Company Profiles

Specialty Finishing Group Embraces Efficiencies and Marks Record Years

August 21, 2012

by Amy Bauer, The Binding Edge

Despite the travails of the economy and consolidations in the print industry, Specialty Finishing Group marked record years in 2010 and 2011 – the best of the previous five. Chief Executive Officer Jim Gallo attributes these successes to the Elk Grove Village, IL, company’s efficiency, technology, customer focus and conservative use of resources.

The company’s core services are binding, mailing, finishing and fulfillment, with the business currently split evenly between mailing and binding. Fulfillment crosses both categories and represents about 20 percent of the company’s business, said John Mascari, executive vice president.

Creative offerings such as cloud applications for customers to track jobs and on-site finishing and mailing for large customers help the company stand out. And Specialty Finishing Group’s binding operations have taken on the model of the mailing division for greater efficiency, creating more “inline” processing by using its equipment as modular finishing units. Fewer touches mean faster speeds and tighter quality control.

“You can ‘plug and play’ a production line specific for the project you are running,” Mascari explained. “We try to go from cut sheet or signature to carton as much as possible.”

Deep roots

Specialty Finishing Group was formed in July 2010 when Wayne Williams, owner of Specialties Binding, and Mascari, partner in JMM Services and P3, came together to create a one-stop postpress destination for their mailing and binding clients.

Mascari describes Specialty Finishing Group’s long history within the binding industry, with roots among the nation’s earliest binderies. His grandfather, John Michael Mascari, was president of Spiral Binding of Illinois in the 1940s through his death in 1967. John Michael Mascari’s son, John Mascari, took over Spiral Binding of Illinois, worked at Bee Bindery and started JMM Services in the mid-1980s. Wayne Williams, who owned Centennial Bindery, started Specialties Binding in the 1990s, and five years ago he purchased the assets of Spiral Binding of Illinois. As the companies came together in 2010, Williams appointed Gallo, who is now a partner and CEO, to assist in the transition.

Specialty Finishing Group employs nearly 270 people in off-peak months, with more than 330 employees during the busiest seasons. Williams owns sister company Staffing Network, which fills the company’s temporary labor needs, as well as offering skilled labor to customers. Specialty Finishing Group runs 24 hours a day, five days a week, but expands that schedule as jobs dictate.

Two buildings about five blocks apart, in the western Chicago suburb of Elk Grove, Ill., house Specialty’s operations – a 60,000-sq.-ft. bindery division and a 77,000-sq.-ft. mailing division. Gallo said the company is actively seeking a new location to combine operations, with a goal of securing by mid-fall an approximate 125,000-sq.-ft. location in roughly the same area.

A single location would offer greater efficiency, Gallo said, particularly since a number of employees are cross-trained and work in both bindery and lettershop operations depending on the needs. Such cross-training is particularly helpful on the mail side, Gallo said, where much of the work is time-sensitive. Other economies of scale would include reducing the office space, having a single lunchroom, better docking and combined customer service and sales departments, he noted.

Core customers

Printers make up the bulk of Specialty Finishing Group’s clients, but print management companies and publishers of student planners are large customers as well. The company binds more than three million books and calendars annually for print management companies, and it kits and fulfills all types of projects, from customized books and calendars to sending tens of millions of newspaper inserts to thousands of locations, Mascari said.

A large percentage of clients are from the Chicago area, encompassing western Indiana, Illinois and southern Wisconsin, but customers also range from Indiana to Ohio. Specialty Finishing Group’s largest customer, Gallo said, is an out-of-state company.

Last year, the company built up its binding division, buying a smaller PUR binder for digital runs and beefing up its collating. Moving to more “inline” production has created greater efficiencies and fewer chances for error. “Our modular lines are the way to have less human touches and tighter quality control,” Mascari said. “Printers have been doing this forever. They use their presses as production lines by adding inline folding, inkjetting, diecutting – you name it.”

“That is why printers find it difficult to be profitable when providing too many bindery services. Most printers don’t have the steady postpress work to be able to create bindery lines, so they utilize binderies,” he continued. “We get work from multiple printers and brokers so we can have steady work and be more efficient. This translates into giving printers pricing that helps them get projects, while complementing their own service portfolio.”

This year, Specialty is focused on its lettershop services, with a goal to increase mailings. During the busy season, the mailing division sends out 60 million pieces a month. Such large volumes allow Specialty Finishing Group to have US Postal Service offerings on- site, affording smaller printers some of the same perks of time savings and reduced postage costs that Specialty can offer larger printers. “There are millions of dollars in saving that lettershops can save our customers,” Gallo said, noting volume and other discounts available through the USPS.

Variable data capabilities also have allowed Specialty Finishing Group to offer a number of options to clients looking for laser-targeted marketing materials. Gallo said items such as personalized marketing mailers from credit card companies and personalized coupon mailings for grocery chains, using data collected from shopper cards, already regularly employ such techniques, and he expects the applications to grow. Specialty Finishing Group then incorporates other value-added services, such as card-affixing to credit card mailers, making it a one-stop shop.

Award-winning service

Special projects also are a niche for the company, Mascari said. “We love working through projects with customers up front to find ways to do things better and save our customers money,” he said. For example, the company won the ‘They Said it Couldn’t Be Done’ category in the Binding Industries Association’s 2012 Product of Excellence Awards (see the full list of awards and photos of the winning pieces on page 20). The price booklet project originally was slated to encompass five million small books, and Specialty was able to plan the job multiple-up so that it was essentially only binding 1.25 million books in four weeks. Specialty Finishing also won a 2012 Product of Excellence Award in the mechanical binding category for a self-promotional piece.

Mascari is a member of the BIA board of directors and said membership in the association has been invaluable. BIA Manager “Justin Goldstein has injected it with new energy and camaraderie,” Mascari said. “He has worked diligently to let printers know how much binderies care about what we produce for our clients. It’s important to let them know that we are a natural extension of printers, print management companies and publishers by bridging associations and giving printers a way to find the great binderies that are part of the BIA.”

Digital link

Another service that makes Specialty Finishing Group a favored vendor is its cloud applications, which allow customers to access and even submit or revise job information from remote locations via the internet. For the right project, Mascari said, a cloud application is developed to allow a customer to see multiple variables for a job, such as receiving, inventory, status within the finishing process or UPS tracking.

“The applications are totally customized,” Mascari described. “One customer wanted to be able to pick from multiple logistic carriers and have bill of ladings be batched to each. If the project is right, it is very little cost to the customer.”

The applications also are advantageous to Specialty in that they cut down on duplicate paperwork and the chances for errors from change orders. “We don’t want to be scrambling around with revised spreadsheets every day. That is dangerous,” Mascari said. “So we started making the apps so our customers could edit an order and groups would be emailed and asked to ‘sign off’ on the changes. That eliminates spreadsheet revisions; there is just one ‘live’ document to be shared and viewed by whatever teams are necessary.”

The applications also can streamline the ordering process. With the binding that Specialty does for student planners, schools order from the publisher and Specialty creates customized handbooks with logos and school calendars bound together with annual planner pages. Schools also can order coordinating hall passes, sticker sheets and vinyl pouches to accessorize the planners, and that data goes to the cloud application to create job tickets.

Off-site expansion

One of the areas in which the company is growing is in providing more mailing and finishing services off-site, at customers’ locations. Gallo said Specialty currently is putting tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment into one of its printer customers locations so that sensitive printed projects, such as health insurance documents, don’t leave the printing plant. “They want security; we’re going to give them security,” Gallo said. “This is helping them and helping us. We’re getting the work and putting the machinery to work.”

Mascari said, “It is a great way for a customer to get fixed pricing and a reduced rate because we are working within their brick and mortar.”

Team effort

Gallo credited Mascari and the sales team with bringing in new large customers over the past year, including several program deals – those that are repeated at set intervals. Such program work for Specialty Finishing Group includes producing a bi-monthly “Steer Clear” teen driving safety booklet for State Farm insurance company and packaging and kitting Monopoly game boards for McDonald’s restaurants. “Those things that recur every year; they form a great foundation from which to build,” Gallo said.

But it wasn’t just sales that spurred the record years in 2010 and 2011, Gallo said. He gives credit for these record performances companywide. “Our employees worked well our office staff and CSRs (customer service representatives) all chipped in. In addition, our production guys were fantastic in looking at every single line and asking, ‘How can I make this more efficient?'” he said.

“There is no division in the company that didn’t get better in 2011, and our customers got better as well,” Gallo said, noting that Specialty had almost no bad debt write-offs from customers last year. “When your customer has a great year and you’re one of their favorite vendors, you’re going to have a great year as well.”

Employee rewards

For the first time last year, the company implemented a bonus plan for all employees. Gallo said a percentage of net income each month was put into a bonus pool and allocated to employees at the end of the year. “They had never had it before, and it went over great,” Gallo said. “They really appreciated it.”

Another employee perk was the addition of music in the plant this past year. Gallo said that while at first everyone had to adjust to taking turns selecting favorite genres – which range from rock and roll to tejano – it ultimately has made a measurable difference. “People love it,” he said, and today the listening selection is up to the mood of the group.

“There’s tons of studies on music in the plant, and we saw it firsthand,” Gallo said. Production levels on books that the company manufactures on a regular basis increased after the music started playing, “and not by a little” he said.

Future goals

Moving forward, Gallo explained that his long-term goals include continuing to grow the company and expand product lines within its core services. “It seems like everyone is trying to take advantage of offering more services by simply expanding their equipment list,” Gallo said. “The trend to digital and smaller runs has resulted in a lot of our customers and our competition buying short-run – but very expensive – equipment, resulting in unfavorable ROIs.”

“But there is this great line,” said Gallo. “‘Singers want to be dancers and dancers want to sing.’ We don’t laminate or diecut. We let the experts do that. And we definitely don’t print. We’re not going to compete with our customers. We try to stay in our core competencies.”

Your Bindery Finishing: Humble Beginnings, Aggressive Growth

May 1, 2012

by Melissa DeDonder, The Binding Edge

Your Bindery Finishing was created from humble beginnings, inside the two-car garage of Luann and Curtis Wood, in Denver, Colorado. Luann, president of the company, had spent the previous 10 years working in prepress and operating a small press, and then she went to work for her grandfather’s family business, which sold presses and bindery equipment. “I enjoyed finishing the final product rather than running a press, and I liked the idea of running my own company, so my husband and I started Your Bindery Finishing in 1986,” she said.

The company began with minimal equipment [- a friction collator/bookletmaker, three-head spindle drill, table top folder and a small 25″ cutter. “In those early years, my mother worked as our outside sales representative, and our son helped out by working after school,” Wood said. In 1992, Wood’s youngest sister, Kirsten Hunt, joined the team.

