Australian Printer March 2020 by The Intermedia Group

Anniversary CELEBRATING 70 YEARS

o our clients rther, s can o fu g too We .

Creative Services

Data-Driven Communications Integrated Marketing

Production & Distribution

Specialising in creative, data-driven communications, integrated marketing, production and distribution; we bring together the capabilities, specialists and technology needed to make customer connection seamless.

www.ivegroup.com.au

MARCH 2020

LEADING THE INDUSTRY FOR 70 YEARS IN PRINT | SPRINTER.COM.AU

Simplified. Unified. Diversified.

Celebrating AP’s 70 years in print

Thought leadership in Print Leaders Forum

Christoph Gamper on Durst’s growth plans

EFI Connect 2020 event wrap up

WHICH CARD?

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ANY CARD! Australia’s Largest Range of Business Cards Choose from 31 different kinds, including flashy foils, glossy varnishes and textured stocks. Contact Hero Print today for your FREE stock sampler.

AUSTRALIA’S BEST TRADE PRINTER

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CONTENTS

14-16

IVE’S GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGY IS NOW SIMPLIFIED, UNIFIED, AND DIVERSIFIED

March 2020 6-12

NEWS: AUSTRALIAN PRINTER’S COMPREHENSIVE INDUSTRY NEWS

14-16

A NEW ERA FOR IVE: HAVING A SIMPLIFIED, UNIFIED AND DIVERSIFIED STRATEGY

18-20

PEOPLE IN PRINT: CHRISTOPH GAMPER

GALLERY: DURST OCEANIA’S LAUNCH

WOMEN IN PRINT: KIRSTEN TAYLOR

26-29

EFI CONNECT: A WRAP UP OF THE ANNUAL USERS’ CONFERENCE FOR 2020

30-40

70 YEARS: REVISITING AP’S PAST 70 YEARS

77-80

WIDE FORMAT NEWS: THE LATEST NEWS FOR THE WIDE FORMAT SECTOR

82-83

GALLERY: FESPA BBQ IN MELBOURNE

VISUAL IMPACT: 2020 EXHIBITORS

Advertiser’s Index

DURST OCEANIA OFFICE OPENING

WOMEN IN PRINT: KIRSTEN TAYLOR

PRINT DIARY: ALL THE BIG EVENTS AND TRADE SHOWS FOR THE YEAR

41-76

PRINT LEADERS FORUM: THOUGHT LEADERSHIP FOR 2020 AND BEYOND  42 CURRIE GROUP  44 ESKO  46 POZITIVE  48 RICOH  50 SCREEN  52 CYBER  53 IVE  54 ANDY MCCOURT  55 KELLIE NORTHWOOD  56 DEBORAH CORN  57 MEQA SMITH  58 VISUAL CONNECTIONS  59 DAVID FELLMAN  60 LIA  61 TARSUS GROUP  62 AI GROUP  63 NSSN  64 DRUPA  66 CACTUS IMAGING  68 RAWSON PRINT  69 CANVA  70 CARBON8  71 IMAGINATION GRAPHICS  72 IMPACT INTERNATIONAL  73 DIGITAL PRESS  74 AFI BRANDING  75 MBE PARRAMATTA  76 MSP PHOTOGRAPHY

To advertise call Carmen on 0410 582 450 or carmen@intermedia.com.au

ABC Copier Solutions �� 88 Admag �� 95 All Work Crane Services �� 92 Allkotes �� 47 Argus Business Brokers �� 88 ASGA �� 87 Avon Graphics �� 37 BCS Asia Pacific �� 99 Böttcher Australia �� 82 Clever Products �� 101 CTI Colour Printer �� 98 Currie Group �� 43 Cyber ��52, OBC D & D Mailing �� 67 Dataflow Business Systems ��IBC Davis Print �� 90 Drupa �� 65 Durst Oceania �� 21 EFI �� 11

4 | AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020

EH Manufacturing & Alltab �� 100 Envelope Print �� 88 Epson �� 5 Esko �� 45 estickers.com.au �� 91 Fespa �� 87 Foyer Printing �� 92 Fujifilm �� 13 Gecko Sticker Signage �� 89 Graphfix Trade Solutions �� 102 Graph-Pak �� 90 Guru Labels �� 92,97 Hero Print �� 2,3 Hilton Laminating �� 100 Hosking Trading �� 94,96 IVE Group �� OFC, IFC J W Graphics �� 94 JDA Print Recruitment �� 100 Jetmark �� 7

Kodak �� 17 Labelline �� 94 Lifhart �� 88 MT Envelopes �� 90 National Auctions �� 101 Nettl Australia �� 25 Penrith Museum of Printing �� 88 Periodical Press �� 98 POZITIVE �� 47 Pressology �� 57 Print Focus �� 93 Ricoh �� 49 Screen �� 51 Sprinter �� 23 Stewart Graphics �� 96 Sydney Binding �� 101 The Interemedia Group �� 81 Visual Impact �� 85

SPRINTER.COM.AU

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*SureColor SC-S80600 certified at 98.2% PANTONE® coverage at 1440x1440dpi, 36 passes, on ILFORD Nano Solvent Premium Photo Paper Gloss media. Results on other models, in different print modes & on other media may vary. PANTONE® and other Pantone trademarks are the property of Pantone LLC.

For more information visit: www.epson.com.au/signage

NEWS

Editor’s Comment

2019 was a roller coaster year – one that saw many challenges and opportunities. The only constant we can take away from the year is, change is here and it’s not stopping. For those that play their cards right, adapt to change, and adopt innovation, business will flourish. Interpack and drupa is happening later in the year and we’re expecting many print manufacturers to be launching their latest solutions then. But navigating through change requires some forward planning. In our bumper-issue Print Leaders Forum section, thought leaders identify ways to cope with change. We, at AP, have also embraced change (in line with our 70th anniversary) with a new look to the magazine, whilst delivering the same quality of content. Read more about AP’s rich journey in our anniversary coverage. On behalf of all of us at Australian Printer, may this year bring you the best for your business and may you drive through change with ease.

Ciappara takes on AP advertising sales role Carmen Ciappara, national sales manager of ProPrint, has added sales and advertising for Australian Printer to her role at Printer Media Group (PMG). Ciappara takes on the role from Brian Moore, who previously managed sales and advertising for both Australian Printer and New Zealand Printer, but has scaled down his workload for personal reasons. Moore remains an active member of the PMG team, as publisher of New Zealand Printer, managing sales and advertising for the title in print and online, in addition to PMG’s packaging title, ProPack.pro. With Ciappara adding Australian Printer sales and advertising to her role, the print and visual communications industry can expect more harmonised opportunities across Australian Printer, its sister publication ProPrint, and the publications’ very successful shared online news hub, Sprinter. “I’m excited to be managing sales and advertising for Australia’s two longest established and biggest print trade titles and their

Carmen Ciappara joins AP

Brian Moore to remain with PMG

website. I have more than 35 years’ experience in the print industry and I look forward to using the insights and skills I have accumulated in this extended role,” Ciappara said. Moore has been involved with PMG and its predecessor group of companies for more than 30 years, in both management and business development roles. He said, “I’m enjoying my focus on the New Zealand and packaging verticals within PMG and pleased to be part of the team which delivers the best content and market intelligence to printing and packaging decision makers across Australasia and South East Asia.

“Australian Printer, ProPrint and Sprinter are in Carmen’s steady, experienced hands. “By deploying all the Australian mastheads, advertisers can be sure that their messages cut through to more of the market than any other offering. “With monthly touchpoints in print – a significant advantage that no other publisher can offer – the AP + PP combo is the optimal path to reach Australian decision makers in commercial print.” PMG wishes Moore the very best for his journey ahead and looks forward to his continuing involvement with PMG through New Zealand Printer and ProPack.pro.

Managing Director James Wells 02 8586 6101 james@intermedia.com.au

Editor Hafizah Osman 0431 466 140 hosman@intermedia.com.au

National Sales Manager Carmen Ciappara 0410 582 450 carmen@proprint.com.au

Subscriptions (02) 9660 2113 subscriptions@intermedia.com.au Subscription rate (6 issues) Australia $79

Printed by Hero Print Alexandria, NSW, 2015

Mailed by D&D Mailing Services Wetherill Park, NSW, 2164

Design and Production Manager Carrie Tong 02 8586 6195 carrie@i-grafix.com

Australian Printer is published bi-monthly by Printer Media Group, registered in Australia ABN 47 628 473 334. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers. While every care has been taken in the preparation of this magazine, it is a condition of distribution that the publisher does not assume any responsibility or liability for any loss or damage which may result from any inaccuracy or omission in the publication.

6 | AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020

SPRINTER.COM.AU

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NEWS

Protectaprint “business as usual” despite wind-up order A special resolution has been passed to voluntarily wind-up Melbournebased trade print finisher, Protectaprint, but liquidators say it is trading “business as usual” as the hunt continues for interested parties to buy the business or its assets. The business, Protectaprint Melbourne Pty Ltd, belongs to brothers Richard and Steven Wilkinson, who purchased the Victorian branch of AllKotes in 2017 and rebranded it under the name they had traded as in Adelaide prior to selling to Opus Group’s McPhersons in 2015. When the Wilkinsons sold up, they were heading into retirement but after 18 months decided to purchase the Allkotes operation in Victoria as Allkotes opted to concentrate its focus in NSW. It seems the decision to get back into the game hasn’t panned out as well as expected, with Protectaprint facing financial difficulties before being put into liquidation in late 2019 with a special resolution now made to voluntarily wind it up. “Notice is given that, on the resolution date set out below, the company is taken, because of paragraph 446A(1)(a) to have passed a special resolution under s491 that the Company be wound up voluntarily,” a notice posted on the ASIC website read. The business is now in the hands of Barry Wight of Cor Cordis, who said, “we are continuing to explore whether there are any parties interested in acquiring the company’s business and/or assets.”

Pettaras sells Digitalpress to marketing communications consortium Theo Pettaras has sold the business he founded 15 years ago, Digitalpress, to marketing communications consortium, Bridgestone Investments, via its subsidiary, National Print Express. Pettaras and his entire team will continue to run Digitalpress under the new ownership with the current Digitalpress factory in Waterloo to continue to operate alongside an additional creative print hub in North Sydney, serving agencies and retail businesses. Pettaras said the decision to sell to a marketing and communications consortium that truly values print as a medium meant the deal mutually benefited both parties and would ensure a successful continued journey for Digitalpress, its staff, supply partners and the industry as a whole.

Theo Pettaras will still operate Digitalpress under Bridgestone

Negotiations for the sale began in the latter part of 2019 with the acquisition settled on February 3, 2020. “This is a very strategic acquisition and a perfect fit that suits the objectives of both parties. We share similar values

and passion for all forms of marketing communications,” Pettaras said. “My future is definitely set in print and the potential to incorporate other aspects of marketing communications to print provides vast untapped opportunities. I wanted all my team to feel secure in knowing that we were passing the baton of our iconic brand to a global company that recognises it and has equal passion to continue its journey for greater success. Decisions like this are not easy and were considered carefully.” Pettaras said the commitment of Bridgestone Investments to print is evidenced by its investment in a new HP Indigo Digital Press and an array of flatbed printers and cutters, with the installation of these to take place by April.

oOh!media MD and CEO to step down

oOh!media managing director and chief executive officer Brendon Cook has announced he will step down in 2020 after 30 years at the helm of the outdoor advertising company he founded in 1989. Cook said he will remain in the role and on the board until a global executive search is completed and will then work with the board to “ensure an orderly and seamless transition” to the new CEO. Cook founded oOh!media as Outdoor Network Australia in 1989 and his expertise and knowledge will still benefit the business as he takes up a nonexecutive consulting role to provide ongoing strategic advice to the new CEO. “I have been extremely fortunate to have worked with such a great team of people over the past 30 years; to have witnessed the company grow to the size and scale it is today is immensely satisfying and I am

8 | AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020

Brendon Cook steps down from executive role after 30 years at helm

delighted I will continue to be part of the oOh! story to ensure it is well set up for the next stage of growth,” Cook said. “With our integration now largely complete and a strong team in place, now is the right time to make the transition.” oOh!media chairman Tony Faure said Cook’s contribution

has been “exceptional” and that it has led to the growth and success of the company over the last 30 years. “Brendon has been a pioneer of the Out Of Home industry in Australia. Having founded oOh!media in 1989, he has been an innovator and passionate industry leader,” he added. SPRINTER.COM.AU

NEWS

Durst restructures its textile printing segment Durst has restructured its industrial textile printing segment and appointed a member of its executive team to oversee strategic direction. Dr Stefan Kappaun, a technical chemist and trained business economist, is the executive vice-president of inks and fluids and in this expanded role, will also oversee the large format segment, including soft signage and fabrics. Dr Kappaun is an expert in materials science and the development and marketing of ink systems for digital inkjet printing. He succeeds Martin Winkler, who will take on the role of global sales manager of textile printing. “While new, non-industry service providers often already have digital know-how but less textile experience, the traditional manufacturers are

masters of textile finishing, but not all analog processing steps can be transferred directly to digital textile printing. Durst serves different requirements,” Dr Kappaun said. Durst Oceania managing director Matt Ashman said,

“Textiles is such an important focus for Durst. It’s great to see Stefan embrace another key role in the Durst family”. Durst has also hired Martin Oberparleitner as the new junior product manager of textile printing.

Dr Stefan Kappaun takes on an expanded role at Durst

Print & Pack named sole Bobst agent in 2020 Print & Pack Australia and New Zealand is now the sole distributor of Bobst printing and packaging technology in the region. Print & Pack has for the last two decades distributed Bobst’s sheetfed production lines, but from January 1, manages the distribution and servicing of the Swiss manufacturing giant’s whole range. The decision to shift its webfed and labels machinery to Print & Pack was made in mid2019 but did not come into formal effect until January 1. The webfed side of the business was previously distributed through TCL Hofmann with the narrow web and mid-web labels offering managed by Gulmen Engineering.

“We have been distributing the Bobst sheedfed products for the last two decades and now we are taking on the labels and webfed activities as well,” Print & Pack managing director Carsten Wendler said. “It was split in three and now it’s all under one roof. We have to thank both TCL Hofmann and Gulmen Engineering for what they have done.” The new equipment on board at Print & Pack includes Bobst’s cl flexo presses from its Bielefeld site in Germany; its rotogravure presses, coating and laminating lines from Bobst Italy; its narrow/ mid web inline flexo and hybrid presses from Bobst Firenze in addition to metallizers from Bobst Manchester.

Vale: Brisbane printing identity Mike Byrne Brisbane printing industry identity Mike Byrne passed away unexpectedly in his home with his funeral and wake held at Mt Cotton on January 15. Byrne was a well-known and respected member of Australia’s printing industry having worked at a number of companies during his four-decade career including Cornerstone Press, Inprint, Scanlon and Geon. Lithographic Institute of Australia federal president Mel Ireland said Byrne passed away unexpectedly following his retirement from Cornerstone Press. “He was well respected by his peers and clients and had passion and consistency for his job,” Ireland said. His funeral was held at the Great Southern Memorial Park at Mt Cotton.

Careers program pilot expands Higher apprentice numbers and a growing awareness of career opportunities have led to a pioneering program by Visual Connections and the Australian Sign & Graphics Association (ASGA) to expand its apprenticeship efforts. The program, named Australian Schools Industry Partnership (AusSIP), was initiated in 2019 and after much success, have the organisers decided to roll it out to other Australian states and industry sectors from this year, with new initiatives to be announced soon. “There is no greater investment that we can make,” Visual Connections CEO Peter Harper said.

One of Bobst’s solutions that Print & Pack will now be distributing

SPRINTER.COM.AU

AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020 | 9

NEWS

Flint Group names new flexo president Flint Group has promoted former CTO Dagmar Schmidt as the new president of its flexographic division. Schmidt replaces Aryan Moelker, who left the business to take up a position as CEO of a German listed company. Schmidt, who joined Flint Group via BASF in 2003, will be tasked with ensuring strategic consistency as the organisation continues its journey to fully commercialise its offerings to print and packaging converters worldwide. “I am delighted to be taking on this new challenge in what is an exciting period for the organisation,” Schmidt said.

OOH sees rise in 2019 net media revenue The Out of Home (OOH) industry has announced an increase of 1.5 per cent on net media revenue for 2019, reporting $935.5 million in revenue – up from $921.6 million in 2018, according to the Outdoor Media Association (OMA). However, Q4 saw a decrease of 2.3 per cent on net media revenue year-onyear, posting $269.9 million, slightly down from $276.3 million for Q4 2018. It also announced that Digital OOH revenue accounted for 55.8 per cent of total net media revenue year-to-date, an increase over the recorded 52 per cent from last year. “OOH has proven to be a true broadcast medium and plays an important role in the community,” OMA CEO Charmaine Moldrich said.

ADS focuses on digital printing with EFI VUTEk h5 installation ADS Australia has installed an EFI VUTEk h5 superwide format hybrid inkjet printer in an A/NZ first. The VUTEk h5 is not the first EFI installation for the Victoria-based company – it has been part of the EFI family of users for about 10 years and has owned a number of its printers. ADS managing director Dean Wright said it traded in its VUTEk GS2000 and VUTEk GS3250 for the EFI VUTEk h5 to provide its customers with faster turnarounds and better quality. “The h5 enables us to provide our clients with faster speeds and quicker job turnarounds,” Wright said. “The new VUTEk h5 has been outstanding for me. Together with a VUTEk

ADS managing director Dean Wright with the EFI VUTEk h5

LX3 Pro, the h5 has allowed us to deliver 30 per cent in production gains. I used to have two operators running three machines, but our operators can now deliver on more campaigns with lesser carbon footprint.

“We’re up to date with current technology, which means that we can service our clients faster. We would pass on the cost savings in our quotations to our clients as well.”

Perth printer first in A/NZ to receive ISO colour certification

Perth-based printer Scott Print has achieved ISO colour certification for all of its colour production, offset and digital. According to the company, it is the first in A/NZ to receive the Mellow Colour Proficient Printer for ISO 12647-2:2013 (including ISO 12647-8:2012) certification from Colour Graphic Services. Colour Graphic Services colour doctor David Crowther said, “The original certification was one year ago, but any standard is only as good as its upkeep. Scott Print has passed its second audit with flying colours. “It is a significant achievement since both digital and offset/CtP output devices need to be maintained to ISO 12647 colour standard day-in, day-out.”

10 | AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020

David Crowther with staff of Scott Print

Scott Print’s production comprises of a HP Indigo 5000 SRA3 digital colour press, a Fuji Xerox Iridesse SRA3 digital colour press, two Fuji Xerox Colour 1000i A3 digital printers, a Komori HUV GL840 B1

offset press, a Komori LS 629 B2+ offset press, a Screen PlateRite 8900S CtP, Prinergy workflow, two seats of Mellow Colour PrintSpec, Techkon SpectroDens Premium and SpectroPlate for measurement, and Just Normlicht viewing. SPRINTER.COM.AU

OWN THE FUTURE.

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LET US BE THE FUEL

Nothing herein should be construed as a warranty in addition to the express warranty statement provided with EFI products and services. EFI, FabriVU, Fiery, the Fiery logo, and VUTEk are trademarks of Electronics For Imaging, Inc. and/or its wholly owned subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries. ©2020 Electronics For Imaging, Inc. All rights reserved.

NEWS: BUSINESS

PRINT STOCK WATCH: JAN 01 - MAR 01

ASX (AUD$)

Price

Change

Amcor

15.31

0.48  16.74

13.64

IVE

2.32 0.03  2.56

1.96

Year High

Year Low

News Corp

21.94

0.38  22.32

16.40

oOh!media

3.10

0.015  4.74

2.29

Ovato

0.048 0.00 0.18 0.043

Redbubble

1.19 0.025  2.08

MARCH 2019

MARCH 2020

MARCH 2019

AMCOR

NYSE (US$)

0.84

MARCH 2020

NEWS CORP

Price

Change

Year High

Year Low

Adobe 374.29 5.01  374.48

249.10

Apple

169.38

327.20 7.59  327.85

Canon

26.01 0.65  30.12

25.49

Fujifilm

48.55

0.76  53.46

41.58

News Corp

14.80

0.32  15.36

11.38

Xerox

38.19 0.68  39.47

27.25

MARCH 2019

MARCH 2020

MARCH 2019

CANON

DAX (EURO) Agfa

MARCH 2020

XEROX

Price

Change

Year High

4.62 0.06  4.88

Year Low 3.19

Heidelberg 0.94 0.019  1.788 0.836 Koenig & Bauer 25.36

0.74  48.04

23.00

Metsa Board

0.03  6.64

3.86

30.41 0.01  31.50

21.10

UPM

5.73

2.5

2.0

1.5

1.0

0.5

MARCH 2019

MARCH 2020

MARCH 2019

HEIDELBERG

12 | AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020

MARCH 2020

UPM

CSG backing for Fuji Xerox acquisition Most of CSG Limited’s shareholders are backing Fuji Xerox’s acquisition of the former, with 232 (88.89 per cent) of shareholders voting in favour of the move. Only 29 shareholders voted (11.11 per cent) against the proposal. “CSG is pleased to advise that the Scheme Resolution has been passed by shareholders,” the company said. As per the lodgement, Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific will acquire 100 per cent of the shares in CSG for $0.31 per share. Fujifilm Holdings subsidiaries, Fuji Xerox Australia and Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific, first entered into an agreement with CSG to propose acquisition of the latter for $140.8 million in October

last year. Under the agreement, Fuji Xerox Asia Pacific proposed to acquire all shares of CSG by way of Scheme of Arrangement under Australian law. Following the shareholder support, the Supreme Court of NSW has made orders approving the scheme of arrangement between CSG and its shareholders. CSG has also lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) the orders of the Supreme Court of NSW approving the scheme of arrangement between CSG and its shareholders. CSG acting CEO and managing director Mark Bayliss said this is “a fabulous move”, especially for its stakeholders.

