McAdams Graphics Inc., an Oak Creek-based specialty printing company, plans to build a 63,800-square-foot addition, nearly doubling the company’s 72,000-squre-foot facility at 7200 S. First St. Construction could begin in mid-November and be complete by the end of next summer, according to chief financial officer Peter McAdams. The addition is designed to accommodate the company’s current and future growth, he said. "We’re trying to de-densify what right now is a very dense manufacturing environment," McAdams said.
McAdams Graphics produces direct mail materials and inserts for magazines, catalogs and newspapers. McAdams Graphics’ customers include Reiman Publications, American Girl and the Smithsonian Magazine. The company recently purchased a new printing press. "With the press, we’ve added some new capabilities and capacities which should open doors for us," McAdams said. "We’re going to reconfigure the manufacturing operations a bit. The new press took away a lot of warehouse space, and we need to free up additional room for inventory and reconfigure the floor to get a better flow. In time, we hope to have room for an additional press."
An improved economy and the acquisition of new accounts have spurred McAdams’ Graphics growth over the past year.
"Additions we made to the sales force even a year or two ago have come to fruition now," McAdams said. "We build relationships, the accounts grow and that’s coming home to help us out a little bit." Even in an increasingly digital age, where online magazines and e-mail marketing are increasingly prevalent advertising tools, print-based McAdams Graphics continues to be successful.
"We don’t have a lot of overhead, we’re family run and we’re dedicated to the business," McAdams said. "I think that makes a difference for us." McAdams Graphics is not a general commercial printer, but targets certain markets and industries. "We put the people, presses and equipment in place to support those markets we do well in," McAdams said.
Additionally, McAdams Graphics relies on efficiency to attract potential customers. "There’s a lot of iron chasing and competition out there," McAdams said. "You’ve got to be pretty efficient to make money in this business, and we seem to be doing that. We’re experiencing sales growth, and we’re getting a share because our pricing is where it needs to be."
Still, McAdams acknowledges that the increasing use of digital media heralds change for his industry.
"It’s always a question mark out there, what’s going to happen with that, whether print will go on forever," he said. "I think it will go on for the foreseeable future." McAdams believes other changes are in store, as well. "As the direct marketing industry gathers more and more data about us as people, we will see more targeted marketing efforts and personalization," he said. "You’ll have a value-added piece that you really want to make attractive because the person you’re sending it to will be a viable candidate for the product." In the end, McAdams believes the fate of the printing industry will depend upon the needs of younger generations. "It depends on what they want with advertising, with magazines and newspapers," he said. "They’re much more connected and digitally independent, which will certainly change the print industry. To what extent? To be honest with you, I don’t really know."
