataEagan, MN3/6/25No DataAcquisitionLabels, flexible, shrink sleevesLink
Constantia Flexibles
(Port co One Rock Capital Partners)
No DataVienna, AustriaAluflexpackNo DataReinach, Switzerland3/4/25No DataAcquisitionFlexible packagingLink
PrintMailProNo DataAustin, TXOneTouchPoint - Austin, TX Div.
(Port co. ICV Partners)
No DataCincinnati, OH3/4/25No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Impact XM
(Port co The Riverside Company)
No DataDayton, NJTouch AssociatesNo DataLeatherhead, UK3/4/25No DataAcquisitionEvent branding & executionLink
WassermanNo DataLos Angelos, CABluemediaNo DataTempe, AZ3/4/25No DataAcquisitionEvent branding & signageLink
Reno TypeNo DataReno, NVA. Carlisle and CompanyNo DataReno, NV3/4/25No DataAcquisitionCommercial printingLink
Minuteman Press, Coldwater
(New franchisee)
No DataColdwater, MIGraphics 3No DataColdwater, MI3/3/25No DataAcquisitionPrinting & copyingLink


2025 March - Bankruptcy Filings in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Filing Party

Date
Case
Filed
Pre-Petition
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Case #



Filing Party Address



Circuit



Region & City



Judge



Attorney for Debtor



Notes
Chapter 11 Filings:
Pap-R Products Company3/3/25No Data25-60040Martinsville, IL7thSouthern IL
Benton
Mary E. LopinotLarry E. ParresSpecialty printed products
Chapter 7 Filings:
Rainbow Manufacturing, Inc.
dba Rainbow Graphics
3/26/25No Data25-04650Mundelein, IL9thNorthern IL
Chicago
Michael B. SladeMichael A. BrandessDirect mail printing & mailing
Mudd Print & Promo, LLC3/21/25No Data25-10761Oklahoma City, OK10thWestern OK
Oklahoma City
Sarah A. HallO. Clifton GoodingPrint & promo distributor
Cortland Standard Printing Company3/20/25No Data25-30194Cortland, NYNeNorthern NY
Syracuse
Wendy A. KinsellaMaxsen D. ChampionCommunity newspaper
Creative Prints LLC dba Forn6 Ballstiks3/6/25No Data25-10574Orange, CA9thCentral CA
Santa Ana
Scott C. ClarksonChristopher P. WalkerScreen printing apparel
Israel Insolvency Filings:
Highcon Systems Ltd.3/27/25$18.2---Yavne, Israel------------Digital diecutting equipment

 
2025 March - Non-Bankruptcy Closures in the Printing, Packaging, Paper & Related Industries



Closed Company / Facility

Date of Closure
Pre-Closure
Revenue
(US$Mil)



Closing Address
Related PartyRelated Party
Address
Date Closure Public


Notes

Press
Releases
Xplor International3/31/25No DataLutz, FLNoneN/A3/26/25E-docs trade associationLink
Federal DirectApr-25No DataTorrington, CTNoneN/AMar-25Direct mail printing & mailingLink
Cortland StandardMar-25No DataCortland, NYCortland Standard PrintingCortland, NY3/13/25Community newspaperLink
OneTouchPoint - Printing plant3/28/25No DataAustin, TXOneTouchPoint
(Port. co ICV Partners)
Cincinnati3/4/25Commercial printingLink
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