via Publishers Weekly – Educational publishers have needs that differ from those of the industry at large. The books used in K–12 schools, colleges, churches, and home schools—workbooks, activity books, textbooks, coloring books, teachers’ guides—are, for instance, frequently printed on 8.5-by-11 letter-sized paper.
Book manufacturer Bradford & Bigelow specializes in this market. “We serve major educational, faith-based, homeschooling, and trade publishers, offering industry leading turnaround times and exceptional quality,” says CEO John Galligan.
This specialty makes B&B a distinctive player in the space. “The majority of our competitors produce a wide range of trim sizes and products—magazines, catalogs, journals, wide format, and so on,” Karl Shearer, VP Sales & Business Development says. “Conversely, B&B has made a strategic decision to concentrate on the 8.5-by-11 book market.”
The company specializes in perfect-, saddle-, coil-, and case-bound products and has grown sales from $200,000 in a South Boston loft to a $100M organization today. B&B does the printing, warehousing, and distribution of clients’ products directly from its facilities in Newburyport, Mass., and Newton, N.H. By consolidating services into a comprehensive supply-chain solution, B&B is able to streamline logistics and reduce client costs, noted Rick Dunn, EVP.
Focusing on the educational market also increases efficiency by minimizing equipment set up time, reducing turnaround times and inventory levels, and lowering costs. B&B staffers offer institutional knowledge of the sector’s product lines, paper options and provide ISO 9001:2015 and G7 Master quality service levels. “Our goal has always remained the same—to be the best-in-class supply chain partner, not the biggest,” Galligan says.
Supply-chain unpredictability, particularly with overseas production delays and fluctuating material costs, is one of the biggest challenges publishers face today.
B&B works to mitigate these risks for publishers by providing the infrastructure that can ensure consistent, reliable and shorter lead times. With ten presses focused on the 8.5-by-11 trim size, the company can offer burst capacity for adoptions and “pleasant surprises”—that is, titles that sell more copies than anticipated. The company’s warehousing and distribution capabilities allow staffers to ship products directly to end users, saving clients time and money. B&B leaders continue to be forwardlooking. Over the past decade, the company has transitioned its print platform to four-color, significantly expanded its warehousing and distribution capabilities and recently added case binding.
As demand for environmentally responsible production grows, B&B is investing in greener technologies and ensuring compliance with evolving regulations like the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Forty percent of B&B’s power is generated by solar energy, and the company’s advanced recycling system ensures that more than 98% of the paper that goes through the plant is either sold as a finished product or recycled. B&B is also a pioneer in the development and use of LED/UV Ink technology, which eliminates VOC emissions and significantly reduces energy costs. “We want to offer clients a true turnkey solution, where publishers can focus on content development and marketing and B&B takes care of the print, warehouse, and distribution logistics in an environmentally friendly manner” noted Emily Kotecki, Marketing Manager.
