REASON FOR PRICE INCREASES

The answer lies with two equity/hedge funds who have invested heavily into the North American paper making industry. At the time of this newsletter one firm controls over 42% of the coated sheet market and another equity firm controls over 35% of the uncoated sheet market. What these firms have done is buy up a number of pulp mills and have shut down either the entire plant or production lines creating a capacity shortage in the market. This capacity shortage is causing the paper industry to discontinue lower margin paper products and increase their pricing on the remaining lines that they produce. Their attitude is that if our suppliers don't accept the increase then they will ship their products overseas and take advantage of the weak dollar. We are actually hearing rumors of possible supply shortages in liner and other essential sheets. Combine the paper capacity issues with the price run ups in general commodity prices (oil, platinum, etc.) and you have the making of a perfect pricing storm. 1 don't have a prediction as to how many or what size increases we will see in 2009 and beyond, but the strength or weakness of the economy will drive the frequency and severity of these increases. Because the cost to enter the paper making industry is so large, 1 feel certain that we will see the situation remaining unchanged for the next several years.

DLS Newsletter

 

 

PBM makes magazine's list of fastest-growing firms

Gordonsville-based PBM Products has been named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Hot 500, a list of the nation’s fastest growing businesses.

Maria Anton, an executive editor at Entrepreneur, said this year marked the magazine’s 13th annual list. In previous years, the magazine has only ranked 100 of the country’s fastest growing companies.

DivX Inc., a digital media company in San Diego, was No. 1 on the list. Twenty-four Virginia companies made the list.

“The magazine is focused on how to grow and run a business,” Anton said. “Entrepren-eurial businesses are contributing the highest percentage of job growth and helping the economy grow.”

PBM, started in 1998 by Paul Manning, was ranked No. 242 on the list. The company now has 400 employees, including almost 100 in Gordonsville.

Most of the company’s other employees work at PBM’s manufacturing center in Vermont.

According to spokesman Joe Shields, the company began making private-label, or store-brand, infant formula when it was founded.

Before starting PBM, Manning had worked in sales and marketing for several pharmaceutical companies, Shields said. He took his experience with pharmaceutical distribution and applied it to the infant formula market.

The company now also makes pharmaceutical products - both prescription and over-the-counter medicines - along with other infant and pediatric nutritional products.

“The core of our business is still in private-label [items],” Shields said.

From an initial investment of $20,000, Manning’s company has grown rapidly, turning a profit its first year and posting $158.4 million in sales last year. That mark represented a $70 million increase over the company’s sales total in 2002.

To qualify for the Hot 500, companies had to have been founded between 1998 and 2002. Sales in 2002 must have exceeded $100,000, with 2006 sales falling somewhere between $1 million and $1 billion.

Entrepreneur used a database firm to canvass 19 million companies, and 95,000 of those businesses met the eligibility criteria for the Hot 500. The magazine evaluated growth at those companies before ranking the top 500.

“An entrepreneur is someone looking to grow a business,” Anton said. “They’re all about grow, grow, grow. Other business owners can look at this [list] as a benchmark.”

IBSA Partners With SATO To offer HealthCARE ID Solutions

Indianapolis-based International Business Solutions Alliance (IBSA) has signed an agreement with SATO Corporation—a provider of barcode printing, labeling, and EPC/RFID solutions—to offer a more secure method of administering patient care and improving patient safety. SATO’s Positive Patient ID solution offers health-care providers a path to compliance using the latest in cost-effective patient identification technology, including SATO DuraMark thermal wristbands, code colorized fastening clips, CTMD thermal printers and Label Gallery HC application software.

SATO’s Positive Patient ID solution will advance an organization’s method of banding, tracking, and administering medications to patients. SATO’s Positive Patient ID wristbands work seamlessly with existing bedside bar code systems, and help ensure the proper patient receives safe, accurate and timely medical procedures. The DuraMark Wristband facilitates positive identification by linking each patient’s medical record number or account number using human-readable text, barcodes and, if desired, a patient’s photo.

Not only does SATO’s HealthCARE ID solution enable the facility to print the right wristband for the right patient at the right time, without intervention from the nursing or administrative staff, but it also meets or exceeds the demanding requirements of the FDA, AHA, HIPAA, and provides compliance with JCAHO guidelines for patient identification and safety. In addition, Label Gallery HC seamlessly interfaces to any hospital information system and allows the use of advanced identification technologies, while SATO CTMD printers are high-performance thermal printers that are operationally quiet, enabling them to be placed in the most sensitive of hospital environments.

IBSA currently holds contracts with Novation and First Choice Cooperative, providing a broad range of products supplied by a diverse supplier pool.

U.S. Postal Regulations Change Envelope Specifications

First Systems and Resources introduced two 6 x 9-inch diagonal seam envelopes because of recent changes in postal regulations that consider size, shape, weight, thickness and flexibility in determining postage costs.

The envelopes are available in regular 6 x 9-inch and 6 x 9-inch window formats. The window position is 1 1/4 x 4-inch, 5/8-inch from the left, and 2 1/4-inch from the bottom. The window has been placed so the bar code remains in the OCR read area.