By working many long hours and providing the local printers with a top-quality product and quick turnaround, in three short years Your Bindery Finishing outgrew its 400 sq. ft. of garage space and moved into a small industrial complex. This was the second of three moves that the company would make in its 26-year history.

Comprehensive service offerings under one roof

Today, Your Bindery Finishing occupies 13,000 sq. ft. of space and offers more finishing services in one location than any other trade bindery in Colorado, according to Luann Wood. The company accomplishes it all with just 11 employees, including three family partners – Luann, Curtis (company vice president) and Luann’s sister, Kirsten, who manages the staff and schedules production. The company also offers PUR and EVA perfect binding, three-knife trimming, collating flat sheets and folded signatures, multi-head drilling, folding and mechanical binding – double loop wire and plastic spiral coil.

The letterpress and diecutting services are offered by KSB Die Cutting, LLC, owned and operated onsite by Wood’s son, Aaron Williams. Williams officially began working in the bindery at age 12. As an adult, he managed Your Bindery Finishing’s letterpress operations until 2006, when he branched out to create his own company. KSB began with one Kluge and then expanded to eight old-style letterpresses and a Scott Ten Thousand tab cutter, which allows for a wide range of letterpress services including diecutting, foil stamping, embossing, index tab cutting and more. “Together, the two companies are capable of performing multiple trade services ‘all under one roof.’ We excel by providing high-end, professionally finished products. Our customers are assured of that,” Wood said.

Having all of these finishing services under one roof offers many advantages. “The biggest advantage for our customers is that we are saving them time and money by providing everything right here,” she explained. “For the printers, we provide peace of mind. They know that if their project is here and if there’s a question or problem, we’re going to call them.” In addition to the company’s printer-based customers, which include small commercial printers and large print houses both in and out of state, Your Bindery Finishing’s typical customers include self-publishers, schools, photographers and government agencies.

Wood said that customers are more than welcome to visit the company at any point during the production process. “We want our customers to feel comfortable at every step in the process, and we want them to look good. That’s our goal.” One of the ways that Your Bindery Finishing accomplishes this goal is by encouraging its employees to constantly ask themselves if they are producing a piece that they are proud of – a piece that they would be willing to pay for out of their own pocket.

Quality control rules the day

Quality is king at Your Bindery Finishing, and the company has many internal controls in place to help ensure top quality products. “Quality control begins with customer service. When an order is received, the customer service team works to ensure that all details have been included before the job moves into production, which saves time and money,” Wood said. Once a job is in production, quality control measures include procedures such as fanning the stock before a machine is loaded with paper to ensure that all stock is going the same direction; making sure the cut marks are in the right place prior to running the job; proofing all of the steps before cutting and measuring at least three times before cutting.

“We even proofread, and our employees have found many typos on materials. We’ve saved the customer money by catching these types of issues before the bindery process is complete – allowing the customer to decide how he/she wants to proceed,” Wood said. The company also encourages accurate counts. “If we’re short, then we need to call the customer. If we’re over, then we need to package it up and send it to the customer. Wood said that Your Bindery Finishing’s employees are trained to understand how their work is reflecting the customer’s professional image.

In addition to quality control measures, Your Bindery Finishing tries to incorporate lean manufacturing strategies as well. “We are constantly asking ourselves, ‘How can we handle this piece less? How can we move it through more efficiently?’ That’s something we’re always assessing,” Wood said. For the company’s print customers, fewer hands represent a savings on time and delivery costs – the printer’s drivers don’t have to go to so many locations, and the outside coordinators don’t have to make so many phone calls. “Essentially, several different services are handled by our company under one roof, rather than our customers having to deal with up to five different companies, which may be the case when using other trade binderies,” Wood said.

Managed growth

Another avenue of success for Your Bindery Finishing has been managed growth at a slow, steady pace. “In the beginning, we owned a few pieces of equipment and our niche was small runs, but as our reputation grew, our customers began pushing us to expand our services. With each service that we’ve added, we’d start small to perfect the new services from the inside out,” Wood said. “Since we started small, the 24- or 12-hour – and sometimes same day turnaround – that is demanded from today’s customers is nothing new for us. Our employees are excellent people, and I feed them a lot of oranges and coffee.”

Once the company got comfortable with its expansion of services, then it would seek to invest in more automated machinery to enhance these services. Over time, Your Bindery Finishing has added two large-format folders and has improved on its collators – they are all now vacuum-fed, high-speed and computer-run. Then, the company moved into mechanical binding – spiral and wire-o, investing in a few small table top machines to work with, as well as a high-speed punch and automatic wire inserters.

Through it all, perfect binding has continued to be the lion’s share of Your Bindery Finishing’s business for more than 20 years, currently representing 40 percent of the work load. The company can accommodate test books and press runs as small as one or two books, all the way up to large runs. Five years ago, Your Bindery Finishing made a conscious decision to begin using PUR polyurethane glue, and today the company believes it is still the only trade bindery in Colorado to offer this service.

Making the leap to PUR

Your Bindery Finishing ventured into PUR binding after working with a client who had produced some books on mountain climbing. After the books had been stored in sub-zero Colorado temperatures, they began to crack. “We rebound the books, but once again they were frozen in storage, and I felt horrible,” Wood said. She began researching PUR glue, which was supposed to hold up in a variety of conditions including extreme cold or hot weather, in addition to PUR’s attractive capabilities for use with enamel stocks and digitally produced work. Wood researched further by touring a bindery in London that was installing a PUR system at that time, and by talking to the company about why they were making the move to PUR binding.

When Wood returned, she completed additional research on US companies that were using PUR binding. “During the process, I discovered that when our customers used digital print stock it sometimes repelled our glue and, consequently, we were spending too much time wiping fuser oil off the books.” As the next step in the research process, Your Bindery Finishing sent test books to Standard Horizon, “which was very helpful, and then we toured a facility in Salt Lake City that was using PUR,” Wood said. “That helped us to make our final decision, and I’m very happy that we made the leap.”

Wood said that the cost of the PUR glue product itself is cost-prohibitive, which is what she believes has kept other companies from making the leap to PUR. “For our company, PUR is three times the cost of our other glue, and it does require more maintenance for the machines – the glue pot has to be drained daily. Some companies just don’t want to make these investments, but we have found that the outcome of the product – hands-down – outweighs the additional cost of glue and maintenance,” Wood said. In addition, by using PUR adhesive, Your Bindery Finishing has been able to push its binder to 1/16th of an inch, where most companies stop at 1/8th of an inch. “Having that PUR binder really has given us a lot of flexibility in our perfect binding services,” Wood said.

After perfect binding, collating for mechanical or perfect binding represents 25 percent of Your Bindery Finishing’s work, followed by mechanical binding of calendars, catalogs and training manuals, as well as folding brochures, direct mail pieces, flyers and promotional pieces. Both mechanical binding and folding represent 10 percent of the work, and booklets, finished cutting and drilling each represent five percent of the company’s current work load.

Awards and favorite projects

Although Your Bindery Finishing’s work speaks for itself, the company has entered PUR-bound books that it has produced into local printing awards competitions and has won many accolades in the last few years. A black and white photobook featuring breast cancer survivors called Cup Half Full won the 2010 Print Excellence Gold Award for superior craftsmanship in the Printing Industries of America Mountain States competition.

“Initially the book had been printed and perfect bound by one of our competitors, but the photographer rejected their work and came to us. It’s a wonderful piece – the photos in this book are just fantastic!” Wood said. The book features quotes from and photos of breast cancer survivors in their daily lives, with their families and sometimes even bravely sharing their scars or bald head for the world to see.

Another award-winning piece was a CD booklet project for an eclectic local band, Devotchka. The booklet features a soft-touch aqueous coating, with sheets that were ½-folded to give a double thickness. The printer who produced the piece also produced a companion hardcover box, and it won a Best of Show award from PIA Mountain States as well.

Looking to the future

Your Bindery Finishing is always looking to the future, and the company recently added short-run casebinding to its range of services, which will enable the company to produce yearbooks, family history projects and more. As far as its customer markets are concerned, the company plans to keep working primarily with the Denver market. In addition to her role as president, Wood serves as the company’s sales person and she maximizes her time by networking through many local organizations, including the Printing Industries of America (PIA) Mountain States chapter.

Other marketing initiatives include a quarterly postcard that is sent to both current and past customers, as well as a St. Patrick’s Day celebration for employees and customers. Approximately 100 people attend the event that is co-sponsored by the PIA Mountain States chapter, along with several other local vendors. It’s a chance for Your Bindery Finishing’s employees to mingle with customers and share their knowledge about their work. “The staff serves the food and really enjoys socializing with our customers. They are outfitted in dark green T-shirts to help advertise our services,” Wood said.

Wood also is involved with the Binding Industries Association (BIA) and participates in many workshops, conferences and continuing education opportunities. She believes that the knowledge that she brings back to her company about prepress and printing helps the company overall with the finishing side of the business. “This cross-over knowledge will allow us to keep the quality of our work high,” Wood said.

Above all these activities, Wood credits the company’s website as its greatest sales tool. She said that the goal for the website was to create a tool to educate customers and potential customers – especially the printers – about Your Bindery Finishing’s services and to save some time from having to make a lot of phone calls. “Our website and our reputation for top-quality work have helped us to reach new avenues of business. Printers and customers from across the country have found us online, especially because of our PUR services, and we’ve been able to get work that wasn’t available to us before, all because of our website.”

Wood sees this trend continuing well into the future. With its comprehensive finishing services, including PUR perfect binding, rigorous quality control measures, managed growth and creative marketing strategies, the future looks bright for Your Bindery Finishing.

Diverse Services Position Midwest Binder for Success

February 1, 2012

by Amy Bauer, The Binding Edge

Continual reinvestment and a commitment to educating customers have helped commercial binder and print finisher Wrap-Ups, Inc. remain at the top of its game.

Wrap-Ups, Inc. has established a reputation for its expertise and custom work in commercial binding, finishing and direct mail over 34 years in business in suburban St. Louis, Mo. Owner and President Jonathan Niezing attributes the success to a number of factors, including knowledgeable and hands-on management staff and continual reinvestment in the company. “Our customers come to us when they’re looking for something that they can’t get done somewhere else,” Niezing said, noting that about 30 percent of the company’s jobs are custom creations.

Wrap-Ups hasn’t taken this high regard for granted, working to build and maintain such esteem by regularly sending current and prospective customers sample kits containing some of its best work and tapping into its website to share monthly tips and articles about its technology and processes. The company primarily serves the printing trade, but also has clients in the promotional products and packaging industries and in advertising agencies.

Located in Fenton, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis, and at the intersection of main north-south and east-west arteries Interstates 270 and 44, Wrap-Ups has quick and easy access throughout the metro area and for distribution nationwide. “The location has been pretty critical for us over the years,” Niezing said.

