HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-02-28, Page 56nil -Stagy enjoys rapid growth
arty i 1 them last
decade, Signal -Star
EV:dishing Ltd.. moved
from its former crowded
office on 'West Street to its
modern -new plant in
industrial park. That
relocationnin-1973 was the
. beginning of some other
dramatic ; changes that
have taken the company
from a small, in -
typesetting equipment
replaced the IBM
equipment, which in two
short years had become
too slow for Signal -Star
needs„
In '
1979 Mini Disc
Terminals were acquired
and now reporters set
their copy •while they
write their stories.
Costs Piave,increased as
significant •newspaper to dramatically as the
one of the country's changes. - Photo -
leading publishing firms. typsetting paper in -
"It took" us in image creased 100 percent
-fro 811--._a_ _al -t_ towtr—beturetb mid`December
newspaper to a modern 1979 and mid-January
efficient business," 1980. In 1970 SSP paid$152
observes controller Tom per ton for newsprint and
Flynn. in 1980 they pay $408 a ton.
The company now owns Between 1970 and 1980,
five weekly newspapers-
The Goderich Signal -
Star, a consistent prize
winner in national and
provincial competitions;
The Clinton News -
Record, another award
winning publication; The
Kincardine News that
will be a major winner at
this year's Ontario
Weekly Newspaper
Assocation convention in
Toronto ; The Lucknow
Sentinel; and The Mit-
chell Advocate. •
As well, the company
publishes The Huron
Shopping News that is.
distributed free right
across the area.
Printing -customers
include weekly
newspapers .from Huron,
Bruce, Perth, Middlesex,
Lambton, Wellington and
Grey counties.
By far the biggest
printing customer is the
Anglican Church of
Canada. Signal -Star
Publishing prints
everything that is
Anglican in Canada ...
right from British
Columbia to Newfoun-
dland. •
Other interests for
Signal -Star Publishing
include the Bradford
Paper Group, the
Bradford Witness and
Topic, and,its associated
printing company,
Webman in. Guelph.
Customers for the Guelph,
-plant come mainly -from
the surrounding area and
the Niagara Pennisula.
Webman prints • 14
weekly newspapers, six
university and college
papers as well as flyers,
pamphlets and books.
The two printing
busionesses use 50 tons of
newsprint a week or 645
miles of newsprint, '34
inches in width.
Through the expansion,
the staff in the Goderich
branch has more than
doub led from 40 people to
90 on staff, fulitime and
partime, in the main'
plant and at the area
weeklies. With the ad-
dition of Bradford and
Guelph staffs, another 50
people are employed: by
SSP.
The newspaper in-
dustry has seen some of
the • most dramatic
technological change in
'the past ten years. In
1969, IBM computerized
strike on setting was
installed replacing the
linotypes and Ludlow fell
by,the-wayside---
In 1971 the _typesetting
equipment was moder-
nized again. Photo
the costa printing plates,
increased from 90 cents a
plate to $2.25 a plate..
Film has increased from
85 cents a sheet in 1970 to
$2.35 a sheet in 1980..
Ink, which is primarily
a petroleum product has
increased 60 percent.
The material used to tie.
the papers in bundles for
mailing has increased 30.
percent because it too, is
a petroleum based
product.
In 197$ SSP went to
automated labelling
equipment and took on
the addr essing and
mailing or a half million
copies .of• Anglican
Church papers each
month, . •
Computerized ac-
counting and payroll was
introduced during the.70s.
At the end 'of •the
decade, a new building
was constructed - in the
town of Mitchell. Just -Ort
themain street, the
building is modern in
design and much ap-
preciated by . the com-
munity. It accommodates
editoriial, advertising,
accounting and
photography operations
there.
The company is at a
point now where it is too
big and too small, says
production and sales
manager John Buchanan.
The eight -unit King
dress moatk
really too busy for one
shift to handle, but not
0
Kula
quite busy enough for two
shifts.
But there's much
satisfaction for staff too.
"Our overhead means
we must have increased
productivity t- maintain
our profit level," says
Buchanan.
Going into' the 1980s
though, the company
management is hopeful
that the .new decade will
bring extra growth for
WPP s is SSignal-Star- llshing
Lt . and for the
towns in
r
which the .company's
publications are located.
For Goderich, the beige
anad brown building at the
corner of Huckins Street
and Highway 21 south, is
the home of a local in-
dustry that is .just
beginning to move out. •
President R.G.Shrier
had a dream and a few
others dared to dream •
-
with him. Look what's
happened to that dream
and -tri ILL -imagine._
what lies ahead,
tri
ge
Larry Rieck
Friendly
Personal Service
in an age There the purchasing power of the dollar is con-
tinually being challenged, we feel at Rieck Pharmacy that we
must keep two things in mind. First, since your main concern is
to get the best possible value for your money, we, have joined
together with hundreds of other I.D.A. Drug Stores with a com-
bined buying power which enables us to gree you the most com-
petitive prices available each and every week of the year.
Secondly, we strive to maintain the friendly service which has
been a trademark at this -location for over 127 years. We are one
of three locally owned drug stores in Goderich. We invite you to
follow our regular advertisements in the Signal -Star detailing
merchandise specials, photo finishing specials, health and
beauty aids, fine quality cosmetics and toiletries, patient aids,
sick room supplies.
b
127 YEARS
BY; SUCCESSION
1853 Medical Hall
Established by R.B. Reynolds, Chemist
and Druggist
1857 Jordan's Medical Hall
F. Jordan, successor
1907 Goderich Drugs
F.J. Butland, successor
1957 Rieck Pharmacy
Larry Rieck, successor
1980 Rieck Pharmacy
Pharmacy
14 SHOPPERS SQUARE, GODERICH