Both envelopes are made of 28# white wove paper, and are available with an inside tint.

Commercial Printing Awards

Print Solutions Magazine recently announced the winners of their annual Peak Awards that stand for Print Excellence And Knowledge. 

Our Commercial Printing Plant was once again the winner of 2 awards.  They won in the Commercial Printing 4-color multi-component category for a saddle stitched brochure and also in the Commercial Printing Kit category for a pocket folder with inserts.   

First Systems Resources, Inc. is very proud of our plant for being recognized with these prestigious awards.  We continue to work hard at providing the highest quality work for our customers!

NEW Contract for Promotional Products/Imprinted Sportswear with UVA

First Systems & Resources, Inc has been awarded a contract for Promotional Products/Imprinted Sportswear at the University of Virginia.

The Promotional Products/Imprint Sportswear contract number is UVA-JG-0508-043. First Systems & Resources, Inc also holds a contract number (UCP-UVA-LP-0608-088) for Printing Services at the University of Virginia.

These numbers can be used to streamline the purchasing process by any state agency to purchase promotional products and printing.

The PPAI Expo Once Again Sets Attendance Record

Irving, Texas (January 19, 2006) Hitting the jackpot in Las Vegas is not a common occurrence; consistently winning is even more rare. But last week, Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) continued a winning streak as The PPAI Expo 2006 drew a record-breaking 13,700 distributor attendees to the annual tradeshow at the Mandalay Bay Con-vention Center in Las Vegas. This reflected a 2.5 percent increase over last year’s distributor attendance. In addition, dis-tributor companies in attendance were up 7.5 percent over the 2005 record.

Exhibitor participation was also on the rise with a total of 1,603 supplier companies exhibiting at 3,788 booths, up 6 per-cent. In 2004, The PPAI Expo was named 48th of the top 50 largest shows in the U.S. by Tradeshow Week magazine.

“These numbers are wonderful, and of course we’re proud of our record, but the real story is much more than statistics,” said PPAI president, Steve Slagle, CAE. “The Expo brings together the industry’s top professionals in one location, at one show. And they are there to learn about product lines and to see all the new products. They come to grow as profession-als by participating in world-class education and refuel by listening to top-quality motivational speakers. The industry comes to The PPAI Expo to do business and become better at doing business.”

Educational Also Attracts Record Numbers

Attendees also showed up in record numbers to attend more than 100 education sessions offered throughout the week. Overall attendance at the education sessions was up by 10 percent over 2005. Other numbers of note are:

• Forty-eight professionals sat for their certification exam, which was offered three times during the week.

• Participation in paid seminars was up more than 150 percent.

• Sales in the onsite PPAI Bookstore were also up by 15 percent.

The sales representative from FSR came back from the show with lots of new and innovative promotional product ideas.  Contact us to see if some of these items can help you promote your business.

Biotage has received its largest order to date

Biotage has received the companys largest single order to date. It includes 31 instruments and totals approx. 15 MSEK. The customer is one of the worlds major pharmaceutical companies. The instruments, which originate from the recently acquired company Argonaut, will be used by chemists to enhance the processes used in the development of pharmaceuticals.

Its encouraging that we have received an order of this magnitude so soon after the acquisition of Argonaut, says Jeff Bork, president and CEO of Biotage AB.

The instruments will enable the scientists to simulate a number of processes under different conditions and to move from laboratory scale to production scale. The ordered instruments will be installed at the customers plants in the US and Europe during 2005.

We are seeing an increased interest worldwide in the pharmaceutical industry towards tools that reduce bottlenecks for process development and full-scale production. As Medicinal Chemistry accelerates the hit-to-lead process through automation, the emphasis now moves toward getting NCEs into clinical trials, says David Patteson, president of Biotage, Discovery Chemistry Group.

The instruments included in the order are Advantage Series® 2410 Personal Screening Synthesizers, Advantage Series® 3400 Multi-reactor Process Chemistry Workstations and Endeavor® Parallel Catalyst-screening Instruments.

Bright Beginnings™ Salutes Spokesperson Brooke Shields on the Launch of Her Book

May 5, 2005

Bright Beginnings™ Salutes Spokesperson Brooke Shields on the Launch of Her New Book, “Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression”

GORDONSVILLE, VA – May 5, 2005 – The makers of Bright Beginnings™ infant formula with DHA (docosa-hexaenoic acid) today congratulated product spokesperson Brooke Shields on the publication of her new book, Down Came The Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression (Hyperion).  The book, a moving and heartfelt account of Shields’ battle with postpartum depression, arrived in bookstores on May 3 and is enjoying outstanding advance buzz thanks to positive reviews and a host of national television appearances.

“We want to offer Brooke our heartiest congratulations on the publication of this outstanding book,” said Paul B. Manning, president and CEO of Bright Beginnings.  “We are proud of our relationship with Brooke from her first days as a new mom.  Now we know her courage and candor in sharing her own experiences provide a great measure of support to millions of women who are facing postpartum depression.”