Its facility consists of 27,000 square feet and an additional 7,500 square feet offsite for warehousing. Wrap-Ups runs two full shifts with its 32 full-time employees: five 8-hour day shifts and four 10-hour night shifts. Part-time and temporary labor sometimes helps fill in gaps. The company’s products are delivered coast to coast, but Niezing said most clients are within the Midwest.

Investing in Excellence

As the print industry has evolved, Wrap-Ups has kept pace. “We have added equipment either as a new service or improvement to existing operations every year in business,” Niezing said. “A guiding principal for me is ‘wise investments today ensure a place for us tomorrow.'”

For example, five years ago the company invested in a Combi-Unica-Vetta folding and gluing machine from Italian manufacturer Fidia. At the time, it was one of the first of its kind in the United States, allowing the company to perform bi-dimensional folding and gluing for folders, CD/DVD pockets, envelopes, film folders, table tent ads and other items with both hot-melt and cold gluing systems.

“This machine, with its versatility, provided us with the best platform to back up the versatility we market ourselves on,” Niezing said. He described it as similar to “a giant Erector® Set” in which components can be arranged in different configurations depending on the job’s needs. “It’s almost like assembling a new machine every time,” he said. It also allows for a number of operations to be performed inline. “We always try to focus on putting product in motion separately as few times as possible,” Niezing said. “The fewer times we touch a piece, the better we can control costs.”

In order to make these annual investments, Niezing said the company doesn’t necessarily budget a specific amount but looks every year at what opportunities exist in the marketplace and performs an ROI (return on investment) study to determine if the expense can be justified based on the number of hours a year the unit will be in use, among other factors. At times, the company has backed away after an ROI study, at other times taken a leap of faith, Niezing said. For example, Wrap-Ups purchased a Horizon BQ 270 single-clamp fully automated perfect binder for small-run books when it saw that a number of customers were installing digital print engines to create runs of five, 10 or 25 books. At the time, Wrap-Ups had only its 6,000-an-hour Kolbus perfect binder, which takes an hour to set up and wasn’t economical for such short runs.

Describing the Horizon purchase, Niezing said, “It’s not a profit center but a service center for us.” It satisfies a customer need and keeps those same customers returning when they have larger-run requirements of 5,000 and 10,000 books, he said. While larger runs are the company’s ‘sweet spot,’ Niezing said, “Run lengths and the sizes of the runs have been continuously coming down. For us to be focused solely on large runs would be short-sighted.”

Another area in which Wrap-Ups has invested in recent years is its mechanical binding operations. It already had capabilities for fully automated inline collating or high-speed gathering on its perfect binder, as well as inline punching. Wrap-Ups added a Gateway automated machine that not only inserts the spiral coil but produces and forms it, automatically delivering it to two machines. Wrap-Ups now can run up to 1,000 books an hour with plastic spiral, Niezing said, far exceeding the alternative of hand insertion and cutting.

Direct Mail Opens Doors

Similarly, the company saw opportunity when it added direct mail services to its roster in 1998. Noticing that many customers were taking product after folding, stitching or cutting operations at Wrap-Ups to direct mail vendors for print addressing and sending, the company explored bringing this work in-house to reduce time and cost for its customers, while adding value to its operations.

At the time, Niezing said, he didn’t realize the markets that inkjet variable imaging capabilities – a different image or bit of information printed on each piece – would open up beyond addressing functions. Because of its finishing operations and its large-format capabilities, Wrap-Ups can process sheets from 28×40 inches to as small as 2×3.5 inches with multiple operations. The inkjet equipment can be tied in with other one-off processes, whether folding or stitching, or other inline operations.

“There are times when a printer may send a 28 by 40 sheet, and they have five or six images that need some variable data added. They may ask us to diecut some party hats, or cut into multiple sheets,” Niezing described. “We manufacture personalized calendars, greeting cards with matching envelopes, variable gaming pieces, unique discount promotions with bar code redemptions’ the list is endless.”

One such project was a promotion for Office Depot stores in which the company, opening multiple new locations, wanted 5,000 coupons to distribute at each store, with 13 different prize redemptions among each set of coupons. For a printer, that would mean 13 plate changes, Niezing said. Instead, Wrap-Ups and the printer came up with a solution in which the printer created static press sheets and Wrap-Ups printed the various game pieces on the sheets as it did the folding and cutting.

Marketing Strengths

When Wrap-Ups has innovative solutions, it has come up with ways to share these with current and prospective clients to market its capabilities. For instance, the company designed a remittance envelope for binding directly into books, saving the setup and longer run times normally involved with floating traditional envelopes. This envelope includes a trim, which slides all the way to the edge of the book and can be bound into a perfect bound or stitched book without piercing the envelope itself.

In addition to the envelopes needed for the original job, Wrap-Ups went to a small design agency and had them create a PDF template for Wrap-Ups to produce as samples. It also has produced samples of intricate diecut and folding jobs and has amassed a number of creative examples, some from campaigns where clients don’t mind Wrap-Ups sharing their work, others as blank samples and still others custom-designed by Wrap-Ups. “We’re going in to show prospects a pop-up, or something that’s very unique that grabs their attention,” Niezing said. “We’re going to show them something that not a lot of people can finish other than us.”

He and Rick Campbell, vice president of sales, assemble boxes of these samples, making notes on each about what was done and why. A cover letter describing Wrap-Ups offerings accompanies the packages. Niezing estimates the company sends out about five such sample boxes every month.

Similarly, Niezing has committed to customer education through Wrap-Ups’ website, www.wrapups.com. In addition to a detailed breakdown of the company’s capabilities and related equipment, it features a ‘tip of the month’ and a ‘how-to’ section with a dozen articles about binding methods and tips for the pre-binding production processes.

Niezing said that while a web service provider created the framework of the website, he writes most of the content; for example, a recent tip discussed the importance of the glue catch in perfect binding. “This is something we have to constantly discuss with customers and re-explain,” Niezing said. But with some marketing copy in hand, such instructions can serve a variety of functions: going out in a mass mailing to clients, being featured on the website and being referenced by Wrap-Ups customer service representatives who come across similar questions from clients in the future. “Not only was it an education once, but we constantly refer back to that from a customer service standpoint because it’s all very relevant,” Niezing said.

He estimates website content is updated every six to nine months, or more frequently if major announcements occur such as a new machinery installation. Niezing watches how other companies use their websites, and he said he sees value not only in driving customers to return to the Wrap-Ups website but also in maintaining the company’s image among current clients, potential customers and its own employees and new hires.

“When a new client calls you from out of town, they’ve heard you can do something. Once you’ve talked to them on the phone and you can refer them to the website, they can get some validity,” Niezing said. “And the same goes for new employees. When they look at the website, they know you’re up to date and invested in the business.”

Family Roots

Niezing’s father and mother, Carl and Freddy Niezing, founded Wrap-Ups in 1978. At the time, Carl Niezing had spent 20 years in the local printing industry, working his way into management within two local companies. There was talk among printers in St. Louis of the need for another bindery, and this, coupled with Carl Niezings interest in working for himself, led to the beginning of Wrap-Ups.

In 1991, he asked Jonathan, who had been working in product production planning for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, Mo., to return to St. Louis and join the family business. “I’ll never forget my first day, when I asked, ‘What is it you want me to be doing?’ His response was, and I kid you not, ‘I need you to run the place. I am burned out,'” Jonathan Niezing said. “He remained instrumental in teaching me various aspects of the business, but in the end, making my own mistakes over the years has probably provided the best lessons of all.” Jonathan’s sister, Diana Niezing-King, worked in the business from 1983 to 1985. Freddy Niezing retired in 1998, and Carl Niezing retired in 2001. Jonathan bought the business from his parents in 2007.

Today, Jonathan Niezing is focused on positioning Wrap-Ups for the future. “I believe traditional lines of print and finishing will continue to see pressures from other forms of media in relation to marketing and distribution,” he said. “We are focusing our growth on more business-to-business opportunities where we can play a part in warehousing and intelligent distribution.”

Currently, he said, about 10 percent of Wrap-Ups business comes from outside the mainstream printing companies. But he sees that segment – promotional products companies and end users – growing.

“While print is not going away by any means, ad budgets have been sliced and diced and companies are looking to more ways to market their businesses. That puts pressure on printing companies, one of our largest sources of business.”

By utilizing the many aspects of Wrap-Ups toolkit – focusing on continuous capital improvements, operating more processes inline, marketing to current and potential customers with web presence and physical samples, and capitalizing on the company’s longtime expertise and easily accessible central location – Niezing foresees continued success in growing its markets to survive and thrive in the future.

Holum & Sons Company, Inc. – Innovating Into the Future

November 21, 2011

by Melissa DeDonder, The Binding Edge

For 78 years, Holum & Sons Company, Inc. has been a leader in the binding industry. President Richard Holum reflected on the company’s earliest beginnings in his grandfather’s basement. “Arthur, my Grandfather, worked as a casemaker for RR Donnelly in Chicago. He and my Uncle William, known as ‘Bud,’ dreamed about starting a bindery business. They made that dream come true in 1933 when they founded Holum & Sons in Grandpa’s basement,” Holum said.

The fledgling company’s goal was to pick up some of the smaller orders, 50 to 100 pieces, that the larger bookbinders were not competitive at producing. While Arthur worked at his day job, Bud prospected for work, picked up needed materials and delivered the finished product. “After working all day, Grandpa and Uncle Bud would meet in the basement to make bookcases and ring binders by hand,” Holum said. After many late nights, they moved the business into a 500 sq. ft. facility north of the Chicago Loop.

Six years later, Bud was drafted into WWII. Arthur sought to keep the business going, so he turned to his oldest son Leo, who agreed to leave his current job and join the family business. “Arthur’s son Edward, my father, had graduated high school, joined the Air Force and also was drafted to WWII,” Holum said. Years passed, and fortunately both Bud and Ed survived the war and returned to Chicago.

Bud immediately returned to Holum & Sons, but Edward wanted to go to college. “Grandma talked my Father into buying a share of the business instead, and he went to work running the plant,” Holum said. With Arthur’s two sons on board, the partnership of four family members could then officially be called Holum & Sons.

From Turned Edge to the Vinyl Revolution

Holum & Sons maintained a simple operation in the beginning, with one person producing about 15 to 20 books per hour. Foil stamping, binder board cutting and round cornering were contracted out, but all other processes were completed in-house. Once material preparation and decoration was complete, the gluing and casing began. Then, the books were cleaned, packed in boxes and delivered.

As the company expanded over the years, the production process remained the same until the vinyl revolution in the 1960s. Vinyl was much cheaper than book cloth and it required one quarter of the labor – one person could make 75 books an hour. Then, polyethylene came along. It was even cheaper than vinyl and featured covers that were already diecut and scored. As Holum & Sons invested in high tech materials and machines, it maintained the company’s traditional turned edge capabilities.

