“One of our clients recently referred to us as the ‘Swiss Army Knife’ of direct marketing providers,” John A. Wallace Jr., president and CEO of SG360°, says. If the client had declared the company to be direct marketing’s equivalent of the famous Wenger 16999 Swiss Army Knife Giant — a 2-lb., 12˝-long pocket toolbox containing 87 implements and 141 separate functions — he probably wouldn’t have been embarrassed. The comparison may be exaggerated, but not by much. Wallace points out that the “360°” in the company’s name reflects its determination to give customers everything they need to conduct successful direct marketing campaigns under one roof. In this, he contends, SG360° is unique, because its only business is direct marketing through hyper-targeted mailings, in volumes as massive or as minuscule as the customer desires.

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced that it has closed on the previously announced sale of its International Mail and Parcel Logistics business to ePost Global LLC. Dan Knotts, RRD’s President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “This sale completes the final step of our previously announced plan to exit our Logistics platform.” Knotts continued, “I want to thank the International Logistics employees for their support of RRD and wish them well as they join ePost Global LLC.”

Results for the three months ended September 30, 2020, included: *Net Sales — Net sales were $679 million in 2020, down 28% from 2019. Sales declined 26% during the quarter, excluding the impact of the January 2020 sale of the Omaha packaging plant, primarily due to the economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing print industry volume and pricing pressures. *Net Earnings (Loss) From Continuing Operations — Net earnings from continuing operations increased $50 million from the third quarter of 2019, from a net loss of $47 million in 2019 ($0.94 diluted loss per share from continuing operations) to net earnings of $3 million in 2020 ($0.05 diluted earnings per share from continuing operations). Results for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, included: *Net Sales — Net sales were $2.1 billion in 2020, down 27% in 2019. Sales declined 25% during the nine months ended September 30, 2020, after excluding the impact of the January 2020 sale of the Omaha packaging plant, primarily due to the economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing print industry volume and pricing pressures. *Net Loss From Continuing Operations — Net loss from continuing operations improved $42 million from the first nine months of 2019, from a net loss of $63 million in 2019 ($1.26 diluted loss per share from continuing operations) to a net loss of $21 million in 2020 ($0.41 diluted loss per share from continuing operations).

Quad/Graphics, Inc. announced that it has sold its two remaining Book manufacturing facilities in Fairfield, Penn., and Martinsburg, W.Va., to Berryville Graphics, a division of Bertelsmann Printing Group USA, a leader in hard cover, mass market, trade and digest books, components and specialty finishing. The transaction closed on October 31, 2020. Quad will use proceeds from the sale to pay down debt. With this transaction, Quad has completed the full divestiture of its Book manufacturing platform – part of a previously announced strategic decision to optimize its product portfolio. In July, the company sold its only other book manufacturing facility in Versailles, Ky., to CJK Group, Inc.

Quad/Graphics, Inc. announced the launch of its Quad Direct Marketing Exchange™ (QDMX) – a platform that delivers entirely personalized direct marketing campaigns at a fraction of the cost and at greater speed to market. An industry first, QDMX helps marketers mitigate the impact of rising postage costs and navigate ongoing economic uncertainty through a suite of solutions that integrates sophisticated data application, innovative direct mail production and streamlined mailing. “For years there has been a feeling among marketers that there has to be a more efficient and effective way to reach the consumer through the mailbox,” said Scott Harvey, Quad Senior Vice President for Marketing Solutions. “Through our QDMX platform, we provide marketers with an opportunity to re-imagine their direct marketing strategy – leveraging the scale, technology investments and expansive client base of Quad – to deliver even stronger ROI from the direct mail channel.”

During these challenging times, it is imperative for commercial print companies to offer flexibility, media versatility, and superior print quality to their customers. Since the implementation of inkjet, Taylor Corporation has been able to expand its offerings by migrating higher-volume jobs from offset to digital inkjet, mainstream commercial and digital work at a lower cost of ownership, as well as embed a more targeted approach to market segments with product sets. Since the addition of the Canon ProStream to Taylor Corporation’s print workflow, the press’ capabilities have enabled the organization to boost production levels, reduce turnaround times, and increase profit margins across a wide range of applications, including premium and high-volume direct mail, books, catalogs, and magazines.

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company announced that it has closed on the previously announced sale of its DLS Worldwide Logistics business to TFI International Inc. Dan Knotts, RRD’s President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, “The sale of DLS Worldwide is an important step forward to optimize our business portfolio and improve balance sheet flexibility. The transaction serves to further enhance our strategic focus as a leading global provider of marketing and business communications.” Knotts continued, “I want to thank the DLS Worldwide employees for their support of RRD and wish them well as they join TFI International.”

Everything that has happened to printing firms as a result of the pandemic is unprecedented. This means everything they have done in response to it has obliged them to improvise. To rethink. To come up with new ways of protecting their employees. To pivot to completely different methods of interacting with customers. In short, to innovate. As we've done the past several years in Printing Impressions, we profiled six companies that remain alive and well in the printing industry. This year, we’re presenting these portraits of Innovators in tribute, not just to the companies themselves, but to every printing business that has survived the trials of 2020 by being innovative. Here is a profile of one of our Best-in-Class Innovators. Does innovation have a distinctive aroma? It does at H&H Graphics. In fact, innovation there smells remarkably like … tacos. That was the olfactory enhancement the Vernon Hills, Ill.-based specialty screen printing business gave to a holiday gift wrap for Taco Bell by infusing the paper with the scents of each of the snack’s principal ingredients. When the wrap was offered on Amazon, reports Michelle Leissner, president and CEO of H&H Graphics, “it sold out in a matter of minutes.”