James A. Russell

The past few years have seen strong growth by acquisition. The fundamentals of that trend are still in place going into 2026.

Investors see stability, profitability, and growth in packaging, so it’s no wonder that commercial and package printing are converging.

Smart people always read the label first. Smart investors are reading the label printing market for clues to acquisition opportunities.

The COVID-19 pandemic will continue to have a bearing on mergers and acquisitions among printing and packaging companies as we enter 2021. But, the virus won’t be making the deals. Smart owners will, and with realism and flexibility, the deals can be as good as any in a normal year.

A plain truth for our commercial printing clients is that a company’s valuation is directly linked to its investment in technology. We think that investment in technology is just as crucial for producers of labels and packaging, but we wonder if the message is being heard clearly enough.

Executing due diligence the right way means drilling down into every layer of the business being acquired, with no room for guesswork or assumptions.

No sale can succeed for the seller without a clear-eyed understanding of what the business is really — meaning really — worth. Here’s a primer on this essential subject.

It’s an appeal for help that we’ve grown accustomed to hearing at New Direction Partners: “My sales are flat. We aren’t moving in the right direction as a business. I know I should be thinking about acquiring another company — but what kind of company, and how?”

At New Direction Partners, we often advise selling owners of printing businesses to be prepared to stay on in one role or another after the transaction closes. Because keeping a hand in the business at the new owner’s request is a given in so many deals, it’s helpful to have some idea of what the responsibility is going to entail.

Do you, as the owner of a printing business, have a plan for no longer being the owner of that business?