New Opportunities Lead to Diversification

By 1974, the bindery business was booming and new technology increased production up to 1,800 pieces a day. The company spent the next few decades trying to meet demand while broadening its capabilities and investing in the most high-tech equipment available at that time. “We purchased a screen printing company, a company that converted polyethylene, a company that specialized in audio packaging and an advertising specialty company,” Holum said. Eventually, all services were moved in-house.

“By 1996, we felt that we were state-of-the-art in every area except our tuned edge department. Books were still being made the same way that Grandpa made them, and deliveries were long, costs were high and we were loosing big orders,” Holum said. The company purchased its first automatic gluing and casing line, which blew 60 years of tradition right out the window! Two people were now able to make 2,500 books a day.

Two other important equipment acquisitions occurred at that time. The Euro Creaser allowed the company to create a durable product from inexpensive materials that otherwise would have never been used – a capability that makes Holum & Sons’ products stand-out even in today’s marketplace. A pick and place robotic feeder increased vinyl sealing production by almost 50 percent. Even while running two shifts, the company finds it difficult to keep up in the turned edge department.

Weathering the Storms

Although Holum & Sons has experienced substantial growth and success throughout the years, it has faced its share of challenges. “In 2001, the company was shaken to its very foundation when our leader of more than 35 years, my father Edward, died. Everyone worried about the future of the business. Some doubted its very survival and left,” Holum said.

The employees who stayed behind banded together and forged ahead. “My brother Ed and I became co-presidents and we focused our attention on taking the company to new heights. We took the business online with a website and we launched a product catalog unlike any other in the marketplace,” said Holum. The brothers lead the company together for four years. In 2004, they agreed that partnerships were difficult and they decided to part ways.

In mid-summer 2007, another boom in the turned edge department facilitated the largest equipment acquisition in the company’s history. A new custom casemaker and robotic board placer were poised to double capacity and cut manufacturing costs dramatically, but three months later the stock market crashed. Phones stopped ringing and new production orders were cancelled or drastically reduced.

“Once again, we were dealt a tremendous blow as uncertain clients slashed their budgets and tried to make do with less,” Holum explained. Holum said that during that time, China became their biggest competitor and remains so today. “We watched client after client take their high volume work overseas because one day’s labor overseas doesn’t buy one hour’s worth of labor in the US,” Holum said. “Given this situation, it doesn’t matter how talented and efficient your company is. You are going to get crushed.”

Innovating Into the Future

Despite all of the challenges, Holum & Sons has survived and thrived, largely due to the high-quality binders that have been the foundation of the company since its inception. “We have positioned ourselves to competitively produce custom-made binders – our biggest market niche – but we offer so much more,” Holum said.

Today, Holum & Sons refers to itself as a custom packaging job shop. “As times changed, we discovered that much of the equipment used to make custom binders also could be used to produce rigid packaging, so we have dedicated ourselves to becoming packaging specialists,” Holum said. “We’ve developed custom packaging products that compete directly with corrugated sample packaging – offering an alternative product that we feel is superior in style, construction and function.”

Holum said that the turned edge department has been completely transformed in the last 15 years to meet the demand for casemade goods. The gluers and folders have accounted for a larger percentage of the business – about 60/40 binders to packaging. Silk screening and foil stamping account for a lot of work, but that has been overshadowed recently by laminated litho printing. “Unlike some of our competitors who have chosen to print litho in-house, we have chosen to partner rather than compete with litho printers,” Holum said.

Holum stated that the company’s most common products are literature and sample packaging, but construction varies dramatically based on the needs of the client. File boxes, slipcases, book style boxes, tote boxes, spirit boxes, portfolios, pad holders, menus, directories and binders also are popular products, again with style and construction varying dramatically based on the client’s needs.

Bosch wanted a display easel box that looked and felt like concrete.

When asked what makes the company unique, Holum replied, “Many manufacturers specialize in a single decorating or converting process, but we have invested in multiple manufacturing processes and decorating techniques to create unique products in-house. At times, we use materials that were never intended to be used for that particular application,” Holum said. For example, Holum described one of his favorite projects – a display easel box for Bosch concrete saw blades.

When Bosch was introducing a new diamond saw blade for cutting concrete, they wanted a display easel box concept that looked and felt like concrete. “Creating the look was simple ‘we used a litho print ‘ but making it feel like concrete was a different story,” Holum said. “How do you make a package feel like concrete? We knew that we needed to add sand, but how do you that without compromising the integrity of the color or the ability to view the print?”

To tackle these challenges, Holum & Sons sourced different types of sand for color and weight, desiring a light-colored sand with a fine particulate that would stick to the litho print, but not obscure it. The company built a “shaker box” with a screen mesh, similar to those used by archeologists, which allowed only the finest sand to fall through. One hundred pounds of sand were shaken to produce the five pounds of sand that were needed for the application.

To get the sand to stick to the print, a heavy coat of clear top coat ink was silk screened onto the print, which was then placed under the mesh screen of the shaker box. Sand was gently sifted down onto the print, and once an adequate amount of sand had settled into the ink, the print was removed and the extra sand was shaken off. The ink was set in a UV curing oven. Once removed, the sheet was gently brushed and shaken to remove excess sand. Finally, traditional turned case techniques were used to fashion the materials into a table top easel display box.

This is an example of why Holum & Sons has been recognized by the Binding Industries Association with numerous awards, 18 in the past four years alone, including awards for Product Design, Innovative Use of Materials, Creation of Special Products, Decoration Abilities and Custom Boxes and Totes.

The company currently resides in a 40,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility just outside of Chicago. Holum, who’s celebrating his 25th year with the company, cited a few secrets to the company’s success. “Our employees are one of our greatest assets, and our average tenure is 14 years. Most employees have been cross trained on how to perform multiple production techniques and how to use multiple types of equipment, Holum said. He credits the custom-built casemaker, ‘the largest in the country that I am aware of,’ as one of the company’s greatest investments. This casemaker can glue and fold cases up to 28×54”.

Another secret to success has been the company’s partnerships with vendors, clients and even competitors. “We have built strong partnerships to get the best pricing and service, which we then can pass on to our clients,” Holum said. “Through these partnerships, we may get a portion of an order that we might not have received otherwise. I view these partnerships as an extension of our sales department,” Holum said. “And, if I can help a competitor obtain a few orders each year, then I see it as a win/win situation,” Holum concluded.

With its creative partnerships and products, dedicated employees and a new website launching soon, Holum & Sons has positioned itself to navigate future opportunities, as well as any challenges that may present themselves along the way.

The Riverside Group – Adapting to Change & Investing in the Future

August 21, 2011

by Melissa DeDonder, The Binding Edge

The Riverside Group was formed in 1988 following the merger of three Rochester, New York companies – Riverside Book Bindery, Zahrndts Book Bindery and Monroe Paper Finishing. Each company brought a diverse set of products and services to the table – Riverside specialized in perfect binding and saddlestitiching, Zahnadts brought case binding and Monroe offered a complete range of diecut finishing services.

As a full-service post press company with an emphasis on case binding, the Riverside Group is able to provide a complete spectrum of services and products ranging from binding and diecutting to laminating and folding from one location in Rochester. Riverside’s primary customer base covers the greater Northeast region of the United States, however, it is steadily growing to include customers across the nation.

“I believe that our customers come to us not only for the quality of our products, but also because of the quality of customer service that we provide. This begins with estimating and then continues throughout the entire process, from sample making to staying on top of production schedules and providing timely answers to questions or concerns,” said Peter Pape, president. As an extension of customer service, the company provides technical tips and production articles on its website to provide time- and money-saving tips to help customers plan for their next project.

As an all-in-one finishing house, Riverside can run anywhere from 250 pieces up to ½ million in its 110,000 sq. ft. factory. To manage each project from start to finish, the company has invested in a diverse set of equipment that represents almost every manufacturer in the industry. “Because of the nature of our sales volume, we try to have both semi-automatic and fully automatic equipment available for each process, which allows us to complete small, medium and large jobs as needed,” Pape said.

Currently, case binding makes up 35 percent of Riverside’s business and the company has two case binding machines onsite. Perfect binding accounts for 20 percent of the facility’s workflow, and the company has two perfect binders. Book1One, its online digital book manufacturing division, also accounts for 20 percent, and wire-o binding represents 15 percent of the business. Diecutting or specialty finishing accounts for 10 percent of Riverside’s production and the company maintains seven foil stamping machines to support this demand. Riverside also maintains full sample and prototype departments, and provides a spectrum of hand work that includes packaging, inserting and folding, including complicated display pieces. “Our product mix is all over the board, from direct mail folding to high-end coffee table books. We are probably best known for our high-end coffee table books,” Pape said.

One service that Riverside no longer provides is saddlestitching. “We know our customers and we try to specialize in services that they can’t do in-house. Saddlestitching was an area of low volume for us, and as we looked ahead and tried to adapt to change in the marketplace, we decided to discontinue saddlestitching because it wasn’t what our customers needed,” Pape said.

Investing in More Than Just Equipment

Riverside knows how to meet the needs of both its customers and its 80 employees. “Our employees have an average tenure of more than 14 years,” said Pape. One reason may be the time and resources that Riverside invests in its employees. All employees are crossed trained to run an average of five to seven different pieces of equipment and merit pay is based on their abilities and the skills needed to run the different machines.

“Each person is allowed to move at their speed of learning on new equipment. They are aware that in order to move up in pay scale, they need to be versatile in many areas and flexible enough to meet the evolving needs of our customers,” Pape said. Employees who have been with the company for an extended period of time also are reviewed on their ability to train others. New employees get a formal review four times over the course of the first two years to ensure that they are in sync with the company’s goals.

Riverside also believes in promoting from within. “Most of our management team has ‘grown-up’ alongside the company – they started on-the-floor and have worked their way up,” Pape said. Pape himself began as a sales person in 1981. “At that time, we were around $400,000 in sales. I purchased the company in 1984 because the owner wanted out of the business and I was crazy enough to want in,” Pape said.

Lean Management Leads to Many Rewards

In 2008, Riverside began implementing lean management strategies, and the company has reaped many rewards from this investment. “As the leader of this company, I am always looking for a different way to do things. We don’t want to be just another clown in the parade; we want to be the band,” Pape said. After much time researching lean concepts, Pape took the idea to Riverside’s management team and they agreed that it was the right thing to do. A consultant was hired to facilitate the initial training and help move the company in the right direction. This consultant still works with Riverside to audit the program and train new employees.

