On the first Australian installation of the RMGT 970ST 7-colour offset press that includes a chamber coater, long delivery and a skeleton transfer system.
With the purchase of the new Ryobi RMGT 970 7 colour offset press with coater and Skeleton Transfer System, Sydney-based CCS Packaging has installed one of only two machines available in the world.
Waiting two decades for a sale requires patience and persistence, but this is precisely what Bernard Cheong from Cyber had to do to confirm his sale of a Ryobi RMGT 970 7 colour offset press with coater to CCS Packaging.
“I first visited Kevin from CCS Packaging over 20 years ago,” Cheong remembers.
“I was joined two decades ago for the first meeting at CCS Packaging with my colleague George Williams who unfortunately didn’t live to see the final sale.
“We were unsuccessful on that occasion and since then Kevin has bought six offset presses from another company, so we feel very fortunate to have confirmed lucky number seven.
“We welcome CCS Packaging to the Cyber family and they join over 200 other RMGT 970 presses sold globally and the second RMGT 970 in Australia,” Cheong said.
Kevin Wilson from CCS Packaging purchased the machine almost a year before it was delivered and installed within his factory located at Silverwater in Western Sydney.
“As our business evolved we told ourselves that we needed a packaging press that was customised for use in the packaging industry. Previously we were using a commercial press for packaging production. Now that we have a customised machine, this is a serious packaging press that is built for purpose. We now have the ammunition to make a serious investment into the packaging category – whereas before we were
merely just assessing the segments in the packaging landscape. We expect this will provide substantial benefits and really open up opportunities for our business,” Wilson said.
The Ryobi RMGT 970 machine purchased by CCS Packaging has been customised with a Skeleton Transfer System and this is the second press in the world with this system – the only other machine is in Korea.
“This does an equally good job as a RMGT 10 Series, and will integrate perfectly into their workflow,” Cheong said.
For packaging printers, versatility is key. The 7 color Ryobi 970, configuration with the skeletal transfer system will provide the versatility we require. Allowing CCS packaging to take our company to the next level.
CCS Packaging CEO Gerry van Happen says the business has historically serviced the music and media industries, but is now diversifying into other categories.
“CCS built its reputation over 37 years in the very exciting media business producing packaging for vinyl, CD, DVD, Blu-ray and games categories. These industry segments have declined in the last seven years, but they are still a vital contribution to the business with CCS being the market leader for media packaging in Australia. Interestingly, over the last five years vinyl has been rediscovered and is now worth more than CDs in dollar terms. Vinyl is now a luxury product with high specifications representing both international and local artists.
“Our largest packaging segment is now represented by the cosmetic, personal health and loyalty card businesses. Our experience in producing high quality
products on short lead times has allowed us to grow this area. With in-house coating, rigid box, hard cover and finishing equipment we able to produce the vast majority of products without any outside operations. Further investments this year have also enhanced our position and we are always looking at ways we can offer our customers value options.
“CCS built its business on fast turn arounds and high quality. We have translated this knowhow into the packaging segment. The new Ryobi with its larger sheet size, will sit very nicely against our current eight colour with coater press. We have great fire power, superb finishing and complimentary equipment to offer to our customers,” van Happen said.
CCS Packaging works closely with its current and potential customers to encourage them to consider the benefits of onshoring their packaging work.
“Even before the recent epidemic we were asking our potential customers ‘what is the real cost of producing offshore?’. We found that by equating the cost of tying up capital in large order quantities we could offer faster deliveries more often. There is more to the real cost than just a cheaper off shore quote,” van Happen said.
CCS Packaging Operations Manager, Simon Studdert, is also very passionate about the benefits of keeping work in Australia and explaining the numerous benefits this presents for customers and plans to compete directly with overseas printers rather than local businesses.
“We have had success changing the views of several customers who can see the benefits by looking at the entire job as well as the advantages of printing onshore – and not just the unit price. We have taken our hard earned media knowledge to challenge the mindsets of potential customers regarding offshore print and packaging procurement. Are customers really getting a better price offshore
compared to onshore? Sure, the unit price may be better, but what about shipping cost and warehousing.
“With higher minimum quantities required for overseas printing, we have seen a number of customers run into problems after a large run when there is a change that needs to be made –particularly with ingredients for food packaging or out of date content for pharmaceutical packaging. All of that stock that has been brought in from overseas that is no longer usable needs to be destroyed. By offering a local solution with a faster turnaround time – customers also don’t need to order as many which can also be very beneficial to cashflow as well as the costs associated with storing a large amount of packaging. Real estate is also very expensive when used to store out of date packaging.”
Purchasing the Ryobi RMGT 970
As part of the extensive research leading up to the purchase of the machine, a trip to Japan was organised by Cyber NSW Account Manager Giorgio Rossi to test the Ryobi RMGT 970.
“Before we purchased the machine, we had a great experience travelling with Giorgio to Ryobi in Japan and we were very well looked after,” Studdert said.
“The professionalism of the team at Ryobi was brilliant and they couldn’t be any more accommodating. We went through the entire assembly plant as well as some of the other parts of the business including the die-casting facilities for the automotive industry.
“To test the machine, we trialled several technically difficult print jobs within the demonstration centre. We tried to push the machine past its limits with work printers have nightmares about. However, the Ryobi RMGT 970 passed with flying colours. We tested thin stock with very heavy ink coverage and fine reverse out type, followed by maximum thickness board at high speed with full solids. The press delivered mark free print with very clean screens. Metallics and fluoros with fine reverse out text remained open with no evidence of roller, gear marks or emulsification.
“During the testing, Ryobi RMGT 970 were very accommodating with their press time and access to the finer mechanical details of the machine. From the research I did, I was quietly confident that the machine would pass the tests, but I expected it to have some trouble with setting up – but that wasn’t the case – it went from one substrate to another with ease.
“Giorgio from Cyber was very helpful with providing us with specifications, configurations and information on all the machine’s systems answering any questions I had about the machine during the research process.”
This press features the Skeleton Transfer System which allows the wet side of the sheet to travel the length of the press without any contact. This also eliminates the need for regular IPC film cleaning and replacement. The new Ryobi RMGT 970 with a sheet size of 970mm x 650mm
complements the existing B2 eight colour press within CCS Packaging.
“This is the first installation in the southern hemisphere for this particular machine which is a 0.8mm spec machine that allows the printing of stock up to 800 micrometre boxboard.
“The Skeleton Transfer System means there is no IPC film that always needs to be cleaned by the operator. There is no build-up and then after a certain amount of impressions the cylinder on that film goes blind, so you have to replace it as it is a consumable. All of these issues are eliminated with this set-up – there is no marking and most importantly it creates better quality results. The side-lay on this machine is a new design – it is not just a pull side-lay, it also has a push from the opposite side that gives a more positive registration,” Rossi said.
“Purchasing this machine brings us into a different space in the market. It is also ready for us to embark on using the seven colours to produce the many special colour variants required in packaging. There will also be further technical opportunities that the Ryobi will be asked to achieve for our business and our customers.”
The installation of the Ryobi RMGT 970 was conducted by Cyber demonstrator John McCallum.
“John is based in Sydney and has worked with Cyber’s Ryobi machines for over 20 years. He has full factory training and is always on site when machines are installed,” Rossi said.
“Our installer and demonstrator John McCallum has been fantastic to work with,” said Studdert.
“His knowledge and experience was very thorough. John would stay back for hours each day to ensure the machine was 100 per cent and our operators had the support during the training stage. His enthusiasm and passion for what he does, shows in his work.”
Studdert said the graphical user interface (GUI) on the Ryobi RMGT 970 has been one of the key elements that has helped staff make the transition to the new machine during the training and installation process.
“Having mainly operated German presses, we found the iconology and operating system of the Ryobi to be very intuitive. This was also important, as it makes the transition from one press manufacturer to another a lot easier for our staff.”
No odor
No Ozone
No spray powder
No set-off
No loss time
• Instant dry
• Instant ON/OFF irradiation
Reduce CO2 emission
No large peripheral equipment
No need for overprint varnishing
Reduce electrical consumption
• Up to 91%
No VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds)
Reduce heat generation
Long life span
• Up to 15 times
Printing on film and cardboard
Just like your conventional offset press
...without the cons.
A skeleton transfer cylinder will be offered as an option for 970 model A1-plus size straight offset presses. The cylinder mechanism leverages the technology of RMGT’s flagship 10 series, which boasts a solid reputation in the packaging industry.
This newly added feature will enable the press to handle a wide range of sheet thicknesses from 0.04 to 0.8mm, expanding business opportunities by flexibly printing not only commercial and publication products but also packaging and speciality items.
Handles sheet thickness of up to 0.8mm to meet the demands of packaging printing.
Maximim sheet size of 650 x 965mm allows flexible handling of a wide variety of multi-up printing work.
Low-cost heavy-stock printing enhances competiveness (Approx. 20% lower plate costs and 18% lower power consumption versus a B1-size press)
2-4 Cyber: With the purchase of the new Ryobi RMGT 970 7 colour offset press with coater and Skeleton Transfer System, Sydneybased CCS Packaging has installed one of only two machines available in the world.
10 Fujifilm Business Innovation: Pukekohe Service Print has installed two new Revoria presses to boost production.
16 & 18 Konica Minolta: Programmatic printing can help you take your production to a new level.
20-21 Nekkorb: Marking a 15-year commitment to the labels, print, and packaging community, Nekkorb continues to innovate.
34 Durst: Technological innovation and commitment to the highest quality standards stand out as Durst Lienz celebrates its 25th anniversary.
36 Think Laterally: Work-life balance is a key driver of employee satisfaction and business success, says Mick Rowan.
12-13 Helping Hand: Iain MacIntyre catches up with two former Apprentice of the Year winners: Myra Anderson and Travis Jordan.
14-15 Comment: Ruth Cobb bids a sad farewell to five of our industry friends and colleagues who have recently passed away.
22 Supreme Winner: Wellington played host to the industry’s night of nights, which saw a tough to make label win the Supreme Award.
23 Apprentice of the Year: Meet Levi Lindsey from MCC Albany, the BJ Ball Print Apprentice of the Year.
24-32 Category and Process Winners: We hear from the winners and Pride In Print judges about this year’s winning entries.
33 Major Winners: Check out which companies collected the major prizes at this year’s Pride In Print Awards.
38 Aarque Group: 3M New Zealand has updated to a new HP Latex 700W printer, supplied through Aarque Group.
40 Computaleta: Summa cutters deliver efficiency and precision. Learn five benefits you can gain with these cutting systems.
42 Currie Group: The new EFI Pro 16h+ and EFI Pro 30f+ printers feature more capabilities, better image quality, and a performance boost over previous generations.
44 Visual Impact: Charly Blades, events manager for Visual Connections, reflects on the recent Brisbane show.
46 NZSDA Update: NZSDA members have come out of the cold to attend regional meetings, says Mikayla Hopkins.
47 NZSDA President: Shae Goom shares his thoughts on Visual Impact Brisbane and the recent NZSDA Conference.
48 NZSDA Apprentice of the Year: Mikayla Hopkins talks to this year’s winning apprentice.
EDITORIAL: 021 631 559
Bruce Craig, Editor - bruce@newzealandprinter.co.nz
CONTRIBUTORS:
Ruth Cobb, Shae Goom, Mikayla Hopkins, Iain MacIntyre, Mick Rowan
CIRCULATION: brian@newzealandprinter.co.nz
DISPLAY ADVERTISING SALES & SERVICE:
Brian Moore - brian@newzealandprinter.co.nz
+61 410 578 876
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: Brian Moore - brian@newzealandprinter.co.nz
DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Sarah Vella - sarahvelladesigns@gmail.com
New Zealand Printer is mailed to members of the printing, packaging and graphic communications industry in New Zealand 11 times a year, February-December.
New Zealand Printer is a member of the Printer Media Group
New Zealand: New Zealand Printer Asia Pacific: ProPack.pro Australia: Australian Printer, ProPrint
MANAGING DIRECTOR: James Wells - james@intermedia.com.au
GROUP PUBLISHER: Brian Moore - brian@newzealandprinter.co.nz
© Copyright 2024: Contents of this magazine are subject to copyright and cannot be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. ISSN
Wayzgoose
Wayzgoose 2022
September 17, 2022
September 17, 2022
Napier
Napier
Printing United
APPEX and Auspack
www.inkianapress.co.nz
Foodtech Packtech
September 20-22, 2022
Auckland
September 10-12, 2024 | Las Vegas, USA
Labelexpo Americas
March 12-15, 2024 | Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
September 13-15, 2022
Chicago, USA
Highlighting the latest innovations and applications in specialised printing, the event attracts thousands of visitors from across the printing industry, serving as an exhibition and as a knowledge hub, where experts share their expertise and stimulate discussions about the future of the industry. www.printingunited.com
Labelexpo Americas 2024
The Association of Handcraft Printers has a full day programme including visits to Havelock Neighbour’s Press in Hastings; a swap meet; as well as a barbecue dinner at the Napier RSA. This is a must attend event for all interested in letterpress and the craft. www.inkianapress.co.nz
The Association of Handcraft Printers has a full day programme including visits to Imprimo in Havelock North and Neighbour’s Press in Hastings; a swap meet; as well as a barbecue dinner at the Napier RSA. This is a must attend event for all interested in letterpress and the craft. www.inkianapress.co.nz
September 10-12, 2024 | Chicago, USA
Foodtech Packtech
Foodtech Packtech
March, 2023 | Auckland
September 20-22, 2022
September 20-22, 2022
Auckland
Auckland
www.newzealandprinter.co.nz
National Wayzgoose
www.foodtech.packtech.co.nz
The country’s largest food manufacturing, packaging and processing technology trade show brings industry professionals and decision makers together providing a forum for education, discussion, as well as sharing knowledge and expertise.
