John H. Harland Company 

770-981-9460

2939 Miller Road

Decatur, GA 30035

www.harland.net

Check Printing -  Category Main Page 

Check Processors -  Category Main Page 

Sales

$787 million

Business Description 

John H. Harland Company (the "Company") is a Georgia corporation
incorporated in 1923. The Company is a leading check printer and provider of printed

products andsoftware sold to financial institutions, including banks, credit unions,
brokerage houses and financial software companies. The Company's subsidiary,
Scantron Corporation ("Scantron"), is a leading provider of data collection,
testing and assessment products and maintenance services sold primarily to the
educational, financial institution and commercial markets.

The Company serves its major markets through three primary business
segments: Printed Products, Software and Services and Scantron.

Printed Products

The Printed Products segment ("Printed Products") includes the
Company's checks operations, as well as its direct marketing and analytical
services businesses and computer checks and forms business. Segment sales of
$498.3 million accounted for 63% of the Company's consolidated sales in 2003.

Printed Products' traditional products are checks and forms, including
personal and business checks and computer checks, as well as internal bank
forms. Printed Products also produces a variety of financial documents in
conjunction with personal or small business financial software packages. The
analytical services business sells behavioral model services to financial
institutions, enabling them to, among other things, identify their customers
most at risk of switching financial institutions, as well as a consumer's
propensity to purchase a financial product and the financial product a consumer
is most likely to purchase next.

Printed Products has two primary competitors in the sale of checks to
financial institutions. They are national financial printers that specialize in
check printing, one of which has substantially greater sales and financial
resources than the Company. The Company believes that the competitive factors
influencing buying decisions within the Printed Products segment include pricing
(which in certain circumstances may include significant upfront contract

incentive payments), service, quality, and the ability to increase customer
operational efficiencies and profitability. The Company lost business with some
of its larger customers in 2002 and 2003, due primarily to competitive pricing,
resulting in lower volumes and profitability. There is no assurance that the
Company will not lose other significant customers or that any such losses could
be offset by the addition of new customers. Other competitive pressures on the
Printed Products segment include the continuing expansion of alternative payment
systems such as credit cards, debit cards and other forms of electronic commerce
or on-line payment systems.

Printed Products markets its products and services primarily in the
United States. Printed Products has five distinct sales forces. One focuses on
large national financial institutions, another sells primarily to community
banks and credit unions, a third to brokerage houses, the fourth sells direct
marketing and analytical services, while the fifth concentrates on financial
software companies and office supply superstores.
 

Business Forms Companies in the Directory

Ennis

Deluxe

John H. Harland

New England Business Services

Standard Register