Pape estimates that thousands of changes have been implemented the past three years to make the company more streamlined from the inside out. For example, Riverside has taken a clamp changing process that used to take five hours to complete down to an efficient 20-minute process. Another example of success includes inventory management needs – the company has cut them by 30 percent internally without disrupting customer service. “We did this by analyzing turn times of materials needed for supplies and then reducing them without affecting customer needs. We also provide fulfillment for several customers, and we used that same process on the finished goods side of our inventory,” Pape said.

Pape reports that when any type of waste happens at Riverside, the company and its employees are invested in finding ways to reduce it. “As a result of our lean management efforts, productivity, customer service and employee satisfaction have all increased dramatically,” Pape said.

To implement lean management strategies, the company first created a Lean Management Team to manage the process and to continually look for ways for the company to eliminate waste in the future. This team meets once every week. “Sustainability can only be achieved when you have a management team that’s fully dedicated, with support and buy-in from the top,” Pape said.

Second, Riverside committed to company-wide employee training and continuing education. One-hundred percent of Riverside’s employees received an initial eight hours of training. The training sessions were broken into two four-hour sessions over a two month period of time. Each session was comprised of a mixture of senior managers, office and floor employees. “The training focuses on why we need to have lean management and how it will help each employee in their day-to-day jobs. We then cover the basics of lean and how to implement it in the work place. The final component focuses on how we measure it as a company and how the employees as individuals can effect change,” Pape said.

Lean Management Team Leaders received an additional 40 hours of training. All employees are required to participate in at least two continuing education sessions prior to their next performance review. “This approach doesn’t mean that we don’t make mistakes, but it does mean that we learn how to prevent them from happening again,” Pape concluded.

Seizing an Opportunity for Growth – Book1One

“As a company, we believe that our business will always be changing and that we need to change with it or we will be left behind,” Pape said. This philosophy guided Riverside into launching an online digital book manufacturing division called Book1One. This innovative division was designed to meet the small press run needs of individuals, independent publishers and organizations seeking professional and affordable printing and binding services for quantities of one to 1,000 pieces.

“Digital book manufacturing was an area that was unfamiliar from the normal trade bindery perspective, so we’ve done our homework,” Pape said. A team of Riverside employees began exploring how the company could produce one book at a time and still make a profit. The team established some guiding principles about how the company would successfully operate, and then added processes and investment as the company grew. “I will be honest and say that we never anticipated how much computer software and development that it would take. That was a whole new area for us,” Pape said.

Since Book1One’s launch in 2007, the print-on-demand book and photobook markets have increased exponentially. Book1One currently accounts for 20 percent of Riverside’s business, and it is anticipated to grow even more in the coming years. “This is where the growth potential is right now for our industry. It’s very exciting,” Pape said.

Book1One is managed by a member of Riverside’s senior management team, and offers soft cover, hard cover, thesis/dissertation, legal (sewn), plastic coil and saddlestitched binding options. Riverside has invested in software solutions to automate many of Book1One’s services; however, its employees are cross-trained to work for Book1One as needed.

For the customer, downloadable free photobook and photo calendar software provides templates that can be used to create professionally designed products without the added expense of hiring a graphic designer, or pre-designed PDF files can be uploaded directly to the website. Book1One provides a quick turnaround time – five business days for soft cover and 10 days for hard cover books. Just like The Riverside Group, Book1One prides itself on customer service and offers a variety of self-publishing tips, checklists and a blog on its website at www.book1one.com.

Pape says that there has been some cross over between Book1One customers and Riverside’s traditional bindery services, but not enough to put a percentage on it. “The two companies serve two different customer bases. When we do have crossover, we make it seamless for the customer. It’s not a major part of our plan to integrate these services,” Pape said.

The Riverside Group shows no signs of slowing down in the future. Despite the recent downturn in the economy, the company continues to invest in new equipment and processes, including a high-speed casemaker, a zero-makeready casemaker for shorter runs, a new tipper for end leaves, a film laminator and a UV coater. “Going forward, we anticipate continued success and growth in the digital book market, as well as a greater emphasis on casebinding from our traditional market,” Pape concluded. With its track record of forward thinking, Riverside’s anticipation will likely lead to future success.

Eckhart & Company: Diverse Services Under One Roof

May 1, 2011

by Amy Bauer, The Binding Edge

Bookbinding and custom information packaging require different skill sets, different equipment and therefore different cultures, but Eckhart & Company, Inc., of Indianapolis, IN, has successfully merged the two to create a business that has expanded its market base beyond traditional boundaries.

“We’re really in the business of providing solutions to information packaging and information management,” said President Chris Eckhart, describing the company’s core competencies. “Having the two allows us to provide more solutions.”

Clients from the Midwest and throughout the country seek out Eckhart & Company’s mechanical binding, case binding and perfect binding services, as well as its custom manufactured and decorated ring binders, CD and DVD packaging and turned-edge materials such as slant/slip cases, among other products. Its central location in Indianapolis, often called the ‘crossroads of America,’ has helped Eckhart & Company serve a geographically diverse client base. “We have a large reach with a local touch,” Eckhart explained.

The Beginnings

Eckhart’s grandfather, William (Bill) Eckhart, founded the company in downtown Indianapolis in 1918. Its earliest services were manufacturing ledger books and repairing damaged books for the local library. Eckhart & Company later moved into a graphic arts building in the city. These publishing hubs housed multiple printers and binders sharing a common building and loading dock.

Son William (Bill) Eckhart Jr. took over the business and the company continued to grow as a traditional trade bindery, serving local printers and specializing in cutting, folding and stitching. In the mid-1960s, Eckhart & Company built a 35,000-square-foot plant in an Indianapolis industrial park.

“As cutting, folding and stitching equipment became more affordable and easier to operate, more printers began bringing those capabilities in-house,” Chris Eckhart described. “So we focused our attention on adding services that printers really craved but were loath to try themselves.”

This led to the company’s focus on mechanical binding. Also in the mid-1960s, to expand the company’s market base, Eckhart’s father added the loose leaf manufacturing segment, which today falls under the company’s information packaging banner. As the company grew, additional space was rented in a separate facility. Working from two locations made labor efficiencies difficult, so about 10 years ago the company consolidated operations in a 60,000-square-foot plant in an industrial area of northwest Indianapolis.

Chris Eckhart grew up in the business and began working there full time in 1987, a year after his graduation from Indiana University. In 1994, he and his brother, Brent, bought their father’s shares of the company. And in 2006, Chris Eckhart bought out his brother’s shares. Today, his 24-year-old stepdaughter, Taylor Stauffer, works in quality assurance for Eckhart & Company, representing the fourth generation of the family business.

Core Offerings

While Eckhart & Company offers all of the traditional bookbinding services, it is closely focused on mechanical binding, including Wire-O, spiral binding and plastic coil. Among highlights of Eckhart & Company’s mechanical binding capabilities, Chris Eckhart said, are its two Bielomatik automated binding lines, which can punch and bind in a single pass with high production speeds of 1,500 books an hour or more. It also operates, among others, a Kolbus Casemaker and Kolbus casing-in machine and a Gateway Bookbinding Systems plastic binding machine that forms its own coil from filament. Mechanically bound jobs cover a wide range, from calendars, planners and journals to cookbooks and instruction manuals.

“Mechanical binding is unique because it is based on work with single sheets rather than signatures,” Eckhart explained. Differences in how those sheets are handled throughout the plant are important. Stacks that slide can quickly turn to disordered pages and ruined jobs. “Because mechanical binding is a focus for us, we understand that. We’ve worked hard to acclimate our employees to the differences.”

In its other core area, information packaging, Eckhart & Company considers itself a complete manufacturer. Its capabilities include taking projects from raw materials through preparation, decoration (it has in-house screenprinting and foil stamping capabilities) and conversion into a finished product. It offers vinyl binders, turned-edge binders and polyethylene or polypropylene binders; slip cases; boxes and index tabs.

Addressing Challenges

Eckhart notes that one of the company’s challenges is effectively managing its two core areas of focus. “In the bindery we are providing a service, whereas with the information packaging we are actually manufacturing a product,” he said. “Adding to the differences is the fact that the bindery is very labor-intensive, whereas the information packaging is very material-intensive.” The bindery operations require quick reactions to meet deadlines imposed from outside, while Eckhart & Company has more control on the information packaging side as it takes projects from start to finish.

Despite those differences, the company has found efficiencies and success in cross-training its employees so that they are capable of multiple jobs throughout the plant. The company is composed of about 65 employees and runs two shifts. Since work in each area may ebb and flow, this allows the company to respond more efficiently and shift employees to different projects and areas as needed. In the past, workers were dedicated to specific areas. “Having one common labor pool that can go where the peaks and valleys are is critical,” Eckhart said.

In-house training has been essential because few workers come to the company with experience in both mechanical or other binding methods and binder manufacturing, not to mention the decorating processes. “There’s a true art to screenprinting, for example,” Eckhart notes, “just as there is a true art to running a folding machine. We have to go out of our way to work with them for the cross-training.”

Another challenge to the information packaging segment of the business is a decline in demand as more information is digitized. “The information packaging is becoming, year after year, a smaller component of our overall business,” Eckhart said. He described printed pieces, such as the product catalogs that furniture manufacturers send to distributors, which in the past were perfect fits for the binder application, but today may no longer even exist in printed form. He said the company is focusing on cultivating customers for higher-end binder products that will continue to exist in the print realm – for example, the financial services literature that brokers or sales representatives share with clients that must reflect the prestige of their product.

Marketing Talents

Beyond the challenges, having these diverse capabilities under one roof also has been a boon to Eckhart & Company. It is finding opportunities to combine the binding work and custom packaging for clients. For example, Eckhart said, a recent job involved manufacturing a vinyl binder and also gathering, trimming and drilling the text, wrapping the text and inserting that package inside of the binder. “Our ability to handle that complete project under one roof was very comforting to our customer,” Eckhart described. He said his strategy involves marketing the synergies between binding and information packaging to potential clients, perhaps helping them to give a printed piece even more functionality than they had originally envisioned.

Other ways the company markets its services are through its sales representatives, who call on printers and other clients and are dedicated either to the binding operations or to information packaging. By focusing on their particular areas of expertise, they can better help clients with the intricacies of the finishing processes, Eckhart explained. “Truly realizing what our core competencies are and then setting up the business so that we can be resources in each one of those areas has been a really positive sales and marketing concept for us,” he said.

One way this sales focus has paid off is in the company’s growing relationships with local printers in the past few years, Eckhart said. While the company traditionally has been closely aligned with medium- to large-size web printers and book manufacturers, it also has shown its ability to process the shorter runs involving sheet-fed printers and the local graphic arts companies. The company also has used monthly email newsletters to highlight its services, choosing a particular product or binding style to feature each time.

Networking is another way that Eckhart stays abreast of customers’ needs and challenges. He is a member of the boards of the Binding Industries Association and the regional Printing Industries of Indiana and Illinois.