Auspack has transitioned into APPEX, the Australasian Processing and Packaging Expo. Organisers aim to truly represent all sectors of the industry: machinery, ancillary equipment, materials and packaging, food processing, and industry services. It will provide a comprehensive range of all processing and packaging equipment and services under one roof. www.appex.com.au
All in Print China
October 11-15, 2022
Shanghai
Going head-to-head with Printing United, America’s biggest label show promises something for everyone interested in labels including printers and label converters; flexible packaging and folding carton producers; brand owners; label and packaging designers; as well as industry suppliers. www.labelexpo-americas.com
Wayzgoose 2022
Apart from the latest technology and solutions, Labelexpo Americas this year features a full two-day conference programme and two masterclasses organised by the Label Academy on digital embellishment and self-adhesive materials. www.labelexpo-americas.com
Fespa Global Print Expo
September 13-15, 2024 | New Plymouth
March 19-22, 2024 | Amsterdam
The country’s largest food manufacturing, packaging and processing technology trade show brings industry professionals and decision makers together providing a forum for education, discussion, as well as sharing knowledge and expertise. www.foodtech.packtech.co.nz
The country’s largest food manufacturing, packaging and processing technology trade show brings industry professionals and decision makers together providing a forum for education, discussion, as well as sharing knowledge and expertise. www.foodtech.packtech.co.nz
Nominations will soon open for the People in Print Awards and Rising Stars of Print Awards. Do you know someone who is consistently achieving excellence in their work in this industry? Of course you do, so when the time comes, put their name forward for these awards so they can receive recognition for their efforts.
September 17, 2022
Napier
More than 1300 exhibitors will demonstrate their solutions across the 120,000 square metres of show space at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Organisers expect more than 160,000 visitors from all over the globe as they open the “Oriental Window of the World Printing Industry”.
www.allinprint.com
Programme highlights include visits to The Pioneer Village at Stratford with the ‘press gang’ and their print shop; bookbinder Jonathan Bennett; a printers fair; a buffet style Wayzgoose dinner with guest speaker; and an opportunity to see the Taranaki Aviation Technology and Transport Museum print shop in action.
Letterheads
www.abc-nz.org.nz
All Print
All in Print China
October 21-23, 2022
October 11-15, 2022
October 11-15, 2022
www.fespaglobalprintexpo.com
Tokyo Pack 2024
Shanghai
Shanghai
Printopia
October 23-25, 2024 | Tokyo Big Sight, Japan
Covering digital printing, screen printing, textile printing, garment decoration and signage, Fespa Global Print Expo will mix all the latest technology and solutions with events like the World Wrap Masters and Fespa Party Night alongside features such as its Sustainability Spotlight; Personalisation Experience, and Sportswear Pro.
May 3-5, 2024 | Corbans Estate, Henderson
Labelexpo South China 2024
December 4-6, 2024 | Shenzen, China
More than 1300 exhibitors will demonstrate their solutions across the 120,000 square metres of show space at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Organisers expect more than 160,000 visitors from all over the globe as they open the “Oriental Window of the World Printing Industry”. www.allinprint.com
More than 1300 exhibitors will demonstrate their solutions across the 120,000 square metres of show space at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Organisers expect more than 160,000 visitors from all over the globe as they open the “Oriental Window of the World Printing Industry”. www.allinprint.com
drupa
May 28-June 7, 2024 | Dusseldorf, Germany
Letterheads
Letterheads
October 21-23, 2022
October 21-23, 2022
The Association of Handcraft Printers has a full day programme including visits to Imprimo in Havelock North and Neighbour’s Press in Hastings; a swap meet; as well as a barbecue dinner at the Napier RSA. This is a must attend event for all interested in letterpress and the craft. www.inkianapress.co.nz
Sign Foundry, Welling
The Association of Handcraft Printers has a full day programme including visits to Imprimo in Havelock North and Neighbour’s Press in Hastings; a swap meet; as well as a barbecue dinner at the Napier RSA. This is a must attend event for all interested in letterpress and the craft. www.inkianapress.co.nz
Foodtech Packtech
Foodtech Packtech
September 20-22, 2022
Auckland
Craig Paul 027 655 4267 sales@curriegroup.co.nz
The call has gone out for all signees to grab their brushes and head to Lower Hutt for the annual Letterheads event. This year’s theme is ‘Red and Blue’. Your hosts this year are Lydia Reeve and Duncan Rourke.
The 30th Anniversary show, which organisers call the ultimate event for Japanese packaging technology and science, Tokyo Pack showcases everything related to packaging including distribution, sales, consumption, and recycling. www.tokyo-pack.jp
www.letterheads.co.nz
Now into its third year, the Printopia Festival of Original Print promises a fun, inspiring, print-filled weekend of artist talks, demos, workshops, live printing and of course our print fair. International artist Jenny Robinson will give the keynote presentation on May 4 and a masterclass the following day. www.printopia.nz
Interpack
May 4-10, 2023
South China remains a significant market for the label and package printing industry and Shenzhen is a vibrant hub for business and innovation. Organisers promise visitors an inspiring three days where they will see the latest technology and machinery shaping the future direction of the industry. www.labelexpo-southchina.com
Sign Foundry, Welling
Sign Foundry, Welling
PacPrint 2025
May 20-23, 2025 | Olympic Park, Sydney
Visual Impact Brisbane Expo
July 17-19, 2023 | Brisbane
The country’s largest food manufacturing, packaging and processing technology trade show brings industry professionals and decision makers together providing a forum for education, discussion, as well as sharing knowledge and expertise.
Düsseldorf, Germany
www.foodtech.packtech.co.nz
• Consulting and Machine Recommendations Sourcing
All in Print China
• Export/Import Sales
The world’s leading trade fair for printing technologies has opened registrations to again welcome the industry’s main players, and quite a few minor ones. All will show their latest solutions. Visitors can stay on trend with the technology and seminars featuring topics from sustainability to digitisation. www.drupa.com
The call has gone out for all signees to grab their brushes and head to Lower Hutt for the annual Letterheads event. This year’s theme is ‘Red and Blue’. Your hosts this year are Lydia Reeve and Duncan Rourke.
www.letterheads.co.nz
October 11-15, 2022
The call has gone out for all signees to grab their brushes and head to Lower Hutt for the annual Letterheads event. This year’s theme is ‘Red and Blue’. Your hosts this year are Lydia Reeve and Duncan Rourke. www.letterheads.co.nz
• Machinery Inspections & Valuations
Shanghai
• Plant Relocation OFFICE: 09 8367577, ALEX MOB. 021 975 477 sales@apm.co.nz www.apm.co.nz
The global packaging industry will meet in Düsseldorf with a focus on packaging materials, packaging machines and related process technology for the food, beverage, confectionery, bakery, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, non-food and industrial goods sectors.
www.interpack.com
The most comprehensive and relevant business to business event serving the evolving needs of the print, sign and graphics industries in Australia, New Zealand and across the Asia-Pacific region, PacPrint will see around one hundred leading suppliers showcasing their latest products and services to thousands of industry professionals. www.pacprint.com.au
Interpack
Interpack
Printing United
May 4-10, 2023
May 4-10, 2023
Düsseldorf, Germany
Las Vegas, USA | September 10-12, 2024
Düsseldorf, Germany
Visual Connections Australia will host visitors and exhibitors at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Exhibition hopes to attract over 2,500 visitors interested in the signage, print, graphic and engraving industries and featuring digital printing, personalisation, signage, sublimation, design, routing, display solutions, and vinyl applications. www.visualimpact.org.au
newzealandprinter.co.nz
More than 1300 exhibitors will demonstrate their solutions across the 120,000 square metres of show space at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Organisers expect more than 160,000 visitors from all over the globe as they open the “Oriental Window of the World Printing Industry”.
www.allinprint.com
Letterheads
October 21-23, 2022
Sign Foundry, Welling
Showcasing the latest innovations and applications in specialised printing, the event attracts thousands of visitors from across the printing industry, serving as an exhibition and as a knowledge hub, where experts share their expertise and stimulate discussions about the future of the industry. www.printingunited.com
The global packaging industry will meet in Düsseldorf with a focus on packaging materials, packaging machines and related process technology for the food, beverage, confectionery, bakery, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, non-food and industrial goods sectors. www.interpack.com
The global packaging industry will meet in Düsseldorf with a focus on packaging materials, packaging machines and related process technology for the food, beverage, confectionery, bakery, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, non-food and industrial goods sectors. www.interpack.com Craig Paul 027 655
newzealandprinter.co.nz organised by the Label Academy on digital embellishment and self-adhesive materials. www.labelexpo-americas.com
Craig Paul 027 655 4267 sales@curriegroup.co.nz
The call has gone out for all signees to grab their brushes and head to Lower Hutt for the annual Letterheads event. This year’s theme is ‘Red and Blue’. Your hosts this year are Lydia Reeve and Duncan Rourke.
www.letterheads.co.nz
Interpack
May 4-10, 2023
Düsseldorf, Germany
The global packaging industry will meet in Düsseldorf with a focus on packaging materials, packaging machines and related process technology for the food, beverage, confectionery, bakery, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, non-food and industrial goods sectors.
www.interpack.com
EPSON has invested in a startup company that develops and manufactures microsatellites. Epson says Axelspace is a company that has demonstrated competitiveness in the expanding space data and technology utilisation business which has strong technological capabilities. Axelspace intends to explore the possibility of synergies with Epson’s sensing devices. Epson sees the space industry heading toward rapid commercialisation with the number of satellites launched globally expected to double in the next decade.
ESKO is celebrating the 5000th sale of its CDI and XPS exposure unit platemaking equipment. Jan De Roeck, director of marketing at Esko, says, “For more than 25 years, we have worked to develop flexo platemaking solutions that help shorten lead times, maximise press uptime, and reduce operator interaction to improve overall efficiency. This milestone is testament to the innovation of the development team and to those customers who have embraced the technology all around the world.”
RICOH and its affiliates have received Gold Provider Partner status in the Asia-Pacific region by Cisco, following a comprehensive evaluation, where Ricoh showcased its expertise in implementing managed services, Cisco SD WAN, and Cisco Meraki solutions. Kei Uesugi, managing director of Ricoh Asia-Pacific, says, “This achievement reflects our team’s commitment and proficiency in delivering SD WAN services and Cisco Meraki solutions. We are excited to deepen our collaboration with Cisco and continue supporting SMB customers across the AsiaPacific region.”
Durst will host its biggest open house of the year in October, with New Zealand and Australian printers invited to attend the exclusive event that will showcase Durst’s latest innovations.
Building on the success of last year, Durst Beyond, is making a return with the theme ‘Performance High –Get the best out of people, products, and processes’.
Customers and partners from around the world, including Australia and New Zealand, are invited to meet at Durst Group’s state-of-theart headquarters in Brixen, South Tyrol, where attendees will get the chance to take a look beyond the surface and into the future of the printing world. Attendees
Heidelberg has started the new financial year 2024/2025 with growth in incoming orders following a successful drupa.
The company’s incoming orders of €701m ($1.287bn) in the first three months exceeded its expectations and rose from the previous year
will have the opportunity to meet successful Durst customers from Northern Italy, gain deep insights into Durst’s technologies and developments, listen to an engaging keynote, and explore various solutions through hands-on sessions and product demonstrations. These highly engaging sessions will be complemented by a programme highlighting South Tyrolean traditions.
Matt Ashman, managing director of Durst Oceania, says the event provides an opportunity to visit Durst’s home to see the latest developments in technology and meet the Durst team face
of €591m. The company says its best order value since 2016 forms a strong basis for the entire financial year with a high order backlog of €923m. Europe at plus 25 per cent, and the Americas at plus 30 per cent, recorded particularly strong growth. Asia delivered only slightly weaker growth as the previous year had been particularly strong due to Print China.
Jürgen Otto, chief executive officer of Heidelberg, says, “The strong recovery in our order intake allows us to look to the full financial year
to face. He says, “Durst has built a reputation in Australia and New Zealand for opening its doors to customers and prospects to come and see what we are made of and what our products are made of. It is very much in our DNA as a family company to open our doors and welcome likeminded people.
“Both myself and our chief executive officer and owner Christoph Gamper sincerely appreciate the journey that visitors make from New Zealand and Australia to enjoy the Durst hospitality and get to see and understand our ‘little big company’ located in mountains at Brixen.”
with great confidence. The pleasing order backlog from the drupa trade fair will lead to rising sales in the following quarters compared to Q1. At the same time, we are working on our cost situation and personnel costs, which are generally too high.”
As expected, sales in the first quarter fell below the previous year’s level due to the reluctance to invest ahead of drupa. The adjusted operating result fell by around €51m to €–9m compared to the adjusted figure for the same quarter of the previous year.
The annual national Printers and Bookbinders Wayzgoose will take place over the weekend of September 13-15 in New Plymouth.
Graham Judd of Inkiana Press, says, “This year, the programme includes visits to The Pioneer Village at Stratford with the ‘press gang’ and their print shop; bookbinder Jonathan Bennett; a printer’s fair, for those looking to buy or sell letterpress and bookbinders goodies; a buffet style Wayzgoose dinner with guest speaker; and an opportunity to see the Taranaki Aviation Technology and Transport Museum (TATATM) printshop in action.
“Many printers will know Graham O’Keeffe from his days with Heidelberg New Zealand. Graham will be involved with the activities over the weekend.”
With the interest of younger printmakers in letterpress print around the country, organisers are looking forward to a mix of ages and people from different print processes joining the Wayzgoose.
Graham adds, “The Wayzgoose Committee welcomes anyone with an interest in any and all areas of print, bookbinding, and what has become known as printmaking. If you have any old surplus letterpress equipment to dispose of, here is an opportunity to sell it to budding printers rather than see it going to the tip.”
The word Wayzgoose historically refers to an annual summer dinner or outing held by a printing house for its employees.
