Three generations
A family and industry success story
Yes, Unigraph International Inc. is one of the largest, most respected North American manufacturers of chemicals for the printing industry. Yes, Unigraph has been a Canadian leader for the past 25 years in terms of innovation and quality.
And yes, Unigraph is committed to the development of new products that meet all current technical and environmental standards.
But it is the human side of this enormously successful family-run business that makes their story all the more fascinating, compelling and heart-warming. And it all began, simply and surprisingly, in the 1920’s with a hard-working stone polisher named Wilbert Thibault.
He was a stone polisher by trade and honed his skills at Montreal Litho for 10 years. In those days, stones, not plates, were used to do printing. He likely didn’t realize it at the time, but he and his family would eventually become pioneers and key players in the evolution of the Canadian printing industry.
In 1933 Wilbert founded his own company, Commercial Litho Plate Graining Ltd. A visionary, he realized the potential for metal plates in the printing process and developed an innovative graining method that led to the development of the first aluminum-grained plates in Canada.
The shift in the 1950’s to offset printing using aluminum plates as opposed to zinc, was a major turning point in the industry, and Wilbert, along with his son Leo (CEO and Chairman of Unigraph today) who joined the company in 1951, played a key role in this transformation.
Then came another breakthrough. They devised an exclusive processing method that made the company’s wipe-on plates the most successful in North America.
New ideas were plentiful and further expansion resulted. In the early 1960’s, led by his son Leo, the company went international and signed an agreement with Harry H. Rogers of Chicago obtaining the right to manufacture the then world famous line of Rogersol pressroom chemicals in Canada. Leo also licensed Sun Chemical Corp. of New York to produce EEZY-KOTE, a line of chemicals for litho. By the late 1960’s, Leo Thibault had inked dealer agreements in more than 25 countries – an astounding feat!
Determined to continue the family tradition, Léo founded Unigraph International Inc. in 1982 and brought his sons John and Mike, and daughter Susan, into the company, making it three generations of success and innovation. His wife Ann Louise has also been instrumental in the company’s success.
“The last three generations of Thibaults have seen virtually every technological change in the printing industry,” says John Thibault, President of Unigraph. “My grandfather Wilbert brought the wipe-on plate to the Canadian market, my father Leo lived through the golden years of aluminum plates, and we’re now living in the challenging CTP age.”
Vice-President of Sales and eldest of the children, Susan Thibault is equally proud. “The passion and determination of our father and grandfather have shaped our success and made our company the success it is today,” she says.
Mike Thibault, Unigraph’s Technical Vice-President, echoes those sentiments. “I’m extremely proud to be part of the Thibault family. We’ve been serving the printing and graphic arts industries for three generations. It’s ironic and fun to meet senior press people or plant managers who’ve actually used my grandfather’s plates and chemicals,” he says.
“My grandfather and my father were instrumental in developing ground-breaking products and new technologies for the pressroom,” he adds. I’m also very proud that we’ve kept the tradition of ‘share your knowledge’ alive. My grandfather was a big supporter of the Craftsmen Club as is my father. My father has instilled in us a very strong work ethic and his knowledge of our industry is outstanding. He is 73 years young and still very active in our company.”
Yes, Unigraph International Inc. is one of the largest, most respected North American manufacturers of chemicals for the printing industry. Yes, Unigraph has been a Canadian leader for the past 25 years in terms of innovation and quality.
And yes, Unigraph is committed to the development of new products that meet all current technical and environmental standards.
But it is the human side of this enormously successful family-run business that makes their story all the more fascinating, compelling and heart-warming. And it all began, simply and surprisingly, in the 1920’s with a hard-working stone polisher named Wilbert Thibault.
He was a stone polisher by trade and honed his skills at Montreal Litho for 10 years. In those days, stones, not plates, were used to do printing. He likely didn’t realize it at the time, but he and his family would eventually become pioneers and key players in the evolution of the Canadian printing industry.
In 1933 Wilbert founded his own company, Commercial Litho Plate Graining Ltd. A visionary, he realized the potential for metal plates in the printing process and developed an innovative graining method that led to the development of the first aluminum-grained plates in Canada.
Wilbert Thibault (right) with his son Leo, demonstrates his innovative coating machine for wipe-on plates circa 1952.
Then came another breakthrough. They devised an exclusive processing method that made the company’s wipe-on plates the most successful in North America.
New ideas were plentiful and further expansion resulted. In the early 1960’s, led by his son Leo, the company went international and signed an agreement with Harry H. Rogers of Chicago obtaining the right to manufacture the then world famous line of Rogersol pressroom chemicals in Canada. Leo also licensed Sun Chemical Corp. of New York to produce EEZY-KOTE, a line of chemicals for litho. By the late 1960’s, Leo Thibault had inked dealer agreements in more than 25 countries – an astounding feat!
Leo Thibault (left) with his mentor Mike Bruno. Bruno collaborated with Leo’s father Wilbert to standardize graining procedures and passed along valuable information to Leo regarding plate chemistry.
Determined to continue the family tradition, Léo founded Unigraph International Inc. in 1982 and brought his sons John and Mike, and daughter Susan, into the company, making it three generations of success and innovation. His wife Ann Louise has also been instrumental in the company’s success.
“The last three generations of Thibaults have seen virtually every technological change in the printing industry,” says John Thibault, President of Unigraph. “My grandfather Wilbert brought the wipe-on plate to the Canadian market, my father Leo lived through the golden years of aluminum plates, and we’re now living in the challenging CTP age.”
Vice-President of Sales and eldest of the children, Susan Thibault is equally proud. “The passion and determination of our father and grandfather have shaped our success and made our company the success it is today,” she says.
Mike Thibault, Unigraph’s Technical Vice-President, echoes those sentiments. “I’m extremely proud to be part of the Thibault family. We’ve been serving the printing and graphic arts industries for three generations. It’s ironic and fun to meet senior press people or plant managers who’ve actually used my grandfather’s plates and chemicals,” he says.
“My grandfather and my father were instrumental in developing ground-breaking products and new technologies for the pressroom,” he adds. I’m also very proud that we’ve kept the tradition of ‘share your knowledge’ alive. My grandfather was a big supporter of the Craftsmen Club as is my father. My father has instilled in us a very strong work ethic and his knowledge of our industry is outstanding. He is 73 years young and still very active in our company.”
Leo Thibault (pointing) gave this gift of a polished printing stone to his family. He was actually the last person in Canada to polish a stone. Left to right are John, Leo, Susan and Mike Thibault. Today, all Thibault children are heavily involved in the technical side of the printing industry.
