May 1, 2024 – GV Group, one of the leading sustainable and technologically advanced book printing companies in Europe and the USA, is expanding its presence in North America. The group has signed an agreement to acquire a majority stake in P.A. Hutchison (PAH), a historic company founded 113 years ago by Philip Alvord Hutchison – the current president’s great-grandfather. PAH is based in Pennsylvania, USA, specialized in the production of textbooks and educational materials.
With this new acquisition, GV Group is taking another step in its international development journey. This journey began in 2021 with the acquisition of Lake Book Manufacturing, based in Melrose Park, Illinois and with PAH is now expanding to the American educational publishing market.
For GV Group, the US educational market is strategic: the new acquisition will further expand the range of services and products offered to current and prospective customers.
GV Group’s foremost objective for PAH is increasing production capacity from the current 50 million books produced at the Pennsylvania plant to over 100 million in a few years. This objective will be pursued through significant investments, primarily with the implementation of four-color web printing technology. This will increase offerings to American publishers in the education sector, while ensuring a strong, continued focus on sustainability.
“Our presence and commitment to the United States are strong and will remain so in the future,” stated Franceschi. “We believe that the American market is strategic to fully realize the potential of the Group, thanks also to our culture that combines quality, product sustainability, and flexible high-value services, characteristics that are increasingly fundamental and indispensable for the editorial needs of the current market. There has been great alignment with Chris Hutchison from the first moment, which has quickly turned into enthusiasm for the new opportunities that this operation can bring to both companies.”
Mr Hutchison commented “As the 4th generation of the Hutchison family, I’m thrilled to be continuing our legacy with the GV Group. Together, Erin Jones and I will work with Lake Book and Grafica Veneta to bring an expanded and improved platform for book manufacturing to the publisher of the world.”