ABC buys, removes and dismantles old kit ABC Copier Solutions has a solution for ageing, redundant digital printers and copiers – Jaxon Crocker from the business will pay for them and take them off your hands. Crocker has built a business out of removing copiers from Australian cities and dismantling them for no cost. Once collected, the equipment is packed into a container and shipped to Singapore, where the parts are sold and forwarded on to other countries, where they are then potentially reused for years. Crocker has already picked up redundant machines from KwikCopy, Snap, Worldwide Print, CMYK Colour Online, as well as CMYKhub, and is looking for more customers. “We pick up larger production copiers and smaller machines; we recycle them

Jaxon Crocker has built a business from removing old kit

in an environmentally-friendly way,” Crocker said. “The process of dismantling and removing old machines also means less redundant equipment is sent to landfill.” KwikCopy goods procurement manager Andy Scott said, “It’s good to know someone who will do the job for you. And Jaxon works quickly and efficiently.” Call Jaxon Crocker on 0438 137 938 for more information.

SPRINTER.COM.AU

Introducing Fujifilm’s most affordable flatbed The Vybrant UF10 is a true flatbed printer offering high-quality printing on a range of rigid and flexible media, supported by four dedicated vacuum zones. With performance that is suitable for print volumes up to 7,500m² per year, the Vybrant is ideal for businesses looking to grow their wideformat capability. Using Fujifilm’s Uvijet inks, you can produce vibrant colours using minimal ink while helping reduce production costs. To find out more visit www.fujifilm.com.au or email ffau.graphics.marketing@fujifilm.com To book a personalised demonstration call 1300 650 804

Vybrant UF-10 at a glance: • 16m² per hour in production mode • Versatile 6 channel CMYK with White • Variable drop sizes from 7 to 21 picolitres • Handles flexible and rigid media up to 51mm thick • Four dedicated vacuum zones to minimize masking • Long-lasting, low energy LED curing system • Fujifilm Uvijet UV cured inks • Anti-crash sensor • Anti-static bar eliminates static on the media surface

COVER FEATURE IVE has evolved its business model with a simplified and diversified strategy

A new era for IVE Simplifying service offerings is no easy task, but IVE has managed to do just that, whilst at the same time expanding its product portfolio through the strategic acquisition of Salmat Marketing Solutions. 14 | AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020

elivering clients an expanded, simplified and integrated service offering – that’s one of the main drivers for IVE this year as it continues the evolution of its business model. Following a number of strategic business moves, IVE has simplified its integrated offering so clients can better understand what its specialisations are and how they all come together. Recently, IVE retired its 14 existing brands and unified them under one consolidated IVE brand as part of this simplification process. “With our unmatched breadth and depth of offering, we’re well placed to navigate our clients through the complex marketing maze from idea to execution,” IVE chief marketing officer Rob Draper said. “What the brand simplification has effectively done, is help clients understand how we can do this, in a manner that’s digestible and easy to understand.” The messaging is simple. IVE is one unified company with four core offerings. These are: data-driven communications, creative services,

SPRINTER.COM.AU

production and distribution, and for larger clients who want all of their marketing activities managed and simplified – integrated marketing. Each core offering is made up of specialist services. The most recent of which is IVE’s distribution service that has joined the range through the strategic acquisition of Salmat Marketing Solutions (the business has been specialising in this space for more than 40 years). IVE’s full list of specialist services now includes: Creative services: • Visual • Motion • Digital • Personalised • Structural (3D) Data-driven communications: • CX data and insights • Marketing technology • Omni-channel deployment • Retrieval and data enrichment • Tele-fundraising Production and distribution: • Print • Retail display • Premiums and merchandising • Integrated logistics • Distribution

Integrated marketing: • Resource management • Supply chain • Business intelligence

All under one roof According to Draper, having all of its offerings under the IVE banner brings benefits for both clients and the business. “The more fragmented marketing becomes, the more benefits our integrated service offering will bring for our clients,” Draper said. “Clients shouldn’t need to deal with the complexity of managing multiple businesses that all operate individually, and then try and coordinate them together. We’re already set up to do this, which means we can spend more time providing our clients with guidance on the best solutions for their specific needs, and executing these flawlessly for them.” IVE CEO Matt Aitken said the revised go-to-market strategy also enables a personalised approach. “Each client tailors what they use from IVE’s broad array of specialist services in a way that meets their individual requirements,” Aitken said. And this strategy of having all of IVE’s core offerings and specialist services seamlessly integrated with each other seems to be working. According to IVE, 73 per cent of its 2,800 clients now

Retail display also remains as one of IVE’s production and distribution specialist services

use more than one of their integrated services. Two such examples are Chemist Warehouse and Clark Rubber. Chemist Warehouse said it has further streamlined its processes following IVE’s revision of service offerings. “We’re really excited by the expansion and integration of IVE’s services,” Chemist Warehouse group marketing manager Lia Heim said. “Being able to use IVE for our printing, retail display, integrated logistics and distribution requirements in one streamlined, integrated manner makes our lives a lot easier and our retail marketing a lot more effective.” Clark Rubber general manager Damian Lucas echoed the same benefits as Heim. “We now use IVE to print and distribute our retail catalogues and supply our retail staff uniforms in an integrated manner. It’s fantastic; It saves us time, creates cost efficiencies, improves accountability, and simplifies the procurement of these key services,” Lucas added.

Salmat acquisition completes retail strategy Having a stellar distribution strategy has also been a key focus for IVE. The company beefed up distribution following a strategic acquisition of Salmat Marketing Solutions, which was announced in

COVER FEATURE

IVE expands its product portfolio through the strategic acquisition of Salmat Marketing Solutions

November last year and completed in January. The deal, worth $25 million, also includes the acquisition of Reach Media NZ Limited, Salmat’s catalogue distribution business in New Zealand. Both businesses will operate as part of IVE’s production and distribution offering. IVE has long utilised Salmat’s distribution service but this deal allows the former to own its own means of distribution and pass on the benefits to clients. “These acquisitions complete the final phase of our strategic roadmap over recent years to further expand and strengthen our offer to the retail sector,” Aitken said. “The combination of Australia’s largest letterbox distribution business with IVE’s broader print, data, and integrated marketing services provides an exciting opportunity for our clients to enhance returns on their marketing spend through our highly-integrated offer. “Importantly, the significant capital expenditure program over the next 18 months to automate catalogue collation will support the ongoing sustainability of the national walker network resulting in a strong distribution channel delivering improved ROI for IVE’s retail clients.”

THESE ACQUISITIONS COMPLETE THE FINAL PHASE OF OUR STRATEGIC ROADMAP... TO FURTHER EXPAND AND STRENGTHEN OUR OFFER...

development,” IVE general manager of distribution Craig Amos said. “It makes life easier for them having to only deal with one point of contact, giving them faster speeds to market and ultimately, improved ROIs on what they’re distributing.” IVE is also pumping a further $25 million to $30 million in a capital investment program, which aims to bring first to market technology and sustainability to the catalogue collation process prior to letterbox delivery, for the existing 14,000 strong Australian walker network. “Catalogue collation is an important initiative to improve walker satisfaction and retention,” Amos said. “Currently, collation in the field takes up a significant portion of a walker’s time and increasing catalogue volumes into our mid-week delivery window means this will increase. Our investment in collation, along with other walker focused technology, will create a more robust and sustainable walker network. For customers, collation will improve speed to market, enable targeting to a section level, and provides the ability to target other products going into households.” IVE has certainly set itself up for an exciting year ahead. With a new market-leading retail offering and simplified integration of all of its services, what the business does within this space is one to watch. “It’s great see IVE evolving with the changing landscape and continuing to lead the way as it has done since 1921,” Draper concluded. Contact IVE at info@ivegroup.com.au for more information on IVE’s services.

Integrating services Having the Salmat business arm in the mix with some of IVE’s other service offerings such as print services, data analytics and marketing is expected to further enhance the delivery of retail print, production and distribution in Australia. “Our clients are excited by this

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Data analytics and marketing is expected to further enhance the delivery of retail print, production and distribution as IVE unifies, simplifies, and diversifies its go-to-market strategy

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PEOPLE IN PRINT

Durst adapts to market change In a changing marketplace, Durst understands the need for change and is willing to diversify to succeed

Taking the business on an upward curve: Durst Group CEO and co-owner Christoph Gamper

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PEOPLE IN PRINT

urst is on an upward curve with its recent establishment in Australia and a seven-year plan that is set to take the company to new heights. Its group CEO and co-owner Christoph Gamper was recently in Australia for the opening of Durst Oceania’s office in Tullamarine, Melbourne, where he addressed the company’s future plans. According to Gamper, the Australian market is one of importance, which was the reason behind its set up of a physical office in the county. “Even though the Oceania market isn’t as huge as the US, it’s still an important market and having a physical presence in this region is a great asset,” he said. “It is unfortunate with what happened with our distribution company but it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss to start servicing the local region directly. “Even with the best distributor in the market, we felt that having a physical presence is important. “It was one of the missing pieces before we set up shop here and now we feel that we have everything we need in place to charge on in this market.” Durst Oceania is headed up by its managing director Matt Ashman, who was promoted from the Durst A/NZ sales manager role. Ashman has served at Durst for more than 10 years, with Gamper saying that Ashman is a good fit for leadership. “Durst is about its people. Having Matt here, who has worked with us for more than a decade, has enabled us to further service this region directly,” Gamper said.

Durst’s production facility in Brixen, Northern Italy

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Gamper himself has a long-standing history with the company, having worked in the business for more than nine years. “Within these nine years, I’ve gone from being CEO to co-owner as well in the last year. So, now there are only two shareholders in the company – the original family that created Durst and myself. We are a 100 per cent family-owned, independent company, and we want to stay that way. We’re not striving to go public and even if industry giants come knocking on our door, we won’t be entertaining it,” he said. “We want to be this big, excellent company even in 100 years. We’ve been in existence for more than 80 years and we’re striving to stay, even if it means reinventing our business.”

Evolving with trends

Durst has gone through a number of lifecycles. Having started off in the duplication photography and analogue business, it has changed the direction of the business four times. “We’re in our fifth revolution right now. We changed from building cameras to having our first print system; this also means we went from business-to-business to a business-to-consumer model,” Gamper said. “From there, we started to print on paper with lasers. No one thought this technology was going to be successful but we redefined how photographic output worked. From there, we transitioned towards inkjet and we had to change the perceptions of people back then in terms of what they thought about inkjets. “Then, our move was into industrial inkjets. And now, it is also about

managing the entire process of printing, not just printing, which means we can go into packaging, labels, wide format, or textile printing.” Now, the company is targeting different print directions, with wide format being one of the most important ones in Australia. It also intends to explore the labels and packaging segment – from flexible packaging down to cardboard and industrial applications. “We want to be the top in our segment; We want to be a company that understands the process very deeply,” he said. “We want our customers to bring to their customers the best solutions and to be the service provider and not a machine seller or software provider. “As for Durst, we will aim to support customers with innovation. We will try to bring to them tools that allow customers to stay ahead and for their economic success. We’ll have solutions to launch at drupa and Fespa.” Gamper added that Durst’s joint venture with Koenig & Bauer is also of upmost importance in its growth plans. “Koenig & Bauer is one of the oldest and most successful printing companies, and our philosophies play well together. This means we’re able to infiltrate the packaging market better and build on our names in it. “In today’s world, if you don’t work together, you end up lost. If you both co-operate for the benefit of the customer, which is definitely for your benefit as well, then it works out nicely. “No matter how big an organisation, you’re going to need some experts because you can’t manage the whole production chain alone.”

Durst is all about its people and culture

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PEOPLE IN PRINT

Durst Oceania managing director Matt Ashman (l) and Durst Group CEO and co-owner Christoph Gamper (r)

Changes in the market

Tapping into current trends, Gamper said the labels and packaging space is one to watch, as is large format printing. “Labels and packaging is growing worldwide, as is large format printing. We see the same here, in Australia,” he said. “Packaging is growing in the industry because more and more people are trying to package in a more sustainable fashion. “And as for the digital printing space, textile printing, in my view, is the next big thing. Traditional textile printing is one of the biggest water wasters and digital allows us to become more water efficient.” Durst also works very closely with its customers to address challenges and opportunities that they face. “We have something called Top of the Mountains where we bring top customers from all over the world to our headquarters to talk through challenges and opportunities. It’s not a formal focus group but it allows us, to see from the market side, how we can change in the market that is coming,” he said. “Customers have told us that in the large format market, gaining efficiency is one of the challenges in the market and along with that, uncertainty in the market, price and pressure pose added pressure. “But, you can still grow by doing things in the way you have five years ago and what we can bring to the table is some of our experience and other customers from around the world that may have faced similar challenges before.” Durst then follows up on these

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LABELS AND PACKAGING IS GROWING WORLDWIDE, AS IS LARGE FORMAT PRINTING.

conversations with strategy work and from there, try to predict trends and form a seven-year strategy that is broken down into short cycles. “We basically come up with three pictures around this – print is dead, print is hybrid, and print is growing,” Gamper mentioned, addressing the scenarios. “What we’re seeing coming up in the next year is that print is growing, especially digital advertising. Large format printing still has a lot of logic behind it, but the focus is more on water systems, not so much UV systems. “A lot of new technology is being developed in this area, especially when we talk about sustainability.”

A focus on software

Software is another area that Durst intends on increasing its focus on. “For us, there are so many new opportunities and so much more that we can bring to the market. So, we don’t just

focus on the machines side, but also the software portfolio and optimisation side. That’s where we will be increasing our focus on for the next two to three years,” Gamper stated. “We’ve been working on this for more than seven years, and more than a third of our development power is in software. I have 60 software engineers working around the clock, so this shows how much emphasis we’re putting on it. “It’s about going beyond just pure machine manufacturing and shining more of a light on process engineering. “At the end of the day, we want to help our customers be more successful from start to end; so from pixel to output and the different aspects within it – it may be a web front store in the business-tobusiness or business-to-customer space, or even down to print within the factory and digital advertising.” Gamper added that guiding Durst’s customers through change is what the company’s ultimate aim is. “Print has been mainly traditional but being in digital means we are able to build on this and pioneer this. There will always be adoption at the top end. If the fastmovers are successful, everyone else will follow,” he said. “You only need five or 10 per cent of the market and then, you grow from there. There are plenty of fast movers in Australia and it’s a very important and positive test market. Australia is very entrepreneurial, which is fitting to our culture because we’re also always constantly evolving.”

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PEOPLE IN PRINT

Durst Oceania shows off New Office

Christoph Gamper (r) addressing the crowd, with Matt Ashman (l) by his side

Durst Oceania recently opened the doors to its newly launched premises in Melbourne's suburb of Tullamarine and invited its partners to check out the new premises. Durst Oceania managing director Matt Ashman, Durst Group CEO and co-owner Christoph Gamper and head of service Christian Casazza were at the launch to welcome guests.

(l-r) Ewen Donaldson (Vivad), Julian Lowe (Coritex), Romeo Sanuri (Next Printing), and Aaushik Patel (Durst Oceania)

(l-r) Paul Sanelli (Durst Oceania), Kevin Mack (Documents On Call)

(l-r) Matt Ashman (Durst Oceania), Brendon Clist and David Hornsey (Jetmark Signage Solutions)

(l-r) Rod Peter and Glenn Coleman (Coleman Group) with Christian Casazza and Christoph Gamper (Durst Group)

(l-r) Sarah Moore and Peter Harper (Visual Connections)

(l-r) Enda Kavanagh (XMPie) and Robyn Frampton (Visual Connections)

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WOMEN IN PRINT

Print is in my DNA:

Kirsten Taylor Continuing to grow her business’ value with leadership skills is Kirsten Taylor

patron of Women in Print in Victoria, Taylor’d Press co-owner Kirsten Taylor aims to continue to grow her business in value. Taylor’d Press is a small family-owned business specialising in short and long run spot colour printing, letterpress printing and embellishments. Having been in operation since 1995, Taylor’d Press was established by James Taylor when he first purchased a one-colour GTO offset press and installed it in his parents’ garage. “James grew the business himself and in 1997 moved the equipment to Richmond, on the outskirts of the city, to continue to grow it,” she said. “In 2004, I joined the company in an administrative role. As the business grew, I became more involved, challenging myself with the understandings of print. I was in a position where I was running the day-to-day finances, client liaison, and estimating, while James was doing the hands-on work. “I became challenged in my role on how much I knew about print. I only knew how to put the paper into the feeder, make an impression and receive it at the delivery. But I never backed away from a challenge and gained the best understanding of print possible for my clients by commencing my apprenticeship in late 2015 and completing it in March 2017. “Where I was once a mother to smaller children, my girls are also now of an age where they are more self-sufficient. This has allowed me to explore the industry more. I’ve looked to mentors, asked a lot of questions, and listened to what others have to say.” Print has been in Taylor’s family DNA even before she took on the role at Taylor’d Press. Her mother, who lived in Manchester back in the day, used to work in a Linotype factory. “I recently took a trip to Manchester, which is my family hometown. My aunt took me out to the location of the linotype factory in Altrincham – this was where my mum, who worked as a young woman, met my aunt, who then introduced her to my dad,” she said.

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“My mum worked on the production line of the Linotype factory, producing little letters called matrix, which are like moulds for the type to be made. When I left Manchester, my aunt gifted me with some that she had kept. “It’s just an interesting turn of events that my mum was working in this magnificent building all those years ago and today, we own letterpress machines and continue the craft of print.” Building on her strengths, Taylor was recently granted a partial scholarship and completed a course with Women in Leadership Australia. This allowed her to explore her values of leadership and enhance her skills. She was also identified by ProPrint as one of the top 10 in its Power 50 list for her natural leadership and dedication to the industry. “The work I do with Women in Print for Victoria means I’m providing a platform for all women in our industry to network, look for inspiration, or mentors,” she said. “Some of the best opportunities and lessons have come from the males in our industry. We are becoming more noticed for our talents, and the acknowledgement of women in the ProPrint Power 50 and Emerging 50 and what they offer is outstanding. “I value all of the women with whom I’ve had interactions with for so many different reasons. I look up to my husband too, for teaching me his ways of print and for keeping me inspired when there’s not much of me left to give.” Taylor is also a representative of the Print and Visual Communications Association (PVCA) and sits on the board for PrintEx and PacPrint. In terms of improving her business, Taylor wants to build on Taylor’d Press’ emphasis on pleasing customers with quality work first time around. “Being a small business, we can’t really grow our business in acquisitions but I continue to grow my business in value – by maintaining my passion, and being honest and transparent about the work I’m doing,” she said.

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EFI CONNECT 2020

EFI CEO Jeff Jacobson at his keynote presentation at EFI Connect

Attendees hear what the executives of EFI have to say at the conference

EFI evolves its go-to-market strategy at Connect AP travelled to EFI Connect in Las Vegas as a guest of EFI

FI recently wrapped up its threeday global annual conference, EFI Connect, in Las Vegas with attendees taking home many learnings from the event. The conference, which saw more than 600 of EFI’s customers and partners attend, shone light on some of the company’s activities and solution launches, its plans for 2020, and the direction that it will be taking moving forward. The focus of every company and customer should be on the now instead of solely on the future. That was the main message from recently appointed EFI CEO Jeff Jacobson at his keynote presentation at EFI Connect. According to Jacobson, the now and future pendulum needs to work in tandem, with businesses keeping sight of what they are doing now and how it will impact the future.

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“There is sometimes conflicting interests between the now and future conversations. Why do we need to choose between the now and the future? Why can’t we have them both?” he questioned. “Throughout my 30-plus years in this industry I’ve always been confronted with this same question from my team – do we want more revenues or profits? Why can’t we have both? “The now and the future is the same debate as analogue and digital. But isn’t it about the convergence of the two? We want to be the now and we want to be in the future. “You cannot afford to eliminate everything that you own and invested in if you come up with something new every year. This is the print and digital convergence, the co-existence of analog and digital, legacy versus new, and mature versus developing. So, you need the now in order to fund and migrate to the future.”

The on-demand nature of the printing industry, coupled with pressures from customers to become a one-stop shop and an effortless experience of anytime, anywhere is creating an evolution in what buyers are expecting, according to EFI senior vice-president and general manager of productivity software Gaby Matsliach. Matsliach identified four dimensions where EFI aims to help its customers: • Brainstorming with customers about their future, vision and current needs to merge industry expertise with subject matter expertise from EFI • Taking that vision and making smart selections of technology for a businessdriven approach to craft and having an end-to-end view • Execution through partnership and change management • Empowering the printer to evolve the business, collaborate better, and do what they do the best that they can

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EFI CONNECT 2020

Life after EFI for Guy Gecht IBM senior executive Alfred Zollar (r) in a fireside chat with EFI chief financial officer Marc Olin (l)

dramatically alter the experience that we have with customers. What should be driving this is trying to simplify the experience of people.”

Expanding beyond enterprise in APAC

Former EFI CEO Guy Gecht talks about what he’s been involved in since leaving the business

EFI’s Gaby Matsliach outlines the company’s key priorities for 2020

“The empowerment part is the most important to us at EFI. There will be an emphasis on underlying technology and a vision around a holistic and extensible ecosystem,” he said. Former IBM senior executive Alfred Zollar outlined future trends in a chat with EFI chief financial officer Marc Olin. Zollar is part of the executive partner team at Siris Capital and helped structure the mid-2019 private equity acquisition of EFI by a Siris affiliate. Prior to working with Siris, he had a 34-year career in IBM. “What I learnt from my time at IBM is being able to flip from an inside-out thinking model to one that is outside-in. This involves being able to innovate and co-create with customers, as well as understanding markets and technology trends,” he mentioned. “In today’s world we are presented opportunities with technology to

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LONG-SERVING former EFI CEO Guy Gecht sat down with EFI CEO Jeff Jacobson in a fireside chat to talk through some of his time at EFI and activities after leaving the company. Gecht said that following his resignation from the EFI CEO role, two years ago, he was faced with uncertainty as to what he wanted to do with his time. “It was always a mystery to me what I was going to do when I left. I was with EFI for 19 years and the company went through so much transformation in that time,” he said. “But when I stepped down from all that responsibility, I took things down to zero to think about what I wanted to do. I never had more than a meeting or catchup a day. And then I took classes in standup comedy, which my family signed me up to, and also took the time to read some books. “After a few months, I ended up on the board of Logitech. There’s plenty of innovation in that company that I had to learn about. So, I utilised my time towards that. “I have also been mentoring CEOs of startups. Silicon Valley is huge for startups, so I impart my knowledge to those that seek it,” he said. The change of pace has been a transition for Gecht, who has also taken up some projects on the side. “I never thought this sabbatical thing was going to last. I’m now a general contractor with my wife and that keeps me busy. We have been building our home, the land which we bought from the Hewlett (the Hewlett part of Hewlett Packard) family and we’ve been working on that project together,” he said.