Some bookbinders believe that Wayzgoose was held on St Bartholomew’s Day because he was the patron saint of leather workers. The holiday, a break in printing, was traditionally also the day that papermakers took a break from making paper for the printers.
For more information go to the wayzgoose page on the Association of Book Crafts website, or contact graham@inkianapress.co.nz
Kodak has refreshed its Green Leaf programme for Sonora plate users. The company says that Kodak Sonora Process Free Plates help printers to reduce their environmental impact, as they eliminate processing equipment, chemistry and the consumption of water and energy from platemaking.
The new Green Leaf programme helps Sonora Plate users further educate their existing and potential customers about the sustainability benefits enabled by Sonora Process Free Plates.
More than 10 years after Kodak first introduced the Sonora Green Leaf Award, the refreshed Green Leaf programme provides a host of new tools and marketing items. These materials, which include a new Green Leaf marketing handbook, updated collateral, animations, and a Green Leaf certificate, are exclusively available to Sonora
Plate customers. After registering on a dedicated web portal, they have access to these materials.
Kodak says the programme reaffirms its commitment to its customers and the environment. It gives the company the chance to offer the printing industry numerous solutions to help improve sustainability.
Laura Cole, vice president for product management at Kodak, says, “Our new Green Leaf programme supports Sonora plate users in clearly demonstrating to print buyers and the market as a whole that their commitment to the environment and sustainability begins with Kodak Sonora Process Free Plates.
“By using the Green Leaf programme to communicate that they are doing their part to help the environment, printers using Sonora plates also improve their chances of gaining more business.”
Elevate your print projects with our finishing services
P (09) 444 5523
M 021 190 1305
E info@bookbindingpress.co.nz www.bookbindingpress.co.nz
Fujfilm Business Innovation has supplied a busy Auckland print company with a new Revoria Press EC1100 and a new Revoria Press E1110 to replace its old Versant 2100.
Since its inception in 2004, Pukekohe Service Print has established a reputation for high quality and service, values that the present directors Tim Kempton and Jason White continue to uphold.
Producing a comprehensive and diverse range of printing products and services, Pukekohe Service Print continually strives to produce something better for its customers as demand for quality grows.
Jason says, “Our aim is to exceed our client’s expectations, every time and we believe delivering high quality print work is only part of the process; it’s service that really sets us apart. Our experience and expertise, combined with the latest print technologies and an emphasis on quality, are the reasons Pukekohe Service Print has continued to grow.”
Two months ago, the company installed a Revoria Press EC1100 and Revoria Press E1110, supplied through Fujifilm Business Innovation New Zealand (FBNZ). The new presses replaced Pukekohe Service Print’s Versant 2100.
Tim says, “We needed to look at a solution that would work best for us and our customers, keeping the same quality and consistency. After much looking around and talking to various suppliers, we chose the best solution that would offer us both qualities and was cost-effective.
“With volumes increasing, we found we were doing considerably more black and white work of between 150,000 to 170,000 pages per month. So, with the ratio of colour vs black and white changing, we realised that we needed the versatility of two machines.
“The installation provided a seamless crossover that took two days of de-installation and then installation. We had the Revoria EC1110 Press up and running within a day to keep production
going on a weekly job without missing any deadlines.”
The Revoria Press EC1100 (100ppm) and Revoria Press E1110 (110ppm) offer high productivity across a range of media jobs, handling paper weights from 52gsm to 350gsm for the E1110 and from 52gsm to 400gsm for the EC1100, which also prints long sheets of 330mm x 1200mm with the banner unit.
Tim says, “We find using the Revoria Flow RIP very user friendly. The training that we received from Glen Greenhill of FBNZ took place over a day and it was a simple process giving us options like hot folders and auto imposing. All these innovations speed our processes up.”
Pukekohe Service Print has a long association with FBNZ. Tim says, “We have been with FBNZ for coming up 20 years.
“We are grateful to Greg O’Shannassy from FBNZ, who did a lot of work in figuring out of which machines and solutions would work for our situation, including the space where the machines were to be housed.
“We are still finding new things about the two new machines. When we don’t know
something and where needed, we make a quick phone call to Glen to help us out.
“We also belong to PrintNZ and have used them on occasions when we have some questions and have found them very helpful.”
With the installation of the Revoria Presses, Pukekohe Service Print has enabled higher productivity. Like others in the industry, the company is operating in a sluggish economic environment but using its strong work ethic to maintain its position. Tim says, “Although there has been a downturn in the market, at this stage we haven’t been too affected because of all our packaging work. We just have to keep doing what we are doing right.
“It is all about quality and service, don’t over promise and under deliver. Enjoy the things you do, take pride in everything that goes out the door as it is your name that your clients remember. They trust you to do your very best and don’t take shortcuts.
“What gets us through each week is having a laugh together, even when things are tough. Brainstorming a potential problem all together to get the best result.”
Immerse yourself in the world of exceptional printing with our versatile production printer, engineered to fulfill your high-resolution printing demands with remarkable speed and precision. The customizable feeding and finishing options unlock a realm of limitless creative opportunities.
Whether you seek intricate graphics, precise text, or compatibility with various media types, rest assured that the Revoria Press EC1100 has everything you need.
We bid a sad and respectful farewell our beloved friends and colleagues: Mark Burgess, Denyse McQuoid, Teresa Bews, Laurie Pilling, and John McQuarrie.
Over the last couple of weeks, we have said farewell to five industry legends, and I wanted to take the time to acknowledge them and ensure that their contributions are honoured in print.
Each of these people was a huge part of the business they owned and worked in. They touched many people in our industry and each one of them possessed an incredible technical knowledge of the industry which they were happy to share. Their bright personalities and love of people means we will remember them for a long time to come.
Mark Burgess
Mark’s involvement in the digital print sector of the industry spanned across more than 30 years. He spent the last 17 of those at Ricoh.
He took a particular interest in the development of the digital print industry and was heavily involved in setting up the Ricoh Commercial and Industrial Print Division in New Zealand.
Mark took great pleasure in converting even the most steadfast of offset fans over to the world digital print and showing them just what it has to offer.
Outside of work, Mark was a devoted sportsperson. He was heavily involved with rugby, lawn bowls, cricket and softball as well as having a mad passion for motor racing.
He dedicated many hours to those sports, not just on the field but on the administration side of things at his local clubs including serving as President of both the Tawa Rugby Club and the Victoria Bowling Club.
Denyse McQuoid
Denyse started in the industry at age 15 and by 20, she had completed a lithographic printing apprenticeship at Auckland Copy Centre; one of the first females to do so.
She worked in several businesses in the industry including West Plaza Copy Centre and Tasman Westside. She spent the last 14 years of her career managing Contact Labels, where she used her vast knowledge to deliver exacting work to their clients.
Denyse combined an infectious personality with an incredible work ethic, and an absolute willingness to help others across the industry. These attributes meant that she gained the respect and admiration from both customers and other printers.
In April of this year, Denyse received a People In Print Award, reflecting her commitment to the industry.
Multi-talented, she could achieve anything she set her mind to, with a real eye for design that spread much wider than her work in the printing industry. Her love of the industry was exceeded only by her love of her family.
Teresa Bews
Teresa was the co-owner of Universal Print which was established in 1991 and grew from a small premise in Papatoetoe to their current factory in East Tamaki. She worked in the business alongside her husband David while raising their two children Ben and Angus. Family was hugely important to her and that extended to their employees as well with the business run very much as a family, borne out by the longevity of their staff (or maybe that was her fabulous baking).
Teresa was a jack of all trades and a master of many and would turn her hand to anything that needed doing in the business to get the job done and out to the customer.
Teresa was an absolute adventure seeker and took every chance she could to get out there and live her life to the fullest, never shying away from things that
would make many of us cry. She fought ferociously until the end driven by her love for her family, in particular her three grandchildren whom she adored.
Laurie Pilling
Laurie was the owner of Admark Visual Imaging in Hamilton from 1991 until he retired in 2019. Laurie spent the first 20 years of his working life in the military, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was decorated for his service in Vietnam and in 1977 was awarded a Member of the British Empire at the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Following his departure from the army he set himself a goal to make $1 million in 12 months and he achieved that by investing in some now iconic Waikato businesses including Waingaro Hot Springs, and the Waipa Delta Paddle Steamer. In 1991
he bought into Admark and the rest is history. Admark was the recipient of one of only 16 gold medals given out at the first Pride In Print Awards in 1994, and they have continued to excel over the last 31 years achieving a total of 65 gold and 43 highly commended awards, along with a number of category and process wins.
Laurie was presented with a Special Recognition Award at the 2019 Pride In Print Awards and was also made a Life Member of the Self Adhesive Label Manufacturers Association in the same year. Laurie understood the importance of people and was a strong supporter of industry training, investing heavily not only in his own staff but in others as well.
The single word most commonly used to describe Laurie was “gentleman” and he will forever be an Officer and a Gentleman.
John McQuarrie
John was a Past President (1990-1992) and Life Member of PrintNZ. He started in the industry in 1952 at Whitcome and Tombs in Dunedin, commencing a print apprenticeship at the age of 17.
One of the last colour blind apprentice in the training system, John cleverly managed things by having other tradespeople help when inks needed to be mixed.
With the gift of the gab, John transitioned from the presses into a sales role. He then progressed up through the ranks into management roles. In 1986, he became the group operations manager for the Print Division of the newly formed Printpac which came from a merger between Whitcoulls Production and Alex Harvey Industries. That company morphed into Norton Opax, Bowater and Rexham.
During the 1980s, John took on the role of chief negotiator, working on behalf of the industry at the annual industrial Award negotiations. He found himself involved in a number of stand-offs and a national strike, but somehow a conclusion was always reached through the negotiation process, sometimes over a beer.
John was a judge at the Pride In Print Awards for many years, including Convenor of Judges for four years from 2000 to 2003, completing 50 years of giving back to the industry he loved so much.
We thank you all for choosing print as your career and for your contributions to our industry.
Kia tau Rangimarie - Rest in Peace.
The winning experiences and career pathways of two former Apprentice of the Year winners.
Orangebox senior account manager
Myra Anderson recalls feelings of “excitement, energy, nerves and pride” flooding through her on the 2017 Pride In Print Awards Evening. She says,
“I was nervous to be in front of so many people from the industry, anxious to find out who would win and trying my best to remember my talking points if my name was called.
“I had dreamed of becoming Apprentice of the Year since my first assessment in 2013. I was with printing.com for four years before I took on the apprenticeship, so I knew that the print industry was for me.
“It’s been nearly 16 years now since I started as a pretty green print finisher
and I’m proud to reflect on how far I’ve come.”
Encouraging apprentices to fully “lean into” the knowledge and experience available within their companies, she says, “The wisdom that you can receive from your colleagues and mentors is invaluable. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and seek feedback. Also, try to embrace every challenge as a learning opportunity. The more you put into your apprenticeship, the more you’ll get out of it.
“Being named Apprentice of the Year is one of, if not the, proudest moment of my career. It boosted my confidence and opened new opportunities within the industry. It also reinforced my commitment to continuous learning and professional development.”
Myra was a web and graphic designer at printing.com at the time of winning the award. She has since explored different roles at different companies. She says, “I have had roles as production manager at a design agency; marketing producer at an accounting software company; a print buyer for a procurement/third-party logistics company. Working as a print buyer gave me the opportunity to work with a wide range of printers and finishers around New Zealand.
“My current role is all about looking after our clients and finding the best solutions for them through our datadriven, direct marketing services. My apprenticeship provided the skills, knowledge and confidence to be able to discuss prepress and print in a range of methods and finishing, and the entire production process with ease.
“One of the most fulfilling aspects of my role is the ability to combine my technical knowledge with client relationship management, ensuring that each project is delivered to the highest standard possible and exceeds client expectations. The apprenticeship honed my problem-solving skills and improved my financial decision-making, which are crucial in my role.
“I am especially proud to work for a New Zealand-owned and operated company. I also love working alongside so many longstanding Orangebox team members. The length of their service is a real testament to how great a company Orangebox is to work for.”
She has also pursued additional qualifications and other educational experiences. She says, “Studying part-time taught me that I’m a pretty driven person. Once I finished studying, I felt a little lost with all that spare time! I found I needed something to always work towards outside of work.
“After completing my New Zealand Certificate in Print – Digital Print Processes, I completed my Diploma of Print Management in 2020, completed a 21-day course through Outward Bound and I’m currently working towards a Certificate of Project Management through Open Polytechnic. I believe that continuous education is key to staying relevant and successful in any industry.”
Gratitude and pride
Currie Group New Zealand account manager Travis Jordan remembers the 2021 Pride In Print Awards Evening as an incredibly overwhelming and emotional experience. He says, “The nerves on stage were intense. I felt incredibly grateful and proud of the achievement that myself and Soar Print (now Soar Communications Group (SCG)
had accomplished. I don’t think that feeling has ever left me. It remains one of my biggest personal achievements.
“We were very fortunate to have BJ Ball Papers host a generous morning tea for our company the following week.”
Travis retains a drive to strive for excellence. He says, “I am passionate and proud of the work myself and those around me have been able to produce and ultimately learn from. I think those successes big and small are worthy of celebrating – after all our industry is a craft and I bloody love it.
He advises apprentices to enjoy the highs and learn from the lows. He says, “We work in a fast-paced industry, mistakes will be made. But how you choose to react to those mistakes is what will make you. Some of my best work or learnings have come from failures. Problem solving and understanding how to find solutions is where you will build integrity and thrive when future technical challenges arise.”
He completed his apprenticeship during the Covid-19 pandemic. He says, “It was strange and challenging year for all. As a digital print and finishing operator for SCG’s labels and flexibles division, Rocket Print, I had the opportunity to work within an amazing team and some incredibly-talented individuals and mentors, I moved into a position as production manager where I was able to cover all technical advances as
well as plan and train staff to ensure we were able to work in an enjoyable, yet lean, environment.