In the book, the acclaimed model and actress recounts her first meeting with the Bright Beginnings team, held in New York, only a short time after the birth of her daughter, Rowan.  During the meeting, Shields, caught in the throes of postpartum depression, began crying while discussing new motherhood.

According to Shields, the Bright Beginnings executives comforted her and said that breastfeeding is best for babies, but many women choose to supplement using formula or formula-feed exclusively.  The representatives suggested she speak with a health-care professional before introducing formula to her daughter.  The new mom accepted the role after successfully feeding Rowan Bright Beginnings infant formula with DHA.  As spokesperson, Shields contin-ued to breastfeed and supplement with Bright Beginnings formula.      

“My association with Bright Beginnings infant formula has been a wonderful experience,” said Shields.  “Bright Be-ginnings has been great for my baby.”

WorldStrides Makes The Capital a Classroom Again

 

Apr 26, 2005

by Gil Klein MEDIA GENERAL NEWS SERVICE WASHINGTON – The class trip to the nation’s capital is making a comeback. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, anthrax in a Senate office building and sniper killings in the Washington area, trips for middle and high school students dropped more than 30 percent, say the groups that organize them. “School systems, school attorneys, school boards, principals -- many of them got cold feet and canceled,” said Charles Tampio, vice president of the Close Up Foundation, which organizes trips mostly for high school students. “It’s still not back to its former peak,” he said. “But we’re on our way back.” Last week, seventh and eighth graders from Conover, N.C., crowded around their congressman in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall. At 29, Rep. Patrick McHenry is the youngest member of Congress. If he switched his business suit for a t-shirt and jeans and put a baseball cap on backwards, he almost could blend with the students. Not too long ago, McHenry was on the other side of this ritual. “In 1994, I came for a tour of Washington with Close Up,” he told the students. “That’s when I got my first interest in politics. By 2005, I was a congressman. That shows that politics is not just for old people.” The Washington school trip has been an eye-opening experience for generations of school children. “A trip to Washington could be very powerful if it is appropriately framed by the teacher with real content about history and government,” said Peter Levine, who tracks civic education research at the University of Maryland’s Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy. “I can still remember first seeing the monuments as a teenager. I have a different feeling toward Washington when I think of that.” Trips cost anywhere from $325 to $1,500 depending on transportation, length of stay, who organizes the trip and extra events. Some organizers offer seminars, debates, and celebrity speakers. WorldStrides, a company based in Charlottesville, Va., is the largest organizer. This year it is bringing nearly 100,000 students – mostly middle schoolers -- to Washington, said Francois Martin, vice president for marketing. Last week alone, it had 44 school groups roaming memorials and museums. “We train our leaders in how to engage students,” Martin said. “We try to customize every program around the teacher to meet the teacher’s goals.” Virginia students usually don’t take advantage of the week-long Washington trip because the capital is so close. Instead they opt for day trips that try to pack a lot into a few hours. Marcey Williams, principal of J. Frank Hillyard Middle School in Broadway, worried about minutes ticking by as she stood at the end of the line, behind her 280 students, waiting for fast food in the National Museum of American History. “We’re here to do the Air and Space Museum and the American History Museum and do a walking tour of the monuments,” she said. “It all fits into their sixth grade science and social studies curriculum.” Leonard Hall is convinced the trip is valuable. For 11 years, the eighth grade history teacher in Taunton, Mass., has been bringing his students to Washington. “It’s hands-on history, not something they are reading in a text book,” he said as he walked toward the American History Museum with 60 eighth graders. “At the Holocaust Museum, I tried to make the students aware there’s a place for the United States to be the humanitarians in the world,” he said. “They hear a lot of anti-war talk. They lose a sense of the evil out there in the world.” He took the students to Lafayette Park in front of the White House to talk with Concepcion Picciotto, who for the past 24 years has been standing vigil in her own anti-war protest. “Students need to see people with opposing views,” Hall said. “They need to understand they can disagree peacefully.” He tried to turn every moment into a history lesson. “Why is the White House white?” he called out to his students, who looked at him as though he were crazy. What other color would the White House be? “Because after the British burned it during the War of 1812,” he said, “the Americans wanted to cover up the burn marks on the stone when they rebuilt it, so they painted it white.” In four days, the 36 students from Concordia Christian School in Conover, N.C., packed in Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and a tour of the Gettysburg battlefield along with two full days in Washington. The seventh and eighth graders saw the Air and Space, American History, Natural History and Holocaust Museums, Arlington Cemetery and the National Cathedral, as well as the Capitol. “The kids had only seen pictures of the monuments in books and thought they were small,” said principal Bill Unverfehrt, “They’re amazed at their size.” And other lessons are just as important for children coming from rural towns, said Unverfehrt’s wife, Kathy, a Concordia teacher. “You have to get them to realize they are not in a one-stoplight town anymore,” she said. “You have to get them to stand back from the street when they are waiting to cross. And it’s a good lesson in patience. They get tired and hungry.” Many of the Concordia students seemed dazed after their Capitol tour, but eighth grader Andy DeHart piped up when asked what he enjoyed most about the trip so far. “I like the Natural History museum the best – the dinosaurs and diamonds,” he said. “And the city, of course. What’s not to like? It’s cool.”