EFI’s Rodd Harrison with Euro Poles and Flag Displays’ Peter Wagener

In Asia-Pacific, EFI is expanding its vision to provide solutions to not just enterprise customers alone but rather, those in the mid-market as well. According to EFI Asia Pacific sales vice-president Rodd Harrison, the new VUTEk solutions reflect this. “We’re no longer doing just high-end product ranges anymore within the MIS and ERP area but moving into the midmarket range with the newer products that we’ve brought and will soon bring out,” Harrison said. “This will extend our reach into smaller and medium sized businesses.” EFI Asia Pacific is also refining its go to market strategy. “We don’t just meet a customer and try to sell printers. We take a holistic approach with both hardware and software and try to solve our customers’ needs,” Harrison said. With EFI refining its product (hardware and software) sets every 18 months, Harrison said it puts the business ahead of the average three-year innovation pace that the industry takes. Euro Poles and Flag Displays managing director Peter Wagener, who is also the managing director of All Flags Signs and Banners, has been an EFI customer for more than 20 years. Based in Perth, the company has eight EFI machines on the floor with the oldest machine, a 20-year-old EFI printer, still in operation. “There’s no way we’d be where we are without EFI. Other players in the industry can’t offer the same support and backup that EFI has provided,” Wagener said.

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EFI CONNECT 2020

Adopting Single Pass for display graphics

EFI’s Ken Hanulec addresses the importance of Single Pass for display graphics EFI vice president of worldwide marketing, Ken Hanulec, has given away some clues at EFI Connect in Las Vegas about the company’s direction in industrial and display graphics. “As we move with Single Pass across all of our portfolio, the one printer you don’t see Single Pass in right now is display graphics. So, if you connect the dots, maybe you can see where we’re going with the technology,” he said. EFI Inkjet Single Pass Technology has been a major rollout for the company across industrial building materials, industrial packaging and industrial textile. “We believe that we have the broadest inkjet product range,” he said. “We have got a robust display graphics line. “We’re just getting started with Single Pass and you’ll probably, in the coming years, see Single Pass extend to display graphics. “I foresee Single Pass to be the dominant technology that wins in the end at drupa. “Anybody in the production environment will see value in Single Pass and we have a leadership in this position, which is why it’s critical that we talk about it. “Single Pass only works if you have a world class printer and use world class ink. “The only way to make Single Pass work is if you also have the workflow and digital front end tools within your businesses to keep up with those production speeds.”

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EFI brought the new D3r roll-to-roll LED inkjet printer to Connect

t was not only just about company direction that was discussed at EFI Connect. The company also revealed key products and software updates, which include:

New VUTEk launches

EFI took to Connect to launch a midrange three and five-metre wide roll-toroll printer line, the VUTEk D3r and D5r LED inkjet printers. The printers leverage the capabilities of the VUTEk 3r+ and 5r+ printers to offer a mid-range solution with high value applications, including white and clear ink, offering sign and display customers the opportunity to drive more volume with high-end digital print for endless applications and designs. More information on the units are available in the Wide Format News pages.

Updates to Fiery

EFI’s Toby Weiss outlined the four key journeys that EFI is taking with Fiery

EFI senior vice-president and general manager of Fiery, Toby Weiss, outlined the four key journeys that EFI is taking with Fiery, with new updates to the Fiery FS400 Pro and Fiery XF7 platform. It has launched Fiery Edge, a nextgeneration colour profiling technology for superior colour results, more automation, VDP (variable data production), and cloud solutions. “Fiery supports the customer journey, regardless of what their journey looks like and helps our customers speed up their paths. These enhancements make output quality of Fiery-driven printers even better,” Weiss said. EFI has also introduced Fiery JobExpert, an automated system that analyses incoming PDF files, dynamically chooses the optimal print settings, and aims to achieve the highest print quality while optimising production time. “There’s an enormous number of possible combinations and resulting potential for error leads to test prints and waste. JobExpert is a built-in expert for optimal print output. Fiery JobExpert provides the intelligence to print every job perfectly,” Weiss said. In the journey from static to automation, the company has launched Fiery FreeForm Create, a free stand-alone VDP creation application. It is also focusing on its new EFI IQ cloud technology platform, which is an infrastructure that requires only one sign-on and one ID but gives customers different value propositions such as IQ

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Dashboard, Manage, ColorGuard, EFI Go, and Insight. Weiss also spoke about the expansion of EFI Communications and the creation of Learning@EFI, a learning platform that provides free training resources and paid certification programs.

Sustainability for Reggiani The move towards green is driving EFI Reggiani’s transformation and improving its sustainability efforts, said EFI senior vice-president and general manager for Reggiani Adele Genoni. At EFI Connect, she mentioned that the three biggest drivers within the textile industry are sustainability, big data

Productivity software suite enhancements EFI productivity software portfolio product management vice-president Nick Benkovich pointed out the new enhancements to its software portfolio at EFI Connect: Mailing workflow (iQuote) Benkovich said that as mailing is still huge in parts of the world and developed markets, the company has made a significant investment in its iQuote platform to specifically deal with the needs of large commercial mailers. “We found that a lot of people had homegrown or outdated solutions in place and the market needed one that works throughout the production cycle,” he said. “It will be a complete end-to-end mailing solution – from submission to entry to the mailing stream. Basically, if you think about mailing, it’s often done where the details are somewhat vague. “But variable data has sub components

EFI’s TERRA pigment inks offer greener direct-to-fabric textile production

management and Artificial Intelligence, and technical textiles for any application within industries such as fashion, healthcare, home, and others. “What we have done so far is keep on the edge of technology, becoming a one-stop shop for those in the industry,” she said. to it and letters need to be personalised and contain variable content. Some need to be mailed out on different dates. So, there needs to be a solution that plans it and updates as you go.” EFI has signed up four early adopters in the US and the product will go into general release in Q3 this year. Workbench expansion/adoption and eFlow Automator live Benkovich said as the automation conversation is important for EFI, it has launched a new module called eFlow Automator, a business platform management system. “It is the backbone that we use to connect all our components. It allows you to create automated rules in a system that if a job, an estimate or a customer, for example, meets certain criteria, that we can detect and perform actions such as alert through an email or chat message, or add onto a to do list,” he said. “It allows customers to take those mundane, repetitive tasks and largely automate it.

EFI’s eFlow, which automates connectivity between workflow components can now automate actions outside of EFI workflow systems, including, for example with SAP ERP systems

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“With the Reggiani range, we aim to satisfy the needs of smallscale customers, in addition to mass production customers.” There are three green processes that Reggiani will be increasing its focus in: direct to fabric sublimation, the greenest pigment technology, and denim dyeing. “And this solution is not just about the EFI ecosystem; it allows you to automate actions outside of the EFI system. If you’re connected to an SAP for example, we can update the credit limit in SAP.” Vertical Applications Vertical Applications has been available in the market if a customer buys one of EFI’s MIS but the enhancements now enable customers to leverage the technology with one of EFI’s MIS or with a generic ERP system. According to Benkovich, Vertical Applications takes EFI’s software technology and allows it to be connected to any generic ERP system. “Historically, we’ve been an MIS company and sold MIS systems and then, things attached to MIS systems. This past year, we’ve been working on a strategy where we will allow customers to integrate many of our components directly into a generic ERP system,” he said. MarketDirect expansion – PackCentral enhancements In the packaging space, EFI has expanded its MarketDirect suite with PackCentral enhancements that include a fulfilment solution (a solution that transitions from spreadsheet based to cloud based), a new module called AutoEngage, and a new integrated shipping model named ShipExpress for orders to be shipped out easily. “It’s going to be a game changer for us, especially in the folding cartons and corrugated space,” Benkovich said. PackCentral has early adopter customers in the field and will be made globally available in Q2 this year.

AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020 | 29

70TH ANNIVERSARY

Anniversary AP’s rich history revisited

dvertising agency, E.G. Holt launched Australasian Printer in January, 1950. The magazine was successively owned by Lawson Publications and then Thomson Publications group. Enter, Paul Callahan, who began his media career in radio, initially with NSW country radio stations, before joining 2UE in Sydney where he sold advertising as well as hosting the midnight-to-dawn slot. Callahan furthered his career in advertising first with the Daily Telegraph as manager of the holiday and travel section, before becoming national advertising manager with Lawson Publications and Thomson Publications. In 1972, he branched out to form a company with the magazine’s editor, Bob Moore, to produce an annual 300-page Graphic Arts Technical Specifications Manual. When Australasian Printer came up for sale, Callahan and previous editor, Bob Moore purchased the magazine through Calmor & Associates and it was during the Calmor era that the biggest growth

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occurred in Australian Printer and its associated titles. Ann Callahan took over as co-owner and editor in 1974. She had initially trained as a teacher and met Paul when she taught his sons, Matthew and Paul Jnr. Between July 1981 and July 1983, Australasian Printer carried a section targeted at New Zealand printers and

circulation included copies mailed across the Tasman. By 1984, the New Zealand section had a life of its own and the magazine was renamed Australian Printer, with New Zealand Printer having spunoff as a separate bi-monthly magazine published in Auckland. In August, 1988, Asian Printer was launched as the third magazine in the stable. “Launching these new titles were significant milestones in our family business,” Paul Callahan said. “We’d identified demand for a B2B magazine in South East Asia for the printing and graphic arts industries, but felt we needed to finesse the model closer to home first. “This resulted in the launch of New Zealand Printer magazine and four years later we felt we had the necessary skills and staff to repeat the successful formula in Asia. Throughout our tenure as owners, our focus was on providing news that readers could use, affording advertisers with a valuable medium to reach their customers and a marketplace for printers to advertise their wares.” Co-owner, Ann Callahan said the company never shied away from investment in the kinds of technologies it was informing its readers about. She said, “The most profound change in the industry during our ownership of the magazines was, without doubt, the move from offset to digital printing. “In the early days I remember pasting up galleys at our typesetters at Magazine Printers, part of John Armati’s Macquarie Publications Group in Chippendale, and then Waterloo. We’d already gone digital with the investment of $26,000 in a Taiwanese IBM PC clone for managing our growing databases – it had a clock speed of 8MHz with onboard memory

Paul and Ann Callahan, who ran the publication in the ‘70s and ‘80s

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70TH ANNIVERSARY of 10MB, a small green screen that was like looking into a clothes dryer and sounded like a Fokker engine winding up as it took a couple of minutes to start up! “This was followed by a five-figure investment in a Remington Dest OCR scanner to capture and avoid re-keying the growing amount of content we were receiving for our enlarged publishing enterprise – all of it still in print. “Next, we commissioned our own publishing management system by Sydney developer, Hong Van Le, which was closely followed by an investment in our own digital typesetting system through Steve De Vroom’s Amazing Faces in Milson’s point. After the early days in Camperdown, we’d always had offices just north of Sydney Harbour. First we operated from Milson’s Point where, over the years, we owned two houses a few doors from one another in lower Arthur Street, using one as our office. Advertisers and readers were always welcome to drop by and talk business as they enjoyed AP hospitality. “As the business grew, we leased our own three-story commercial premises just up the road from SBS in Milsons Point and the next move came with our purchase of a three-story town house in McMahons Point, near Blues point Road. We left publishing just as the internet was coming into its own and 22 years later, whilst many publications maintain online as well as printed versions, some have chosen an online presence exclusively and we believe this trend will only increase.” When Australian Printer and New Zealand Printer were sold to Swedish industrialist and ink man, Anders Oqvist, in 1998, the Callahans opted for a major lifestyle change, moving to Auckland and opening a luxury bed and breakfast

Shankar Vishwanath who took over Australian Printer in March 2013

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establishment and wedding reception venue. After Paul suffered strokes in 2000 and 2001, they returned to Australia to enjoy the company of their family. Ann Callahan said, “We met some extraordinary people in the printing industry and some of our most memorable times were at exhibitions such as Drupa and Ipex, where everyone worked hard during the day, wore out lots of shoe leather, enjoyed socialising at night and came back to A/NZ exhausted.” Over the past 22 years, the Callahans have been able to indulge their passion for travel, often linked to their other interests including music, theatre and opera. But neither Paul nor Ann are officially retired and when, in 2017, they had their first trip to Bali, they took on another project - building two luxury villas in Legian as a holiday accommodation investment. These were completed in 2018 and are now operating successfully. In 1998, the Calmor ANZ publishing business was sold to Anders Oqvist, a former Sicpa executive, when it became Printer Magazines Group (PMG). Oqvist, in turn, sold it to entrepreneur and IT specialist, Shankar Vishwanath, in March 2013. Following a successful career in IT business development and stints with both Woolworths Group and their joint venture partners in India, Tata, Vishwanath had taken a change in direction with the purchase and successful expansion of two Kwik Kopy franchises between 2009 and 2013. This gave him a taste for print, and when the opportunity came up, he bought Australian Printer and the rest of the PMG titles through family company, Sulobu, and went about refreshing the titles and streamlining business operations. Vishwanath’s strategy included a focus on digital business and growing market share, which he sought to achieve through the acquisition of AP competitor, ProPrint, from Michael Hesseltine-owned UK publisher, Haymarket, which was scaling down its Australian operations. Some five years and seven months after acquiring AP and its sister titles in print and online, Vishwanath sold the business to current owner The Intermedia Group, when it was renamed Printer Media Group. After a 10 month break on the road with wife, Devi, to clear his head for a new challenge - which included climbing to the first base camp of Mount Everest – Vishwanath re-entered the entrepreneurial world with a number of start-ups aimed at launching, supporting and optimising digital businesses.

SEVEN OWNERS OF AP IN 70 YEARS (1950-2020) 1. 2. 3. 4.

E.G. Holt Lawson Publications Thomson Publications Group Calmor & Associates (Paul and Ann Callahan) 5. Printer Magazines Group (Anders Oqvist) 6. Sulobu Pty Ltd (Printer Magazines Group, Shankar Vishwanath) 7. Printer Media Group (James Wells and Simon Grover at The Intermedia Group)

Leading the charge

PMG managing director James Wells “We are very fortunate and very proud, as the Printer Media Group, to be the current custodians of Australian Printer as it celebrates its 70th anniversary as one of the longest running business-to-business magazines in the southern hemisphere. As the largest business-to-business publisher of its kind in Australia and New Zealand, The Intermedia Group, Printer Media Group’s parent company, is comparatively very young by comparison at just 50 years. “We look forward to servicing the industry, alongside our other printing and packaging publications in Australia, New Zealand and SouthEast Asia for many years to come. “Thank you to everyone for their support and we look forward to celebrating in style for the remainder of this year.”

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70TH ANNIVERSARY

Congratulatory messages Messe Düsseldorf print technologies global head and drupa director Sabine Geldermann

“Like AP, drupa looks back on almost 70 years of existence, which connects us further in the drupa year 2020. My team would like to congratulate the AP team on this special occasion. We greatly appreciate our long-standing cooperation and fruitful partnership, and are delighted to welcome the community from down under in drupacity in June.”

Böttcher Australia managing director Mitchell Mulligan

“Böttcher Australia has been advertising with AP since our start up in 1998 and together, we were able to communicate the brand’s arrival and market position. AP was and still is a vital part of our communication strategy and we have been happy to be a small part of the past 70 years. Congratulations on the milestone and thank you for the many years of industry support and reporting.”

Cyber Australia managing director Bernard Cheong

“There is no doubt that AP has made its presence known, having been in operation for 70 years and counting. It is an invaluable resource for the printing industry. As AP continues on its journey, I hope the passion for print propels it to greater success. Cyber is proud to be working with AP. Congratulations on 70 successful years in operation.”

Ball & Doggett national marketing manager Tony Bertrand

“Ball & Doggett has worked with AP for close to 10 years. The quality of the writing, scope of content represented, and AP team we’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with is what makes us choose to work with AP time and time again. Working with people who always show the utmost of professionalism and passion for their craft is a good match for us. We’re looking forward to many more years of opportunities to promote the print communications industry alongside AP.”

Heidelberg Australia and New Zealand managing director Richard Timson

“Congratulations from Heidelberg for turning 70. It has been a great and colourful journey that we have embarked on together. We look forward to a future where communications still incorporates printed matter, in addition to new forms of electronic communication.”

Durst Oceania managing director Matt Ashman

“It’s so reassuring to see such a brand still leading the way in its field, especially when you look at the quantum leaps in the industry. AP has been there to guide us through the opportunities, the developments the highs and the lows. Such longevity is something to be celebrated.”

Currie Group executive chairman David Currie “Congratulations to AP on reaching 70 years. As a business that last year celebrated the same, we know this longevity is both a combination of strong and determined leadership, combined with customer engagement and commitment. May you celebrate many more milestones in the future.”

Konica Minolta production and industrial print general manager Sue Threlfo

“Konica Minolta would like to extend its congratulations to the team at AP for its 70th anniversary. What an amazing milestone to reach. Konica Minolta really values the relationship that we have with AP and is looking forward to seeing what AP can achieve in the future.”

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“As a long time supplier, I was privileged to be an advertiser in AP under Anne & Paul Callahan but looking back at my July 1980 copy of the magazine when I worked for the now gone Sidney Cooke Co, it’s hard to believe how time and technology has changed. The issue was 92 pages of black and white printing with two pages in colour. Most of the people pictured have moved on, long retired, or gone to God – it’s just me left from that issue. “At 72 years of age, I have been involved in most parts of the industry, but mainly narrow web flexo. To think of the print we were able to deliver when we started with knurled metal anilox rolls and very poor inks that doesn’t come close to today’s 1200 line anilox rolls, UV flexo inks and high quality flexible plates. What a massive transformation. Congratulations to AP for remaining current throughout.”

Pressology managing director Peter Sage

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70TH ANNIVERSARY

AP’s rich 70 year history As Australian Printer turns 70, we take a walk down memory lane and revisit some of the biggest news that made history and the building blocks that have moulded the industry. 1950s - First drupa in Düsseldorf had 323,000 sq ft of exhibition space, with 400 exhibitors and more than 300,000 visitors - Klischograph launches half-tone photo-engraver (by Dr Rudolf Hell) - Mander-Kidd Printing Ink factory opens in Sydney - The first of the ‘Printing Houses in Sydney’ section in AP features the House of Penfold - Aussie-designed printing-down machine gets produced in Britain - Photopolymer used for flexo launches - Prepress term gets coined - Inkjet printing emerges - Facilities for spiral binding becomes available in NSW - The Wonderful World of Insects (1st book developed using phototypeset) - Times New Roman exhibition opens in Sydney - Australia’s first braille press starts in Sydney - Carton printers stage first private packaging exhibition in NSW - Penguin book production launches in Melbourne - Graphic Arts Discussion Group forms in Sydney - Linotype Company introduces new photocomposing machine in Australia - Sydney printer, C.P. Printers’ Base, launches new Australian-made plate base - Australasian Printing Exhibition opens in Sydney - Emergence of fax - Lithographic Technical Foundation in New York makes available new L.T.F. colour chart in Australia - NSW Government Printing office nears completion - Official opening of Melbourne School of Printing and Graphic Arts - New showroom opening for Monotype Corporation of Australia in Melbourne - B.J. Ball opens new warehouse in Adelaide - Seligson & Clare makes history as first Australian firm to have a stand at drupa - Feature of the first printer in Australia in AP - The monophoto arrives in Australia - Merger of BJ Ball and Edwards Dunlop paper, which saw the trading name change to Edwards Dunlop & BJ Ball

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70TH ANNIVERSARY

1960s - New system for printing braille - dots printed through perforated zinc stencil using special PVC paste instead of ink - WA Master Printers help publicise Commonwealth Games - Wrap around plates starts being produced in Australia - Letraset instant transfer lettering launches worldwide - Ryobi and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries starts manufacturing sheet-fed offset printing presses - New plant for Victorian Government printer launches - Printing ink pigments start getting made in Australia - Screen process printing takes off - Sydney Group develops set-off tester - Pantone Matching System launches

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- Colour scanner launches (by Dr Rudolf Hell) - Modern techniques reproduce Australia’s first newspaper - Modern Canberra printing office opens - Printers in the making at Sydney high schools as print education ramps up - Australian firsts with new machines in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne - Australia gets invited to join Asian Printers’ Congress - Women staff get proposed for print - Computersied typesetter DS 2038 (created by Dr Rudolf Hell) launches - Hypertext term gets coined - New braille press prints plastic dots in world first - Local ink makers in Australia adopt US colour system

- Victoria’s Miss Printing quest raises $18,812 - New microwave dryer gets unveiled - First Crosfield Diascan 2000 colour scanner goes into operation in Australia - Dot matrix printing emerges - 3D printed postage stamps become a success - Laser printing is introduced by Xerox - Industry transforms from letterpress to offset adoption - New to Australia - Nyloprint plates - Special typeface are created for Australian needs - First Zaandam Planifold single fold and flat wrapping machine gets installed in Australia at Complete Addressing Services - Paper prices start increasing