Currie Group
“In late 2023 I took on the role of account manager for Australia and New Zealand print trade equipment and service provider, Currie Group New Zealand. This role has brought great new challenges and learnings and has exposed me to another technical avenue in the industry. I feel fortunate to be surrounded by yet another great team, as well as a great customer base here in New Zealand.
“In my current role, I focus on ensuring clients receive support across the entire Currie Group portfolio, as well as keeping the market informed of the leading technologies that we have available here. I also stress the importance of sustainability and the recycling programmes behind our products and their consumables, ensuring everyone can recycle efficiently.
“The most enjoyable aspect of my role is learning more about our clients’ businesses and seeing the shared passion they have for their trade, wanting to stay educated and keep up to date with new innovations and technologies. I love being able to help find new solutions to help a company add value to their business.”
Although not currently involved in additional external training, he says he receives “immense support and continued training internally” within Currie Group to remain abreast of both portfolio and overall market developments.
Looking ahead, he would like to see greater exploration from the market of the value-add proposition of Currie Group’s products and “what they can do to enhance business capabilities and efficiencies”.
He adds, “I would also love to see the industry flourish and entice the younger generation to join the world of print. There are so many aspects of our industry to be excited about and market trends to be explored. I want to continue to support our existing clients and build new relationships within the wider market.
“I want to support PrintNZ and Competenz and their efforts to expose the younger generations to what our industry has to offer. Technology within print is having rapid growth and it’s exciting.
“We need to remain proud of our craft and what we achieve day to day and continue to celebrate our trade. The younger generation is a greatly important investment to the future of this industry.”
In this article, Konica Minolta discusses the benefits of programmatic printing.
Programmatic printing, also known as automated printing, refers to the process of computer programming and automation to control and manage various aspects of the printing workflow. The combination of modern printing presses, intelligent algorithms, and database technology enables the programmatic personalisation of the attention grabbing print channel.
What lies behind the buzzword programmatic printing? Anyone who produces printed products such as catalogues or advertising letters for a broad target group and sends them out according to the scattergun principle enjoys little success. As a result, many customers now consider doing without printed brochures altogether and others have already taken that step. This is a mistake because you cannot surpass the haptic experience of a catalogue. In addition, everything that you can personalise online, you can also personalise in print, and you can achieve that relatively effortlessly thanks to digital technologies.
Tailormade print
Personalised print products have evolved into so much more than cover letters with a personal address.
Today, you can create print mailings that you can tailor to the individual interests and behaviour of your clientele and you can have them delivered at the right time with the appropriate address: For example, when a potential buyer has not completed his online purchase; when an order for consumables was placed some time ago; or when interesting offers have become available for a special target group.
Recipients receiving individualised print products enjoy the experience. The combination of automation and personalisation makes programmatic printing an unbeatable tool in modern dialogue marketing.
Personalised, data-driven advertising in the form of letters, postcards and self-mailers is ending the era of impersonal mass mailings and putting the customer at the centre.
To get started with this new and very promising form of address, printers’ customers first need comprehensive advice.
It is no longer enough to simply process incoming print jobs. It is much more a matter of informing customers about the possibilities of programmatic printing. It is advisable to start talking to customers at
an early stage. This means a fundamental change in the traditional way of thinking, both for printers and for their customers.
In this process, the printer becomes a competent partner who enables a new and different type of print campaign that involves flexible scalable highspeed digital printing processes for an individual customer journey and more customer loyalty.
This places new demands on the job profile of the specialist staff of printing companies. Today, specialist knowledge and consulting expertise are in demand, as well as the ability to understand the customer’s problems and requirements and to solve them together with him.
Programmatic printing is basically possible with any press. This means that investments in new hardware are not mandatory.
Programmatic printing involves the integration of software, hardware and data to streamline and optimise the printing process. It can be applied to different printing technologies, for example digital printing, offset printing and large format printing. Specific software tools and scripts are applied
The digital revolution continues with the highly evolved AccurioPress C14000 series, designed to ensure you never stop printing. These high speed digital colour presses offer next level automation for ultra-efficient, high volume colour printing. Packed with an array of impressive features, powerful inline finishing options for high pr oductivity and with in-built technology, they offer unparalleled quality and consistency print after print.
To rethink efficiency, simply visit: konicaminolta.co.nz/AccurioPressC14000series
to automate tasks such as file preparation, pre-press, colour management, imposition, printing and finishing.
For its customers, Konica Minolta analyses which solutions are already available inhouse and which software they require. Often, many tools can be further used if the customers have the right idea about the software and the work steps. For example, if the goal is to address a smaller customer segment of 100 to 500 recipients, AccurioPro Variable Data (VDP) from Konica Minolta is the right solution. This suite stands for performance and flexibility and can be integrated via a switch for automation. A first possible step towards programmatic printing is, for example, also an InDesign plug-in.
Our showrooms demonstrate the possibilities and concrete solutions for programmatic printing and show which new paths printers can take today. Members of the Konica Minolta team will happily advise you on site.
The result for you is the integration of the print channel into the marketing automation software reduces the effort involved in planning and implementing classic print campaigns many times over.
Programmatic printing offers many advantages
• Greater efficiency.
• Fewer human errors.
• Improved consistency.
• Shorter turnaround times.
• The ability to meet complex printing requirements.
• It is particularly valuable in print environments with long runs, tight deadlines and the need for customisation or personalisation.
Konica Minolta’s workflow software
AccurioPro Flux Ultimate integrates easily into a programmatic printing solution. It will automate and manage the printing process. This software offers advanced features for file processing, colour management, variable data printing and collaboration between different printing devices.
With AccurioPro Flux Ultimate, you can programmatically create and manage print job queues, automate file preparation and colour correction, implement variable data printing and control output from multiple print devices. It helps streamline the print workflow and optimise efficiency.
AccurioPro Flux Ultimate offers advanced automation features and integration with multiple print devices. These are the essence of programmatic printing: using
automation and computer programming to control and optimise the printing process, and to achieve greater efficiency.
Programmatic printing gives innovative marketers the tools they need to run more efficient, personalised marketing campaigns in close collaboration with printers. Full automation enables cross-media, customer-centric print products that impress, increase sales and retain customers.
Konica Minolta describes the advantages and most important aspects of programmatic printing:
Programmatic printing enables the automation of file preparation tasks such as image processing, colour correction and file conversion. Software tools can be programmed to automatically process incoming files and optimise them for printing.
Programmatic printing makes it easier to incorporate variable data into printed materials. This creates personalised or customised printed pieces with unique information such as names, addresses as well as personalised offers.
Programmatic Printing makes it easier to manage print jobs through automation. Print job queues can be created and managed programmatically to ensure that jobs are processed in the desired order and with the correct settings.
Colour management
Precise colour control is critical in printing. Programmatic Printing
enables automated colour management that ensures consistent colour reproduction across different print runs and devices. Colour profiles can be applied automatically, and colour calibration can be scheduled and performed at regular intervals.
Programmatic printing enables automation of imposition tasks, such as page reordering, imposition template selection and trim settings.
Print verification and quality control
Automated quality control tools can be integrated into Programmatic Printing workflows. These tools automatically check for common printing issues such as image resolution, colour accuracy and font embedding, ensuring that the final printed output meets the desired quality standards.
Integration with production equipment
Programmatic printing can be integrated with a variety of printing systems. These include digital presses, offset presses and finishing equipment. This integration enables seamless communication between software and hardware, reducing manual intervention and increasing productivity.
With a commitment to the labels, print, and packaging community, Nekkorb continues to innovate.
Starting Nekkorb Solutions in April 2009, on the back of the largest global financial crisis since the great depression, seemed to some like a crazy and brave move but Frank and Claire Brokken were up for the challenge.
Frank has ink in his veins, having started in the printing industry in 1975 as a flexographic printing apprentice. He subsequently moved to technical sales positions at leading ink manufacturer Morrison Printing Inks and flexographic printing plate giant (DuPont). His time working for these companies gives him the knowledge that enables him to add value to all printing and converting companies as well as supply partners that Nekkorb has had the pleasure of working with over the years.
Since 1996, MPS has only made servo driven machines. Designed with an operator focused process in mind, they feature slide out printing units that can be easily set up safely outside the machine while it is still running; ink curing on the chill roller rather than the impression roller to reduce material wastage and downtime cleaning cured ink; and extensive data collection capabilities.
• Ease of
• Highest quality
• Significant foil saving
• For budget flexibility
Through his process knowledge and extensive travelling around the world, he created a strong portfolio of foundation products for Nekkorb to start trading. Some of those initial supply companies like 3M, Zecher, TKM and WINK remain Nekkorb partners today. He says, “It goes to show great products and good working relations stand the test of time.
“Other great companies that make up Nekkorb’s product portfolio today include industry leading recognised manufactures, MPS, Dantex, Vinfoil, Gietz, DuPont, AVT, x-rite and Esko.”
Nekkorb’s commercial manager Tash (Natasha) Brokken, Frank and Claire’s eldest daughter, has worked in the business for the past 12 years. She will eventually take over the running of the business continuing its founding values of respect, trust, innovation, and sustainability. Nekkorb’s great product portfolio is full of gems, among them:
Frank calls the MPS Narrow and Mid web label and packaging machines the most advanced machines in their category today.
The new Dantex Pico Technology allows printers to test, tweak and turn around custom label orders fast. The modular designed Pico range offers numerous options for inline finishing; die-cutting, lamination, backlit/edge trim, slitting and rewinding. You can personalise every label, create short runs for A/B testing or simply trial label alternatives for a product launch. Frank says, “The Picocolour and PicoJet machines accelerate the time to market and maximise your return on investment. They achieve outstanding whiteness and extremely high print quality in a single pass.”
This market leader shines in the design and manufacture of label finishing, die cutting slitter rewinders, digital label converting finishing systems and flexible packaging finishing equipment. Frank says, “In-house technical innovation has been the driving force behind BGM with constant product development to meet the changing needs and requirements of customers. Offering a three-year guarantee on all in-house manufactured parts, BGM delivers outstanding after sales service and product support.”
One of the world’s leading manufacturers of cutting tools for the graphic industry with the motto “You Cut We Care”, Wink makes precision tools for printers, and converters all over the world. Frank says,
“We are surrounded by products, that acquire final shape through die-cutting. Wink’s flawless quality in its die-cut products is crucial for our customers’ success. Depending on the sector and material involved, Wink must meet very different requirements, when it comes to specifications for its cutting tools. From kiss-cutting to cutting-through, perforating, creasing, and embossing. Wink tailors its tools perfectly to meet the requirements of the individual.”
Zecher, founded in Germany 75 years ago, focuses solely on the manufacture of anilox. Frank says, “For the highest quality and engraving consistency Zecher
Building for the future:
continues to deliver on its promises and develop new ‘First in industry’ technologies that others try to copy.”
For a full closed loop and secure process solution Nekkorb has partnered with Esko, X-Rite and AVT. From design software, plate production, process measuring and control to 100 per cent inspection of the finished print this partnership deliver the highest quality print, faster and consistent with less downtime and wastage.
Frank treasures his place in the business, using his 49 years’ experience in the industry to help Tash build her team for the future.
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Labels stars as MCC grabs the Supreme Award and Apprentice of the Year Award.
Several companies had turned down the Red Mill Rum job that MCC Albany turned into a Pride In Print Supreme Award winner
The Pride In Print Supreme Award for 2024 has gone to MCC Albany for its Red Mill Rum label.
The nation’s print community gathered in Wellington in July for the annual Pride In Print Awards and the Print Training Awards.
On a near freezing capital city evening, a capacity crowd filled the Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre for the awards celebration. Emcee Hilary Barry kept the audience in tune with the tone of the night, telling the winners and their supporters to “celebrate loudly and celebrate proudly”. While the born and bred Wellingtonian who resides in Auckland proclaimed her love for her hometown, she also admitted that the weather had blown her horizontal at the airport.
Craftmanship wins
MCC Albany’s Supreme Award winner job showed “mastery of a job so complicated that other label converters had turned it down”. The work also won the Labels category.
Marco Adriaanse, sales director for MCC New Zealand, accepted the Supreme Award, expressing his gratitude for
the team at MCC. He said, “I feel overwhelmed, to be honest. For MCC, it is recognition of decades of craftmanship. The level of technicality and innovation involved in this job goes beyond what most people understand when they look at a label.
“It is a high end product, niche and bespoke. We had a connection with the designer Ben Galbraith, who has a habit of always pushing the envelope. The customer was over the moon with the job and said we had exceeded the brief they had given us.
“Several companies had turned down the job before we accepted it. Most label converters are going to say, ‘No thank you, we simply can’t do it’, because in the process of trying to remove the cutouts, they end up ripping the label. MCC Albany is the only company, based on my knowledge, who can produce this.”
“From a business perspective, to go back and pass on this acknowledgement from industry, that this has been peer reviewed; it is massively satisfying.”
Judges impressed
Pride In Print judges said, “The Red Mill Rum label, printed two-up, featured
beautifully enhanced sheets of stock run simultaneously with 23 precise die line cut-outs apiece removed across a print run of 6500 – this job presented significant technical challenges.
“Being a self-adhesive label, the backing liner needed to remain intact for application, which eliminated the usual efficient option of ‘punching’ or ‘blowing’ out the cut-outs. After much collaboration and trialling, a cost-effective solution was found to complete the tricky removal process on the press.
“Furthermore, with the heavily-textured stock to feature large solid areas as well as fine text and lines, the job required considerable make-ready and precise application of gold foiling and high-build spot varnish. These processes needed to be mastered across three passes on two different presses.”
The Pride In Print Awards receive invaluable support from its generous patron, Fujifilm as well as the sponsors: Avery Dennison, B&F Papers, BJ Ball, Currie Group (NZ), DIC New Zealand, Kurz New Zealand, Nekkorb, Paper Source, Reproflex3, Ricoh New Zealand, Spicers NZ and UPM Raflatac. The media sponsor is New Zealand Printer Magazine
PrintNZ has named MCC Auckland flexographic printer Levi Lindsey as the BJ Ball Print Apprentice of the Year.
