Transcontinental Group Acquires Mexican Firm Editorial Offset

ranscontinental Group recently announced its acquisition of the Mexico City office of Editorial Offset Company. Transcontinental plans to convert the operation into Mexico's largest printing group. 

Founded in 1960, Editorial Offset specializes in book printing, and its clients are major national and international publishers. It employs 350 workers, and posted profits of $17 million dollars in 2001.

Transcontinental, which already has a plant in Toluca, and another in Mexico City, can now boast a network of three printing plants, making it the largest printer in Mexico. Transcontinental also owns a door-to-door distributor of advertising material and interactive marketing and Internet solutions. In all, the company employs over 1200 people in Mexico.

"ISO 9001 certified since 2000, Editorial Offset is a top-notch printer that is both profitable and well managed", says roger Belair, president of Transcontinental de Mexico.  "With this transaction, Transcontinental, already the leading flyer printer in Mexico, becomes one of the country's five leading book printers, the Mexican

printing industry's second largest market.  "The addition of Editorial Offset allows us to reach a critical mass and will accelerate the specialization of our plants: the Toluca plant will focus on flyer printing, our other plant in Mexico City on magazine and brochure printing, and Editorial Offset on book printing and perfect binding," added Mr. Belair. 

One of the largest commercial printers in North America, Transcontinental Group is also Canada's leading publisher of consumer magazines and one of the country's top two publishers of regional press. The Corporation has over 11,000 employees in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

Web:www.transcontinental-gtc.com

ARLINGTON, VA - Reflecting a commitment to U.S-Mexico bilateral cooperation, May 28, 2002 the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (TDA) and the Banco Nacional de Obras y Servicios Públicos, S.N.C. (BANOBRAS) entered into a Master Grant Agreement that will support regional development and priority infrastructure projects in Mexico.

This initiative will help contribute to the fulfillment of the goals of the "Partnership for Prosperity" as outlined in the Action Plan presented to President George W. Bush and President Vicente Fox, during President Bush's March 2002 visit to Monterrey, Mexico. TDA Director Thelma J. Askey and BANOBRAS Director of Strategic Planning Ricardo Ehrsam Gatica signed the agreement at a ceremony held at TDA headquarters.

Under the framework of the Master Grant Agreement, TDA will provide grant funds to BANOBRAS to contract with U.S. and Mexican companies to carry out studies related to BANOBRAS technical assistance programs for municipal