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70TH ANNIVERSARY

1970s - Water-based ink launches - Australia goes metric - American paper converter Nashua Corporation sets up plant in NSW - Printing ink prices rise - New gold offset ink is created - Dover’s Pte Ltd in Melbourne installs Alphatype Photocomposition System as a first in Australia - The growth of web offset escalates - VRG Graphic Machinery installs Zaandam II newspaper folding and wrapping machine (first installation in Australia) - 3M enters carbonless paper market in Australia - Amalgamated Colour Etchers installs Australia’s first APR liquid photopolymer letterpress printing plate system - Conpress Printing installs first web offset machine in Australia - Optical character recognition arrives in Australia - Thermal printing launches - Graphical User Interface (GUI) gets developed by Xerox PARC - World goes through newspaper shortage - Computers develop faster web-offset folders - ISO 216 paper standard launches - Colour television arrives - Screen printers see new ink release - Flatbed CCD scanner launches (by Kurzweil) - Cyber was founded - Currie and Company rebrands to Currie & Co - Fairfax Newspapers automate processes - Polychrome PSL new films gets made available in Australia - Gocco compact colour screen printing system gets developed in Japan - TeX typesetting for technical publishing launches - Pemara Press installs and commissions first 170 FB/RY pressure sensitive label press in Australia from Ko-Pack Corporation in Tokyo - Launch of new pre-press colour device - Australia’s first colour photocopying service opens in Sydney - K.W.Doggett Fine Paper arrives in Melbourne, growing to include offices in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide

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70TH ANNIVERSARY

1980s - Canon and HP launch thermal dropon-demand - New developments in offset blankets - Internet era begins - Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS DOS) introduced - Largest press installation in Australia to date was a Heidelberg kit at Cambec press - Widespread use of automatic handling and mailroom facilities - Adobe Systems founded - Desktop publishing arrives - Apple Macintosh personal computer is available worldwide - Champion Press’ new $2 million plant unveiled in Australia - Epson launches Piezoelectric dropon-demand - Microsoft Windows launches - Agfa-Gevaert installs Australia’s first RPS 6000 Automatic Daylight Camera in Sydney - Cambec Web first company in Southern Hemisphere to install new Heidelberg Web - The Victor Harbor Times scores an Aussie first for a country newspaper - installation of a Compugraphic ONE phototypesetting system - Soy-based ink introduced - New pigment printing system developed by Albright & Wilson and CSIRO division of Protein Chemistry - Giant new ink factory for Australia

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- The Newcastle Herald installs first auto-mated filminess platemaking system in Australasia - Australia’s first Helio-Klischograph was installed at Deaton & Spencer - Adobe Photoshop introduced - Research Laboratories of Australia breaks through with electrophotographic pre-press proofs - MAN Roland wins $742 million News Corp contract – largest in Australian printing history to date - Revolutionary CRP System (graphics system) exhibits for the first time in Australia at PakPrint ’88 - Print run by The Book Printer creates new Australian record with a million bibles in a single print run to date - Introduction of the first sheet-fed press with automatic plate changer and paper and impression preset system - World’s first metallic dry transfer letting is launched in Australia by Letraset - Hanna Match Group installs new Roland 600 press – first in Australia - Holograms beocme a reality - Plate prices increase - Currie Group opens new WA premises - Greiner Government closes NSW printing office; 700 jobs lost - Aus Taxation Office says chemical proofs are exempt from sales tax, which saves printers millions - Mitsubishi launches new web series

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Brisbane 71 Basalt Street Geebung Qld 4034 07 3865 3969

70TH ANNIVERSARY

1990s - Xerox DocuTech - scan, edit, first print-on-demand tech launches - World Wide Web is unveiled - Mitsubishi F-Series sheetfed press takes sheetfed presses a step closer to total automation and unmanned sheetfed printing - New techniques enhance label printing - Wright Technologies develops homegrown prepress tech for world - Age gets honoured at Asia World Publishing Congress - Yellow Pages advertising at a high - TrueType scalable computer introduced - Heidelberg/Presstek GTO-DI direct impression press launches - Indigo digital colour press and liquid toner launches - Danish graphic arts giant enters Australasia - Premier opens $10 million selfadhesives manufacturing plant - $30 million modern Sydney printing and graphic arts facility opens - Computer-to-plate by Agfa launches - Arrival of PDF - Ink Express Printing buys Australia’s first two-colour Shinohara Fuji 52IIP - Pot Still Press celebrates 25 years - Australian first at Bowater Reding - Prism joins Australian market with local launch

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- Digital Ink breakthrough with Indigo digital offset colour printing - Snap celebrates 25th anniversary - AM Graphics goes digital - EACgraphics, world’s largest distributor of graphic arts equipment opens shop in Australia - An independent ink laboratory and development centre opens in NSW - Paper process rise by 15 per cent - Thermal printing plate launches - Amazon.com makes a debut - Plate prices rise further - Sales tax exemptions on art work no longer included in tax office audits of printers - Australian Paper builds multi-million paper machine, the first major capacity increase in Australia for more than 10 years - Walter Alteri Printing in Melbourne first in world to install Hashimoto’s first six-coloured press - Fuji Xerox secures $6 million contract to supply copiers to Qantas Airways - OpenType scalable fonts for PCs are introduced worldwide - PATEFA is renamed to PIAA, along with the launch of a new logo - Penfold Printing finalises contacts for supply of prepress equipment and software to the entire printing group –

one of the largest in NSW - Courtney Colour Graphics installs country’s first Presstek Pearlsetter from Heidelberg Australia - Coverage of a magazine, Computer Generated Imaging, printed in 3D using a new optical technology - Prime Minister (at that time) John Howard backs 200 years of printing in Australia program - Printing industry faces $100 million loss through Asian currency crisis - IBM offers printing industry total digital printing solutions - AP Buyers Guide goes live on the internet for the first time - First PrintEx ’99 sees GAMAA and PIA joint organisation - Paper prices rise to offset damage caused by the plummeting dollar - Pakprint gets renamed to PacPrint, along with new logo - Apple Computers radically redesigns its iMac - Böttcher Australia begins operation in Sydney - Three chemical companies, including one from Australia, form International Pressroom Chemistry - Business Software Association of Australia (BSAA) cracks down on piracy in the graphic arts industry

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70TH ANNIVERSARY

2000s - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Indigo gets Pantone licensed The rise and fall of dot-coms Australia Post drops in on digital wave Amcor offloads paper division and forms it into a new company – PaperlinX Wikipedia arrives in the market Pacific Inks celebrates 25-year anniversary Heidelberg produces new handbook for graphic arts KBA’s new Australian team installs first sheetfed machine in Australia PMG launches Asia Pacific Packaging Hewlett Packard Wi-Fi laser printer launches Introduction of WordPress Apple takes strong bite into market Acrobat turns 12 City Printing Works celebrates 100 years in printing Salmat sails into digital Three industry heavyweights come together to form Focus Paper David Graphics hits 50 years old World first mill for Australia opens Australian Print Finishers Association established World’s smallest dictionary returns to Brisbane Konica and Minolta complete merger Facebook launches New printing safety guide introduced in Australia Blue Star places Heidelberg Australia’s largest sheetfed order for four of its presses Double A paper enters Australian market Cyber sets up shop in Australia News Corp heads to the US Australian forest exports on the rise Gulmen Engineering installs first Gidue Press in Australia Twitter arrives in the market

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- Fuji Xerox enters digital web market - Kwik Kopy opens first digital centre - News Limited newspaper readership hits record 10 million a week - Queensland Government invests in Go-print - Kindle launches - Victoria launches inaugural PICAs - Ad skipping TV comes to Australia - e-Paper threatens print - Federal Minister calls on printers to open workplaces - Labor promises a new role for print - Industry standards body established for ISO in print - Currie & Co rebrands to Currie Group - World’s biggest printer of that time, Quebecor World Inc, battles bankruptcy - Rudd chops MPs’ printing allowance - E-reading is launched worldwide - Amcor builds $400 million recycled paper mill - Bottcher Australia turns 10 years old - Geon opens first digital print hub - News Limited invests $52 million in new print centre - ACP decides to build giant print site by 2011 - FedEx Kinkos shuts all Australian stores - Printing industry faces higher electricity and water charges - Australian Paper launches 100 per cent carbon neutral book paper in environmental push - Bambra Press first in Australia to install Heidelberg XL75 press - Ricoh launches Printing Innovation Centre in Sydney and unveils new Melbourne showroom - PIAA launches NSW sustainable print training - first in Australia - Queensland Government endorses PIAA sustainable plan - Percival Print and Packaging first in Australia to install KBA Rapida 106

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70TH ANNIVERSARY

2010s - Apple iPad launches - Instagram and Snapchat arrives - Federal Government reveals its suppliers for $220 million print buying programme and establishes pulp and paper council - Printing Industries launches network for young players in print - Salmat launches nationwide print and distribution network - Ricoh launches Australia’s first solarpowered sign in Sydney skyline - Immigration department awards $4.2 million contract to Blue Star - Kindle device becomes Amazon’s topselling product of all time - Finsbury Green wins multi-milliondollar deal with NSW Government - Currie Group installs the first B2 digital press in the region, the HP Indigo 10000 - Merger of Ryobi and MHI, resulting in the launch of Ryobi MHI Graphic Technology - Allkotes launches world’s first print finishing app - Fuji Xerox Document Management Solutions wins $4.8 million government contract - Flash Graphics first in Australia to install Screen Truepress Jet W3200UV-HS - Scientists print biggest solar cells in Australia - Drupa moves to three-year cycle - Label and Tag Manufacturers Association of Australia (LATMA) and Australia New Zealand Flexographic Technical Association (ANZFTA) merge - Wellcom wins massive Coles and Target contracts - World first as APP retires 700ha of land - Major merger sees three Melbourne printers – Ability Press, Docklands Press and Mercedes Waratah and M&M Binders merge - Pierre Pienaar becomes first Aussie to attain Certified Packaging Professional (CPP) - John’s Print Centre (JPC) installs Australia’s first Océ Arizona 6170 - Blue Star rebrands to IVE - BJ Ball acquires Access Paper - Centrum installs largest laminator in Australian first - Waratah Group enters external administration in November 2019, owing millions

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- HP buys Samsung printer business for US$1billion - First Aussie 3D printing firm Aurora Labs debuts on ASX - Australia Post adopts new tech and trials drone parcel delivery - Blue Star Web first in APAC to install Heidelberg Speedmaster XL106-10 - New Digital Print installs Durst Tau 330 UV inkjet label press in local first - Press Print first to launch HP Indigo 12000 in Australia - Lightning Source signs biggest ever order with HP for 24 PageWide T240 HD presses - Packaging Council of Australia (PCA) merges with PIAA - First Australian Konica Minolta B2 digital inkjet sheetfed press sold to Minuteman Press franchisees - Insane Signs and Print buys two Durst Rho 512R Plus in world first - Orora expands into US market - Introduction of robot-assisted sheetfed offset presses - Fairfax and Nine merge - Böttcher and Brissett in major merger - Intermedia acquires Australian Printer - Australasian Catalogue Association, TSA Limited, and Australasian Paper Industry Association form new association, The Real Media Collective - Mediapoint invests in Australian first with new Durst P10 250 HS Plus - Spot on Finishing installs country’s first Duplo UV Coater digital embellishing system - Canva hits $1 billion valuation - Currie Group celebrates 70 years in business - PIAA renames to Print & Visual Communications Association - Printers affected by fires that affect Queensland, NSW and Victoria - Sprinter launches - Mezographic purchases Durst P5 250HS, first of its kind in Australia - Intertype installs Fuji Xerox Iridesse press, becoming first printer worldwide to combine it with Color-Logic for metallic printing effects - Durst officially launches its Oceania operations in Tullamarine - USQ Ellipsis Media first company to adopt Fujifilm Jet Press 750S - The formation of Ball & Doggett – a merger between BJ Ball and K.W.Doggett Fine Paper

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LEADERS FORUM S

R T

PRINT LEADERS FORUM

Finding value in PRINT LEADERS FORUM 2020

David Currie Executive Chairman, Currie Group

urrently, there is consolidation continuing at all levels – print customers are consolidating with competitors in order to benefit from synergistic savings and consolidation in order to add complimentary services to create a broader product/service offering for customers. There are a broad number of factors in the local and international economy causing the softening. The RBA has pointed to a number of key drivers, but from an industry specific point-of-view, we would typically see low interest rate conditions spur investment, and in our industry, this is not happening to the extent as in the past. There are also new challenges in the local market that will have a large influence in the short-term and long-term. This is especially the case when we look at pressures on marketing spend towards digital platforms. There is a generational change in marketing and advertising thinking and also the consumption of marketing and advertising. Companies are faced with the challenge of appealing to digital natives as well as utilising traditional marketing mix, which includes printing. We talk about marketers who don’t know print and only know social, but the simple reality is social and digital is instant and quite an easy and sometimes lower cost solution. What isn’t clear is that print is very effective at keeping readers’

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attention and has a high effectiveness. The bottom line is, marketers and brand owners want to connect as quickly and cost effectively with their target audience and they are wading through the very large choice of media available. Print is competing for its share and needs to provide value and return on investment. There are a lot of brand owners that recognise this value and thankfully are taking advantage of the differentiation. As such, an area of growth is in customisation as it allows brand owners to connect with consumers through their advertising, marketing collateral and packaging. Of course, new market avenues can aid growth as well, as service providers broadening their products and services to their specific customers enables their business growth opportunities. Labels and packaging, textiles, and 3D printing can all be areas of growth if they fit the customer’s need basket. I do believe there is still value in print alone and digital print, in particular, provides this opportunity especially for value-adds like personalising and creating unique and one-on-one experiences. Embellishment and specialised finishing are also creating better outcomes and more high value marketing. We expect drupa to have a big impact in establishing the future of print and many customers will be awaiting the release of new products and technologies for setting the future investment strategy and direction for their business.

Drupa will see digital up its game again, higher speeds that enable printers to meet increasing demands of customers deadlines, and more value adds expanding colours, substrates, options and embellishments that will lead to more choices for printers and their customers in the future. But it’s important to consider that not all technologies make it to market or even scale to commercial viability, and in general, this may or may not happen over a multi drupa cycle. More of our customers are seeking diversity in their offerings to customers in order to increase the products and services they offer their customer base, and this becomes a consideration of where they deploy capital, partner or even acquire or merge with complimentary businesses. We see drupa as a bit of a distraction from the day-to-day business and whilst we see the importance of the new technologies and product releases, we also see a pressing need from our customers to keep providing solutions for today. Our business today is more than 50 per cent directly related to service, in the traditional sense. However, service is our business and our customers rely on us not only to help when there are equipment challenges, but more broadly advice and guidance in identifying future trends. After 70 years in business, there isn’t much we haven’t seen but our desire to keep at the forefront enables us to identify opportunities for our own improvement, our customers, and the market.

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

Building an Industry 4.0 WORLD LEADERS FORUM 2020

Scott Thompson Regional Marketing and Channels Manager, Esko

t is clear that 2020 is the year that the print industry wakes up fully to the realities of digital transformation. With 2020 being a drupa year, and with much focus on sustainability around the world, digitisation of business workflows and printing will be higher on the agenda for all businesses. Today’s global print marketplace is rapidly migrating to fast turnarounds and short run workloads in order to respond to competitive intensity within omni-channel retailing and the move to online. Printers must recognise that they are already working in an Industry 4.0 world and focus their efforts on gaining competitive advantage through digitisation, automation and connectivity. Print quality and consistency are now a given in the mature markets. Driving speed to market, operational efficiency and waste reduction, enabled by digital workflows, is the key to protecting long term profitability and enabling customers to succeed. Competitive intensity is also accelerating in print as globalisation of the industry comes to the fore, along with consolidation. The companies that succeed will recognise the importance of eradicating waste – in time, money and resources – and work to transform their businesses from functionally siloed reactive companies to highly connected automated

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businesses that can flex and respond to ever-changing market requirements. This will only accelerate as the decade progresses. At Esko, we believe that the print sector must digitise, automate and connect if it is to protect long-term profitability and success. Esko has just released its Digital Maturity Model to support printers on their digital transformation journey. Rather than being impacted or losing competitiveness by not addressing the opportunities that lie ahead, Esko is supporting them to understand their digital maturity status and how to move forward to drive speed, operational efficiency, quality and waste reduction from design to shipping. We are excited about creating opportunities to support our customers with digital transformation, backed with new cloud-based software solutions that change the game for large organisations struggling with connectivity across sites and geographies. We have a number of new integrated hardware and software product launches coming to market, as it’s a drupa year. We will also, once again, be hosting our brand and packaging supply chain customers at EskoWorld on April 28-30, in Dallas, Texas for three days of hands-on workshops, presentations and learning. For the rest of 2020, I’d expect more

change to come. Not only is 2020 the start of a digital decade, but one that is green as well. Considerable pressure is being placed on to a variety of print sectors to deliver sustainable solutions, and our industry across the board needs to respond – from the boardroom to the shop floor. With sustainability firmly in focus across all sectors, we will see considerable growth and substitution of plastics with natural, bio-based, renewable and easily recyclable materials. Digital printing will also continue to penetrate the commercial and label sectors, responding to the demand for even shorter-run work. This will result in continued growth in the packaging and labels sectors, in particular. With natural population growth and 51 per cent of all packaging relating to food and drink, we will continue to see packaging grow at GDP type levels around the world. The focus on sustainability will further grow to be front and centre in the objectives of all businesses as legislation and consumer pressures drive change. I’d also expect digital transformation of the print sector to accelerate – this isn’t just about digital printing; It’s about digitisation of processes, automation of operations, and connectivity across companies, geographies and supply chains to drive efficiency. Industry 4.0 will start to become a common reality.

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

Add value and be

COMPETITIVE LEADERS FORUM 2020

Philip Trumble Managing Director, Pozitive

oming off the back of a tough year economically in 2019, 2020 is a time to invest in order to remain competitive. We have already seen a big increase in enquiries and orders for new equipment to help print providers offer increased versatility, reduced production costs, and faster production speeds – simply put, to offer more value to their clients. It’s no doubt that the industry will continue to consolidate and key markets will continue to merge – so those that work towards building strong relationships and delivering on added value will come out strong. One of the biggest trends that will impact 2020 is the shift towards fabric printing. Soft signage will continue to grow and change the way a lot of ‘rigid’

THE ABILITY TO RECYCLE PRINT AND HAVE MINIMAL IMPACT ON LANDFILL IS HIGH ON THE AGENDA AND IS DRIVING PURCHASES.

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signage and POP/POS is produced. With sustainability ever more the focus of print buyers, the ability to recycle print and have minimal impact on landfill is high on the agenda and is driving purchases. In addition, they seek the ease of installation by untrained workers and the ability to ship easily across the country (as fabric can be folded up). The trade printing of fabrics will see tremendous growth, given the relatively high equipment entry costs to print the full gambit of fabrics. Large format printers, calendaring devices for fixation or transfer, and finishing devices may be required depending on the range of fabric applications to be offered. On the other hand digital signage is starting to make an impact, with many fixed installations like menu boards moving towards digital. The companies that will win are those that can combine digital signage with print and manufacture to offer a complete visual concept. Digital billboards are also a growing area and it will be interesting to see how this progresses over the next 12 months. I believe that print providers should focus on versatility. With print runs getting shorter, providers who are agile and can offer the widest range of products and services will be in prime position to meet the needs of the market. Total control of the production and a focus on customer service is now a necessity and will be more and more valued as turnaround times get shorter

and clients look for businesses that have adopted a ‘one stop shop’ concept that allows buyers to quickly confirm orders across the complete campaign, then carry on with more important tasks. Delivering on personalised service is the one important way print providers can attract and retain clients. I believe that as we buy more online, personal service will again become more valuable. It used to be that verbal communication and personal touch was our primary method of contact. When trends switched towards online buying, the speed and flexibility of emails and text messages seemed like a god send. Somewhat unknowingly, personal touch took a backseat. These days we are all bombarded by social media, emails, and text messages and I believe clients miss that ‘personal touch’ and sometimes get taken aback when it is offered. That good, old fashioned phone call is now a rarity, yet picking up the phone and talking to our clients can make an impact. At Pozitive, we are focussed on turn key solutions and ensuring we have the right products for the market’s needs. We plan to increase our footprint in Melbourne, and take some of our core products on a roadshow. We will also be present at Visual Impact on the Gold Coast. We are also focussed on delivering value to our clients – not just selling more boxes, but ensuring we have the right solutions and products that are leaders in their field.

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

Embracing new technology

ENABLERS LEADERS FORUM 2020

Simon Lane Country Manager – Commercial and Industrial Print Division, Ricoh Australia

mid a potential global pandemic – the Coronavirus outbreak – that is already impacting economies and financial markets, it’s clear some 2020 trends will be impossible to predict. Yet, there are potential upsides for Australian manufacturers. We are already hearing of local book printers and packaging companies who are re-capturing work from overseas vendors. And while we can anticipate some disruption to supply chains for imported raw materials, the Coronavirus is a good reminder that local manufacturing is a critical element of any vibrant economy. Embracing and responding to change is the secret to success, and the world has embraced new technology enablers such as cloud computing, internet of things, analytics and digital experience. The industry players who are embracing these technologies are gaining the benefit of reduced costs to serve, better insights and an improved capacity to scale for market demands. As the decade develops, so too will capabilities in areas such as machine learning, cognitive technologies and financial models such as Blockchain. In the print industry, a foundational digital experience tool has been webto-print, which have been commercially available for almost 20 years. Yet, it’s really only been in the past seven years that these tools have become mainstream and we see print companies embracing

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such e-Commerce platforms to provide improved customer experiences and reduced costs to serve. Ricoh is embracing these enablers through its deployment of new services such as Ricoh Supervisor, a cloud-based analytics tool that provides real-time insights to the shop floor operations. It connects all the eligible hardware technologies, to ensure a business can identify simple KPIs such as throughput and uptime; along with more detailed insights such as operator productivity and pinch-points in the manufacturing flow. Ricoh and its partners continue to invest in technology that makes it easier to manage the end-to-end manufacturing environment, from capture of a client’s work through pre-flight and jobsubmission and on to automated finishing as well as fully integrated MIS solutions. In the past decade, Ricoh had established itself as a global player in the commercial and industrial print industry through its purchases of companies such as Infoprint, Hitachi Printing Systems, Avanti Computer Systems, MarcomCentral, ColorGATE and LAC Corporation. This has allowed us to accelerate our capabilities in areas such as eCommerce, brand management, management information systems, high speed printing, colour management and industrial inkjet. We’re a relatively young player in the production print space, but our progress

has been substantial and Ricoh is a global leader in the space, not least due to our benchmark inkjet technologies, which are already deployed in our high-speed print systems, wide format solutions and garment print platforms. At drupa 2020, Ricoh Corporation has announced its theme of ‘Henkaku’, a Japanese word to describe transformational innovation. It inspires us to explore bold new ways of thinking and we believe that with the synthesis of Ricoh’s gamechanging technologies and a spirit of co-creation with our customers, we can achieve things one might have previously not thought possible. Ricoh is also currently developing a B2 sheetfed inkjet press for the commercial print market. The press – a ground up and innovative design – is a brandnew production platform that will be manufactured by Ricoh, including its own printhead and ink technology. We plan to reveal and demonstrate its capabilities for the first time at drupa 2020. Australian visitors to drupa will see just how far Ricoh has travelled in its ambitions to be the premier provider of solutions to the commercial and industrial markets. We will be demonstrating our latest concepts, products and software; as well as showing an array of real world solutions that we believe will give our customers a competitive edge and allow them to embrace the new and emerging trends of the coming decade.