Ruth Cobb, chief executive of PrintNZ, announced the Apprentice of the Year and other Training Awards winners at the gala 2024 Pride In Print Awards Evening, hosted by Hilary Barry at Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre. She said, “This truly is the highlight of my job – recognising the people that will be the future of our industry and the businesses that encourage them.
“Some, uninformed, people might say you don’t need skill to be a printer anymore, but there is a lot more to print than pushing an on and off switch. If we are going to continue to stretch the
boundaries and wow our customers, we need to continue to master the dynamics of inks, substrates, colour management and finishing, to say nothing of the complexities of the front end.”
The five Apprentice of the Year finalists were Levi Lindsey, MCC Albany; George Cunningham, Allied Press; Anna Hodge, Be My Guest Design; Amit Shankar, Labelmakers; and Kathryn Wheeler, Freedom Plus. The final selection took place after the candidates’ interviews earlier on the day of the awards evening.
Ruth said, “They were all so passionate. Every one of them spoke with such technical detail about the work they brought along – highlighting again that print is a craft. A comment from one of them today summed this up when they said: ‘The fundamentals only get you so far’.
“And a point to note about this particular group of people, who all graduated last year, is they pretty much completed their entire apprenticeship under the auspices of the Covid-19 pandemic and the disruptions that brought to workplaces, families, and businesses.
“I know this is just the beginning of their journeys. The learning does not stop here. They all have aspirations to go further and do more and we are so glad they are doing that in our industry.”
Levi Lindsey said, “I am truly honoured to receive the award. “I want to thank MCC Auckland, formerly known as Adhesif Labels, my colleagues and my mentors for their unwavering support and guidance. This achievement is a testament to their dedication and belief in me.
“To my fellow apprentices: keep striving for excellence and never stop learning. Together, we can shape the future of the industry.”
Haydn Mitchell, technical manager at MCC Auckland, said, “Levi’s first role at Adhesif Labels was working in our post-press cleaning area. Having shown a keen interest in printing, he progressed to the role of flexo printer assistant. Having excelled at this he was offered a flexo printing apprenticeship.
“His proactive approach, combined with consistently delivering top-notch quality work and keeping that positive attitude, speaks volumes about his dedication and work ethic.
“I was not surprised at all to see Levi excel in his apprenticeship. With his commitment and upbeat demeanour, it was pretty much a given.”
Stuff claimed the 2024 Pride In Print Publications Category for its production of The Post Weekend Te Upoko O Te Ika, Saturday December 9th Edition 2023.
Andy Brown, Stuff Petone printing plant day shift printing supervisor, stated the importance of timely production for The Post Weekend, the Saturday edition of Wellington’s daily metropolitan newspaper. He said, “We printed it at Stuff’s print production plant in Petone on a Manroland Geoman double-width press on Norske Skog 40gsm newsprint using Huber coldset inks and Kodak Sonora plates.
“What is impressive about this entry is the size of the paper: a 40-page broadsheet newspaper. We printed it on three of the four printing towers of our press. “It is a time-critical job. To be able to produce a copy with the quality of registration and consistency of colour throughout with the pressures of deadlines to be met is quite an achievement.”
Judges said, “Boasting strong colour depth and almost faultless registration, this was a very well printed newspaper. Such high quality was achieved despite
Blue Star Jackson won the Print Category and Sheetfed Offset Process Award for the Riddet Institute Annual Report.
Tim Upton, Blue Star Jackson account director, said, The job was created for internal and external stakeholders as a snapshot of the progression into real world, potential application of world class, food-based science research.
“Careful attention to detail was crucial to this print job. It contained a number of challenging aspects with full black print, white borders, reversed type, as well as split spreads.
“The cover of the report required innovation, with discussions taking place well before the files were handed over, to create the perfect embellishment to complement the design, this year being a spot UV to draw attention to the title ‘Focus and support elements’. The report is also printed on a Forest Stewardship (FSC) and Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) accredited paper stock.
“Our client said, ‘We have such faith in Blue Star to take our vision for the report and produce it with such care and expertise that we consider them a key
the short lead time and presses running at speeds of 40,000 copies per hour, with operators having just 30 minutes from the start of production to providing the first batch of completed editions for waiting delivery trucks.
“With Stuff needing to complete the
entire print run within just three hours, there was also little opportunity to make corrections on the press. To consequently produce such a colourful, vibrant, and clean publication is testament to the quality of the machinery and personnel involved.”
partner in this job, now and in the future.’”
Judges said, “The outstanding printing and finishing in this annual report excelled in delivering on the full potential of a superb design. Printed at A1 and folded down to landscape A4, the folios were in a near perfect position throughout and the binding was faultless.
“There was great consistency in the registration and colour, with the rich blacks standing out on the uncoated stock, and a spot UV was applied to the cover to provide an eye-catching finish. This is one of the best offset printed annual reports we have seen in a long time.”
Gravure Packaging won the Flexible Packaging Category (Joint) and the Gravure Process Award for the Joyhana Whipping Cream Sleeve.
Grant Amelung, technical director at Gravure Packaging, said, “The job uses photo-realistic images, reproduced perfectly with the colours nicely saturated. It maintains realistic vignettes and depth and solid colours. It features detailed and petite Chinese characters and background dual vignettes of twospot colours merging seamlessly.”
“Producing the job Blizzard Light Block technology-ready means that it is ready for 100 per cent clear and transparent recyclable bottles, once the client decides to move down that path. Inks are washable in the rPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate) recycling stream.”
The company has produced millions of impressions of the sleeve for its Chinese client. Grant adds, “The Chinese market demands exceptionally high-quality standards that the printer operators at
Sealed Air Hamilton’s Premiere Beehive Shaved Ham wrap won the Flexible Packaging Category (Joint) and the Flexographic Process Award.
Damion Robinson, printing, laminates, and pre-press manager at Sealed Air Hamilton, said, “The wrap was one of many in a range used by Premiere Beehive in the FMCG market in supermarkets. There were notable technical aspects mastered in both the creation and executive of the job, such as the use of Vortex technology alongside Kodak plates.
“Vortex produces a dot structure on the plate that allows plate screen rulings in excess of 200 lines per inch. These screen rulings work in a practical way in day-to-day production. They run clean and fast. Other benefits include the ability to reproduce spot colours from CMYK. At 175 lines per inch and above, the human eye can no longer see the dot structure, so the colour appears more like a flat tint. This gives the opportunity to reduce the overall colours in the job, meaning less ink stations in use; less volatile organic
Gravure Packaging can achieve with their exceptional trade skills and keen eye for quality.”
Judges said. “A notable export-success story, this highest-quality shrink sleeve has been produced for millions of bottles of cream which are manufactured locally and shipped to Asia. Printed in eightcolours across two cylinder impressions, it features an extremely fine-tone black to give a very realistic image of cream, two
spot-colour blues joined by a clean and faultless vignette, and process imagery of photographic quality. Produced to the highest international standards, the sleeve includes provision for light barrier technology, which is fully compatible with plans for the bottle to become full circle recyclable. A great example of combining premium materials with Kiwi can do to create a product that otherwise would need to be imported.”
compound emissions; as well as shorter set up and changeover times.
“It is a comprehensive leap forward in technology, giving production and sustainability benefits. The wrap was undercut on the press to achieve a specific repeat tolerance without slurring the design to run with the thermoformed bottom web.”
Judges said, “New technology was mastered in the recreation of an existing printed label, with split screening used
at heightened resolution to deliver excellent detail in process colour imagery and great density in spot colours. A further technical challenge, with the printed image being 3mm shorter than the mechanical sleeve, was navigated seamlessly. Costs were reduced, with the process requiring less ink, enabling faster print speeds, and drying times, and lessening energy consumption. The materials used are 100 per cent recyclable in a single waste stream.”
Blue Star Constellation won the Paper and Board Packaging Category for its production of 1839 Honey Cartons.
Kyle Murphy, Blue Star Constellation account manager, said, “We were presented with standing artwork files and a design aesthetic, and were able to suggest a few print production changes that has given it a better environmental footprint. The hexagonal pattern at the top of the carton was printed with a UV gloss, which we moved away from, and produced a similar result using an in-line aqueous coating that is water-based and environmentally-friendly.
“Teamwork and knowledge between prepress and the printer helped achieve the tones while maintaining the quality print and alignment of intricate foiling.
“The design of the carton incorporates gusseted dust flaps that don’t reveal raw edges on the top three panels, while the inside print gives the buyer a nice reveal once the packaging is opened and the product has been taken out.”
Client 1839 has positioned its UMF 15+ in the premium part of the Manuka honey market. The company said, “High-grade Manuka honey is often given as a gift, so it really does need to be special. We have tried to incorporate various elements
APC Innovate topped the Structural Design Packaging Category with its Pizza Base Tower. Andrea Bacon, APC Innovate production manager, said,
“The pizza oven concept structural design and artwork was developed to create an engaging modular unit to showcase Farrah’s new Pizza Base range. Concept development included multiple artwork options and rendering, paying special attention to the brickwork and colour. Extensive structural engineering is evident throughout the display, from the weight requirements of the towers to the simple but effective construction of the oven itself. LED lights were also applied to the flame within the oven.
“As per last year’s Category-winning Taco Truck, the well-executed in-store activation created huge impact across social media platforms.”
Judge said, “Incredibly well constructed, particularly considering the number of elements involved, this display stand has been very well thought through
that allow the gift box to stand out on shelf visually, and texturally be a little different. Thank you, Blue Star, for your amazing service and helping us produce a product of which we are proud.”
Judges said, “A nice and clean print, embellishing and finishing job, this carton has been well executed in every
aspect. It features beautiful fine detail in the foiling and embossing to really enhance the honeycomb imagery. The die-cutting and creasing is excellent, as is the double fold on the tuck flap showing no signs of stress, and everything lines up perfectly. Judges could find no issues with it at all, it is a stunning job.”
and executed. Clever elements include the use of diagonal fluting to keep the centremounted, LED-lit fireplace panel sturdy, and being built in modular form to enable fast staff erection and configuration of anywhere from one to six units,
Zane Barclay, APC Innovate creative manager, holds the Structural Design category award
depending on store size and promotion requirements. Robust, with each of the shelves designed to accommodate up to 20kg, the assembly saw all elements match perfectly, creating a superblyfinished product.”
Admark Visual Imaging’s PH7 Vehicle Wrap won the Sign and Display Print Category. Somp Vaxnay, Admark Visual Imaging factory manager, said, “Our client approached us looking for a wow factor to promote its business through vehicle branding and presented us with a brief and their proposed artwork.
“Our in-house designer accepted the challenge and creatively manipulated the original artwork to incorporate outstanding colours to align with the client’s brief and in return, provided the client with an amazing concept and design. The high resolution of the artwork was well above your average file that would be normally used, which enhanced the overall impact.
“The printed graphic was executed perfectly with regard to the robust colours required and the controlled sharpness and crispness of the fine gradients printed within the design. The result was an exceptional piece and an effective mobile billboard.
“The client was ecstatic, extremely happy with the result. This vehicle branding highlights the impact that can be achieved on four wheels. Vehicle branding is a cost-effective option compared to other
Windmill Press took the Specialty Products category with Rose Gold, a wedding invitation suite. Christina Drummond, Windmill Press proprietor, said, “The suite included a wedding invitation, details card and envelope as well as guest name tags. They were letterpress printed then customised with individual guest name tags that were hand-eyeleted one by one.
“The client’s wedding colours were soft pinks and navy blues, and her flowers included roses, so we tried to incorporate these features in her stationery with the ink colours, design elements and paper colours we used.
“It included navy blue letterpress ink with a large blind deboss rose and rose gold eyelets with soft pink guest name tags.”
“The invites, details cards and envelopes were printed on 100 per cent Cotton Crane Lettra Stock, made from a byproduct of the cotton industry. The guest name tags were printed on Extract Shell, made from disposable paper coffee cups. The client absolutely loved their
forms of marketing mediums.”
Judges said, “Outstanding print production has delivered clean and crisp imagery, with a high-vis orange that jumps off this vehicle wrap. Superb accuracy and technical expertise demonstrated across the wrap’s multiple
components ensured they all aligned and colour-matched perfectly. With the lamination also executed perfectly, a hard-to-achieve print job has been delivered at the highest quality, and judges who have seen the car live attest to an incredible result.”
wedding stationery and even more so when they found out it was two-times gold-worthy.”
Judges said, “A clear winner in its category, this wedding invitation set is a superb example of letterpress printing.
The simple quality of the print and the perfect alignment and combination of elements has brought a really good design to life. As a complete package it is highly effective, elegant, and overall is a stunning, beautifully-produced job.”
The Armarie Room scored an impressive hat trick in the Print Finishing and Printing Industry Promotion Categories and the Letterpress Process award with its Premium Stationery Sets.
Renee Hadlow, The Armarie Room owner and printmaker, said, “The boxed stationery comprises notecards and greeting cards, specifically designed, and produced for the tourist and gift market. My artwork, inspired by Aotearoa’s natural and cultural landscape, is featured in each of these designs.
“These sets are part of The Armarie Room’s product range and are available for purchase online, in-store and wholesale to retail outlets. My business specialises in printmaking and modern letterpress. The challenge in all my work lies in developing contemporary, modern designs and producing them using traditional letterpress techniques. This often involves multiple layers, tight registration and artwork that is rich in texture.
“A background as a fine art printmaker greatly influences my approach. As I
Sealed Air Hamilton took away the Industry Development and Creativity Category. Damion Robinson, Sealed Air Hamilton printing, laminates, and prepress manager, said, “It needed to have the correct graphic appeal for a high-end product whilst being able to endure the storage conditions of sun, rain, and UV. The film (bag) had to be durable and contain UV inhibitors to prevent discolouring, inks had to also be UV-proof whilst able to survive a very industrial filling and transporting process.
