Quad/Graphics invests in Dallas plant

Quad/Graphics Inc. said Thursday it is spending millions of dollars on new equipment at its Dallas printing plant and is expanding employment there.

The investment — a company spokeswoman would not specify the exact amount — comes as the Sussex-based printing firm continues to seek a path forward in a market that has seen significant declines in pricing for printing and the proliferation of digital technology.

The Dallas plant, with 85 employees, is not among the major operations of Quad, which has dozens of printing facilities in the U.S. alone, including seven with more than 1 million square feet each. As of last December, the company employed the equivalent of 22,500 people worldwide. Some 7,500 people work for Quad in Wisconsin.

While it is relatively small, the Dallas plant has won many industry awards for its work. The facility produces printed materials for customers such as auto manufacturer Toyota and upscale retailer Nieman Marcus.

Quad now is looking to add 20 employees in the near term at the Texas plant, which the company acquired in 2012 when it bought Williamson Printing Co. The company has added two digital presses there and will be installing additional finishing machinery such as binders, a stitching system and a folder.

Quad expanded significantly when it bought Canadian rival World Color Press Inc. in 2010, but since then has closed about 30 plants. The company moved some of the work from those facilities to Wisconsin and has added jobs here.