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

drupa defines THE TRENDS LEADERS FORUM 2020

Peter Scott Managing Director, Screen GP Australia

rupa will define the trends for the printing industry apparent in 2020. Drupa years are always bellwethers of what is happening both globally and locally. In the past, they have been given handles such as ‘The CtP & Digital drupa’ (2000) or ‘the JDF drupa’ (2004) and ‘the Inkjet drupa’ (2008), which tended to repeat for 2012. At the last drupa in 2016, we were invited simply to ‘Touch the Future’. Now, with 2020 upon us, it’s ‘Embrace the Future’ and I think this is far more important than any single technology as a theme. The progressive trend over all of the past five drupas is, whatever the technologies on show, printers need to address the digital era by offering fast job turn-arounds, shorter batches printed more frequently and to be nimble in varying the content, particularly in labelling and packaging. Without doubt, we will see more demand to respond to this, from both big brands and the emerging micro-businesses who can now access top-level branding and design that was unavailable to them not so long ago, due to high pre-press costs, plates and the nature of the presses. The outstanding growth areas seem to be digital printing of labels, flexible packaging, folded cartons and corrugated, also wide format signage, display and textiles. General commercial offset

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print is flat in terms of growth but still a major part of the industry, and in need of investments in automation and efficiency to bring costs down. Areas for printers to focus on for growth depend on the type of printer and how far they want to encroach on other unfamiliar areas. Once a digital file is created, it can be adapted for output with offset litho catalogues or brochures, wide format digital signage, premium products and corporate apparel, bags, satchels, flags – the list goes on. Most offset printers will farm this out, hence the growth in trade printing services and print brokers. For their main game, short run and digital must be near the top, along with increased automation – particularly in the finishing department.

WHATEVER THE TECHNOLOGIES ON SHOW, PRINTERS NEED TO ADDRESS THE DIGITAL ERA BY OFFERING FAST JOB TURN-AROUNDS.

Predictions and forecasts are always slippery things but I would suggest this drupa in June will be very well attended from Australia and New Zealand. These will be senior people and I think they will make investment decisions at the show – it’s not just look and see; it’s verify and buy. There is some uncertainty surrounding how long the awful Coronavirus outbreak will last but, hopefully, international travel will be back to normal by June. Screen will introduce the L350 SAI press range at drupa – an exciting evolution of the highly successful L350 label presses with more colours, faster speeds, food-safe inks and workflow improvements. Digital printing up to offset quality on offset stocks with our Truepress Jet 520HD with SC inks is another one to watch. We will have some surprises too – it wouldn’t be drupa without them! Inkjet will again be huge at drupa but let’s not forget that Electrophotographic methods still account for a lot of narrow web, SRA3 and B2 work. I believe inkjet offers higher speeds, far better uptime and more versatility. One other area where we are seeing rapid uptake is traditional press and finishing suppliers partnering with digital engine vendors. Screen’s partnership with Nilpeter for a hybrid label press is just one example. At last year’s Labelexpo, we also had a complete hybrid line on show with Rotocontrol. Traditional needs digital and digital needs traditional – especially with converting and finishing.

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AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020 | 51

PRINT LEADERS FORUM

Weaving automation into

PRINT LEADERS FORUM 2020

Bernard Cheong Managing Director, Cyber

nder the current environment where we’re facing intensive competition and labour shortage, further automation will be required not only for the press but for total workflows from pre-press to post-press in 2020. Why is automation necessary in print, you may ask. Automation plays a vital role in addressing some of the biggest challenges that we’re seeing in workflows, such as pre-press bottlenecks, human error at various touch points, wastage, and other process inefficiencies. It not only delivers more output consistently and correctly, but also improves efficiencies within a company and lowers time to market. According to a McKinsey report past technological innovations have proven that they boost job creation and lower disruption, but the impact of automation still causes anxiety in many sectors including print. But studies show that automation can actually increase annual productivity growth on a global level by 0.8 to 1.4 per cent. Some early adopters have been getting on board this bandwagon early, realising the benefits not only to their businesses, but in terms of what it does for their customers as well.

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In saying that, there is still plenty of room for growth in this area in Australia and mass adoption is necessary. In this space, RMGT - RYOBI MHI Graphic Technology is expected to introduce several automated robotic features at drupa2020. At drupa2020, based on RMGT’s concept “Assist your potential” we will introduce new machines and features which will reduce the dependency on labour and to optimise productivity of printers. And in cooperation with our world-wide partners, we aim to hold several open-house events, technical seminars and exhibitions all over the world following the tradeshow. In support of automation, we will also introduce our Smart Factory concept. In addition, we would like to introduce

THE PACKAGING, GANG (TRADE) PRINTING AND WEB-2-PRINT SEGMENTS ARE STILL VERY PROFITABLE AND I FORSEE... INVESTMENTS WITHIN THESE AREAS.

improved service approaches to the customer utilising our cloud service and wearable device. Thus far, RMGT has shown that it has received stable demands from North America, EU countries, China and Korea in 2019, especially for eight-colour perfecting presses and package presses. Upon launch in Australia, we expect its uptake to be rife, and for Australian printers to adopt automation to be at the front of technology in Asia Pacific. We, at Cyber, understand that customers have to pursue productivity and efficiency under current environments such as price competitiveness, quick deliveries, and labour shortages. So, further automation of the press, specifically around optimisation of workflow between each production department such as using of AGV and advanced software should be very important for our printers. In terms of profitable industries, the packaging, gang (trade) printing and web-2-print segments are still very profitable and I foresee companies to continue investments in new technology and machineries within these areas. There’s no doubt that commercial and publishing printers are facing difficulties all over the world. So, we need automation and speed to increase productivity and efficiency so to drive cost down – basically, they need to invest in new technology and machineries to compete in the modern economy.

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

Maximising

RETURN ON INVESTMENT LEADERS FORUM 2020

Darryl Meyer CEO Print - Web Offset, IVE

he macro-economic environment in Australia, particularly with what’s happening in the consumer space, is challenging many sectors as consumers’ discretionary spend tightens. We’re seeing this in more recent times through several well-known retailers entering administration, or closing their doors. This has created opportunities for companies in the print sector to be more innovative in providing customers with unique solutions to maximise their return on investment. I expect the ongoing development of data analytics to play a bigger part in 2020, allowing clients to engage more often and more meaningfully with customers. In particular, this will enable retailers to use data to identify and target customers more effectively. Mass print collateral is still effective, however, the ability to utilise data to create more highly personalised campaigns needs to grow. If you look at sectors like publishing, it’s on the cusp of change with the two largest publishers in Australia looking to merge. Should their consolidation proceed, I expect the outcome to be a more sustainable printing industry through a renewed focus of creating great content for the consumer. The softening of some sectors may result in the need for further consolidation. The digitisation of product will also see some decline, but we need to remember that print remains an effective marketing

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channel and one that we, as industry leaders, should embrace and continue to champion. Sustainability is also right at the forefront of everyone’s minds at the moment and customers will be looking to ensure that the industry challenges how we produce products in the most efficient way possible. There is a lot for printers to be positive about. The digital print sector continues to show encouraging signs as customers look to move towards personalised products. This is further supported by the blurring of the quality of offset and digital, as well as the growth within some industries like food, liquor, health, beauty and automotive. With retail, it is now focused on driving more foot traffic through doors, resulting in an increase in the demand for point-of-sale material. But print businesses can often be perceived as traditional or one dimensional in their thinking. The key message for printers is to listen to customers and their needs. Printers need to understand the need to be nimble and be prepared to adapt. This will help shape their business over time and deliver value to their customers, along with renewed opportunities. Building on strategy does take some time, so printers need to continue to focus on process improvement internally and make an effort to minimise waste and increase production output across all of their assets. For our business, the books sector is showing positive signs of growth as

consumers are moving back to physical copies instead of e-books. We continue to pursue colour as well as monochrome printing opportunities in this market. IVE’s focus will also be around these three areas:  Looking at ways we can transform our business and improve customer experience. We’ve got a number of key projects on the go, which includes the migration to a new MIS platform. This will enhance our business information feedback into businesses.  Building on the successful launch of our new e-commerce platform, Nexus, that transforms traditional printed material forms such as catalogues and brochures into interactive, shoppable experiences. This was released in November 2019 and complements our traditional printed material very well.  Welcoming the Salmat Letterbox Distribution team into IVE. Salmat has been a partner of IVE for many years and this acquisition completes the final phase of our strategic retail roadmap. It further enhances our integrated retail marketing offer, and has enabled us to commit to the $25 million to $30 million capital investment programme, which will improve the sustainability of the 14,000-strong national walker network in Australia. I remain optimistic for the industry. Evolving with the times provides printers with an opportunity to create business and position themselves for strong growth.

AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020 | 53

PRINT LEADERS FORUM

Printing HOT SPOTS LEADERS FORUM 2020

Andy McCourt Author, Wide Format Online

he digital seeds of change were sewn in the mid-1980s with the arrival of the Mac and PC, and again in 1993 when the worldwide-web was born – and so was digital colour printing with both Indigo and Xeikon showing plateless electrophotographic presses at Ipex UK. Several disruptive technologies have popped up along the way, while demand for some printed products dropped away, taking printers and some offset press manufacturers with it. It’s always tough calling the growth sectors given the way economies can swing around, but all the evidence points to: Packaging and label printing will continue to out-perform other print sectors in 2020 and beyond. This appears to be driven by two factors: 1) Increasing exports of packaged FMCG goods: The spread of FTAs (Free Trade Agreements) in Asia opens up more export opportunities for A/NZ packaged food and beverages, which are seen as trusted and healthy by Asian consumers. Witness the demand for Australian baby formula – to the extent that Chinese companies now own two major producers and the main can manufacturer – Jamestrong Packaging. Wine exports continue to grow. 2) More micro and mid-size manufacturers: The trend towards

54 | AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020

quality, premium-grade beverages, conserves, healthy ‘organics’ and apparel means these multiple niche sectors require high-grade ‘brandappeal’ cartons, pouches and labels. Textiles and apparel printing is slowly returning onshore. It should no longer be considered a ‘separate industry’. Key drivers are: 1) Creatives needing micro-runs of their designs: Even just one square metre of fabric leads to longer runs. Personalised apparel and interior décor, e.g. roller blinds with your favourite beachscape printed on is a trend. The buzz-word in apparel is ‘Printwear’. 2) Technology: Advances in direct-togarment, particularly t-shirts, means the dye sublimation step can be eliminated. Even Amazon is in on the act, running several Aeoon Kyo high volume tee-shirt printers in the US, getting orders and payments online, and then producing and shipping. Amazon also owns a small stake in Kornit. On the roll fabric side, EFI’s Regianni Bolt has made short and variable run fabrics easier and economical – again opening the doors to on-shoring prints (from offshoresourced textile mills). Signage and display shows no sign of any slowing in growth. Digital UV machines are also eating into pad and

screen-printing for promotional products and gifting. Drivers are: 1) The need for bricks-and-mortar retailers to compete with online shopping by presenting dynamic, greatvalue-looking environments both inside and outside the stores: Every retailer knows that ‘Clearance Sale 50 per cent off’ splashed across a window will boost sales – just ask any Persian carpet shop! 2) Shortening of campaign cycles and need to respond quickly to market trends: While printed billboards may suffer with the increased number of digital LED/LCD sites, smaller-scale printed campaign signs will always invigorate sales even if economies slow. The rise of ‘Catamags’ is good news for offset printers as it’s about the rise of magazines that are really catalogues and catalogues that become magazines. The supermarkets know this but the broader magazine publishing world is still pushing editorial content-first and selling FPCs and spreads. A fishing magazine, say, with great guest editorials dotted throughout but essentially a catalogue of tackle and boats that can be bought online or in-store – is one way to restore profit to the magazine sector. Whatever area of printing you choose to invest in, the overriding discipline should be – you guessed it – digital, or at least digital-friendly.

SPRINTER.COM.AU

PRINT LEADERS FORUM

The future of PRINT IS HERE LEADERS FORUM 2020

Kellie Northwood CEO, The Real Media Collective

cross all industries, there is an air of anticipation that the most challenging era is behind us and now we have an opportunity to develop a future focus and dynamic landscape. Our industry is no different. The diversification of the media landscape that has impacted the paper and print sectors has stabilised. Our credentials across the environment are becoming more important than ever and finally, there is a genuinely interested and educated audience, and brands are looking to our effectiveness measures and circling back into the world of print to create meaningful experiences. Government and policy enquiries are exploring the paper and print sectors with an open-mindedness and our industry is growing its own opportunity through its embrace of the concept of one collective. So, with all that on the platter before us, here are my top three key trends ahead for 2020 and how we’re ready to assist the industry achieve it: 1. The resurgence of climate change and the environment builds stronger than ever momentum (not from corporates ticking off corporate sustainability initiatives but from the consumer moving ahead with education), awareness and social activism in a way we have not seen before. Where ‘sustainability managers’ once dismissed the science of paper and

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print’s environmental credentials, they’re understanding its benefits now. Corporates and brands are starting to get it right. More and more retailers are looking to replace plastic packaging with paper-based solutions. Many of our commercial printers are expanding their offering to bring in graphic paper packaging lines, and this will continue to grow. To support that, Two Sides is continuing its education and launching a new Myths and Facts series across general paper and print, as well as adding a Myths and Facts exploring Packaging and Mail to the suite. 2. Never has the time been better to sell value. Coles and Woolworths have publicly outlined they and other major retailers are moving from marketing models ‘Down, Down’ and ‘Cheap, Cheap!’ to quality and service with premium product ranges and services. This marketing shift is not a decision made lightly – these major brands have discovered the customer wants quality and reliability. Print plays perfectly into this positioning, with luxe finishing, highend paper grades and quality printing, bringing images to life. After twelve months of developing a media currency for catalogues and letterbox and implementing the first media currency for the print industry, we can now use this as

the springboard to develop bespoke studies for the broader commercial print sectors. Key areas we are keen to explore throughout 2020 include The Science of Colour – exploring how Australians respond to different colours. Research and case studies from all over the world, sprinkled with local Australian data, are compelling when working with a customer on how to develop the most successful print campaign. The research and content allows your sales teams to sell on value and introduce conversations about effectiveness and not always price. 3. The business world is changing, everevolving and ‘communities’ are becoming stronger than ever before. Suppliers must become business partners as paper supply is consolidated across the globe. Working with our paper partners is critical to strong procurement solutions, as is developing solutions to improve business efficiency, but not only across the supply chain but with each other. The Collective will release our ‘Building Better Businesses’ program throughout 2020, bringing together members to share knowledge. The future is ours and we are only limited by our imaginations and as an industry, we need to commit to the year ahead with open-mindedness, knowledge sharing, selling our value and most importantly, having creativity.

AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020 | 55

PRINT LEADERS FORUM

2020:

The year of THE BOTTOM LINE LEADERS FORUM 2020

Deborah Corn Intergalactic Ambassador, Print Media Centr

hile some may boast about bigger bottom lines, 2019 was generally not a particularly great year for industry press manufacturers, especially those producing digital printing equipment. My theory: the early adopters are set with the solutions that they have installed and don’t need new presses (yet) to make changes to their operations. And those that have been on the fence about making a large equipment purchase are probably waiting patiently for one of the biggest tradeshows in our industry, drupa (16-26 June), to see what comes out at the world’s largest and most important print event. This situation is going to affect the industry directly and indirectly, and in many ways – from consolidations, to workforce reduction, to the slashing of marketing budgets. Dollars that were allocated in 2018 and 2019 to helping educate the market and print customers will likely be diverted in 2020. The big money will be targeted for supporting sales efforts and generating leads, and that means printers need to refocus their strategy to do the same. Here are 3 ways to boost your bottom line in 2020:

Learn, then earn

Customer education and events are the best way to increase awareness for everything you do in a relaxed setting, as long as you keep it relaxed.

56 | AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020

Take a quick survey of your customers in a fun way. Have them take a quiz on printing techniques, bindery options, finishing, specialty substrates, and your capabilities, whether in-house or done through business partners. Based on their responses, you will know immediately where education is lacking, and providing answers to the quiz as a follow-up teaches everyone about all you can do, without the need for you to do a hard sell. Make it a monthly feature in your newsletter, perhaps, and provide a ‘prize’ for the most correct answers throughout the year. Keep the engagement and education flowing and focus on creating new print projects with your current customers by using new techniques and materials highlighted in the quizzes.

Tie the knot

Platonic is so 2019; strategising for customer commitment is a better way to go in 2020. Look at the work they are doing or have done with you over the past few years. What has grown, what has gone away? Are they utilising all of your capabilities? Are they working with other printers for capabilities you don’t have? Take a hard look at how you can service as many of their needs as possible, refer above to help them understand all you can do, and find partners to help you do the rest. Customers prefer to do as much work in one place as possible, as long as they

trust you to execute. So, be ready, willing, and able to prove you can.

Seek and find

Assuming you take my advice above, you can now elevate your prospecting game armed with educational opportunities that you can invite relevant prospects to, testimonials from your fully-serviced customers, and a proven track record for bringing partners to the table when they are needed. Break down the components of your most profitable accounts and seek out new customers exactly like them while keeping in mind their print needs, budget, and time constraints. These are your strengths; play to them. From there, revisit your current client roster and create a working checklist of the most common print requests, pricing, and timing. What types of businesses have the same needs? Market to those people only. HubSpot shared a horrific stat last year that said at least 50 per cent of the prospects a company is engaging with are wrong for their business. What if you spent 100 per cent of your time engaging with the 50 per cent that are right for your business, and put 100 per cent effort into helping the customers you already have to do more? Wouldn’t that be a more productive use of your time? Speaking for the print customers, it’s certainly a more productive use of their time, and being contacted about work that is 100 per cent relevant makes the payoff more valuable – for everyone.

SPRINTER.COM.AU

Increasing sales in 2020 LEADERS FORUM 2020

Meqa Smith Strategist, The Unforgettable Agency

o matter what size your business is, whether you have a sales team or not or whether you’re B2C or B2B there’s one thing that you can work on to improve your sales results in 2020 (and forever!). It’s not another technique, tool or tactic. It’s a simple, timeless principle that

will serve you for the rest of your time in business – rock solid belief in the value of what you sell to your customers. Here’s how to build it: Step 1  Go over the last 12 months’ best client case studies

PRINT LEADERS FORUM  Look at the client testimonials you’ve received over the past 12 months  Look for industry research or statistics showing the value of the kind of work you do  Have some clients create a video for your team telling them what it’s meant to them to achieve these results. Show it to everyone on your team. Step 2  Make time to sit with the team and review all the info from Step 1 together, reminding them of how great your work is for your clients. Look for common themes that identify an ideal client or common problem so they can confidently seek these out and offer your solution. Step 3  Review your marketing and sales collateral. Replace product focused messaging with results and transformation focused messaging (wherever possible, include case studies or testimonials or industry stats)  Set up a monthly meeting with your team to review client wins for the month and remind yourselves how valuable you are to your clients.

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

Investing in the FUTURE LEADERS FORUM 2020

Mitch Mulligan President, Visual Connections

s it happens, the state of the industry is something that has been on the minds the Visual Connections Board and its management team for some months, with analysis of the recent PrintEx 19, Visual Impact, and Label & Packaging Expo shows still underway, and the company completing its first-ever survey of industry players in Q4 last year. The survey, which canvassed topics as diverse as trade shows, networking, industry challenges and what constitutes the ‘value’ in association membership has already identified some notable trends. We are still working through the survey results and translating them into meaningful action, but we already have an interesting ‘snapshot’ of the prevalent moods, and attitudes and opportunities for the industry. For us as an organisation, we are looking forward to what we can learn from this information to inform our activities this year and into the future. We continue to invest in the future of the industry, with its share of the profits from the recent PrintEx, Visual Impact and Label & Packaging Expos already flowing through to fund education programs being run by The Real Media Collective (TRMC), the Australian Sign & Graphics Association (ASGA) and the

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Flexible Packaging and Label Makers’ Association (FPLMA). Our mandate has always been to contribute to a sustainable future for our sector. Education and training are one of the most fundamental pillars in achieving that goal. In fact, we can think of no more important investment than that which we make in the young people who are the future of our industry. Visual Connections invests hundreds of thousands of dollars in education and training initiatives each year, also supporting initiatives like Re-Engineering Australia (REA)’s F1 in Schools program, the Australian Schools Industry Partnership (AusSIP), which helps connect students with work opportunities, and by working closely with RTOs like Holmesglen TAFE on the design and delivery of their training programs. Through our education liaison team, we are also running work inspiration classes for year nine and 10 students, as well as for Careers Advisors, which include practical workshops and on-site visits to both manufacturers and suppliers, to illustrate the diversity of opportunities available for interesting, exciting, longterm careers in the broader sector. This commitment is also reflected in our ongoing sponsorship of the LIA/ Heidelberg Graduate of the Year and

Future Leader Awards. We’ve been delighted recently to be in touch with the 2019 winner, Jonathan Pitt from Multicolor Corporation in South Australia, as he makes plans for a trip to drupa, made possible by his $10,000 prize. Many initiatives are run in cooperation with other industry organisations – this is testament to the collaborative approach of Visual Connections and the alignment of values across most industry associations when it comes to supporting projects that further the interests of the industry. Visual Connections co-hosts PacPrint and PrintEx with the PVCA, we have representation on the executive of TRMC, and enjoy close working relationships with the ASGA and FESPA Australia in the sign and display industry, the FPLMA in the label and packaging space, and regularly collaborate with PrintNZ on projects which ‘cross the ditch’. We are fortunate that our members not only have their fingers very firmly on the pulse of the industry locally, but are driving the vast majority of the innovation equipping our industry for the future. With continued leadership, the information we have gathered from this survey, and our ongoing communication with the industry, we are looking forward to the opportunities ahead, and to introducing some new and exciting initiatives in 2020 and beyond.