“The film was designed to replace a complex, laminated material from China. This was achieved using a nonlaminated material which contains post-industrial recycled material and is recycle-ready. This all had to be validated by an independent lifecycle analysis with consultants in the United Kingdom, to show the substantial reduction in the carbon footprint of the finished product.
“It also contains recycled material
develop a design, I consider the textures and impressions that will be created. I believe the innovation lies in combining distinct design with traditional techniques to produce one-of-a-kind products.
“I prioritise sustainability, using ecofriendly materials and environmentallyresponsible paper stocks. The stationery sets blend traditional craftsmanship with modern aesthetics.”
Judges said, “Demonstrating a range of processes and techniques delivered millimetre perfect including detailed
debossing, die-cutting and creasing, this double stationery set has fully illustrated the quality, skill, and mastery of this print firm. With features such as a thin black line running right along the extremities of the stock, the job was repeatedly ‘asking for trouble’. Yet its production highlighted technical accuracy, supreme craftmanship and an in-depth understanding of materials, using historic letterpress printing machinery and techniques to deliver magnificent, contemporary print.”
from New Zealand, is recyclable, withstands a harsh sales environment, and has must-have high end consumer appeal in appearance and graphic reproduction. Scotts Osmocote has now achieved its carbon-neutral status. It is the leader in this product range on the sustainability journey.”
Judges said, “This potting mix bag has won overseas printing business for New Zealand, and it has done so with a substantially reduced carbon footprint while delivering an excellent print
standard using challenging light-fast inks.
“Recycling industrial waste material rescued from landfill, the bags are now surface-printed which removes previous lamination, slitting and extra extrusion processes. Comparable annual carbon reductions include 8.9 tonnes of adhesive and solvent; 12.4 tonnes of plastic trim; 15,345 kilograms of carbon dioxide; and 100 per cent energy savings from three previous process stages. This is the future students are protesting for in the streets.”
Allied Press won the Web Coldset Offset Process Award with Essence Magazine. Justin Aitken, Allied Press print supervisor, said, “The commercial print arm of the company printed the job. Essence Magazine is a lifestyle publication with a dedicated local focus. It is a pleasure to print, and we look forward to printing many more.”
Allied Press also had a finalist in this year’s Apprentice of the Year Awards: George Cunningham. It produced 15,500 copies of the publication on 70gsm paper stitched and trimmed on a Goss Universal 70 web offset press. Able to run varying widths and types of paper, the press consists of five towers, seven reel stands and two folders supplying a Ferag mailroom.
Judges said, “A crisp, clean, and great-looking publication, this job has exemplified in its purpose of communicating engaging content to readers while delivering a key income stream for the newsprint industry. Outstanding photography, design and prepress work has been brought to life
Wakefields Digital took out the Digital Process Award with the Wellington Places Book. Clinton Riley, manager of Wakefields Digital, said, “The book is a labour of love from long-time Wellington resident and photographer Stuart MacDonald. It is a photographic journey around Wellington’s well-known and less-well-known places, capturing the iconic, the beautiful and the less usual. The Wellington we all know, but often take for granted, is here.
“We collaboratively incorporated a range of creative elements, for example, ensuring that the black backgrounds within the book printed beautifully, creating a rich black for brilliant reproduction. We worked and consulted with the publisher to create the best look and feel. We typeset and formatted the booklet, adding rich black backs to enhance images and adding printer’s technical input with binding margins, typography, and white space.
“Hardcopy proofs were then printed for checking before the main run was printed. Sustainable stock is always forefront here at Wakefields. On this book, we used Silk Matt which is produced using Elemental Chlorine Free and FSC certified pulp from responsible sources and is manufactured under the strict ISO14001 environmental
with the highest-quality workmanship on the press. When you produce supplements to generate revenue, then they must be done well.”
management system. The book will be well appreciated by locals as well as tourists that want a memento of their visit here.”
Judges said, “This is a rare example of a toner ink-printed book delivering a
stunning and beautiful result. Images were crisp, colours were rich, and the flawless delivery of the repeated black backgrounds proved effective. Overall, this was a superb example of stunning digital print.”
The Print Room won the Screen Process Award with its Evil Twin graffiti art reproduction, a 3D-realistic replication of graffiti wall art on clothing.
Chris Brun. co-owner and production manager at The Print Room, said, “The job was for Evil Twin Cafe, which is run by twin artists. The cafe has its own merchandise range that sells both online and in-store. The cafe itself is styled around graffiti art, reflecting the twins’ artistic background.
“Instead of our usual method of printing a base screenprint using puff ink, flashing it, and then overprinting the colours (white, grey, and black), the customer wanted a layered effect – similar to how graffiti artists tag or paint on a wall one colour at a time. Printing this way meant we had to take care with the flashes, as over-flashing could activate the puff ink too early, causing it to rise on the press and create issues when adding the next colour.
“We created each colour with a puff ink base by adding pigment, which can be tricky for colour matching because the puff ink lightens when it goes through the tunnel dryer. To account for this, we had to add extra pigment.”
“Oue inks are water-based and Global Organic Textile Standard certified. While water-based puff inks typically don’t
Caxton walked away with the Inkjet Process Award for its Cat Gallery reproduction which it delivered with such authenticity that most judges thought the imagery had been produced on a real wool substrate.
Megan Rogers, Caxton fine art specialist, said, “Our client Haney Zhai is a Christchurch-based fibre artist at Jackelope Treasures. Haney creates needle felt sculptures from wool by poking the soft wool with needles. These have a textured surface and with our new Widetek scanner, which has 3D settings, I am now able to capture these images in a realistic way, which is exciting. Previously, I would not have been able to capture a textured original in such a way as to look woolly.
“I recently saw Haney at the local Encraftment market with her amazing originals as well as our prints for sale. Producing limited edition prints of crafts where each one is different, is a great way for artists to add value to their business whilst making their work available to more people to enjoy.”
Megan has worked at Caxton for 21 years. She adds, “Most of my work is for artists who come to me for authentic reproductions of their artworks. I scan
puff as much as the industry-standard plastisol inks, we take extra measures to ensure our puff inks achieve a similar effect. These include using a large emulsion on screen or gasket to deposit more ink on the garment and employing a low-mesh screen.
“We also use the correct squeegee and angle to help deposit more ink and ensure the tunnel temperature and timing are precise by consistently calibrating the tunnel temperature. Additionally, we use a forced-air tunnel dryer to remove all the
moisture from the ink.”
Judges said, “Mastery of puff inks has been underscored in this clothing adornment. With the job involving the printing of four inks on top of each other while still wet, precise distances were expertly maintained between the screen and flexible substrate during application. The combination of subtle colour and height reactions in the inks also delivered an excellent and deliberately-distorted 3D effect, with the overall job produced perfectly.”
their originals, colour-match the image in Photoshop and make prints for them to sell, usually as limited editions, using archival inks and archival papers with a fine-detail, 12-colour Epson printer.
“I am pleased to win this award for the second time. It is nice to have that recognition for the work I do for my customers. Thank you Pride In Print.”
Judges said, “An amazing inkjet
reproduction, which was delivered with such authenticity that most judges thought the imagery had been produced on a real wool substrate. In fact, the original artwork created in wool had been photographed and then printed on Photo Rag stock. Such was the fine precision delivered through the process, it genuinely looks like the original. An amazing idea, produced perfectly.”
Taupō-based Gratpak won the Business Award Category. The company has shown a strong commitment to sustainability, wellness initiatives and supporting fellow New Zealand businesses.
The premium-quality paper bag producer had developed a fully-circular sustainable product. It has established itself in regional New Zealand producing from local materials and supplying to New Zealand businesses that were previously sourcing their product offshore.
Expanding from a staff of four to a staff of 30, Gratpak shines as an exemplar of a New Zealand sustainability success story with a focus on people, community, and the planet.”
Steve Folcarelli, general manager at Gratpak, said, “We feel humbled and grateful to be the Business Awards for a second year running. Committing to corporate sustainability requires resilience and a passion for change in order to progress.
“We have worked tirelessly to secure local suppliers of sustainable raw materials. As a result, Gratpak has improved sustainability in many ways, not only through working closely with likeminded suppliers to raise their sustainability awareness, but also and in parallel designing and manufacturing Gratpak’s products so that they add to the sustainability goals of New Zealand and the planet.”
Gratpak’s sustainability, wellness and businesses support initiatives include:
• Sourcing all materials from suppliers that produce their raw materials in New Zealand and all papers, glues and inks produced and sourced locally.
• Using locally manufactured paper made from 60 per cent cardboard recovered from the Oji Fibre Full Circle programme and 40 per cent waste from the building industry, bark, sawdust, and off cuts, with no trees cut down.
• Employees engaged with the running of the business, given responsibility and accountability, and treated as if the business is their own, with management working alongside.
• Bringing additional staff onboard to match production increases to eliminate employee burnout and ensure all employees have a good work/personal balance.
• Focusing on the physical, emotional, and mental wellbeing of staff, including continuing to teach and train to ensure opportunities to learn, grow, adapt, and overcome.
• Operating an incentive programme with all employees included in the process of choosing the employee of the month; most improved employee of the month; and employee of the year. Each winner receives a certificate and gift voucher. Gratpak has found this is a great tool to keep all employees motivated, focused, and engaged.
Steve adds that sustainability initiatives also deliver bottom-line benefits to the
business. He says, “In particular, the local sourcing of sustainable product for our manufacturing process avoids shipping and environmental costs and direct foreign exchange exposure. For example, the carbon emissions to ship a 20-foot container from Shanghai to Auckland are approximately 22,000 megajoules, whereas shipping a 20-foot container from Tokoroa to Taupō and then to Auckland would be approximately 273 megajoules.”
Gratpak has a particular focus on helping to dramatically reduce the volume of paper bags imported into the country. Steve says, “Currently, New Zealand imports 90 per cent of the paper bags used. Commercial teams in businesses, both from the large supermarket chains to the small business, consider but do not yet act in a concerted way on sustainability and reduction of their carbon footprint. To date, apart from a small percentage, the majority do not embrace their commitment.”
Gratpak continues working on new sustainability initiatives.
Gold businesses
Gold medals in the Business Awards Category for Sustainability went to Gratpak, Kale Print, Sealed Air Hamilton, Soar Communications Group (SCG), and Transcontinental Packaging.
Gold medals in the Business Awards Category for Wellness went to Kale Print and Kiwi Labels.
A large-format wall calendar called Elements has won the Promotional Print Category for easy2C Solutions for Business. Dennis Fraser, New Zealand and Australia operations manager for easy2C, said, “The large advertising space on each page makes this a great promotional tool for companies to gift to their most-valued customers.
“For the cover, a spot ultra-blue pearl UV varnish was applied over the night sky, emphasising the stars, and giving depth to the image, especially in contrast with the underlying matte varnish visible on the tree and the calendar title. The pearl UV has a subtle finish under artificial light, but really comes to life in natural sunlight, where it sparkles.
“Technical precision is required in the production of this calendar in order to perfectly align the UV varnish with the printed images, which is especially challenging on the fine details of the tree branches on the cover image.
“Using FSC certified paper resulted in a more sustainable product. We constantly strive to improve our green processes, including by using cobalt-free inks without perfluorinated compounds,
Inkwise Print Partners is the Training Company of the Year and former Apprentice of the Year Cheyne Lesa, of Blue Star Jackson, is the PrintNZ Trainer of the Year.
Cheyne said, “Engaging with the apprentices, seeing the growth from start to finish, is what I enjoy most; knowing I am making a change to help develop them into the best they can be as operators. I want to pass on all my own knowledge. Putting them in the best position learning wise benefits them as well as Blue Star.
“I feel fortunate to have the apprentices I have and to have such supportive management at Blue Star. It really does make a difference when you have the support of management and fellow workmates to help develop the apprentices. This role fits my personality perfectly.”
Brent Goldsmid, Inkwise Print Partners sales and business development general manager, said, “The award is industry recognition of our commitment to training and apprenticeships. It has long been our opinion that we must take responsibility for training the next generation of operators. Generally, they are offered to team members who we see have the potential to succeed after having
as well as processing fewer printing plates and cutting out harmful chemicals.”
Judges said, “An aestheticallystunning calendar, this job expertly combined sharp printing of vibrant colours, perfectly-registered spot UV and exemplary finishing. As evidenced right
worked here for a period.
“They are well supported internally and kept on track by the training team. While it may sound a little clichéd, we
from the front cover, where tree branches were spectacularly enhanced against a starlit night scene, this attention to detail ensured the top-quality photography featured throughout really popped off the pages. It is an outstanding print and production job.”
don’t see such investment as a cost. The real cost happens if we don’t train people, then production suffers as our older team members retire or leave.”
Labels
Flexible Packaging (joint)
Flexible Packaging (joint)
Paper and Board Packaging
Structural Design Packaging
Specialty Products
Flexographic
SUPREME AWARD
CATEGORY WINNERS
PROCESS WINNERS
Technological innovation and commitment to the highest quality standards stand out for Durst Group’s Lienz branch as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.
The Durst Group is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its Lienz branch.
Christoph Gamper, chief executive officer and co-owner of the Durst Group, says, “Durst Austria is an essential part of the Durst Group, and we aim to continue growing in the coming years. Our branch in Lienz is a shining example of technological innovation and commitment to the highest quality standards.”
The 25th anniversary celebrations include a special exhibition of group portraits and street banners by renowned South Tyrolean artist, Klaus Pobitzer.
This exhibition is a continuation of the ‘Inside-Out’ project previously implemented in Brixen, South Tyrol. Pobitzer’s artworks is displayed both in the city of Lienz and on the premises of Durst Austria. They feature large format individual and group portraits as well as technical details of the manufactured printing systems.
