Quad/Graphics: Daring to think differently
Quad/Graphics is the embodiment of one man’s dream to find “a better way.” That man was Harry V. Quadracci, who has been celebrated as much for his printing industry accomplishments as for his forward-thinking management philosophies. Harry launched Quad/Graphics on July 13, 1971, in an abandoned millwork factory in Pewaukee, Wisconsin.
Quad/Graphics’ big break came when we landed Newsweek in 1978. A turning point for our fledgling company, the weekly magazine work enabled us to establish a consistent workload and the opportunity to prove ourselves as a quality-minded, innovative print services provider. (We still print Newsweek today, as well as numerous other newsweeklies, prestigious monthly magazines, top catalogs and more.)
We continued our rapid-fire expansion, building additional plants and equipping them with the latest technology. Today the next generation of Quadracci family leadership has emerged. Harry’s son, Joel, became President & CEO in 2006, the 35th anniversary of our company’s founding.
Even though Quad/Graphics has became a publicly held, world’s second largest printing company, we still remain fully committed to realizing Harry’s vision of finding “a better way,” whether that is putting ink on paper, servicing customers beyond expectation or taking care of employees and their families.
QuadWinkowski: A Print Pioneer
The Winkowski company was established in 1998 when Tadeusz Winkowski merged his printing operation in Piła with Supercolor, a Radzymin-based entity. Among the new company’s shareholders was Quad/Graphics, which actively supported Winkowski’s development through a number of investments and educational programs.
From the beginning, Winkowski invested in its business. It was a pioneer in installing new machines and cutting-edge technologies that offered clients new, innovative solutions. Investments in its production platform were always accompanied by investments in its people. During its first year in operation, Winkowski developed and implemented printing programs at local vocational schools. Later the company established one-year scholarship programs to support printing education.
In 2005 the European Union co-financed the company’s purchase of a former car production plant in Wyszków to establish a modern logistics and printing center The company thoroughly rehabilitated the vacant plant to eliminate environmental issues and risks. Its environmental solutions, such as asbestos removal, significantly improved the local environment. The Wyszków plant investment also created more than 700 new jobs, with more than 400 positions going to women. As a result, Winkowski received a prestigious award: Reliable Employer of 2005. That same year founder Tadeusz Winkowski was recognized as Top Entrepreneur of the year in a competition organized by Ernst and Young. The company also received a 2005 Certificate of Innovation, granted annually by the Polish Academy of Sciences to the 500 most innovative companies.
Quad/Graphics systematically increased its ownership of the company and became sole owner in 2009, a change reflected in the company’s name: QuadWinkowski. The year 2010 brought two crucial moves. The first was a consolidation that relocated production from the Piła plant into the Wyszków plant. The second was the company’s entry into the commercial print market through the acquisition of IMC SA Winkowski Group, a manufacturer of packaging, retail displays and advertising materials.
Today QuadWinkowski is one of the largest, most modern printers in Europe, and is the industry’s undisputed leader in Central and Eastern Europe. In 2011, for the third consecutive year, the company earned a Golden Griffin, the Polish printing industry’s most prestigious awards, from the Polish Chamber of Printing. The award, for Best Print Product in the Multicolor Magazines category, was QuadWinkowski’s seventh Golden Griffin in the competition’s 15-year history. It also brought the company a Diamond Griffin, a special award for printers that win Golden Griffins three years in a row.