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

2020

GOALS AND PLANS LEADERS FORUM 2020

Dave Fellman President, David Fellman & Associates

s I write this, I am about 80 per cent of the way through my annual process of goal setting and planning. All that is left is to plug in my final figures for 2019, and then put the finishing touches on my goals and plans. As you read this, I hope you will also have completed your process. If not, it is not too late. Beyond that, it is not as difficult as many believe it to be. It involves just a few questions: 1. How much money did I make last year? I am not ashamed to say that I am in it for the money. The work I do feeds, clothes and shelters my family and provides for the ‘extras’ as well. Question 1A follows: What do I want in our lives this year that we did not have last year? 2. How much do I want to make this year? This is simple arithmetic. My earnings goal is the sum of what I earned last year plus the anticipated cost of what I want to have in our lives this year. 3. What was my sales volume last year? This figure establishes a baseline for setting a sales volume goal for 2020. More to follow, but first... 4. Where can I cut costs and/or find other profit improvement based on last year’s sales volume? Did I waste any money last year, or leak profit in any other way?

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5. How do I solve these problems, and how much of my 2020 earnings goal can be realised by improving the profitability of my existing sales volume? Remember, every dollar ‘saved’ is one less dollar that has to be realised by sales growth. 6. How much additional sales volume will I need to reach my earnings goal? This figure added to last year’s sales volume becomes my 2020 sales volume objective. I hope you will see the wisdom behind this approach to goalsetting. It is not a ‘crystal ball’ exercise in guessing at what my sales volume might be. Instead, it is a calculation of what it needs to be in order to reach my earnings goal. 7. What will it take to generate all that sales volume? Now we come to the specifics of a plan, and this part of the process brings up another batch of questions. Which of my current customers are likely to generate more business next year? How much new volume might that represent? Which of my current customers are likely to generate less business next year? How much lost volume might that represent? What should I do to maximise sales gain and minimise sales loss with current customers? How many new customers will it take to generate the volume I need? How will I capture

those customers? Who will do the prospecting and the follow-up and the convincing? Does anybody need training or better management in order to make it all happen? How much will all of this cost? How will that effect the profitability assumptions I have made so far? Will it take more new sales volume than I originally thought to reach my earnings goal? This is the heart of the planning process. The next step is a reality check: 8. Am I setting reasonable and attainable goals? Up to this point, I have only considered how much I want to make. Now I have to decide whether it is reasonable to expect it to happen. If not, I will revise my goals downward. Now comes the most important part of today’s message. If you have not yet set goals and established your plan, start now! And if you have completed the goalsand-planning process, do not delay the implementation. You have less than a full year at this point to achieve your goals, and sales growth tends to be a very compounding process. A new customer you gain in March can provide you with 10 months of orders. A new customer you gain in December, only one. The harder you work at sales growth early in the year, the more likely it is that you will be happy with your results at the end.

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

Having to DIG DEEP LEADERS FORUM 2020

Mel Ireland Federal President, Lithographic Institute of Australia (LIA)

e will see some tight operating conditions moving into 2020, with some further consolidations. Businesses that adopt or mature their automation processes and those that can offer a gamut of products/services will see continued growth. Unfortunately, with several key global events, as well as some extraordinary local events such as the bushfires, Australian industry will find themselves having to dig deeper this year. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Investing in staff and encouraging them to be a part of the ‘ideas trust’ of your business can make a huge difference. If our staff are engaged and enthused, this will flow to our clients. It is a great opportunity to revisit conversations with our client base to work with them to help them identify their needs and to innovate together. My three key trend picks that will impact industry in 2020 are: 1. Industry 4.0 is a term that has been used now for many years across the wider manufacturing sector, and sometimes it is not necessarily associated with the printing sector. The enabling tools that are part of this term will continue to evolve. The printing industry is one sector that has great potential to truly adopt the

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conversations/fees, waste levies and ‘chain of custody/responsibility’.

PRINTERS SHOULD ALSO BE FOCUSING THEIR EFFORTS ON FUTURE SKILLS AND STAFF THAT ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO PICK UP THE REQUIRED SKILLS. technologies, and in many cases, are miles ahead of other industries. Data analytics, artificial intelligence, and automation will continue to expand and impact the industry. 2. Climate change and environmental damage will continue to form the underlining issues for policy makers. This social trend is one that the printing industry is in a prime position to pitch its value at. Build a sustainable industry that has a history of supply chain accountability and reporting as well as having already weathered the storm of carbon neutrality

3. Circularity is a concept that we will start to hear more dialogue about over the coming 12 months. Whilst the principles of the circular economy are not necessarily new, the global economic, social and political fragility is the perfect storm for circularity to start to pick up a rapid pace. Printers should be focusing their efforts on continued high levels of customer service. Value adding will be the differences between higher profitability or not. R&D, design, supply chain management, distribution and logistics, marketing and sales, and after sales service is where value adding will be most prevalent. It is also important for printers to be aware of legislative requirements surrounding the security of their client’s personal information. Printers should also be focusing their efforts on future skills and staff that are going to be able to pick up the required skills. Investment in onboarding trainees and apprentices is imperative. Personalisation will continue to have growth as a result of marketers wanting to target their messaging. So too will the use of artificial intelligence and data that can be obtained by clever labelling options.

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

International growth for LABELS LEADERS FORUM 2020

Mike Fairley Strategic Consultant, Tarsus Group

aving written about the label industry for more than 40 years, it has been particularly interesting to document the quite dramatic changes that have taken place, particularly over the last decade. During that time, the industry has undoubtedly become significantly more global in its operations – whether it’s the major materials or technology suppliers, or the growing number of big converter groups. By closely following new global opportunities, new national and international markets, and high GDP growth areas, it has been possible for the label industry to continue achieving an ongoing annual global growth of around four to six per cent. Not all countries and markets have been able to benefit from this evolving global label growth. Most Western European countries and the US are forecast to drop to one to two per cent GDP growth per annum over the next five years. Eastern Europe, which has fared much better over the past 10 to 15 years, appears to be now looking at forward growth of just two to three per cent – which is much the same as Australia and New Zealand. There seems little doubt that trading conditions for many label converters in Western European countries and in the US over the next few years will not be easy. Pressures on brands and retailers

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to reduce packaging, cut back on the use of plastics, minimise waste, and look at new ways of marketing and selling more environmentally friendly produce (possibly without labels) will bring new challenges for many in the world of labels. Fortunately, new global markets for labels have emerged, leading the major labelstock and press technology suppliers to establish manufacturing facilities outside of their traditional key homes in the US and Western Europe. The label industry today is a global business, with six out of the forecast top ten growth markets by 2024 all in Africa. Also in the top 10 to 20 GDP growth markets over the next five years are many of the key Asian countries including India, Bangladesh, Philippines, and Vietnam. But, how does the Australia and New Zealand region fit into the changing patterns of labels growth? Interestingly, although GDP growth is only around two to three per cent, both countries have an above average consumer market that loves private label products. Good growth has been reported by research group Nielsen as international retailers, such as Aldi, Costco, Seven & I, and Fast Retailing, move and expand in the market. This expansion has prompted local retailers like Woolworths and Coles to expand their own private label brands.

As a consequence, retail growth in the region has been more positive, with many fast-growing retail groups regarding Australia and New Zealand as a possible springboard to the lucrative Asian market. Both factors should be encouraging for Australian and New Zealand label converters even though IMF forecasts for the year ahead show global growth at just 3.5 per cent. The label industry has largely grown at between one or two per cent above GDP worldwide for many years, so the long-term global growth of somewhere between four and six per cent still seems achievable. But that is likely to be largely attained through the world’s biggest growth markets in Asia and Africa. The more developed label markets of Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand will undoubtedly have their own challenges to remain competitive, with ongoing investment particularly targeted at efficiency, productivity, added value, workflow automation, waste reduction and environmental performance. The industry has had its challenges before, but it has proven to be one of the most adaptable and technology sophisticated of all the print sectors. It may become more streamlined, more automated and more environmentally conscious – but will almost certainly survive and continue to grow worldwide.

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

LEADERS FORUM 2020

A year of significant CHALLENGE

Jenny Berry Senior Membership Executive, Ai Group

e’re a quarter-way into 2020 and already, it is shaping up to be a year of significant challenge for Australia’s printing businesses, locally and globally. These include long-term headwinds such as a slow economy, slow consumer spending and significant technology shifts, plus the immediate impact of drought, bushfires, global supply chain disruptions and, most recently, the impact of a novel strain of coronavirus sweeping across China, which is Australia’s largest trade partner and the world’s second-largest economy. Australia’s printing industry currently numbers around 5,780 businesses including 3,000 small employers and 2,500 self-employed sole business people (those with no employees), according to the ABS business register (as of June 2018). The industry has already undergone a significant degree of rationalisation over the past decade, mainly in response to digital technology developments and consumer trends. Since 2013, the industry has slimmed down from around 6,500 businesses, a reduction of around 12 per cent in business numbers over five years. The printing industry employed 34,000 people in 2019. The Department of Education, Skills and Employment expects further industry rationalisation due to technological trends will reduce this total to 29,000 by 2024, which is a reduction

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of 15 per cent over the next five years. This shift is expected to occur within the context of relatively stable employment numbers across manufacturing as a whole, which suggests that some printing-related roles will, in practice, move to other sectors – for example into paper, cardboard and plastics packaging for food and beverages producers or into textiles and homewares production processes. Ai Group’s monthly Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) confirms that food, beverages and consumables production (e.g. toiletries, cosmetics and healthcare products) remains an especially strong sector of growth within Australian manufacturing, despite the immediate impact of drought and fire (which are already reducing the quantity and quality of some local raw materials and increasing their prices). The lower dollar is supporting longterm exports growth for Australian processed foods, beverages and other consumable products throughout the Asian region in (as populations and incomes grow) and helping to win back local wholesale supply contracts. The printing sector is of course not alone in facing down a challenging outlook. Official data confirm that Australia’s economy slowed to just 1.4 per cent over the year to June 2019. The 2019-20 financial year started no better,

with GDP growing by just 0.4 per cent q/q (1.7 per cent p.a.) in Q3 of 2019. This dip was on par with the GFC period of 2008-09. It occurred for a range of global and local reasons including trade disruptions and a slower-growing China; drought; reluctant business investment; subdued consumer spending; and a downturn in local construction. Ai Group’s latest annual survey of Australian CEOs’ business experiences and expectations found that the disappointing conditions experienced in 2019 – together with a modest growth outlook at best – helped to lower CEOs’ expectations for 2020, even before this summer’s bushfire crisis (and the virusrelated disruptions across Asia) took another notch off local growth rates. More CEOs are expecting a deterioration in their trading conditions in 2020 (relative to 2019) than an improvement, with 40 per cent of CEOs expecting no material change in their business conditions in 2020 and 34 per cent expecting a deterioration, but only 26 per cent expect conditions to improve. This indicates 2020 will be the first ‘net negative’ year for Australian business expectations since 2015, on a ‘net balance’ basis (that is, more CEOs expecting a fall than a rise in general business conditions). Additional copy from Ai Group chief economist Julie Toth

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

Cutting energy costs

FOR AUSTRALIAN PRINTERS LEADERS FORUM 2020

NSSN Development Manager Dr Donald McCallum, as interviewed by NSSN Media and Public Relations Officer Shahrzad Abbasi

dvances in smart sensing technologies enhance printing processes to optimise energy use and increase product quality. Smart sensing technologies enhance energy management inexpensively by identifying opportunities in every stage of the supply and distribution chain. Dr Donald McCallum, development manager at NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN), said the industry feedback shows a need for innovation and understanding of energy lifecycles in print operations. “The full picture of energy consumption in most industrial facilities is not fully understood,” Dr McCallum said. Smart sensing technologies enable businesses to optimise energy consumption and increase production efficiency by identifying areas where energy is consumed most. “We understand energy from the first forklift movement of raw materials [coming] in, to the whole value-adding process and print works, to the forklift dispatch,” Dr McCallum said. The NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) brings together smart sensing expertise from across nine universities in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory to develop innovative solutions solving complex challenges faced by the industry and government. The NSSN was established with funding from

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the NSW State Government through the Office of the Chief Scientist & Engineer. The Network aims to tackle critical challenges in energy, resources, manufacturing, the environment, transport, agriculture, space and health by developing cutting-edge smart sensing solutions. “The NSW Smart Sensing Network has success across many different industries including water, defence and recycling,” Dr McCallum said. “So, we’re very well positioned to assist the industry.” Sensing can enhance printing processes from the input, through to sensing the quality the final product while monitoring the energy consumption along the way. The NSSN provides access to hundreds of nationally and internationally renowned researchers with expertise in material science, surface chemistry, nanotechnology, automation, energy processes, and low-cost printing of the actual sensors. Smart sensing enhances the measurement of material properties, size, shapes, colour and more complex elements such as the texture and feel of a printed product. “By combining smart sensors with emerging paradigms like Artificial Intelligence and machine learning the technology could assist not just in the evaluation of the [output] quality, but also helping with the future designs.”

Smart packaging is another profit yielding area as sensors are implemented in smart packaging to provide a wide range of information about the package lifecycle. “Smart packaging can give consideration to ensuring that all parts of the packaging and labelling can be radically recycled close to home, ensuring that the packages don’t need to be sent offshore. We know where that particular packaging is at any other time. It’s valuable as part of our circular economy, and it comes back to be reused,” he said. Smart sensing experts can develop individually tailored solutions for integration into existing printing facilities. “Printing and exotic fluids, printing and smart packaging, printing and smart labels need not be seen as something separate, but something that we integrate into an existing print business,” Dr McCallum said. By adopting smart sensing technologies into the printing process, print companies can connect their operations with the broader sensing infrastructure of smart cities without any negative disruption. “I imagine a future not that far, where Australian printing companies take the lead globally.” Dr Donald McCallum is the development manager for the NSSN, responsible for business development and engagement with key government and industry stakeholders.

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

drupa 2020: AN INNOVATIVE FORCE LEADERS FORUM 2020

Sabine Geldermann Print Technologies Global Head and drupa Director, Messe Düsseldorf

t has become apparent in recent years that the print industry is changing and that it has to keep changing in a digitalised world. As such, drupa will demonstrate the dynamism and innovative capabilities of the entire printing industry. The appeal of print products is growing as the technology steadily advances. Print is conquering new dimensions with haptic elements, innovative materials and finishing techniques. What is more, global trends such as the circular economy, artificial intelligence, the platform economy and connected consumers are forces that will have a growing influence on processes in the industry. The upcoming drupa tradeshow for printing technologies sets key trends for the global industry from June 16 to 26. The premium event underlines its unique position as the most relevant platform for the global printing sector in a fascinating and inspiring atmosphere. Together with its 1,800 exhibitors from 50 countries, global players as well as inspiring start-ups, drupa looks forward to embracing the future with participants from all continents. The various, forward-looking megatrends will take the lead at drupa with special forums or ‘Hot Spots’: drupa cube, dna – drupa next age, touchpoint packaging, touchpoint 3D fab+print and touchpoint textile. They provide a unique setting for transferring knowledge and sharing experiences that reflects the

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competence and creativity of the industry. The content will bring participants up to speed with the global megatrends in management, digital transformation and, of course, innovative printing technologies. This year’s programme is free of charge and is an offer to help brands, companies and professionals to face and adapt to the transformations ahead. It is essential to question existing processes in regular cycles in order to ensure that company values and competences evolve and are still relevant for its customers. In this sense, drupa is the clock of the sector. drupa cube, the conference and event programme in Hall 6, focusses on the innovative power of print and its diverse applications in a variety of industries and areas of life. The dna forum gives innovators from the start-up scene an opportunity to introduce new product ideas, services and strategies for relevant cross-cutting technologies. touchpoint packaging serves as a stage for presenting the future world of packaging, especially packaging design. The tremendous potential of additive manufacturing as a future-oriented, crosscutting technology will be another leading topic at the touchpoint 3D fab+print. Last but not least, the new forum touchpoint textile is dedicated to the potential of digital textile printing as a source of growth and momentum in new fields of business, bringing together companies in different industries.

PRINT IS CONQUERING NEW DIMENSIONS WITH HAPTIC ELEMENTS, INNOVATIVE MATERIALS AND FINISHING TECHNIQUES. If visitors would like to structure their time, are interested in only a specific topic or maybe visit for the first time, they can book a guided tour at the fair or download the free drupa app which gives them an excellent overview of what is going to happen where and when. Also, possibilities for networking are numerous. The drupa matchmaking app helps visitors to meet the right companies and people. Particularly in the run-up to drupa targeted contacting of exhibitors is highly recommended. The matchmaking tool offers visitors and exhibitors the chance to match their profiles based on an intelligent algorithm which stays close to the users’ individual interests. Therefore, it presents an ideal service for getting in touch with new business contacts easily and efficiently.

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embrace the future Experience innovations as well as fascinating technologies of the future. Be inspired by top speakers and the drupa highlight topics. Be part of the digital transformation and take advantage of opportunities for your business. Experience the future at the world’s leading trade fair for printing technologies. drupa 2020 – embrace the future

June 16–26, 2020 Düsseldorf/Germany

For further information and assistance with travel and accommodation planning Robert Laing _ Messe Reps. Pty. Ltd Tel. +61 427 353536 robert@messereps.com

www.drupa.com #drupa2020

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

Many secrets TO SUCCESS LEADERS FORUM 2020

Keith Ferrel General Manager of Operations, Cactus Imaging

he main trend I see occurring in 2020 is sustainability. Having just attended the Fespa Global Summit, the majority of speakers were highlighting the need to replace PVC as the media of choice. Cactus Imaging having been working on perfecting alternative substrates which are fully recyclable and PVC free over the last couple of years. Over the last few months, we have been working with a number of clients and have now produced over 1000 fully recyclable billboards which have since been recycled into park furniture, railway sleepers and even trophies.

SPEED, SPEED AND MORE SPEED IS NECESSARY TO KEEP UP WITH CHANGING TIMES.

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A number of manufacturers are also now coming on to the market with PVC free self-adhesive substrates. The power of the consumer will insist that to compete going forward, the offering of PVC free substrates are a must. Besides sustainable products being a growth area, the move into textiles is also huge for printers in 2020. Digital print only accounts for six per cent of all textile printing by volume, so this lends itself to significant opportunity. Many print manufacturers are making a move into this market and reaping the rewards. Over 80 per cent of all promotional signage at a recent trade show I attended was on fabric. Moves into digitally printed interiors (such as wallpapers) give huge opportunity for growth. The use of Latex inks and water-based inks only enhance the sustainability aspect of printing onto fabrics. Other areas of growth are in the billboard area. Digital signage has had an impact on billboard volumes, but the move to four weekly changeouts has nullified this to a certain extent. We are seeing small growth in volumes and further down the track I see the day when classic billboards will go to fortnightly change outs in order to keep up with the immediacy of digital billboards. Speed, speed and more speed is necessary to keep up with changing times. Print capacity and finishing automation

is the key to further growth in this area. Diversification and automation are two key areas where printers should be focusing their efforts. Deadlines are getting shorter and technology is getting better. One machine can now print at such high quality and on many different substrates that it allows diversification into other areas, but if you can’t finish it in the same time that it takes to print then you achieve little. It’s the old story – you are only as quick as your slowest point. As for Cactus Imaging, we have invested a lot of money on finishing automation and are reaping the rewards of increased productivity. The industry should also be investing in young people and providing them with career opportunities. The younger generation is the future of our industry and we need to encourage them to be passionate about print. The Emerging 50 is a good starting point by acknowledging the work that they’re doing in the industry. Further investment in the younger generation is a must because if we don’t then more businesses will suffer. I am optimistic that if you keep up with technology and produce quality products on time, this year will be a good year. Innovation will be a key driver and the gradual move into sustainable products will be a future growth area for the industry.

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

Equal parts vision and HINDSIGHT LEADERS FORUM 2020

Lachlan Finch Director, Rawson Print Co.

020 couldn’t be a better number to start the new decade with equal parts vision and hindsight. We have learnt a great deal from the previous decade of unprecedented change which saw us lick our wounds of the global financial crisis (GFC) and adjust to a new world of disruption. This was the catalyst for change within the printing and visual communications industry, forcing us to become agile and receptive to market conditions. As I look to the year ahead, there is no doubt that industry consolidation will continue unabated as a natural part of the manufacturing lifecycle. However, as customer experience (CX) and consumer responsibility become driving factors in the decision-making process, there is increasing space for bespoke businesses willing to be different and engaging with their customers beyond providing just ‘good service’. Our industry will continue to face some challenging headwinds; however, I believe that our direction forward has evolved from industry competition to industry collaboration. No longer are we a ‘closed shop’. We all need to collectively recognise that we are in this market together and are willing to share our learnings for the betterment of the whole industry. Logically, the greatest opportunities ahead for our industry will come from the greatest impacts on it. I see climate change as well as the continued growth

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and integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) being the biggest two impactors for the new decade. As the world’s collective conscious is finally starting to respond to climate change, consumers are demanding better use of the world’s resources, resulting in a push for sustainable solutions. This doesn’t just mean paper instead of plastic; it’s a holistic approach from end to end which includes how we consume our energy, manage our waste and everything in between. This is a great opportunity for printers to focus their efforts on the trend for sustainability and engage with markets looking for alternatives. As for AI, we are only just starting to see a glimpse of things to come.