Another selling point for some clients is Eckhart & Company’s line of environmentally friendly binders, made of 100 percent biodegradable materials, aside from the metal ring. They boast materials that are free of acid, carbon black, lignin and elemental chlorine, and Eckhart & Company also can custom decorate these. Eckhart said that this product hasn’t overtaken the company’s conventional binder offerings, but it represents an important offering for some clients.

Sales Orientation

Eckhart said the shift to a sales orientation has been a challenge, noting that in the past the work just naturally flowed and many companies in the industry didn’t have to work very hard to bring in business. For many years, Eckhart & Company had been able to rely solely on its reputation of quality work to sustain incoming business.

“There was very much a mentality of being order-takers versus being strong marketing- and sales-driven companies,” he said. “There was enough business that it kept everybody happy, it worked fairly well and there wasn’t a need to invest heavily in the sales and marketing process. But those days have certainly changed.

“It takes a very conscious commitment and effort to switch from being an order-taker to creating a culture of going out and being a sales- and marketing-driven company,” he continued. “Kind of a tough hurdle for a lot of companies in our industry to come across, us included.”

Facing the Future

At a time when the print world is rapidly changing, Eckhart sees both challenges and opportunities. “I believe that we are operating in a mature industry, but I don’t believe that that is a death sentence,” he said. “I think that print is going to decline; however, I think there also are going to be fewer printing companies and fewer companies serving printers.”

For those that remain, he anticipates there will be plenty of work to be profitable. By focusing on the challenges and synergies of its two core offerings under one roof, and continuing to look toward the future, Eckhart & Company is positioning itself to adapt in these changing times and be a binding and finishing for future generations. Eckhart predicts that surviving companies will be those that look toward more technology and automation, as he sees currently happening in Europe.

“We’ve worked hard to be financially responsible and to be in a position where the options are available to us as to how we navigate forward,” Eckhart said.

Merging Tradition with Progress at Roswell Bookbinding

February 1, 2011

by Amy Bauer, The Binding Edge

From its founding in 1960, Roswell Bookbinding of Phoenix, AZ, has remained nimble to respond to the changing demands of the marketplace. In the process, the company has established its expertise in specialty and high-end binding projects and restorations, in addition to library and trade binding work.

“We have evolved from a hand operation to a fully automated facility with state-of-the-art high-speed equipment,” said President Michael Roswell. “We still use all of the old hand binding techniques and materials in the same building as our 9,000-signature-per-hour sewing machines to create high-end bindings of all types.”

The company serves a wide variety of customers – including commercial printers, publishers, museums, art galleries, authors, artists, photographers, academic libraries and private collectors – throughout the United States and internationally. Jobs range from single books to tens of thousands through Roswell Bookbinding’s three divisions: library binding, which accounts for about 15 percent of its business; the specialty division (limited editions, portfolios and specialty packaging and boxes), which accounts for about 20 percent; and the trade division (new books, both soft- and hard-cover), which accounts for about 65 percent.

Rather than catering only to standard sizes, production for many of which continues to be outsourced overseas, Roswell Bookbinding has remained flexible in its ability to accommodate varied dimensions and all manner of special features.

The Beginnings

Roswell’s parents, Mark and Iris, brought their three children to Arizona from New York City in 1960, seeking relief for one son’s asthma. Mark, a certified public accountant, and Iris, a painter and graphic artist, unsuccessfully looked for work before meeting a woman who was selling part of a small bookbinding company. Using their remaining money, the Roswells created their start-up, the Roswell Bookbinding Company, Inc.

As Mark Roswell learned the binding business, Iris Roswell built up a customer base. “My mom called on every elementary, high school and college in the Phoenix area and was soon able to create a steady flow of work into the bindery,” Michael Roswell wrote in a recent profile of the company, which appears in a Roswell-bound book celebrating Arizona’s centennial.

From its library binding roots, the company grew into rebinding books and periodicals for schools and private collections throughout the western United States. In 1974, the Roswells purchased land on the outskirts of Phoenix and built a 50,000-square-foot complex (two 25,000-square-foot buildings), where the company remains to this day. Short runs are handled in one of the buildings and mid-range to long runs in the other. A 10,000-square-foot warehouse rounds out the plant.

Mark Roswell passed away in 2007, and Iris Roswell, while no longer involved in the day-to-day business, stays in daily contact with son Michael to keep abreast of what’s going on. While his siblings didn’t enter the family business, Michael Roswell began working at the bindery as a youngster, enjoying the hand binding so much that he found his career.

Artists’ Resource

A serendipitous collaboration with a publisher in Flagstaff, AZ in the early 1970s put Roswell Bookbinding on its path to artistic excellence. The owner of what was then Northland Press, which Michael Roswell describes as “the bellwether of the Western Art book industry,” came looking for a source to bind the art books he was printing. The popularity of Western and American Indian artists was growing at the time. The Roswells, who had so far never put together a “new” book, gathered the necessary employees and equipment, and a niche was born.

These high-end, coffee-table books were sought after by collectors. Limited editions of the books were produced, frequently accompanied by original art. The artists often came to the bindery to sign their books, deliver artwork or supervise the process, and Michael Roswell said such collaborations continue today. Roswell Bookbinding also worked with celebrated photographers, starting with Ansel Adams and some of his protégés, and has maintained its niche in art photography books.

These connections created a reputation for the company in the art market and among museums and galleries nationwide. “Painters and sculptors, graphic designers, architects, authors, photographers and commercial printers are regular visitors, coming in to see the birth of their work in print,” Roswell wrote in the centennial book.

Roswell’s interest in the art book genre goes beyond the professional. As a collector of western history and western art books himself, he brings additional insights to his clients goals. “The designers and artists and curators know I have an understanding of where their art is trying to go and what they’re trying to say,” he said.

Out of the Ordinary

The high-end and limited edition books typically are nonstandard, often oblong, sizes with features that require a high degree of skill and may incorporate exotic materials and both hand work and mechanical processes. They exemplify the company’s tagline of “Binding without Boundaries.”

For example, Roswell said, a book may have a regular edition run between 2,000 and 5,000 copies. And its limited edition version will run 50 to 100 copies bound in leather or other upscale material in a slipcase or clamshell box and often accompanied by a piece of original artwork.

Hand work makes up a significant portion of Roswell Bookbinding’s business: 30 percent to 40 percent. This crosses from the company’s specialty division into the library and trade divisions as well, and while some employees are specifically devoted to hand work, they are cross-trained in the mechanical processes and vice versa.

Roswell offered some examples of recent specialty jobs. One, for the International Olympic Committee, comprised 3,000 regular edition volumes plus 400 special editions each encased in a clamshell box stamped with an individual’s name. For St. John’s University, in Minneapolis, the company is producing a seven-volume set of leatherbound books, each measuring 16 inches by 28 inches, with 250 copies of each volume and each book encased in a clamshell box.

The Binding Industries Association (BIA) recognized Roswell Bookbinding with a 2009 Product of Excellence Award for Innovative Use of Materials for “Dancessence,” a book of photos of dancers. The Smyth-sewn soft-cover book was incorporated into a chemise of handmade paper with a custom bone closure, so it included both mechanical and hand worked aspects, Michael Roswell said. The company also was honored with two other BIA awards in 2009.

Diversification is Key

Roswell noted that several longtime binderies in the western United States have shuttered their doors, and he believes that Roswell’s diversification is what has kept it strong. “We’ve always been able to do the different, the obscure, the crazy concept,” he said, “and that’s what has allowed us to survive and flourish, frankly.”

Additionally, while specialized jobs are often more time-consuming, the company continues to find ways to speed the process. “We have gradually improved our capabilities to automate them more, and thus bring down the cost so that we are able to be more competitive,” Roswell said. “This has enabled us to keep work in the United States that previously had gone offshore.” To that end, the company recently installed a Smyth high-speed sewing machine that will handle a 14 1/8-inch-wide signature.

Additionally, Roswell said, the company makes the best use of its equipment. “We’ve got three full-time maintenance people who are very creative in adapting and modifying our equipment to handle unique sizes,” he said. “And we’ve always cross-trained our people,” he continued. “We’ve been cross-training since day one, so we have a lot of people who can do a lot of different things, and we have a lot of creative people who think outside the box.”

Secrets to Success

The bindery runs a single shift and employs about 100 full-time workers, all of whom are selected for their commitment to quality. Roswell said that while the company’s jobs are among some of the most difficult in the industry, the pay scale reflects that standard. “We demand more of our employees, because our customers are demanding more of us,” he explained. “We need the best in the industry, and we have the best, and we compensate them accordingly.”

New employees go through a 90-day trial period, and those who are average operators or helpers typically don’t stay, he said. Existing employees, many of whom have spent years with the company, help to maintain this culture, expecting top performance from those with whom they work.

Another business practice that Roswell’s parents instilled and which has served the business well is a commitment to reinvesting profits into the company. That focus allowed the building of the current bindery in 1974 and has helped the company to keep up with new binding technology. Michael Roswell said his father recognized as early as the 1970s that the company’s original focus – library binding – would not be sustainable for the long-term as its sole niche, so he purposefully went into trade binding as well. “I remember my dad saying that library binding was not going to last 30 years,” Michael Roswell recalled. “And he was pretty much right. That industry has shrunk.”

Today, as digital readers cut into the volume of trade binding across the industry, Roswell Bookbinding’s specialty work serves a crucial role, providing services still sought after by book connoisseurs.

Restoration Services

Though a small percentage of the overall business – about two percent, Roswell estimated – restoration work continues to fill a need for Roswell Bookbinding’s clients. Two employees are dedicated to this work, which Iris Roswell first trained herself in as she began getting requests from the company’s university clients. According to its website, www.roswellbookbinding.com, the company has served collections including those of the Phoenix Art Museum, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Texas A&M University, University of Arizona, University of Texas at El Paso and UNLV Special Collection Libraries, as well as private collectors.

“People have always brought in old books and especially Bibles to be restored,” Roswell explained. The company advertises its family Bible restoration services on its website, and Roswell said a few Bibles come in for repair each week. Roswell Bookbinding also makes custom boxes and portfolios to house rare books and documents.

Looking to the Future

The company has proven itself savvy in the face of a rapidly changing print marketplace. Founder Mark Roswell foresaw some of the challenges evident today – from a move toward more complex and difficult bindings to the trend of shorter run lengths – and this has allowed Roswell Bookbinding to position itself for long-term success.

“The way the market has changed over the years has hastened the demise of binderies that were only capable of standard sizes,” Michael Roswell said. “We have seen an increase in the specialty books and publications that we are known for in the industry, even in a down economy. I believe that there will always be a market for top-of-the-line products.”

