McBattas Printing Tackles Every Job That Comes Its Way

By Noel Ward

A full range of services

Arnold considers short-run digital packaging to be the growth sector in commercial printing. “No one wants inventory sitting on their floor and they all want just-in-time,” he says.

And in many cases, the demand is also for something unusual. “If a customer can imagine it—a three-dimensional motorcycle or a pirate ship—we can do that,” says Arnold. “It’s those kind of challenges that make it fun.”

Beyond boxes

McBattas’s short-run expertise is not lost on other print providers. Several commercial shops in Nebraska send their short run work—especially packaging—to McBattas. This lets these other printers bring in additional revenue and offer more services without making the investment in a digital press.

The company operates a couple of newspapers as well as a trucking and logistics company. The latter, combined with McBattas’s location, makes it easy to ship finished cartons anywhere in the United States. “When a customer calls needing 100,000 fan belt sleeves in 24 hours, having a logistics company means I can make that happen,” Arnold explains.

Offering many services under one roof is a clear differentiator. “Too many printers are still trying to live off the basics,” he says. “I want to do everything for my customers.”

It began with fan belt sleeves.

Fred Arnold was meeting with a purchasing agent at Goodyear Tire and Rubber's Lincoln, Nebraksa plant. The agent, whose desk was strewn with fan belt sleeves, threw one at Arnold, then a partner at Fairbury Printing in Fairbury, Nebraska. "I need to print part numbers and bar codes on all these sleeves," he said. "If you can do that you'll have all my business."

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