WE WILL LISTEN EVEN MORE TO OUR CUSTOMERS, STAFF AND THE MARKET IN GENERAL TO ENSURE WE CONTINUALLY EVOLVE AND IMPROVE.

With continued use of applicable and available data, AI is set to become one of the most powerful marketing tools we have ever seen. Its ability to be predictive and communicate relevant messaging in realtime will be a game changer in one-to-one product marketing. The obvious impact is yet another marketing channel taking a piece of the pie, but the flipside is the ability to create a smarter business from the use of it. A potential skills shortage looming on the horizon may impact businesses in the medium-term, however as the industry breaks from its traditional shackles of trade based blue collar manufacturing to a technologically advanced solution provider, I see a wealth of amazing young talent entering our workforce who are willing to challenge convention and shape the future, most probably with the use of AI. The year ahead for Rawson Print Co. will see us continue to develop our product offering to our customers while maintaining our focus on waste reduction and energy consumption. We will listen even more to our customers, staff and the market in general to ensure we continually evolve and improve to be the best business we can be. Most importantly, we will be kind and take care of each other and those around us in a tough but inspiring industry. After all, we are all human right?

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Keeping up with

DESIGN & GROWTH LEADERS FORUM 2020

Melanie Perkins CEO and Co-Founder, Canva

arlier this year, Canva was valued at US$3.2 billion, which was exciting but where I see this number at is US$3.2 billion in promises to our investors. The promise to these investors is that we’re going to be building a company that will last a long time to come, and that we’re going to continue to value it for years. It is also a promise to our community that we’re going to build products to help them pave their goals out in the real world. It’s a promise to our team that we will do our best to ensure company growth, but at the same time, that we are live up to the values that we believe in. And it’s a huge promise to the world because we now have such an incredible

WE, AT CANVA BELIEVE THAT DESIGN IS COMMUNICATION, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THAT DESIGN SHOULD BE FOR EVERYONE.

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opportunity and responsibility to show that we’re able to do such an incredible job with all the powers and opportunity that we have before us to live up to what we have in this world. Our mission is to empower the world to design. In order to do that, we need to be able to empower everyone to design no matter what their requirements are and what size of a business they are in. We need to ensure that whatever device they are on, wherever in the world, they have access to design and they need to have all the high-quality designs that they need. Design is not about learning really complicated tools. Design should not be something exclusive and reserved for only a small few. Design should not be very complicated where you take years to learn the skill. Design is so much more than making something look pretty. We, at Canva, believe that design is communication, and more importantly that design should be for everyone. In fact, we have spent a long time doing just this. Something that warms my heart is the power of design to help people achieve their goals. Wherever you are in the world, whatever your profession, we want to ensure that design is accessible to everyone. After a year in operation, we had 1.3 million designs created on Canva. After two years, we had 5.8 million designs created every single month.

And now, after six years, we’ve had more than 130 million designs created per month. It’s absolutely phenomenal and a huge testament to the work of each and everyone at Canva. They say it takes a village to raise a child but I want to make a slight addition to that – it takes a village to build a company. Thank you to our team who have taken so much time and energy to build Canva. As part of our village, we have people join us from all across the globe and across Australia. This includes our community, investors, and partners. So much effort has been put into every detail, and there’s so much creativity and passion in everyone. It’s absolutely amazing to see how much we have achieved. It takes so much work to make complex things simple. When you see Canva’s products, they’re certainly simple but there’s so much effort, time and energy that has gone into it. But it is not just our products that have this. Our teams have put so much energy and effort into creating an incredible workplace and turning our office into our wonderful home. We’ve now got 784 people at Canva – it’s pretty phenomenal just how quickly we’ve grown. And it’s so amazing to have all their hearts, minds, time, energy and hard work go into Canva every single day to build such an incredible product.

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LEADERS PRINT LEADERS FORUMFORUM

Ditch

REPETITION AND COMMODITY LEADERS FORUM 2020

Kenneth Beck-Pedersen Co-Director, Carbon8

he year 2020 will be challenging, and that’s saying something for the printing industry which hasn’t exactly been dealt the best hand over the recent past. So, how do we navigate a year where Australia seems almost certain to fall into recession, the demand for the product we have built our teams and machinery around continues to wane, and a broader world that appears determined to go down an isolationist, protectionist and defensive rabbit hole? I certainly don’t have a crystal ball or some greater insight than anyone else but I’m willing at least to accept that this is the hand that we’ve been dealt and so there’s no point in hoping for a re-deal. At Carbon8, we have for many years now, followed a philosophy of innovation and complexity rather than repetition and commodity but as our business has grown and the industry continues to shrink around us, we’ve had to embrace the middle ground a lot more. Our investment in Sydney’s first HP Indigo 12000 opened up new areas of business serving other printers who have need for our unique range of capabilities. We’ve not traditionally been seen as a trade printer but it stands to reason that as the market for our services shrinks around us, we all benefit from having the right solution for any request a customer may have rather than holding onto it jealously;

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otherwise we risk that demand evaporating while we are too busy fighting each other. So, I see co-operation as vital for printers now. This includes not just capabilities but pricing. It might sound like I’m advocating collusion between printers, but I’m not. I’m suggesting that the market around us is shrinking and we can accelerate the downward pressure or we can support each other, support our customers with the right solutions and pick our battles where we go head to head. Maybe it sounds hypocritical of a printer who has just bought a new printing press to now be advocating for our competitors to not do exactly as we have. I just mean that as an industry we should temper the worst of our bullish tendencies as I simply do not see a miracle around the corner for any of us. It certainly feels like the worst of the industry’s decline is centered on the more traditional sheetfed area. For a long time, it has been accepted that offset volumes were falling, now even digital appears to be sliding. The safe harbour, wide format, for many years seen as the saviour and future of printers is definitely under pressure too. Screens and electronic displays are everywhere and they cannot help but erode that market this year too. We see an opportunity here for us all though, if we can promote 100 per cent recyclable solutions made of paper-based products

and with no need for power or replacement of the electronic device in time. The printing industry missed an opportunity when we didn’t properly push back on the shift towards screens and electronic devices. They aren’t free and without consequence for the environment so we have a good story to tell our customers if we care to tell it. The printing industry is largely environmentally friendly, largely recyclable and sustainable. It’s not without its challenges nor issues (such as the tendency to use PVC-based products in wide format) but compared with electronic communication (and its e-waste and related carbon footprint) it has a positive story. There are a host of new entirely paper-based products that can largely replace the likes of Foamcor and rigid PVC and they don’t need charging and they won’t contribute to landfill at end of life. Maybe we need to get our industry body behind us as this is a larger battle. People are willing to help, they just need to see it as socially beneficial. Maybe one day, rather than emails having the ‘helpful’ suggestion ‘think before you print this email’, advertising could carry the social advisory, ‘this message is printed on 100 per cent recyclable, sustainable paper that biodegrades and never needs charging’.

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Remaining

RELEVANT AND SUCCESSFUL LEADERS FORUM 2020

Emmanuel Buhagiar Owner, Imagination Graphics

ince its establishment in 1998, Imagination Graphics has adapted to printing trends within the industry to remain relevant and successful. Morphing from a small prepress company into a thriving digital and offset printing company, Imagination Graphics will continue to utilise new technologies and value customer service in 2020. As the owner of the company, I have seen first-hand the trends over time and witnessed the decline of businesses that do not embrace changes within the world of design and print. To avoid being left behind and to secure our future, we have taken a leap of faith and invested in cutting-edge machinery. I would highly encourage other printers and designers to embrace opportunities and engage with customers to consistently get the job done right. Printers in 2020 should be focusing their efforts on offering customers an increasingly wider range of products. This can be achieved by being flexible and having the ability to adapt as a whole company in order to stay afloat amongst the digital landscape, as the printer who solely relies on one craft could potentially be left behind. To follow my own advice, I am expecting to invest more time and effort into promoting Imagination Graphics on social media this year. By learning the trends on platforms such as Instagram,

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I WOULD HIGHLY ENCOURAGE OTHER PRINTERS AND DESIGNERS TO EMBRACE OPPORTUNITIES AND ENGAGE WITH CUSTOMERS. Facebook and Twitter, we will be able to reach a wider range of customers. Another factor that the industry must consider is minimising costs for customers to ensure a return of orders and the development of meaningful relationships between company and customer. Customer service is at the core of printing work. In 2020, this can be achieved by implementing new programs and processes that facilitate communication and through adding value ‘extras’ to a job where possible. Thus, to work efficiently, holistic processes must be in place particularly in such an advancing time, which is

why streamlining production internally is integral. In addition to this, one must be persistent and creative in order to survive in the industry. At Imagination Graphics, we embrace the mentality that no job is too big or too small and take a job whether it be for a single business card, a simple web design, or 5000+ printed annual reports. This year, Imagination Graphics will also be focussed on rebuilding our business as we lost all of our printing equipment, including our new KM-1 B2 Digital Press, in the recent floods. We have been devastated by the damage but are heartened by the support we have received from other printers who quickly put their hands up to handle our work until we get back on our feet. Some areas of growth I anticipate in the industry is the use of wide format printing (specifically for the signage market), in addition to short-run large format variable data. This is one goal that Imagination Graphics will be striving to consistently achieve this year. In light of drupa coming up in June – the Disneyland for the graphics industry – it will be interesting to see how the Australian market approaches the new technologies available. Ultimately, I am looking forward to watching the industry grow and develop in response to rapid changes and immense growth.

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Having clear POINTS OF DIFFERENCE

LEADERS FORUM 2020

Aleks Lajovic Managing Director, Impact International

n my view, 2020 will be an interesting year for our industry. We will see suppliers determined to issue price increases to their printing customers and printers themselves will have limited opportunities to pass on price increases to our customers, unless we can demonstrate a clear point of difference over our competitors. Sadly, I think we will see a few more printing companies close their doors in 2020. This will result in further industry consolidation and will worsen the already present skills shortage that our industry has. I would love to see suppliers in our industry take a tougher stance against these phoenix companies, which in my view, are a stain on our industry and make it harder for reputable operators who pay their bills to survive. Given the current economic climate, I expect to see less printing companies installing new equipment in 2020. On a more positive note, I also expect to see power prices stabalise and in some cases slightly decrease in 2020. In terms of trends that will impact 2020, I only have two words: sustainability and recyclability. If your business plan does not incorporate these two words, then you may find it a tough year. When it comes to changing our ways for a healthier planet, it is the one topic that politicians worldwide seem to be on the same page. If you can show customers that you are doing more to create a healthier planet than your competitors, this will help you secure work.

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Customers who are exporting to overseas markets, especially in personal care items, will see growth. In our business, we supply to some Australian customers who export more than 50 per cent of their production overseas. We print some of our packaging in foreign languages, such as Japanese, Arabic and Korean (which makes press approvals a fun challenge). Being able to work with companies who understand these export markets and by supporting them (through providing high quality packaging reasonably quickly), has helped us reduce our dependence on an Australian retail sector which is currently not in the best of health. Printing is an energy hungry industry; we need to either embrace green energy or reduce our energy consumption (preferably do both). Technology is changing our industry at a rapid rate. Some technological developments are very expensive to implement, others can be done at reasonably low cost. Our industry should be looking at what technology is available to them that helps improve their offering to the customer and to reduce their carbon footprint. Sadly, I think larger price increases from suppliers are on the way in 2020. We have already received an increase letter which stated an eight per cent increase, blaming higher raw material costs and the AUD exchange rate for the sizeable increase. Supplier erosion in our industry is also a major concern; we have lost a lot of good

DEMAND WILL BE ERRATIC AND FEWER PRINTING COMPANIES WILL INSTALL NEW EQUIPMENT IN 2020. suppliers in the last 10 years and there are fewer skills to support our industry in Australia. I also think demand will be erratic and fewer printing companies will install new equipment in 2020. In 2020, Impact International will continue to focus on initiatives that improve our production efficiencies and reducing our carbon footprint. Our customers tell us that they want to reduce the carbon footprint of their packaging and there is genuine interest in our product offerings that achieve this. This needs to be supported by accurate and proven numbers, showing the improvements made. We will also be developing replacement packaging options for one product in our range that is not recyclable, and working hard to support our operations.

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Make yourselves RELEVANT LEADERS FORUM 2020

Theo Pettaras Owner, Digitalpress

eflecting back on my personal professional experience – namely when I first started my digital printing business in 2005 – transitioning from an offset to a digital printing business seemed like a logical choice as I knew digital printing presses were coming of age and early adopters with an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit would reap the rewards. Things went well until the digital disruption greatly disrupted our industry. Along came the GFC and the industry was decimated. Those that were heavily geared in expensive plant and equipment sadly suffered. Those that were relatively less geared and/or owned their own real estate had the opportunity to look at the future pipeline. These are some of my predictions for 2020 and beyond: • A focus on lean manufacturing running efficiently, keeping debt low and utilising existing equipment as much as possible. • Wide format is a very significant opportunity and the early adopters have transformed their businesses. But don’t do it unless you do your research, and understand the market, the right equipment and team to both produce and install. • Web to print is a process that will ultimately fail unless you do the market research, understand the process and have the ability to execute successfully by having a great automated system

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PRINT LEADERS FORUM

and ensuring your clients are comfortable making the transition. Web to print forces you to compete with big players that have it all pretty much sewn up. 2020 is the year to look at your business and learn how you can adapt and learn to be more relevant to the marketplace. The printing company of 2020 and beyond will not just offer print but rather one that learns, understands and offers a total marking communications solution. The first step in this process is to embrace what technology provides; it is a friend, not a foe. You need to learn about new technology and how it can offer a point of difference to your service offering. A cloud-based operation provides great flexibility and efficient solutions for the manufacturer and streamlining processes.

LISTEN TO YOUR CUSTOMERS; DO YOUR RESEARCH AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR CLIENTS WANT.

Learn to invest time with vendors, but don’t let them waste your time and make sure they deliver on their promise. Listen to vendors but remember, they are there to make a sale. Think carefully before making a major investment and do not do so unless you have the work and appropriate business plan and strategy to support and justify your investment. Listen to your customers too; do your research and understand what their clients want. By doing so, you will maintain a strong relationship with them and will be adding value to both end user and customer. Regardless of the outcome, reach out to fellow printers. Do not look at them as competitors but rather as fellow colleagues striving to succeed in an industry most of us are so passionate about. In addition, take the effort to make your team feel valued. Pay them for what they are worth and be prepared to educate them in being multi-skilled. Your associations too, have much analytic data. You have so much to gain about future and global trends by just reaching out to them. Having successfully operated Digitalpress for over 15 years, we recently were acquired by the Bridgestone Group of Companies. Moving forward, it is important for the company to ensure continued support to clients, staff, suppliers and the industry as a whole. This acquisition is an example of what any forward-thinking printing company is able to do if they have vision and a realistic exit strategy.

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Evolve,

INNOVATE AND INSPIRE LEADERS FORUM 2020

Dan Mantel Operations Manager, AFI Branding

019 gave companies in the print industry the opportunity to get their houses in order ready for the new decade. There were plenty of opportunities to make some key investments and I believe 2020 will see these come into fruition. It’s an exciting time to be in the print industry as we continue to evolve, innovate and inspire to stay at the forefront of what we do. Sustainability got some great airtime in the industry last year and I’m sure will continue to gain momentum in 2020, as more businesses put concept into practice.

WE NEED TO BE PREPARED TO WORK WITH CLIENTS TO CREATE SOMETHING NEW, DIFFERENT AND INSPIRING.

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As companies start to prioritise the environmental impact of their print, we will see more solutions offered by the industry. There’s potential for huge education in this space to ensure sustainable solutions are just that and not simply there to tick a box. Customers will become more informed and discerning and we need to ensure we are leading the industry with revolutionary and long-term initiatives. The demand for experiential and engaging experiences created through print will also be a major trend for 2020. Print is ever evolving and heading into new spaces and we need to be prepared to work with clients to create something new, different and inspiring. It will challenge the industry to provide solutions to client briefs, but also to innovate and inspire through new product development and print techniques to keep fresh and relevant. The presence of physical retail stores is on the decline, but I believe we will see growth and investment in brand activations, flagship and pop-up stores. The focus will be on customer engagement through interactivity and show-stopping displays that are both memorable and get people talking. Retailers have a tough job ahead in keeping their brand relevant and front of mind; the print industry needs to

support this and help offer creative and industry-first solutions. I believe printers in the industry should also be focusing their efforts this year on building relationships with clients, suppliers and importantly, investing in their staff. At AFI, we believe in long-term partnerships and some of our best work comes from relationships that nurture mutual trust, respect and belief to bring the project to life. At AFI, we are fortunate to have some of the industry’s best technology – but the key to making this work hard is to ensure a culture of engagement, retention and collaboration from staff and suppliers through to our customers and their end-users. AFI will be focusing on people and partnerships in 2020. We’ve identified some great opportunities while away at a strategic planning workshop in November last year and will be looking to roll these out in 2020. 2020 is potentially going to be a challenging year, but that opens up an interesting playing field. It’s an opportunity for companies to be bold and take risks and lead the way through innovation. We, like any other industry, can never get too comfortable and need to continually evolve what we’re offering. I’m excited to see what 2020 holds and to be part of the journey.

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‘Green shoots’ FOR 2020 LEADERS FORUM 2020

Charles Batt Owner, MBE Parramatta

he year 2019 started out badly and continued to be a relatively miserable year. Business was even more unpredictably up and down than usual, making it the most frustrating year since I joined the print industry, immediately prior to the Global Financial Crisis. Perhaps we can blame two elections (NSW State and Federal), Trump trade wars and the Brexit mess; perhaps it was just the print industry being fickle. Around October, ‘green shoots’ started to appear in the market and I headed into the new decade more positive about the future than ever. Over recent years, the competition between digital printer manufacturers has moved from image quality and speed to specialty colours, finishes and embellishments. Everyone can now put a great image on a page at an acceptable speed – which will still be the bulk of the market for the foreseeable future. However, unless you can offer customers something extra – either from your own gear or outsourced – it will be progressively harder to retain or win customers. This is why I invested in the Fuji Xerox Iridesse Production Press in August. Now more than ever, customer service, customer engagement and the ‘wow’ factor will be critical to growing any business through 2020 and beyond. Many customers are developing unrealistic

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expectations, partly through the speed and price of online shopping for consumer goods, and partly because as an industry we keep lifting our game. There was once a truism that the customer could choose from speed, quality and price – but only ever have two. Customers are now demanding and receiving all three from printers; and there is no going back. Print and digital mediums have already converged, but the cleverness and intelligence of how these interact will be a major battleground for years to come. Unfortunately, the skillset of staff in a traditional print business are not

PRINT AND DIGITAL HAVE ALREADY CONVERGED, BUT THE INTELLIGENCE OF HOW THESE INTERACT WILL BE A MAJOR BATTLEGROUND.

transferrable to digital. To take advantage of these opportunities, today’s printers will need to purchase or partner with a suitable specialist business. A printer cannot just employ a single digital specialist because digital assets are live and 24/7, requiring someone to be available at any time now and into the future. The endless and reckless price rises by Australia Post seem designed to kill the letter market. Transactional mail is being decimated and people are receiving progressively fewer letters. The up-side of this is that there is a little frisson of surprise when a letter arrives and if it is well presented (nice envelope, personal, different) you’re almost guaranteed to have the letter opened. Direct mail will make up a growing portion of the marketing budget for many professional marketers and will therefore be an opportunity for digital printers and mailing houses. As the workforce ages, and as work become less predictable and reliable, more people will want to become the captain of their own ship. I forsee an increasing number of people leaving corporate life and embracing print franchises. The support and community within a franchise allows someone to move successfully into a business that would be difficult (if not impossible) as a solo operator.

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Print in

EVOLUTION LEADERS FORUM 2020

Craig Honey CEO, MSP Photography

n 2020, there will be a greater focus on eco-friendly raw materials and products, as the community becomes more educated and aware of the impacts of existing technologies. Take coffee pods as an example and the eco-friendly biodegradable alternatives offered by the likes of Tripod Coffee and EcoCaffe. Then, there is augmented reality (AR) and the question of if it’s future or fad? I say future, but in my opinion it’s currently a solution looking for a problem. Ikea and Polyflor are leaders in this space in the retail sector, but how long do you think it will be before you can see your hero car, a Mustang or Camaro in your driveway on your phone, or a Michael Hill engagement ring on your finger while browsing a physical or online catalogue? Companies like Worldwide Printing now offer AR as a service to small, medium, and large businesses and as the technology matures and evolves and becomes quicker, easier, and cheaper, the more it will be integrated into businesses marketing portfolios. The day that AR works with artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) to 3D print products and structures that we could only dream of, will be the day that AR evolves into a leading manufacturing tool. It might not be in 2020, but it is not a matter of if but when. 3D printing will to continue to grow in the manufacturing

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space as demonstrated by Aurora Labs. It’s been said before but find your niche! And once you have found it, diversify. This sounds contradictory, but it isn’t. Diversify inside your niche to minimise the risk of being too reliant on one revenue stream, and to increase your stickiness with your customers by becoming a broader solution for them. Where printers should be focusing their efforts: • By valuing themselves, their products and their services. Price wars are a race to the bottom • Don’t neglect or underestimate the power of effective marketing • Look after your staff • The old cliché of failing to plan is planning to fail • Keeping your knowledge up to date and in turn protect yourself from emerging technologies • Industry stewardship With drupa happening this year, there will be a greater focus on providing more end-to-end manufacturing solutions. In addition, there will be a focus on digital printing and wide format evolution, rather than anything really new. There will also be more of a focus on delivering products with integrated offerings i.e. eco-friendly printed products, print with AR, and tools that aid personalisation. Our business will be continuing to work on understanding what our customers’ wants and needs are, and the

methods that we can deliver on these in a way that keeps us sticky. More consolidation like Spicers and Direct Paper is expected, as well as investments along the same lines as what IVE Group has done with the Salmat catalogue distribution business, and Xerox and HP looking at ways that they can grow together. Mergers, acquisitions, and simply leveraging off established networks will continue in 2020. Speaking of the IVE Group, there will be more focus on brand awareness. IVE Group recently announced that it is streamlining its brand by retiring all other brand names, including Blue Star and Kalido, and will now simply be known as IVE. Clear brand messaging without cluttering and confusing will provide a more direct message to customers. Brand alignment of this magnitude won’t be common; however brand awareness and identity will continue to become a priority. Marketing principals will stay the same, however the evolution of marketing channels will continue. Take the humble evolution of email campaigns becoming EDMs – that space will also start to change in 2020 with the continuous introduction of stricter data protection legislation and IT-related security software becoming smarter. The print industry is not dead, it’s just evolving!