Finish On Demand Solves Today’s Short-Turnaround Bindery Challenges

November 21, 2010

by: Staff

If you visited Finish On Demand’s website during its first four months in business, you were greeted with the following message: “A New Bindery in 2009? Are You Serious? Yes!” It’s a message that mirrors the attitude of Finish On Demand Founder and President Patty Traynor: enthusiastic, good-humored and candid about the business challenges ahead.

“The economy is going to come back, and when it does, I’ll be ready,” Traynor said in an interview that appeared in the Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era late last year. “When people want jobs done, I’ll be ready. When the upswing comes, I’ll be there.”

An Exceptional Challenge

Starting a small business in any industry is an exceptional challenge in a slumping economy. Yet micro-economic realities are precisely what created the opportunity for a company like Finish On Demand. As marketers and other print customers compensate for slashed budgets by reducing run lengths and page counts, printers and their binding and finishing partners are refocusing their capabilities to address these new realities.

Last November, Lancaster, PA-based Finish On Demand opened for business in a 6,500 square foot facility stocked with perfect binding, mechanical binding, folding, gluing and attaching/tipping equipment. All of the company’s services are geared to deliver fast turnarounds on short- and mid-run length jobs.

Though perfect binding remains its marquee service, Finish On Demand has already upgraded its capabilities in response to shifts in customer demand.

“We added round cornering services earlier this year,” said Traynor. “In October, we also brought in specialty saddlestitching equipment that allows us to handle a variety of booklet sizes and run lengths.”

The Value of Flexibility

Finish On Demand’s goal is to deliver value beyond the sum of its services. Over the past year, the company has established itself as a “go-to” resource for commercial and digital printers. Finish On Demand also is committed to discovering new market opportunities for the benefit of its printing partners.

“We sell more than just bindery solutions,” Traynor said. “We sell flexibility, resourcefulness, ingenuity and a commitment to be truly “on-demand” for each of our customers.”

That flexibility and resourcefulness is evident in the company’s equipment and the skills of its staff. On a typical day, a Finish On Demand employee might operate folding and perfect binding equipment; pack and ship completed jobs and walk customers through technical and other job-related questions. Likewise, the equipment at Finish On Demand is capable of handling a wide range of run lengths and format sizes. Traynor has placed an emphasis on equipment that’s easy to set up and, despite the company’s name, isn’t just for short-run work.

“We’re very competitive on run lengths well into the thousands, particularly for folding and gluing,” said Traynor. “Customers are surprised when I say, ‘We can handle quantities with more than four digits.'”

A Culture of Problem-Solving

At Finish On Demand, Traynor has instilled an enthusiasm for doing whatever it takes to solve problems for its customers. Traynor notes that there’s no such thing as a “standard” or “typical” job in the binding and finishing world. But while many trade binderies have experience taking on odd projects that printers can’t handle due to time or resource issues, Finish On Demand is especially proud of its problem solving capabilities.

“We’re like the ‘CSI’ of binderies,” laughs Traynor, referring to the popular television show. “When customers approach us with unusual formats, materials or other challenges they can’t solve, we say ‘Bring it on!'”

It’s a claim Finish On Demand can support with its trophy case. Last May, the company was awarded the coveted “They Said It Couldn’t Be Done” award at the Graphic Arts Association Neographics competition. The winning entry was typical of the type of project Finish On Demand sees: a small-quantity (500 books), fast-turnaround project with unusual production requirements.

“Simply put, Finish On Demand loves to problem-solve,” Traynor said at the time. “Whether it’s pushing the limits of our equipment or working through the night to meet an ‘impossible’ deadline. And if we can’t offer an in-house solution, we’re happy to reach out to our friends – we are an active BIA member – to find someone who can.”

Not an Industry Greenhorn

Traynor is no “newbie” when it comes to the graphic arts industry. Prior to establishing Finish On Demand, Traynor filled several roles for a family-owned bindery in Pennsylvania, including secretary, bookkeeper, estimator and treasurer. She also had plenty of hands-on experience operating a variety of binding and finishing equipment.

Her experience in all aspects of production and management proved invaluable to starting her company on the right foot. In addition to leading day-to-day operations for Finish On Demand, Traynor is heavily involved in the Binding Industries of America (BIA) and Graphic Arts Association, the Philadelphia chapter of the Printing Industries of America. She also spends ample time visiting current and potential customers throughout Pennsylvania and the mid-Atlantic region.

“The more activity we have in the plant, the more difficult it can be to break away and hit the road,” said Traynor. “But I strongly believe the best way to grow this company is to articulate the versatility and responsiveness of the Finish On Demand brand; that’s why I prioritize face time with customers and prospects.”

An On-Demand Solution for Many Markets

In 2009, 58 percent of digital print providers increased their profit/revenue in 2009, as opposed to just over 31 percent of non-digital providers. In addition, the digital printing and packaging market is expected to grow 182 percent through 2014.

“I think some binderies looked at the trends toward shorter runs, tougher jobs and tighter deadlines and saw the industry caving in on itself,” Traynor said. “I saw a window to start a new business.”

While growth in the digital and quick-printing segment helped prompt Traynor to launch Finish On Demand, she emphasizes that the company is continually on the lookout for new ways to add value for all types of customers. In addition to adding new capabilities and equipment in-house, Finish On Demand has aggressively forged partnerships and working relationships with printers and even some other binderies – whatever it takes, she says, to find the right solution for each customer.

“By acting as the relief valve for certain types of work, we have helped printers with in-house finishing capabilities as well as other binderies focus on their most profitable service areas while keeping their customers happy,” said Traynor. “And, by demonstrating our value, we’ve received more business opportunities than we may have otherwise. It’s been a win-win-win for us, our partners and their customers.”

So far, the strategy has paid off. After six months in operation, the company was profitable. But if the inexorable pace of running an on-demand-style business wearies Traynor, she doesn’t show it. By sticking to its winning formula, she expects Finish On Demand to continue to grow even as the overall economy makes a sluggish comeback.

“There will always be a market for a postpress solutions provider capable of delivering high-quality work in a short amount of time at a competitive price,” said Traynor.

The Art of Traditional Bookbinding in a Fast-Paced World

August 21, 2010

by: Renée Varella

Companies that perform traditional bookbinding services are a rare breed indeed – and getting scarcer in our high-speed society. Here, we profile two businesses that still cater to time-honored bookbinding traditions – one that does a lot of handwork with short runs and another that’s found a niche offering traditional bookbinding services with highly automated equipment. You’ll also hear from a supplier who works with the full spectrum of binders.

The HF Group: Preserving and Conserving

For over 80 years, clients of The HF Group (HFG), based in Chesterland, Ohio, have ranged from the government and universities to public libraries and archives. “We’re a diversified services business with book-related and non-book segments,” said Jay Fairfield, company president. HFG book segments primarily focus on: 1) Library binding (rebinding of one-off monographs and hardcover binding of journals and periodicals); 2) Textbook rebinding (repairing textbooks for public and private K-12 schools); 3) Short-run edition and children’s bookbinding; 4) Digital print and binding on demand (as low as 1 per title production for publishers and specialty presses); 5) Conservation treatment (on valuable and historic artifacts); and 6) Digital conversion scanning (reformatting of books, manuscripts, maps, and art-to-digital format).

“The library binding niche is quite unique, and there are only 20 to 25 facilities in the U.S. left doing this specialty-type work,” Fairfield said. Libraries at large research universities, law schools, and small colleges, as well as public and special libraries, send their books to HFG for rebinding or repair or send their journals and periodicals to HFG for first-time binding. “We also do one-offs of old bibles, which requires a skilled-craftsman approach. Our equipment and our plants are geared to production runs of one to 1,000.”

Most of the materials HFG uses in its traditional bookbinding operation are preservation-sensitive, including acid-free papers and acrylic -coated woven and non-woven cover materials. “We also use genuine and simulated leather materials in our handbinding operation,” Fairfield said. Equipment ranges from hand tools and hot lead stamping equipment to semi-automatic machines that provide automation from station to station to computerized, unattended hot foil stamping machines. “In addition, we utilize digitally printed color covers with film lamination.”

On Demand Solutions
Fairfield acknowledged substantial growth in short-run edition binding and the digital, on demand print and bind segment of the book market. Binding methods include perfect binding, side sewing, and Smyth sewing. Case options include custom graphic printed and laminated covers, cloth covers with hot foil stamped lettering or custom die stamping options, and dust jackets. Case options for edition binding and prebinding include custom graphic covers or cloth covers with hot foil stamped lettering and custom, artistic die stamping options.

HFG also uses digitization and imaging technologies to produce archival-quality digital images from damaged or non-circulating bound documents and printed materials and loose pages. Its equipment can digitize bound volumes in black and white, grayscale, and color in sizes ranging from 4.5″×7″ to 19″×19″. The company also can digitize loose sheets and foldouts in black and white and grayscale up to 17″×23″ and up to 11″×17″ in color. Facsimile reproductions of all digitized books are available. Even large format materials such as atlases, maps, art on paper, and blueprints can be digitized and reproduced by HFG.

Preserving the Precious
One of HFG’s divisions includes Etherington Conservation Services, which offers preservation and conservation services for private collectors, libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, and other collection-holding institutions. Donald Etherington, a world renowned conservationist, serves as president of the division.

Book rebinding treatments vary in complexity and may require aqueous treatment, some works of art on paper, vellum, and parchment may need matting and framing, while other projects require deacidification and polyester film encapsulation or custom-designed protective enclosures. Past projects of Etherington Conservation Services include the American University of Cairo’s collection of architectural drawings, the Czech Republic’s collection of medieval manuscripts, and the National Archives rehousing and display of the Charters of Freedom, which includes the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights.

Tradition and Timeliness
In todays marketplace, HFG must balance the need for high-quality, traditional-looking pieces with the increasing demand for fast turnarounds. “Our work and the types of customers we have vary greatly and, therefore, so does the expectation for turn times,” Fairfield said. “We have some customers who require – and pay for – a two- to three-day turn, and some customers that prefer – and pay less for – a four-week turn. In special cases, valuable or rare items can be in our possession receiving very specific and specialized treatment that can take months.

Dekker Bookbinding: Serving Book Printers from Coast to Coast

Founded as a library binder in 1928, the family-owned and fourth-generation Dekker Bookbinding, Grand Rapids, Mich., offers highly automated edition binding services today. However, in the late 1800s, John H. Dekker used state-of-the-art hand tools he’d brought from the Netherlands when the Dekker family emigrated to the U.S. Early customers included public libraries, book collectors, professional organizations, schools, and small publishers.

“The early hand bindery relied on manual sewing, cutting, hot stamping, gluing, and pressing,” said Chris Dekker, a sales executive at Dekker. “The materials used were basic – the bookbinder often purchased full cowhides to produce leather cases for books. I remember my grandfather measuring a hide to get as many pieces as economically possible without blemishes. A blemish might result from the scar left when the cow bumped against a barbwire fence. The process worked because the bookbinder was able to control the quality and craftsmanship of each book as he built the components and assembled the final product.”

