The following item doesn't really qualify as ASND news so I've not posted it on ASND-News Only. But it did originate out of Tucson and does reference ASND. In contrast, nothing much ever originates out of Meadville:
BW0115 JAN 16,1998 10:58 PACIFIC 13:58 EASTERN
( BW)(ALPHAGRAPHICS) AlphaGraphics Enters Africa with Store in
Johannesburg
Business Editors/Computer & Publishing Writers
TUCSON, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 16, 1998--
New store adds South Africa to the world's largest digital printing network, reflects influx of
investment to country's thriving post-apartheid economy
AlphaGraphics Inc., the international franchisor of AlphaGraphics Printshops Of The Future stores,
has entered Africa for the first time with a new store in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The opening is the first step in an agreement expected to bring over 20 AlphaGraphics stores to 12
countries in Sub-Saharan Africa over the next few years, and it reflects the demand for digital printing
services in South Africa's emerging economy.
"With the coming of the new government of Nelson Mandela in the mid-1990s, our corporate
multinational customers began investing in South Africa heavily, and they have been pushing us to expand
our international network so that they can use the same AlphaGraphics digital print services in South
Africa that they already use in other countries," said Bill Edwards, AlphaGraphics' senior vice president
of global development.
"From the day we opened in Johannesburg in December, business customers have been working with
us to electronically transfer their product sheets, catalogs and other documents to us for printing. No one
else in the country can provide this direct digital service."
With the Johannesburg store, AlphaGraphics has 76 international locations in over 20 countries on
every continent except Antarctica, giving it the largest global presence of any quick print chain.
Thirty-five additional international stores are scheduled to open in 1998, including the first company
locations in Argentina, Cyprus, France, Malaysia, Pakistan and Peru. The global expansion is part of a
strategy aimed at allowing business customers to use AlphaGraphics services anywhere in the world.
All stores in the system are tied into AlphaGraphics' global electronic network, allowing orders to be
quoted and placed directly with any store through the AlphaGraphics web site without regard to the
customer's geographic location. The chain offers design, copy and print services as well as web design
and web hosting services.
The Johannesburg store is the product of a 1997 master franchise agreement between AlphaGraphics
and Siltek Limited, a Johannesburg-based technology group traded on the Johannesburg Stock
Exchange that recently reported an annual turnover of almost Rand 2-billion (US$400 million).
The agreement gives Siltek the right to develop AlphaGraphics stores in South Africa, Zambia,
Tanzania, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Mauritius and
Lesotho.
"Siltek's operating subsidiaries and associated companies are involved in all the key sectors of the
information industry, including distribution, software, systems and services.
"The group maintains alliances with many of the world's leading technology manufacturers, including
Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Compaq, Microsoft, Epson, Harris Digital Systems, Comdial, Ascend, Ascom
and AutoDesk," said Thinnus Grobbelaar, Siltek's managing director.
"The partnership with AlphaGraphics will enable Siltek to add an exciting new dimension and value to
customers operating in Southern Africa."
Siltek is the latest in a series of large multinational corporations that have signed on as AlphaGraphics
master franchisees overseas in a quest for diversification.
In the last three years, AlphaGraphics has attracted Davisco, S.A.C. in Chile; Lisan, S.A. (Canon) in
Honduras; PT Astra Graphia in Indonesia; the Mazul Group in Malaysia; The Gleiser Group in Peru; and
ShinMooRim Paper Mfg. Co. in Korea as master franchisees in their respective countries. All are
diversified conglomerates seeking expansion opportunities in technology sectors.
AlphaGraphics is the leading provider of print-related and digital publishing services for businesses
worldwide, enabling customers to easily and effectively communicate in any publishing medium anywhere
in the world. Headquartered in Tucson, the company now has 330 franchise locations in 20 countries and
forecasts worldwide sales of more than $285 million in 1998.
For more information, visit the AlphaGraphics World Wide Web site at www.alphagraphics.com .
--30--sig/ix*
CONTACT: S&S Public Relations
Marcy Manning, 847/291-8421 ext. 251
KEYWORD: ARIZONA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMED COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS PUBLISHING
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