Shared values and culture were important to both ownerships during negotiations. Both are multi-generational family companies that care abut the communities they work in
Cober Solutions, with headquarters in Kitchener, Ont., has acquired the digital print and wide format signage division of West Canadian Digital Imaging (WCD). The new relationship marks a significant milestone in Cober’s 110-year history, and having plants in Calgary and Edmonton will significantly reduce emissions produced through its current cross-country shipping.
“We are thrilled to welcome WCD’s print and signage teams into the Cober family,” says president Todd Cober. “WCD’s exceptional talent and production capabilities will further enhance our ability to support our national customers, and we are truly excited for this next chapter of growth.
“I would also like to thank the Brookman family. I am very cognizant as to how much this portion of the business means to them and I do not take the trust they are putting into the Cober team lightly.”
Karen Brookman, president and CEO of WCD, says: “This is a notable moment in the history of WCD, in Cober we found the perfect company with shared values and culture to take the deeply valued and long-standing print and signage divisions of our company to a new level.”
WCD is retaining its managed service company that specializes in managing businesses by providing people, processes and technology on-site to improve efficiency in the workplace. Its teams handle non-core functions such as managing high printing demands or complex print solutions. Karen says it will also continue to provide clients with design solutions through its WCD Creative Services, but printing will be passed on to the new Cober entity, a good example of how the two companies will work together.
WCD could be one of Cober’s biggest customers.
Shared values and culture were important to both ownerships during negotiations. Both are multi-generational family companies that care abut the communities they work in.
Cober was founded by Todd’s great grandfather in 1916. WCD traces its history here back to 1952 and was purchased by Karen’s father, George — now acting as chair and company ambassador. Her sister, Jennifer, is vice-president of sales and marketing.
The two companies also share complementary operational processes, workflows, equipment and technology, enabling a fully integrated, streamlined fulfilment offering to partners around the globe, including large e-commerce brands as well as national commercial print customers.
George is excited about the future of his company. “Great move for WCD,” he said. “Forty years ago, West Canadian was a blueprint and photofinishing company, today we are a fully digital document and managed service organization. By the sale of our print and signage production to Cober, we open up opportunities for our customers, our employees and for WCD on a national basis.”
E-commerce, on-demand consumer printing has been a huge part of the business volume of both companies; it is an ever-growing division, which is one reason Cober is currently expanding its Kitchener plant by 100,000 square feet. It also has a large plant in Barrie, Ont. In Calgary, the company will continue to work out of WCD’s 9th Avenue S.E. plant and offices, alongside the Brookmans and their staff. Seventy-eight of those will now be working for Cober, while the rest of its 175 employees will remain in the Calgary head office and in its busy Edmonton location.
Karen says the announcement marks a pivotal milestone to WCD’s journey and a critical next step in realizing its vision to be a technology-led managed service company.
“As WCD moves forward, we will be focusing on emerging technology and innovative solutions with the added benefit of leveraging Cober’s newly established national footprint with world-class capability and increased capacity. This is a strategic opportunity that truly benefits all parties involved.”
Notes:
Neuron Mobility, Canada’s leading e-scooter operator, says Calgary is an incredible city for micromobility. The company first launched e-scooters in Calgary in the summer of 2021, and since then they have been embraced by riders. Neuron has chosen this city to launch its all-new N4 e-scooter. An initial 250 of the safety-orange N4 model will gradually replace its current models in Calgary. Designed in-house, it boasts unparalleled comfort and stability, with smoother and more predictable acceleration, better hill climbing ability, indicators, suspension and a larger and smarter dashboard — even a phone holder.
David Parker appears regularly in the Herald. Read his columns online at calgaryherald.com/business. He can be reached at 403-830-4622.