April Print Shipments: Returning to Regular Seasonality (whattheythink.com)

Net sales in the third quarter of 2017 were $329.5 million compared to $382.7 million in the same period last year, a decline of 13.9%. The Company generated net sales of $1.01 billion for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to $1.16 billion for the same period last year, a decline of 13.1%. The sales decline for both the three and nine month periods was primarily driven by: (i) lower sales in the envelope segment, primarily due to lower direct mail demand primarily from our financial institution customers and lower demand in our wholesale and generic transactional envelope product lines primarily due to marketplace trends; (ii) lower sales volumes in the commercial print group and the publisher services group, primarily driven by lower customer demand and continued pricing pressures; and (iii) lower sales in the label segment, primarily due to the decision to exit our coating operation which was completed in the second quarter of 2016, and lower sales driven by customer demand and product mix changes. Operating loss was $0.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2017, compared to operating income of $20.2 million in the same period last year. Operating income was $22.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2017, compared to operating income of $51.9 million for the same period last year, a decline of 56.5%. The decline during the three months ended September 30, 2017 was primarily due to lower gross profit resulting from lower sales volumes and intangible asset impairments of $7.7 million driven by our current and expected future operating results for certain product lines. The declines in the nine months ended September 30, 2017 were primarily due to lower gross profit resulting from lower sales volumes, the impact of the decision to exit the coating operation, intangible asset impairments of $7.7 million driven by our current and expected future operating results for certain product lines, and higher restructuring and other charges resulting from the 2017 Profitability Improvement Plan. Click Read More below for additional information.

Sun Chemical was recognized during the 2024 Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) Excellence in Flexography Award Competition for its SunUno Solimax AP, a multi-purpose ink series which enhances packaging sustainability. “Sun Chemical is fully committed to the development of sustainable printing solutions and SunUno Solimax AP is an example of one of our unique offerings that promotes the environmental objectives of packaging printers and their brand owner customers,” said Nikola Juhasz, Ph.D., Global Technical Director of Sustainability, Sun Chemical. “This FTA award is a deeply appreciated recognition of the work we are doing to improve sustainability across all aspects of our business and further inspires us on our journey towards developing the next innovation.” A highly versatile ink series, SunUno Solimax AP provides a single platform that can cover multiple end-use applications and is TÜV Austria-certified as “OK Compost” for compostable packaging. The multipurpose solvent-based inks are designed for printing on a wide range of plastic films intended for both external surface/reverse printing and lamination with adhesives.

The proposed duties “have the potential to devastate entire industry segments, increase costs for businesses and their customers, jeopardize jobs, limit supply, and threaten the viability of many American small businesses,” a coalition of publishers and other businesses wrote on Friday in a letter to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). The letter continues, “The printing, publishing, paper-producing, and mailing industries employ account for approximately 8.5 million jobs in the United States and represent five percent of the nation’s total civilian labor force. Our industries are already trying to navigate significant financial challenges, and the preliminary duties on aluminum printing plates that are currently in place are making matters worse.