Printing company presses on under new ownership

A family-owned commercial printing company that has been a Greensburg landmark for more than 100 years is under new ownership - and facing some changes.

The Charles M. Henry Printing Co., at the intersection of North Maple Avenue and Tunnel Street, was purchased in January by Knepper Press Corp., a commercial printing operation in Oakdale, Allegheny County. The new owners did not reveal the purchase price.

Henry Printing will remain in the city under the Charles M. Henry Printing name, said Bill Knepper, a co-owner of buyer Knepper Press. Pat Henry will remain as general manager of Henry Printing, and the sales staff will stay in Greensburg, he said.

'We're here to grow the business,' Knepper said.

Although Knepper Press intends to keep Henry Printing operating and serving its customer base, some operations will be consolidated between the Oakdale and Greensburg plants.

Seven employees from Henry Printing will be transferred to the Oakdale plant because Knepper intends to move some printing operations to that site, said Ted Ford, a co-owner of Knepper Press.

A few workers made the move last week.

The move makes good business sense because the company recently purchased a $2.5 million state-of-the-art six-color sheet-fed press for its Oakdale plant, Knepper said.

'We'll put the work where it fits best,' Ford said.

The presses at Henry Printing are older, and Ford said the company intends to sell those. A Henry Printing official said there are plans to shut down four of the five presses at Henry Printing.

A Henry family spokesman referred all questions to the new owners. But one Henry Printing employee said that workers at the Greensburg plant whose jobs may be transferred are concerned about the lengthy commute to the western end of Allegheny County.

'Everyone lives within 10 to 15 miles of here (Greensburg),' he said.

Ford said the company intends to transfer some work from its Oakdale plant to Greensburg. That includes fulfillment work - the printing done for customers in advance, then stored at the company warehouse until the printed material is needed.

The company also plans to expand its pre-press department with new digital equipment, Knepper said.

Henry Printing will retain the die-cutting and foil-stamping operations for letterheads, business cards and book covers. It will continue to handle specialty binding at Henry Printing.

Ford said Knepper Press and Henry Printing were good fits because both are general commercial printing firms. Henry Printing specializes in university and college work.

The companies also are two of the oldest family-owned commercial printing operations in the region. Knepper said his family's firm was founded in Carnegie in 1873. Charles M. Henry Printing was founded in Greensburg in 1898.

'We merged together to form an alliance so that both of us can survive. It's a positive thing for everybody,' Knepper said.