Putting Out the Welcome Mat

Pratt Corp. (Indianapolis), a full-service retail graphics firm, is dedicating its new manufacturing plant and headquarters in Indianapolis today. The company said the need for increased space was driven by its 81 percent growth in sales in the last five years and the addition of new services for customers, including large- and small-format signs printed on a variety of rigid and flexible materials by digital and screen presses.

“We are thrilled that Pratt Corporation continues to be a thriving business and contributor to the economy of Indianapolis,” said Dan Pratt, grandson of founder Ryland Pratt and current president of Pratt. “Our investment in our new facility and equipment will reach $5 million by then end of 2006.”

Pratt was founded in 1946 by Ryland Pratt who started printing posters in the family basement. The company grew from pennant strings and letter banners to turnkey graphic solutions. Among Pratt’s customers are Lowe's, FedEx/Kinko's, HH Gregg, Marsh, Shoe Carnival and Sunoco.

Most recently, the company had operated from three separate facilities in Indianapolis. The new 368,633 square-foot facility will consolidate the company’s creative, manufacturing and warehousing operations under one roof. The company has also added a six-color, German-manufactured Thieme press, which is the length of three city buses, and can print signs up to 60 x 100-inches and run up to 700 images per hour.