Three months after closing the deal to acquire Montreal-based Worldcolor (formerly Quebcor World), new owner Wisconsin-based Quad/Graphics has laid out the plans for its acquired Canadian printing operations, including the closure of one plant along with the investment of $23 million across the remaining eight operations.
Closing is the St.-Jean-sur-Richelieu printing plant, which employs some 270 people. Production is expected to wind down by year’s end. The remaining plants (Dartmouth, Montreal, St. Laurent, LaSalle, Aurora, Concord, Edmonton and Vancouver) will take part in the $23 million of infrastructure investments over the next year. As part of a reshuffle, the Edmonton facility will shift to focusing exclusively on retail insert and directory business, transitioning its magazine and other commercialwork to the Aurora, Ont. facility. As a result 30 positions will be eliminated in Edmonton.
“We are committed to Canada and are structuring our operations to deliver the best quality on the most efficient and flexible manufacturing platform coast to coast and nearest to our customers’ end users,” said Joel Quadracci, Quad/Graphics chairman, president & CEO (pictured), in the company release. “This strategic investment will improve our platform and is a big step toward strengthening our position in Canada.”
The multi-million dollar investment will encompass equipment upgrades as well as enhanced employee training and education. In addition, Quad/Graphics will strengthen its cross-media marketing services in the country to help Canadian retailers, publishers and other advertisers extend a consistent brand message across multiple print communication channels, and integrate those channels with other forms of media, such as the Internet, mobile technologies and digital tablets.
“We are excited by how quickly the company has committed to investing in the Canadian platform, which is characterized by plants strategically located across the entire nation,” said Philippe Cloutier, president of Quad/Graphics in Canada.