Last week, I wrote a couple of stories on Orange County’s printing and graphics businesses.
Since, I’ve gotten more information on how some shops are fairing and what they’re doing to stay competitive.
Doug Grant, president of Foothill Ranch-based WestAmerica Graphics Corp. said his company has added more services to help lure business.
It’s no longer OK for printers just to print, Grant said. They also need to offer more marketing services, he said.
WestAmerica beefed up its own services, including adding structural graphics, die cut and three-dimensional marketing pieces that add “more sizzle or pop,” Grant said.
The company also made some cuts, including trimming its local staff 8% to 66 workers.
The shop is “financially stronger as a result of the cutbacks” and “well poised for opportunities as they develop,” Grant said.
“We’re hunkering down for what we project will be a flat year,” he said. “We’ll ride it out.”
The shop has seen some ad agencies and food service clients cut back on work but is getting more orders from healthcare companies, Grant said.
Lake Forest’s PSB Litho has its own take.
President Mark DeBellis said his company is pushing more environmentally friendly printing and products.
“At our urging, many of our clients have increasingly adopted environmentally friendly paper stocks,” he said.
PSB also has an onsite generation system using natural gas to help reduce energy consumption, DeBellis said.
In the meantime, Los Alamitos-based Trend Offset Printing Services Inc., the county’s largest printer, is hunting for businesses to buy or plans to open more of its own, Chief Operating Officer Warren Dow said.
“Trend is extremely well positioned to capitalize on the economic downturn because of our strong financial position,” he said. “The print space will continue to be challenged with commodity price increases and overcapacity. Our plan is to continue to grow, but strategically.”
Trend isn’t alone.
Jim Joyce, chief executive of Brea-based Dual Graphics Inc., said his shop is keeping its eyes open for possible buys.
“Dual Graphics has tucked in a few companies in the past and we will do the same in the future,” he said.
The company also will continue to invest in technology and equipment so it can be more efficient, Joyce said.
The move could help counter hikes in paper prices, fuel and postage.
“We face similar challenges to most manufacturing industries as costs continue to rise faster than pricing can reasonably follow,” Joyce said. “Coupled with the demand on capital and a reduced skilled employee pool, our industry continues to be under pressure to do more for less or the same.”
The printer plans to work with clients to help them “overcome the challenges of this slow economy,” Joyce said, with more focused and aggressive marketing.
ESPN vs. Quiksilver
Huntington Beach-based clothing maker Quiksilver Inc. said it was blindsided when it recently got slapped with a lawsuit from ESPN.
The sports network, part of Walt Disney Co., claims Quiksilver infringed on its X Games trademark by making clothes with an “X” on it.
The X Games, which Quiksilver and its DC Shoes brand have sponsored in the past, feature action sports competitions, such as surfing, snowboarding and biking.
The televised events give big exposure to many of OC’s surf and skate clothing brands, since many sponsor riders who compete in the events. And people watching the games are usually donning T-shirts and other garb with the brands’ logos.
Quiksilver believes “that the ESPN claims lack any merit and are completely unfounded,” spokesman Joshua Katz said.
The company “is very surprised by this litigation, particularly given Quiksilver and DC Shoes’ historical support of ESPN and the X Games,” Katz said.
Quiksilver was contacted by ESPN in the fall, according to Katz. ESPN didn’t respond to Quiksilver’s attempts to discuss the issues, he said.
The company said it hopes for “an amicable resolution” and will “vigorously defend its trademarks,” Katz said.
Quiksilver recently won a lawsuit involving its Roxy girls brand.
The surfwear maker sued Los Angeles-based Kymsta Corp., which makes women’s clothes under the Roxywear, Roxywear by Roxx and Roxywear by Roxanne Heptner names. Quiksilver’s clothes for girls and young women go under the Roxy label.
Beef en Espa & #324;ol
Newport Beach-based HeilBrice Inc. recently got some kudos for a Hispanic marketing campaign it created for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association.
HeilBrice developed store marketing materials to help retailers sell beef to Hispanics. The campaign included building a mini-carnicer & #237;a with Spanish-language signage in stores, and giving customers bilingual recipes of Latino meals and a dictionary of beef cuts and dishes.
The shop said the campaign helped contribute to sales increases at Albertsons stores that used the marketing work.