New Techniques, Similar Expectations
Although Dekker noted that quality, schedule, and price are still key considerations for customers in 2010, the company’s range of services has changed dramatically over the years. “Our business today is focused on partnering with print customers by providing estimating, specification and planning review, prescheduling, and material purchases, Dekker said. The company also custom cuts its own board and cloth to expedite schedules and control quality; utilizes the internet whenever it’s convenient for a customer; and estimates and plans layouts for printed end sheets, covers, and dust jackets.”

“Casing in is the final step, where all the components come together to make a book,” he added. “While our specialty is hardcover bookbinding, new equipment and new adhesive options, as well as process innovations, have allowed us to offer additional services such as PUR gluing for coated adhesive binding, in-line ribbon gluing, flexible cover options, flex boards, and lined turned-edge covers for mechanical binderies.”

Dekker reported that on June 28, 2010, the plant had 242,000 books (spread over 70 titles) in production, consisting of 24 trim sizes, quantities from 105 to 18,000, text bulk from 1/8″to 2″, 37 adhesive bound, 33 Smyth sewn, six ribbon jobs, two edge-stain jobs, 23 with printed case wraps, 47 with stamped covers, 16 book jackets, and four with slipcases. “All jobs are on schedule,” he said, “and the parts and pieces of each job are on a fast-track schedule, with similar components from different jobs running together.”

Equipment, Materials Make the Project
Dekker runs two complete Kolbus binding lines in its 93,000-square-foot facility. The company generally uses Smyth sewing on books requiring high-quality, long life, and excellent lay flat characteristics, including text books, library books, law books, and high-end coffee table books. Dekker now uses four Astronic Auto Sewers, plus an Astor 2000 sewer with thin-paper attachment running at 12,000 cycles per hour. A high-speed 24-pocket Kolbus Systems Binder and a 20-pocket Kolbus Ratio Binder produce adhesive bookblocks for hardcover case binding and perfect binding for soft cover.

“Over the years we have continued to upgrade and expand our plant to meet customer needs, and to maintain and improve quality and schedule,” Dekker said. “As an independent bookbinder, the only thing we can control is the process, the equipment, the materials we supply, the components we manufacture in-house, and the learning environment that involves all the people. We survive because we take charge of the product outcome, just like our founders did.”

Marketplace Transitions
The backbone of Dekker Bookbinding’s business has always been servicing book printers a group that Dekker refers to as “print-bind partners”: “One of the shifts we see in the marketplace is the growing number of commercial sheetfed and web printers who are printing book signatures for hardcover books,” he said. “With a stronger presence in the four-color markets, we see a growing number of quote requests for bookbinding from commercial houses for everything from trade books to oversize coffee table books. Our emphasis on quality throughout the bookbinding process, as well as equipment upgrades and, most important, developing people skills and learning, has positioned Dekker to survive as an independent bookbinder.”

At Dekker, the production processes are the same whether customers supply printed text from web presses, sheetfed presses, or digital sources. “We have found that schedule concerns are not the turn times, but the fact that print customers and publishers want reliable schedules, and that’s where we are today,” Dekker said. “The majority of bookbinding is not on demand. However, we are seeing shorter quantities but more reprints.”

Dekker added that turnaround times are based on what the publisher wants. “On demand printing has its place; however, the typical case bound book project, with all its components, is scheduled based on overlapping press time and bind time,” he said. “We have to be constantly on alert to produce the exceptional quality and schedules that publishers and printers have come to expect. Traditional book manufacturing is alive and well as long as we as manufacturers continue to improve the craft with better materials and processes.” (See the Fall 2008 binding spotlight on Dekker Bookbinding at www.thebindingedge.com.)

Advantage Book Binding: 25 Years Young

August 21, 2010

by Dianna Brodine, The Binding Edge

Advantage Book Binding Inc. founder and CEO Jerry Nocar is a true American success story. Recently inducted into the Binding Industries Association (BIA) Hall of Fame, Nocar started working in the bindery business as a teenager. He began by sweeping floors (a job his mother got him when he left school before finishing the eleventh grade) and worked his way up, running the equipment and eventually moving into sales. Nocar’s work ethic, charisma, and high energy powered his success in the industry, helping him create relationships that would prove invaluable when, in 1985, he opened Advantage Book Binding in Glen Burnie, Md.

These days, Nocar and his wife, Chris, are enjoying the semi-retired life while their daughter, Christine, and her husband, Christopher Webbert, run the binding business. With a young management team and a dedication to quality, on-time production, Advantage has positioned itself for a strong future in the traditional book binding business.

A Silver Anniversary

Celebrating its 25th year in business in 2010, Advantage Book Binding still follows the mission set by Jerry Nocar when he opened shop: “We do a quality book on time.” With 40 employees operating from the original 36,000 sq. ft. building, the bindery’s primary capabilities include case binding, perfect binding, and mechanical binding. “While we have stayed true to our mission, we also have made numerous changes to our business philosophy over the years to be more flexible to meet our customer needs,” explained Chris Webbert, president. These changes include adding new services to the bindery’s existing product lines. For instance, Advantage added PUR glue to its adhesion capabilities, adding three new product lines for its customers. “Listening to our customer needs over the years has helped us grow our business, investing in new equipment that has expanded our capabilities and product lines,” said Webbert. The company also has the ability to provide Smyth sewing, wire-o, drilling, tipping, stamping and embossing, folding, cutting, diecutting, and shrink wrapping. A fully automated dust jacket machine simplifies hardcover book production.

Advantage Book Binding services commercial printers, digital printers, book printers, and publishers, with the book market as its biggest niche. 75 to 80 percent of its work is focused on the local market, but Advantage also competes nationally in the softcover and mechanical binding markets. These days, approximately 40 percent of its total business is in hardback book production, creating art books, legal manuals, and high-quality coffee table books. “We’ll produce anywhere from one to one million books,” Webber stated. “We’re doing a lot more short run digital or custom books, but the average run size is going down so we have to be ready to do 50 books or 500,000.” With trim sizes ranging from 3×5″ to 12×15″, Advantage prides itself on its flexibility, quick changeovers, and ability to adapt for difficult jobs.

“Kindle” is a Bad Word

With research firm Forester predicting that e-reader sales in 2010 will exceed 6.6 million devices and Amazon.com reporting that ebook sales have outpaced hardcovers, the book industry is obviously facing a challenge. Webbert has been watching the trend. “Kindle is a very bad word in our family,” Webbert laughed. While Webbert acknowledges the need for e-readers for people who travel a lot or who are avid readers who go through several books at a time, he also believes there’s room for both methods of book publication. “There’s no doubt about it – the industry is shrinking,” said Webbert. “Technology is going to affect us, but I think ink and paper books are going to be here for a long time, especially for certain product lines.”

Pointing to the marketing and advertising industries, where email, direct mail, radio, television, and the internet all coexist, Webbert believes casebound binding still makes sense for businesses that approach it wisely. “The market is shrinking and the business is changing, so if we don’t change with it and make the right decisions, then we’re not going to be here either,” he explained. “However, we are positioned very well because of the decisions we’ve made over the years.”

In addition to the threat from electronic media, print also has been attacked by those urging environmental consciousness. Advantage Bookbinding has partnered with the Printing & Graphics Association MidAtlantic (PGAMA) and other print and design partners in the Print Grows Trees educational campaign. Advantage has bound more than 2,500 books that have been used to promote the truth that print on paper actually helps to grow trees, keeping forests from being sold for development. (Read the message from Kerry Stackpole, president of PGAMA, on page 9).

In fact, at Advantage, the emotional attachment that people have for bound books has provided additional opportunities for business. “We’re doing a lot of repairs for Bibles on a local level,” said Webbert. “Over the years, families have journaled events and put so many notes into the family Bible that there’s an attachment to it. They are willing to spend the money to repair the book. That’s a market I never thought we’d get into, but we listened to our customers to find out what they wanted.”

Adjusting to a Changing Business Model

Lean economic times, digital book production, and short runs have impacted casebound binderies. At Advantage Book Binding, the company has responded by becoming more open-minded toward the small run custom work that it might not have quoted in years past.That type of work has helped compliment our sales during the tough months, Webbert explained. “It’s also made us better at listening to the customer’s needs and exploring ways in which we can get the job done, as opposed to saying ‘no, we don’t do this service.'”

As a result, Webbert feels that his company is evolving into a marketing service provider for its customers. “Five years ago, PIA (Printing Industries of America) was telling us to find a niche, but now with the economy, we need to figure out how to grow sales. The whole model is changing,” he said. At Advantage, the company is taking on projects that it wouldn’t have entertained five years ago.” The key is making sure that the work we’re entertaining is work our customers want us to do. If we have a solid relationship with a customer, we’ll figure out a way to get the job done. In recent months, Advantage has taken on a fulfillment role for certain customers and also has created custom boxes for customers wanting an impressive presentation.

To ensure profitability, Advantage has invested in a customized software package that will allow its management team to make better decisions when evaluating the production costs for new projects. The team also has committed to implement lean manufacturing. “These management decisions will continue to help our employees become more involved with the processes in the plant,” said Webbert. “Our customers and company will benefit.”

Young Management Team

Advantage Book Binding’s leadership has a positive outlook and believes it will be servicing the printing and book industry for many years to come. “We are well-positioned for the future with a young management team. Our youth is one of the reasons we’re going to be doing this for quite some time – we have to! We want to build our business to sustain both us and our customers over the years,” said Webbert.

The bindery feels fortunate to have a very healthy customer base in an industry that is struggling with the tough economic conditions, handpicking its customers and servicing them well. A willingness to re-invest in the business with the newest equipment and best automation plays a critical role in maintaining those relationships. Fiscally conservative, Advantage evaluates each purchase in terms of return on investment. “We will not buy something if we can’t afford it or we cannot justify the ROI,” Webbert explained. “At the same time, if it makes sense for our customers and allows us to meet their needs, then we try to move forward. Our “sell” to potential customers is that we listen, communicate effectively, understand their expectations, and try to exceed them.” For Advantage Book Binding, its dedication to doing what it says it will is its biggest selling point.

Webbert also is aware that there aren’t as many resources for traditional hardcover book production as there had been in years past. “Because of the economy, there’s been a reduction in the number of casebinders, but there’s been a reduction of pretty much everybody in our industry,” he said. “We have a lot of competition in this area, but I don’t think there are many people who will get into casebinding fresh because it’s heavily material- and labor-intensive. Margins can be tough.” The bottom line, according to Webbert, is that the fittest will survive. With the company celebrating its silver anniversary this year and a management team ready to adjust as business models for the binding industry evolve, the potential for gold is bright!

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