In an announcement on December 4, the private equity firm Atlas Holdings said it had completed its purchase of LSC Communications. Atlas was named the winning bidder for the printing giant, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this spring, in mid-September. Under the agreement, Atlas bought all of LSC’s assets and assumed certain undisclosed liabilities.
In addition to being the country’s largest book printer, LSC is a manufacturer and distributor of magazines, catalogs, and office products. LSC also has a book publishing unit, which includes Dover Publications and Research and Education Association (REA). LSC currently has 14,000 employees in more than 50 facilities nationwide. Atlas controls a group of 21 manufacturing and distribution businesses, including several companies in the pulp and paper business—Twin Rivers Paper Company, Millar Western, and Marcal—as well as in packaging.
“Atlas is the ideal fit as LSC’s new partner. Our roots are in paper—the investment that launched Atlas more than two decades ago was the purchase of a single paper mill in Indiana,” said Timothy J. Fazio, cofounder and managing partner of Atlas. “Since then, our team has developed deep sector expertise in printing, paper and adjacent industries such as packaging and paper receipts and labels. This knowledge, coupled with our proven ability to transform businesses facing challenging market environments, positions LSC for a bright future.”