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WIDE FORMAT +Plus March 2020

New Konica Minolta press lands in Australia in March

Ricoh printers make their debut in Australia

Mimaki appointed to distribute OKI wide format range

New Heidelberg Speedmaster models upcoming

WIDE FORMAT NEWS

Epson printers win iF Design Award 2020 Epson’s Surecolor SCP7500 and Surecolor SCP9500 large format printers have been named iF Design Award 2020 winners by Hanover-based iF International Forum Design GmbH. Created in 1953, the iF Design Award is recognised globally as one of the most prestigious awards for innovative industrial product design excellence. Products are evaluated based on criteria including practicability, workmanship, consideration of environmental standards, degree of elaboration and innovation, functionality, usability, safety, aesthetics and universal design. As successors of the Surecolor SC-P9050V and SC-P9050G, regarded highly as the industry standards for reproducing high-quality images in fine art, proofing, and photo laboratories, Epson said that these products won the award for their functionality. “[They] provide the functional operability of high-quality professional tools, such as internal lighting to immediately check printed material and a neutral colour that does not interfere when making colour adjustments,” Seiko Epson Corporation said in a statement. Epson solutions have also recently won a number of other awards. In November last year, Epson won the 2019 Good Design Award for a total of ten products, which includes five printers, four projectors, and one watch. The five printers that won awards consist of home and office printers, as well as large format printers.

Ricoh launches new wide format and flatbed printers in Australia Ricoh has launched its Pro L5160 Aqueous Resin Latex Wide Format Printer and the Pro T7210 and Pro TF6250 UV Flatbed printers in Australia, expanding its portfolio of inkjet printing solutions. The Pro L5160 Aqueous Resin Wide Format Printer aims to provide media flexibility, image quality and print productivity. Some of the CMYK 64inch wide format printer’s features include: a low curing temperature, enabling it to run a broad array of impermeable (waterproof) and permeable (absorbent) roll media; a piezoelectric printhead with multi-drop technology; print speeds of up to 46.7 m²/h for draft work (four-colour configuration Pro L5160);

The Pro L5160 Aqueous Resin Wide Format Printer aims to provide media flexibility, image quality and print productivity

auto-maintenance technology; low ink costs; and support by a range of controllers. Ricoh Australia senior product manager of commercial industrial print Henryk

Kraszewski said, “Today, many industries are enthusiastic about fully embracing wide format. We are excited to ship our entire portfolio of wide-format inkjet solutions in Australia.”

EFI launches mid-volume roll-to-roll range

The VUTEk D5r is one of two units launched at EFI Connect

Electronics for Imaging (EFI) has launched a mid-range three and five-metre wide roll-to-roll printer line. The global technology giant said the VUTEk D3r and D5r LED inkjet printers leverage the capabilities of the VUTEk 3r+ and 5r+ printers to offer a mid-range solution with high value applications, including white and clear ink, offering sign and display customers the opportunity to drive more volume with high-end digital print for endless applications and designs.

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The new line, which are 3.5m and 5.2m wide respectively, supports the unique collection of options for VUTEk roll-to-roll LED printers, providing a fully system for higher efficiency and a lower total cost of ownership. EFI’s vice president of worldwide marketing, Ken Hanulec, said customer feedback drove the creation of this mid-volume solution. “We listened very closely to our customers for feedback to create a mid-volume solution that will be the technology

of choice for print providers seeking to profitably grow their businesses with high-end applications,” Hanulec said. The VUTEk D3r can print up to 204 m²/h and the VUTEk D5r can print up to 244 m²/h. Both presses employ UltraDrop technology which can deliver precise and sharp 3-point size text with a true resolution of up to 1200 dots per inch, offering near-photographic quality. Both printers also come with EFI’s Fiery proServer digital front end for increased productivity and accurate colour matching. SPRINTER.COM.AU

WIDE FORMAT NEWS

Konica Minolta fires with new high volume production press Konica Minolta Australia has a new production press to show - the AccurioPress C14000 high-volume production press. The press is being hailed as a game-changer for commercial print businesses as it offers higher productivity and efficiency with the ability to produce 140 pages per minute, while the AccurioPress C12000 can print at speeds of 120 pages per minute. Sue Threlfo, general manager, production and industry print, Konica Minolta Australia said the presses demonstrate Konica Minolta’s mission to support the transformation of its clients, with a number of advanced automation features and accessories that will help printers expand and streamline their operations to deliver

increased, high-quality output with less waste. The AccurioPress C14000 series offers the new TU-510 versatile trimmer unit for advanced operational efficiency. The TU-510 is a truly unique inline, four-edge trimmer and creaser that allows full bleed finishing support for banners, booklets, direct mail and a dedicated business card cutting option. In addition, the AccurioPress C14000 series is equipped with the Intelligent Quality Optimiser (IQ-501) as standard, which can also improve labour efficiency by as much as 30 per cent. “The new AccurioPress C14000 series will be a gamechanger for the industry. With the TU-510 inline trimmer unit and advanced automation

features designed to maximise efficiency these presses will provide significant value to those in high-volume printing environments where deadlines are tight, quality is key and efficiencies must be gained. We are really looking forward seeing these new presses arrive in Australia early next year,” Threlfo said. Konica Minolta Australia said the unique features of the AccurioPress C14000 series make them ideal for customers

looking to increase productivity through efficiencies and speed to grow their business. With resolution equivalent to 3600 x 2400 dpi and enhanced media capability up to 450 gsm, they offer high speeds with outstanding image quality and media flexibility. It also features new duplex banner printing up to 900mm and simplex banner length capability of 1300mm, combined with envelope and embossed media capabilities.

The Konica Minolta AccurioPress C14000 high-volume production press rolls out in Australia in March

Heidelberg to launch new range of updated Speedmaster models Heidelberg will soon unveil a new range of Speedmaster models, with the range featuring new Push to Stop functionalities and a cloud connection. The company said the models will be the “most intelligent and most automated Speedmasters of all time” with small, medium and large format units equipped with the new standard functionality. Heidelberg head of sheet-fed product management Rainer Wolf said all customer

groups will enjoy the increasing range of cloud-based software solutions and benefit from future developments. “These integrated measures will enable our customers to take the next step towards much higher productivity and process reliability. Our forecast at drupa 2016 that the industry would double its productivity by 2026 is on its way to becoming a reality, and Push to Stop is the key to this,” Wolf said.

The new Speedmaster features Push to Stop functionalities and a cloud connection

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The new Speedmaster generation is expected to go into production as early as April. Heidelberg will also soon launch its new plate-to-unit fully automatic printing plate logistics solution. Here, the printing plates are provided fully automatically in the correct plate changing shaft and the used plates are removed. Wolf mentioned that this is the only way to achieve consistently high productivity with short runs in addition to reducing the operator’s workload, and increasing process reliability. “This increases the reliability of plate changes and also reduces the risk of scratches on the plate, causing paper waste,” Wolf mentioned. “There’s no point in just increasing the speed of the printing press.” AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020 | 79

WIDE FORMAT NEWS

Durst to soon unveil P5 350 hybrid printing system Durst is expected to soon launch its P5 350 hybrid printing system with extended features including an extensive software solution and textile applications using pigment inks for a variety of applications for roll media and boards. The unit was initially scheduled to be shown at the Fespa Madrid trade show, which has been postponed indefinitely. Durst said the printing system is supplied with workflow software for print preparation and analytics software for processing real production parameters and enables the immediate start of production for customers. The installation of the press is also accompanied with extensive software training and services. Since the official launch of the new P5 production platform with the P5 350 and P5 210 printing systems at Fespa 2019 in Munich, more than 50 installations have been implemented worldwide, which documents the attractiveness of the overall package, Durst said.

The Durst P5 350 hybrid printing system that boasts extended features is an upcoming launch

Durst Group CEO and co-owner Christoph Gamper said the company is looking forward to showing off the merits of the P5 production platform. “We are looking forward to having the state-of-the-art P5 production platform with us,” Gamper said. “The high demand for our P5 printing systems is unbroken, the workflow and analytics software is continuously being developed, but we also see the increased need for information and training among

Xeikon launches REX program

Mimaki to distribute OKI wide format range OKI and Mimaki Engineering have inked an exclusive international sales agreement for OKI Data’s wide format inkjet printers, with the agreement to take effect from April 1. Under the agreement, Mimaki will sell OKI Data’s wide format inkjet printers, ink and other supplies, and maintenance parts in overseas markets including Australia. “Mimaki Australia will take the best efforts to minimise the impacts for all OKI Data wide format printer customers after April 1st, regarding the distribution network, customer support and consumable supplies,” Mimaki said. “The relationship between current OKI Data’s wide format printer distribution

customers, which we also address with expanded services. It is exciting for us to see the level of integration in which our solutions are used. “While some are satisfied with the pure RIP function and the print quality, we implement complex web-to-print production infrastructures with others. For us, the focus is always on the Durst printing system, which can be integrated into the production processes with the respective Durst software.”

The OKI ColorPainter M-64s will be distributed by Mimaki network and Mimaki Australia is under construction and will be finalised and announced by March 31. For any inquiries of OKI Data wide format printer products, please contact OKI Data Australia before March 31 and Mimaki Australia after April 1.” Both of its wide format inkjet printers – the ColorPainter H3-104s and the ColorPainter M-64s – and supplies for these models and for its other wide format inkjet printers are covered by this international alliance.

80 | AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020

Xeikon has launched REX – a remanufacturing program which it said is an attractive option for entry-level operators in the labels space or smaller companies that are wanting to break into the sector. Under the program, which stands for Remanufactured, Ecological and Xeikon quality, 3000 Series engines are returned to Xeikon’s factory and updated with the latest technology and given a new life. This includes the addition of the latest version of the digital frontend X 800 6.0 workflow, with an optional widening of print width. The refurbished Xeikon 3030 is then available from $317,000 with a 12-month warranty. Xeikon A/NZ sales general manager Trevor Crowley said growing numbers of label printers continue to seek out presses with greater capacity. “We are negotiating trade-ups from the 3000 series machines for the higher capacity CX3 and CX500 platforms and then these

engines are going back into the network,” Crowley said. “They are returned to our manufacturing site in Belgium, stripped down, then re-worked on. The engines are then available for sale with full 12 months’ warranty but they are priced accordingly. “The REX programme has been developed as we recognised there was a space in the market that we had difficulty accessing due to the price sensitivity of some potential customers, but we know that they are still looking for high quality, as well as a flexible platform that can grow with their business as it evolves.” The Xeikon 3030 is a full colour digital press with opaque white ink functionality. It opens up opportunities for label printers in the health and beauty markets, premium beer and other end-use markets in the label space. The press uses dry toner technology, is certified for food safety and is light and fast.

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FESPA BBQ

Fespa Aust hosts BBQ Around 60 members of Australia’s wide format printing industry recently attended an annual Fespa Australia BBQ on the banks of the Yarra in Melbourne. The BBQ event has been running for at least 30 years and was organised by Fespa Australia president Nigel Davies, and was sponsored by Esko, HVG Graphics Media, Spicers and Kissel + Wolf. The event drew a strong crowd with all attendees having the opportunity to enjoy a sit down catered BBQ dinner and dessert by the river at the Yarra-Morrell Landing in South Yarra. Davies said it was a wonderful opportunity to bring together the diverse industry. “We were really happy with the turnout with people from all parts of industry attending,” Davies said. “Life-long friendships start at these events and Fespa Australia wants to bring back the community and fun in our diverse industry. “It was great to see our Fespa board member Ben Isdale, an apparel decorator, deep in conversation with Mick Harrold, a Sign Association board member and specialist sign installer. They operate in completely different parts of the industry but within minutes of introducing themselves realised that they had many things in common in other areas of business and life.” The BBQ kicked off at 5.30pm and continued well past the scheduled finish time of 8.30pm, until late into the evening.

82 | AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020

(l-r) Scott Thompson (Esko) and Nigel Davies (Fespa Australia)

(l-r) Peter Charlton (Alloys) and Brett Burns (Ricky Richards)

(l-r) Alistair Smith (HVG) and Mark Brooks (Fespa Au board member)

(l-r) Ron Gottlieb (Ricky Richards) and Nigel Spicer (Cactus Imaging)

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FESPA BBQ

gathering in Melbourne (l-r) Brett Burns (Ricky Richards), Rob Skene (Celmac), David Asker (ImageBox), and Chris Duke (All About Graphics)

(l-r) Dwayne Pereira (VMG Print Group) and Ewen Donaldson (Vivad)

(l-r) Matt Ashman (Durst), Keith Ferrel (Cactus Imaging), and Ben Templeton (Durst)

Peter Harper (Visual Connections) and Mick Harrold (Visual Exposure)

Riley Aickin (Cactus Imaging), Annika Mogg (Cactus Imaging), and Rich Horrocks (Phantom Imaging)

John Wood (Kissel + Wolf), Donna Brisbane (Concept Displays), Dianne Barker (Concept Displays) and Greig Wood (Kissel + Wolf)

(l-r) Matt Ashman (Durst) and Ewen Donaldson (Vivad)

Guests networking over drinks and food

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VISUAL IMPACT

Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre Thursday 30th April, 10am - 6pm Friday 1st May, 10am - 6pm Saturday 2nd May, 10am - 4pm Exhibitor Name

Stand Number

Adzon Agencies

C1

Aeronaut Automation

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H5

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Elizabeth Machines

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I6

Euro Poles and Flag Displays

E1

Event Lighting (Eventec)

F20

FESPA Australia

K11

Gravotech Australia

G6

Hexis Aust

F10

Holmesglen Institute

A9

Hosking Trade

D8

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I1

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E18

Impression Technology

H8

Mimaki Australia

G1

Multicam Systems

G10

Multicam Systems

H10

Paper Handling Equipment

E14

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G14

Pozitive Sign & Graphics Supplies

J6

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A3

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I1

Roland DG Australia

F1

SALed Australia

H6

SAS Signage Accessories Suppliers

D10

Sign Essentials

J4

Sign To Badge Solutions

C8

Spicers Australia

G4

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A15

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A17

Trotec Laser

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Wilenco

C6

Exhibitor list as at March 4

84 | AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020

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PRINT DIARY

Got an event? Send an email to hosman@intermedia.com.au with all the details and we will put your event on the page

Labelexpo Southeast Asia 2020 Rescheduled to: September 10-12 Bangkok, Thailand labelexpo-seasia.com

Visual Impact 2020 April 30-May 2 Gold Coast, Australia visualimpact.org.au/

Labelexpo Americas September 13-17 Rosemont, US labelexpoamericas.com

Brand Print Thailand 2020 May 7-9 Bangkok, Thailand brandprint-thailand.com

drupa 2020 June 16-26 Düsseldorf, Germany drupa.com

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PACKAGING AND DISPLAY EQUIPMENT CENTURY LARGE FORMAT DIE CUTTERS . 1450/1650/1850/2100 . Flute and sold fibre . Corflute polypropylene etc

DRUPA special - 1330 Die Cutter, 250gsm to 7mm corrugated, semi auto 4000 sph. $140,000 delivered installed.

SMOOTH HIGH PERFORMANCE DIE CUTTERS . Paper . Carton board and flute to 4mm SMOOTH HIGH SPEED FOLDING BOX GLUER

AMEIDA CUTTING TABLES . Fast . Efficient . Various Tooling . Demo model available now, includes computer

HIGH SPEED DIGITAL CARTON BOX PRINTER . Full Colour

STOCK CLEARANCE Only one in stock - NEW - Smooth PP Strapping machine RRP $12,500 - NOW $8,000 delivered. Only one in stock - NEW - Smooth Pneumatic stripping tool RRP $2,800 - NOW $2,000 delivered. USED - Large auto stack lift Baumann, 1700 x 1200mm â&#x20AC;&#x201C; $2, 000 x site Melbourne. *all clearance stock +gst

Graffica Pty Ltd Phone +61 477 200 854 I Email grafficapl@bigpond.com I Visit Us www.graffica.com.au

We specialise in:

 OFFSET  DIGITAL  PACKAGING  SIGNAGE

FORME CUTTING DIE CUTTING CASE MADE BOXES CASE MADE BINDERS WOBBLERS DOUBLE SIDED TAPE

RIVETTING/ EYELITTING

MENU COVERS WIRE BINDING PLASTICOIL BINDING SHRINKWRAPPING COLLATING PADDING & DRILLING DIVIDERS POLY PROP PRODUCTS MOUNTING STRINGING

4 Lewis Street, Coburg VIC 3058

Phone: (03) 9350 4266

Fax: (03) 9354 1104 Email: sales@ehstat.com.au

www.ehstat.com.au

100 | AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020

EH Manufacturing and Alltab pick-ups and deliveries from 3 McDonald Street, Coburg

TABBING/MYLAR HAND ASSEMBLY

printing industry and can offer friendly, helpful advice. Call the us now for an obligation-free discussion on how your company canan improve its staff selection processes! Call us now for obligation-free discussion on how your

company can improve its staff selection processes!

PERFECT BINDING REINFORCING

• JDA Print Recruitment specialises exclusively in the print, digital, signage and packaging sectors. • commercial JDA Print Recruitment specialises exclusively in the print, digital, signage and packaging sectors. • commercial We find candidates for SALES, PRODUCTION, TECHNICAL and MANAGEMENT roles. • We find candidates for SALES, PRODUCTION, TECHNICAL roles. • and BothMANAGEMENT James in Sydney, and Chris in Melbourne, are from the printing industry and can offer friendly, helpful advice. • Both James in Sydney, and Chris in Melbourne, are from

Director of Recruiting

www.jdaprintrecruit.com.au www.jdaprintrecruit.com.au www.printjobs.com.au www.printjobs.com.au Proud supporters of the Penrith Printing Museum

NEW Galaxy Series

laminating

SADF-540 Induction Heating 3 Tonne of pneumatic pressure Runs up to 30 metres per minute Max Paper Size 540 x 780mm Easy load Mandrel Optional Pallet Stacker European Components

With its innovative Induction Electro magnetic heating and high pressure, the Galaxy range of Laminating systems are out of this world. Talk to us about a free assessment on your current system. Exclusions apply.

1800 819 970

HILTONLAMINATING.COM.AU SPRINTER.COM.AU

WANTED:

ALL PRINTING & BINDERY MACHINES, CASH PAID

5 X HORIZON VAC-100 STITCHER LINES

2008 POLAR 78X GUILLOTINE

2004 POLAR 137XT URGENTLY WANTED HEIDELBERG SM52, 74 & 102 MACHINES KOMORI 26, 28 & 40 MULTI COLOUR RYOBI & ROLAND 4,5 & 6 COLOUR POLAR, ITOH, WOHLENBERG & SCHNEIDER MULLER MARTINI 335, 321, 235, 1509 & PRIMA STITCHERS HEIDELBERG & STAHL FOLDERS, CYLINDERS ALL HORIZON FINISHING EQUIPMENT & BINDERS

VALUATIONS: PRINTING VALUATIONS FOR INSURANCE & SALE OF BUSINESS CONDUCTED AUSTRALIA WIDE HEIDELBERG B2 & B3 CYLINDERS

MASTERCARD/VISA/AMEX ACCEPTED

1 OF 3 SM52-2 MACHINES

Please call Peter Brand on 0417 908 907 or email: peterbrand@nationalauctions.com.au

Free Stickers with any Fridge Magnet Order

Making magnets is what we do best. New Website www.clevertradeproducts.com.au

Your competitors best kept secret. since 1994 SIGN UP on website FREE Sample Pack Special Offers FAST - EASY - COST EFFECTIVE SPRINTER.COM.AU

A joint venture between McPherson Binding Pty Ltd and Graphic Bookbinding Pty Ltd

TRADE BOOKBINDERS & PRINT FINISHERS • FOLDING - all sizes including pharmaceutical folding • CRASH FOLDING • SADDLE STITCHING - including loop stitching • PERFECT & BURST BINDING (PUR and EVA Adhesive) • SECTION SEWING • WIRO/DOUBLE LOOP BINDING • FORME CUTTING & CREASING • GUILLOTINING • SPECIALISED GLUING - glue & fold in one operation Unit 1A, 415 West Botany St, Rockdale NSW 2216 PO Box 83, Brighton Le Sands NSW 2216 web: sydneybinding.com.au Phone: 02 9553 4405 Fax: 02 9553 4409

AUSTRALIAN PRINTER MARCH 2020 | 101

INTEGRATED

CARDS & LABELS INCLUDING

parking permits

FREE DIE

HIGH QUALITY

Cards or Labels

with all new orders

Laser Printer & Signature Compatible

Matt or Gloss Coating

Custom Size Sheets

FOIL & Holographic Features

and Variable Data Printing

WE ALSO SPECIALISE IN... NCR, Continuous Forms & Laser Forms (Large Runs are our Speciality) Numbered Products including Multi-position & Complex Numbering Continuous Cheques, Stationery & Business Forms Security Printing & Laser Cheques Barcoding & Variable Data Consignment Note Books

T: (08) 9240 6244 E: reception@dataflowsystems.com.au W: dataflowsystems.com.au