Printing Firm Presses Ahead With Expansion

Next week will mark the second anniversary of one of the largest investments in the 15-year history of the Holden Color printing company of Newbury Park.

It was in August 1996 that owner Mark Holden plunked down $3 million for a Heidelberg SpeedMaster, a German-made state-of-the-art printing press.

And how is the Holden group celebrating the anniversary of this purchase?

By wrapping up negotiations to buy a second Heidelberg SpeedMaster.

“We’ve gotten all kinds of business because of the [first] Heidelberg press--we’ve gotten brochures and catalog work, printing for packaging, for boxes,” Holden said. “We’ve grown 35% to 40% in sales in each of the last two years and we feel that we’ve reached our capacity. The company has built up a momentum and we’re afraid we’re going to hit the ceiling and not be able to service new or existing clients.”

Holden said it should be much easier to part with the $3 million this time around than it was for the first printer.

“We were really learning the process then,” Holden said. “With this one we’re going to ease our workload. Right now we are working around the clock, and when we get a rush job in, it’s impossible to handle.”

Along with looking for a new printer, Holden Color is searching for a place to house it. Holden said the company has begun hunting for a facility that will be at least double the size of its present 10,000-square-foot location.

A larger facility, Holden said, also will help the company accommodate an increase in staff from about 20 to 35 employees over the past two years.

As Holden Printing prepares for its future, company officials also are celebrating the present. The firm recently received a top honor for small printing companies in the international Premier Print Awards program sponsored by the Printing Industries of North America.

Holden Color received the award for a 32-page color catalog printed for Answer Products, a Valencia-based manufacturer of mountain bike accessories.