Elisabeth Blanik, mayor of Lienz, says, “Since its founding 25 years ago, Durst Austria has developed excellently as a subsidiary of the Durst Group in the sunny city of Lienz. It is a driver of research and innovation, a hidden champion with an international orientation. In addition to its research and production activities at the site, Durst Austria has also sustainably integrated itself into the socio-political fabric.
“The company acts as a generous supporter and continuously promotes art, culture, and social institutions in the region. As a community, we are proud of Durst Austria’s achievements, congratulate them on this wonderful anniversary, and sincerely thank them for their outstanding social engagement. We wish them continued innovation, economic success, and a thriving economic environment for the future.”
Headquartered in Brixen, South Tyrol, the Durst Group comprises more than 20 subsidiaries and joint ventures worldwide. Since its establishment, the branch in Lienz has developed into an important production site for digital inkjet printing systems.
Over the years, the site has been continuously expanded and modernised. A significant milestone was the construction of the research centre in the form of a ‘mountain crystal’ in 2009, which is one of the world’s leading laboratories for inkjet printing technology.
In the past 25 years, Durst Austria has brought forth numerous innovations, notably, the co-development of Durst inkjet technology. Another crucial factor for the Durst Group’s success is the integration of software solutions developed by the subsidiary PrePress Digital (PPD) in Lienz. This software
significantly improves the usability and efficiency of the printing systems, enabling better control and management of the printing processes.
More recent developments focus on eco-friendly printing solutions for the packaging industry and the integration of digital technologies to optimise production processes.
Christoph Gamper adds that the 25th anniversary of Durst Austria is an occasion to proudly look back on past achievements while optimistically looking forward to the future. He says, “Our branch in Lienz is a symbol of the Durst Group’s progress and innovative strength. “We look forward to many more successful years.”
It is important to promote work-life balance in the printing industry.
In any fast-paced environment, with tight deadlines and high client demands, it’s easy for work to consume our lives. However, as we move further into 2024, the Australian and New Zealand printing industry is recognising that a healthy worklife balance is not just a luxury, it is a necessity for long-term success and employee wellbeing.
The printing industry has always been known for its high pressure environment. From managing complex projects to troubleshooting technical issues, print professionals often find themselves working long hours to meet client expectations. This constant state of stress can lead to burnout, decreased productivity, and a negative impact on personal lives.
A recent study found 34 per cent of employees reported lower mental health levels compared to six months ago. Alarmingly, 37 per cent also reported decreased levels of engagement and sense of belonging. These statistics highlight the urgent need for change within the industry.
The consequences of poor work-life balance extend beyond individual employees. Companies in the ANZ region are beginning to realise that overworked staff can lead to decreased productivity and creativity; higher turnover rates; increased absenteeism; lower overall job satisfaction; and potential safety risks due to fatigue.
These factors can significantly impact a company’s bottom line and ability to compete in an increasingly challenging market. In fact, studies show that workplace stress costs the Australian economy $14.81bn a year, while in New Zealand, 7.3 million working days were lost due to work absence, costing the economy $1.85bn.
Progressive printing companies across Australia and New Zealand are
balance
implementing innovative strategies to promote work-life balance. Many firms offer flexible hours or remote work options where possible. While not all printing roles can be done from home, companies are finding creative ways to introduce flexibility. For example, some businesses implement split shifts or compressed work weeks to accommodate personal schedules.
Another option is implementing workshops on effective time management to help employees prioritise tasks and work more efficiently during regular hours. These skills improve productivity and reduce stress and overtime.
Companies can invest in their employees’ physical and mental health, from on-site yoga classes to gym memberships. Some printing firms have gone a step further, offering mental health days and access to counselling services.
Implementing advanced workflow management systems can help streamline processes, reducing the need for overtime. Automating repetitive tasks allows employees to focus on more strategic, fulfilling work.
Introducing policies discouraging after-hours emails allows employees to truly disconnect when they’re off the clock. This practice helps prevent work from encroaching on personal time and reduces stress.
The goal of helping employees achieve work-life balance initiatives has its
challenges. Many printing businesses operate on tight margins and fear reducing work hours could impact their ability to meet deadlines or maintain profitability.
Educating clients about the importance of reasonable timelines and the impact of last-minute changes is crucial. Many ANZ printing companies now include ‘rush fees’ in their contracts, discouraging unrealistic deadlines and valuing their employees’ time. This approach protects staff well-being and sets clear expectations for clients.
Some companies have found success in offering their clients incentives for early submissions or flexible deadlines. This collaborative approach can lead to better planning and reduced stress for both parties.
As we navigate the rest of 2024 and beyond, the ANZ printing industry stands at a crossroads. Embracing work-life balance isn’t just about being a good employer, it’s about ensuring the longterm sustainability of our businesses and our industry.
The printing companies that will thrive in the future are those that value their employees as whole people, not just as workers. It’s time for our industry to lead the way in creating healthy, balanced work environments.
By prioritising work-life balance, the ANZ printing industry can attract new talent, retain experienced professionals, and position itself as an innovative and employee-friendly sector. This shift can also lead to increased innovation, as well-rested, satisfied employees are more likely to bring fresh ideas and solutions to the table.
The press may never stop, but with the right strategies, we can ensure that our workforce remains healthy, happy, and productive for years to come. As we move forward, it’s clear that the most successful printing businesses will be those that champion work-life balance, recognising it as a key driver of both employee satisfaction and business success.
Mick has spent the past decade building printIQ into one of the most recognised software brands in the printing industry, and with over four decades of experience, Mick truly has ink in his veins.
Aarque Group supplies the latest HP technology to one of its long-term partners.
3M began in Minnesota, USA in 1902 and has operated in New Zealand for 50 years. Michael Holderness, advanced application engineering specialist in 3M New Zealand’s Commercial Branding and Transportation Division, says, “We supply signage materials to sign makers and the vehicle wrapping market. In addition, we supply reflective sheeting for road signs to the traffic market.
“We are also members of the NZSDA, sponsoring its annual awards and I have been a judge at the NZSDA vehicle wrapping competition for many years.”
As a major supplier to the industry, 3M plays an important role in training and mentoring sign shops in the correct use of film. Michael says, “While we don’t make signs or use a printer to perform the traditional digital printing role, we need a printer to create training materials; to test new products from our global labs; and most importantly, to test films that the sign makers may have issues with.
“Our previous solvent printer, purchased through Aarque Group 16 years ago, is now obsolete and no longer meets our need to be able to replicate issues seen in customers’ printers.
Earlier this month, 3M installed an HP Latex 700W printer, supplied through Aarque Group, at its Auckland site. Michael says, “Craig Williams, the Aarque service technician handled the installation professionally and easily.
“Of the available HP Latex printers, we saw the HP Latex 700W as our best option. Our need to be able to replicate the way our customers use our products means we need a printer common in many shops.
“We looked at other machines, but the HP Latex 800 and larger models are really overkill for our needs, so we saw the HP Latex 700W printer as the best option. It is also approved for our reflective sheetings used for road signs.
We went for the white ink option because we supply several clear films, so having the ability to print white ink is a benefit.
“The new printer offers us several new features including the ability to remove and store the white ink print heads and keep the ink circulating. We won’t print white that often, so the ability to remove and store the white print heads is a big benefit we are pleased to be getting.
“It can also store profiles for many different media. So far, we have downloaded 19 profiles for our films. Holding profiles in the machine for our media means that it is quick and easy to swap films and immediately have access to the correct profile.”
The HP Latex 700W printer offers fast and easy spindle-less loading and media access for rolls up to 55 kg. Micheal adds, “Media loading is quick and easy. With the way we will use the printer, it is not uncommon to be swapping media for just about every job. We do not commonly run roll after roll of the same print media.
“The menus are simple, straight forward, and logical. 3M has HP office printers, which have similar menu systems, so it is easy to follow that lead.”
3M has supplied self-adhesive vinyls for digital printing to Aarque Group for more than 25 years. Michael says, “We have had a strong relationship with all levels at Aarque from the management, the sales staff, and the service team. Many are close friends after all this time.”
Buying the HP Latex 700W printer has given the 3M team a chance to reflect on the past and get excited about the future. Michael says, “Shout out to Mark Johnson, Aarque’s service expert, who installed our old printer 16 years ago and has serviced it ever since. It still works perfectly despite its age; that is all down to Mark’s ability to keep it running.
“While it is chalk and cheese when comparing two printers with a 16-year age difference, we are really looking forward to getting genuinely great print quality from the HP Latex 700W printer. The HP is so much more automated and intuitive to use. It is like going from an old TV to a 4K screen.”
Five strategic advantages you gain using a Summa flatbed cutter.
Cutting technology has evolved, making it easier, faster, and more cost-effective to achieve superior finishing results.
Computaleta supports Summa’s flatbed cutter range, a solution that combines precision, versatility, and adaptability to meet the diverse needs of modern businesses.
Designed to handle a wide range of materials, from rigid substrates like acrylic and wood to flexible media such as vinyl and fabric, these advanced cutters deliver clean, detailed cuts with unmatched accuracy.
The art of cutting doesn’t need to be complicated, time robbing or expensive. We caught up with the team at Computaleta to ask them what benefits a flatbed cutter can bring to your business.
Precision and versatility across all sizes
Whether you’re dealing with intricate designs or large-scale projects, the need for precise finishing is universal. Manual cutting can be time consuming and labour intensive, but a flatbed cutter offers a solution by automating these processes. Modern cutting systems, like those from Summa, provide exceptional accuracy across a wide range of substrates.
Choosing the right size flatbed cutter depends on your specific business needs. Ask these questions:
• What is the primary focus of your business? Are you specializing in a few applications or diversifying as much as possible?
• How adaptable do you want to be in offering new services?
• What material sizes do you frequently work with?
• What is your budget?
• How much space can you allocate for the equipment?
Handle diverse jobs with one machine
Expanding your business often means taking on a variety of tasks. Whether you’re producing thousands of identical stickers or cutting promotional boards
Summa’s flatbed cutter range combines precision, versatility, and adaptability
for a sale, you need equipment that can handle it all. Summa’s F Series flatbed cutter is equipped with a modular tooling system that can accommodate multiple tools simultaneously.
This flexibility allows you to perform various techniques in a single job, efficiently processing a wide range of materials such as:
• Corrugated and foam boards
• MDF and PVC
• Acrylic and magnetic materials
• Aluminium composite media
• Roll materials and textiles
Optimising your workflow means completing projects faster without compromising quality. Flatbed cutters come with these features designed to enhance productivity:
• Vacuum System: Secures materials on the table during processing for smooth and precise cuts.
• Conveyor System: Automates media feeding, allowing for continuous cutting of large material lengths.
• Roll Support System: Ideal for roll-toroll jobs, especially when combined with the conveyor system.
Summa’s flatbed cutters offer additional unique features:
• Tandem Mode: Divides the work area into two zones, enabling simultaneous cutting and material loading/ unloading, thereby eliminating downtime.
• Operator Zone: Segregates the cutting area from the operator zone, allowing safe and easy material handling.
• Poster Trim: Utilizes an integrated camera system to scan and cut without manual input, streamlining the workflow even further.
Automation is key to maximising efficiency while maintaining high-quality results. Summa’s advanced options include:
• Automated Depth Control (ADC): Simplifies tool adjustments by automatically setting the optimal cutting parameters, ensuring precision every time.
• Barcode Recognition: Automatically configures the cutter for each job by reading barcodes on the material, allowing for unattended operation and continuous cutting, even overnight.
Summa designs its flatbed cutters with ease of operation in mind and the software integration with GoProduce is ideal for sign and display markets. Features include:
• GoProduce software: Tailor your software experience with Summa’s intuitive GoProduce platform, featuring an extensive material database for optimal settings.
• F-Performance mode: Increases cutting speed by up to 40%, significantly reducing job completion time without sacrificing quality.
• Low maintenance: Built for durability, Summa’s flatbed cutters are designed to last, minimizing maintenance costs and ensuring long-term reliability.
These features combine to create a cohesive print and cut workflow that seamlessly integrates into your operations. Summa’s F Series flatbed cutters offer a robust, flexible, and efficient solution for businesses across various industries, from sign-making to digital printing, to packaging, helping you stand out with high-quality finishes.
With multiple tool options and intelligent software integration, the Summa Flatbed Cutter Series enhances workflow efficiency, reduces waste, and offers a strategic advantage for businesses looking to stay competitive in today’s fast-paced market.
For more information, contact Computaleta at hardware@clgroup.co.nz or speak to one of the company’s friendly team on 0800 505 600.
Begin with cutting stickers, trimming wallpaper and graphics, then evolve to cutting and creasing packaging, cutting honeycomb boards for point of sale and even routing composite panels.
With an ever increasing arsenal of tools, the Summa F Series is designed to grow with your business.
Supplied through Currie Group, the EFI Pro 16h+ and EFI Pro 30f+ printers feature more capabilities, better image quality, and a performance boost over previous generations.
EFI has announced two nextgeneration EFI printers in its Wide Format Pro Series portfolio. Currie Group supplies EFI wide format solutions in New Zealand and Australia.
media hold down and easy transition between jobs; and an embedded Fiery proServer Core digital front end with FAST RIP acceleration technology make it ideal for higher-demand, faster job turn environments.
Craig Paul, country manager Currie Group New Zealand, says, “These next generation EFI printers will help New Zealand print and sign companies take their production to the next level, enabling them to grow their businesses, delivering high quality wide format print to their customers.”
EFI has also rolled out new high performance ProGraphics+ Series LED inks for the EFI Pro+ Series printers. Custom-formulated, tested and optimised for the new printers’ Ricoh Gen6 printheads, the inks offer enhanced adhesion, elongation, and water resistance while maintaining the same surface cure as the ProGraphics POP UV inks. EFI says the ProGraphics+ inks eliminate the need to purge or wipe printheads between jobs due to their remarkable open time and increase uptime and reliability through improved jetting performance.
