Visant Closes Manufacturing Facilities as Part of Consolidation Effort

Armonk, N.Y.-based Visant Corp. announced that it will permanently close its manufacturing facilities in Pennsauken, N.J., as part of its effort to consolidate its book cover and component manufacturing operations. Manufacturing will continue at the company’s Milwaukee, Wis.; Hagerstown, Md.; and Rockaway, N.J., plants.

The Pennsauken plant was one of the manufacturing locations for the Visant company Lehigh, a book component and overhead transparency manufacturer. While Visant’s Milwaukee plant also produces Lehigh products, it is unclear whether the closing of the Pennsauken facility will bring an end to the Lehigh brand. Paul Carousso, Visant’s vice president of finance, says that the company has “not yet concluded” whether or not the Lehigh brand will survive.

John Zuknick, a former employee of Lehigh and now owner of Philadelphia-based Graphic Arts Enterprises, commented on the possibility of Lehigh closing: “I think it’s a tragedy that one of the best component printers in the world, that has done some of the most creative cover designs, is going to no longer exist.”