The new printers are the EFI Pro 16h+ hybrid LED printer and the EFI Pro 30f+ flatbed LED printer, delivering highquality imaging at production speeds and even more printing capabilities, all with a low total cost of ownership.
For image quality, the 165cm EFI Pro 16h+ hybrid flatbed/roll-fed LED printer delivers resolutions up to 1200dpi and true variable drop grayscale printing with a 5pL drop size, and production-level printing up to 50 per cent faster than the Pro 16h printer.
Features include production quality printing; new front and back media pressure rollers for handling a wider range of media; semi-continuous board feeding; an advanced, four chamber media-platen vacuum system with independent power controls for efficient
The Pro 16h+ printer’s LED curing technology comes with CYMK plus two white ink channels and up to five-layer printing in any colour in a single pass, expanding the range of applications that can be produced at a low cost to manufacture.
Similarly, the EFI Pro 30f+ flatbed LED printer also offers resolutions up to 1200dpi and true variable drop grayscale printing with a 5pL drop size. It achieves speeds up to 25 per cent faster than the original Pro 30f printer, significantly accelerating operations. Features include a large bed size with a printable area of 3m x 2m; bleed printing; the ability to print on media up to 10cm thick; CMYK plus white ink; and up to five-layer printing in a single pass, enabling more applications at a lower cost per print. It also ships with an embedded Fiery proServer Core.
The environmentally friendly ProGraphics+ inks do not contain heavy metals, have virtually no VOC emissions, are TPO and THFA-free, and are formulated to meet future EU regulations. This builds on the sustainability message of EFI’s green LED curing technology, which lowers power consumption, and reduces media and ink waste and consumables for a smaller overall footprint.
Paul Whitehead – Currie Group Sign & Display Business Unit manager, says, “Currie Group has further enhanced our Sign & Display offering in New Zealand with these new products from EFI. The entry level production series not only continues to offer the application versatility the market is demanding but now also enjoy increased productivity, reliability, and resolution.
“This announcement comes on the back of a number of new partnerships including Elitron digital cutters, F Service Automation automated gluers and Neolt Factory, all of which allow Currie Group to provide a full end to end solution in Sign & Display.”
Visual Impact Brisbane 2024 organisers say that, right from the start, it was clear that businesses were keen for an in-person show after a hiatus of six years since the last Visual Impact expo in the Queensland capital.
From the time doors opened, visitors flowed through the doors of the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre and, while final numbers are still being tallied, initial indications are that almost 2,500 people visited the show over the three days, which is up 20 per cent compared with 2018.
Charly Blades, events manager for Visual Connections, says, “We are delighted with the way the industry, both exhibitors and visitors, embraced the opportunities provided at Visual Impact in Brisbane.”
Most who attended were, as expected, were from around Brisbane and across Queensland, however there were also a good number from New South Wales and the Northern Territory. Visitors also attended from as far afield as Perth, Melbourne and New Zealand, with many arriving on the Thursday or Friday and taking the opportunity for a short-stay vacation in Queensland after doors closed.
The show also bucked recent trends somewhat with a significant number of
companies investing in bringing a team of people to see the latest technologies demonstrated, experience market trends in person, and update their knowledge. Anecdotally, organisers heard of groups driving for hours, or flying multiple people to Brisbane from interstate, with feedback from those groups indicating that they considered the investment of time and resources to do so was more than worthwhile.
For exhibitors, foot traffic is only one part of the equation. Visual Connections says it is the quality of visitors, and their readiness to invest, which is the litmus test for a successful show. Visual Impact performed strongly, with exhibitors reporting that visitors were ‘there to buy’ and the strong sales recorded at the show validating that opinion.
Numerous exhibitors reported multiple major sales, and some had sold every item displayed on their stands by the end of the show. Early feedback from those who invested in the opportunity was overwhelmingly positive, with several indicating that the return on investment of Visual Impact expos makes them a must-attend for suppliers serious about reaching the sign, display and graphics sector.
Those scanned in at the door were treated to a show which went further than simply a showcase of wares, although the latest solutions, and some notable first-releases, were of course the centrepiece of the event.
The show addressed some of the most important market trends and key challenges being faced by industry businesses.
With the shortage of skilled staff, a challenge for many attendees, interest was high in any systems which allowed for the removal of touchpoints in production, allowing businesses to do more with less and grow despite industry wide staff shortages. Sustainability was a focus for many exhibitors, with new media releases and features like improved energy efficiency and reduced waste on show, and new opportunities were also featured, with businesses able to explore a diverse range of technologies to create valuable new revenue streams.
These themes also came through strongly in the seminar programme which ran throughout the show in the newly-minted Connections Centre presentation lounge. With a variety of topics and speakers, the sessions were well attended, with the more intimate, conversation-focused approach welcomed by visitors.
Industry associations provided strong support for the show. In particular, the Australian Sign & Graphics Association (ASGA) who had a full team on hand to discuss member benefits and resources with visiting businesses – but also Fespa Australia, the LIA and the FPLMA, as well as Women in Print, who held a networking event at the show.
Charly adds, “The team is now well advanced in planning for the next Visual Impact Expo, which will colocate with PacPrint 2025 and the Label & Packaging Expo at the Sydney Showground in May next year and will feature even more new information, ideas and inspiration to help businesses improve performance and profitability, increase sustainability, manage the ongoing skills shortage and capitalise on new market trends and opportunities.”
IMIKAYLA HOPKINS Lead Projects, Events, and Marketing Specialist NZSDA
t’s that tough time of year when the weather is cold and wet, and everything seems to slow down. I know it’s a struggle out there for many people, but I want to encourage you to hang in there just a bit longer.
The sun will come out eventually, as it always does. It is good to use this time to upskill yourself, take some courses, listen to some webinars. The more you know, the better prepared you are for when things swing back into action! The members section of our website contains a host of videos and guides and is a great place to go digging for some personal development.
I’d like to say thank you to everybody who came along to our recent Hamilton Regional Meeting. Thank you especially to Clinton for setting up his shop and letting us takeover for the night. The extra effort to accommodate us, such as
printing off a big banner with the NZSDA logo, was noticed and appreciated! It was an excellent turnout, great conversations were had, and some great presentations delivered. We will head to Dunedin next followed by several meetings in Auckland in September.
I would like to remind everybody that access to our Signee online course and workbook is now free for members. This is an amazing resource, particularly for those new to the industry and wanting to get a deeper understanding of what it involved. If you are interested in putting somebody through the course, just flick me a message.
We delivered several webinars this month which were recorded and are available to view in the members section of our website. One was delivered by NZ Safety Blackwoods, a new NZSDA partner. This was a short but sweet ‘coffee break’ session covering the details of the new partnership and what the benefits are for NZSDA members.
We also delivered another of our HR webinar series on the topic of ‘Identifying Your Point of Difference.’ If you’ve watched this and have questions, get in touch and we can get Anna to contact you directly with any information.
This month we made visits to Ashburton, Timaru, Oamaru, Hamilton and Tokoroa to present certificates of recognition for 10+ years of membership to the following sign shops:
• Dean from Ireland Signs - 45 years
• Julia from NZ Sign Co - 29 years
• Johnny from All About Signs Timaru - 23 years
• Clinton from Red Star Signs - 18 years
• Ange & Ethan from Alexandra Images - 18 years
• Deane from Sign Magic Co - 17 years
• Ben from Timaru Signs & Graphix - 13 years
• Mark from 1st Impression Signs - 11 years
Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nōna te ngahere. Ko te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga, nōna te ao.
The bird that partakes of the miro berry, theirs is the forest. The bird that partakes of knowledge, theirs is the world.
Ngā mihi maioha.
Looking at NZSDA meetings and next year’s conference.
As the year marches on, and the shortest day has been and gone, I would like to think that we are coming into the busiest time of the year, September, October, November and December.
These four months are vitally important to ensure we get through the disruptions to workflow that Christmas, Auckland Anniversary, Wellington Anniversary and Waitangi Day create early in the new year. Plus, the long sunny days make it hard sometimes to be in the office.
I hope the next four months sees an increase in workload for everyone out there all-around New Zealand.
I managed to sneak across to Brisbane to the Visual Impact sign show recently and got to spend a day walking around the show. I thought the show was great this year.
At Visual Impact Brisbane 2024, I got to construct a fabricated letter, which I hadn’t done in a while. I also attended a great and informative presentation from Jeremy Brew regarding some upcoming technology trends. Meeting suppliers and industry operators provided me with a chance to find out about other industry trends and insights. Some suppliers and operators had travelled over from New Zealand.
I wish that I had stayed for another night as the afternoon that I left there was a tour around SS Signs brand new sign shop, of which I have seen the photos and videos. The set up they have created just looks amazing, and I really wish that I had planned my trip a little bit better. I did however find a restaurant that offered 20 buffalo wings for $2 when you buy a beer, so that had lunch sorted.
Conference buzz
We have had a great time recently going over the Napier Conference. The feeling was that it was a great success. I just want to again say a huge thank you to our sponsors, Melissa and Mikayla, our organizers, and all the clever, creative people from our industry that turned up for the conference.
Thanks also to those that turned up for our awards dinner, and to our apprentices. I
feel fortunate that I had the chance to speak with every one of the apprentices either on the night or during the conference.
Looking ahead, I urge everyone to make plans now for the Nelson Conference next June for our association’s 60th Birthday party. It is going to be a fantastic event, and I would love to see as many people there as possible.
It was awesome to see such a great turnout for our Waikato regional meeting on July 25 in Hamilton. Everyone who attended enjoyed an outstanding night. Clinton Potter’s sign shop, Red Star Signs, hosted the event.
When we arrived at Red Star Signs, we were greeted with a clean and tidy sign shop, with some seats and lollies set up looking at a screen for the presentations. We enjoyed a wonderful and informative evening.
In addition, while in the Waikato, we managed to make it out to see a couple of sign shops that could not attend the evening This is a part of our regional visits meetings that I particularly enjoy.
I look forward to our upcoming regional meetings in Auckland in September and invite everyone to join us there.
Jonathan Bradley Salter from Speedy Signs Whangarei is the 2024 NZSDA Apprentice of the Year, recognising his excellence in workmanship and commitment in the sign making industry.
Jonathan discovered his practical and artistic mindset during high school, excelling in workshop and digital design classes. After working various odd jobs and traveling, he decided to pursue a signwriting career, securing an apprenticeship at Red Star Signs in Hamilton. During the first year of his apprenticeship, he won a Silver Medal award at the NZ Sign Display Awards of Excellence for his work, under the category Work by an Apprentice
While still in the final year of his apprenticeship, Jonathan returned to his hometown of Whangarei to settle down with his partner, Olivia, beginning working at Speedy Signs. Grateful for the support and knowledge he received from mentors along the way, he now takes pride in being a qualified sign writer and looks forward to the next stages of his career.
I caught up with Jonathan to find out more about his motivations, key experiences, and plans in the sign-making industry.
Mikayla Hopkins: What motivated you to apply for the Apprentice of the Year award?
Jonathan Salter: When I was a firstyear apprentice I attended a NZ Sign Display Awards evening, I saw a young fellow win the Apprentice of the Year and I thought, “I will have a go at that”. Life tends to go in different ways than you expect though. Four years had gone by, and I was living and working in a different city completing the last paper of my apprenticeship. It wasn’t much on my radar until Grant Alsop from Competenz gave me a bell and said he was recommending me to be a nominee for the Apprentice of the Year. I didn’t think I would get very far, but after some strong and positive support from people close to me, I decided I’d give it a crack.
MH: What was the experience like attending the NZ Sign Display
Awards evening and hearing your name announced as the winner?
JS: It was a complete surprise. Seeing my mug pop up on the screen was a shock. It was the cherry on top of an amazing and humbling night, spent with friends who have supported me throughout my career.
MH: What specific skills or projects do you think contributed most to your winning the award?
JS: I was very lucky to be mentored by many artistic, highly skilled signees. Clinton Potter and Jeff Harness to name a couple. They’ve shared their knowledge and taught me many aspects of signage that have helped me become a qualified sign writer. The piece that I am most proud of was my final apprenticeship project, the ‘Mothbar Light Box’. The process wasn’t perfect but after a couple of attempts, I built it exactly how I had imagined it.
MH: Where do you see your career going now that you’ve won the Apprentice of the Year award?
JS: Onwards and upwards. I still have much more to learn and contribute.
MH: What are your short-term goals and long-term aspirations in the sign writing industry?
JS: In the short term, to improve my skillset and focus on the old school skills of hand lettering. Long term, maybe one day invest in a shop or start one of my own and take on an apprentice, and even try for a Master Sign Maker Accreditation.
MH: Are there any specific projects or areas of expertise you are looking to focus on in the future?
JS: Heaps! To name a few: gilding, hand lettering, design, wrapping, LED lighting. I’m a bit of an artistic magpie. I love the shiny, flashy stuff.
MH: What advice would you give to other apprentices who are considering applying for similar awards?
JS: Go for it. Get stuck in. Be creative, express yourself and absorb as much as you can. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by. Take your best shot, you never know what may come of it.
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Eamar is a leading producer of customised PVC and polypropylene packaging and stationery products.
Awards and Editorial enquiries: Bruce Craig | bruce@newzealandprinter.co.nz | 021 631 559
Sponsorship and Advertising enquiries: Brian Moore | brian@newzealandprinter.co.nz | +61 410 578 876 newzealandprinter. co.nz
We have more than 30 years experience tailoring our products to the specific needs of our customers. Our skilled staff and 'can do' attitude mean you are limited only by your imagination.
If we do not already manufacture the product you seek, we will find a way to do so. With our sister company, Tabbing Services, we provide a complete solution for all your packaging and stationery requirements.
So come and see us first!
11b Culperry Rd, Glendene, Auckland 0602 Ph: 09 836 9069 www.eamar.co.nz
