Pride in Print Awards | GEON Print & Communication Solutions
“There are things about this book which are really cool. The front cover folds out to make eight pages and the folds have to be exact to make it work,” Pride in Print judge Damian Fleming says. “It is a pretty outrageous thing to attempt and get right. The attention to detail on the cover includes a matched image where the cover finishes just short of the fore-edge. The result is seamless. “Inside, there is a tip-in insert which has been printed to match the colour and position of the image on the page beneath. It was printed on different stock, on a different day from the magazine, yet it matches perfectly. This wasn’t some simple glossy advert, but a perforated and complete image match up. Then there was the binding which has been difficult in its own right, and that has succeeded.” The Urbis magazine caught the attention of everyone who looked at it, he says. “This has raised the bar in magazine print standards.” But the level of excellence is to be expected from Geon, who won the most awards of any one company nominated across all categories with all four of the company’s New Zealand regions — Auckland, Central, Wellington and South Island — contributing to the haul. The flagship site in New Zealand, Geon Highbrook is a purpose-built 11,000sqm state-of-the-art facility, just 15 minutes from the CBD and airport. Operating since January 2008, this is the largest sheet-fed printing operation in New Zealand. Geon Auckland was responsible for some innovative entries in the awards, including a 10lt Solagard Range bucket for Wattyl which won the Industry Development Category. The paint pail has its label moulded into the product as it is produced, making it part of the plastic construction instead of being attached afterwards. The in-mould label arose from a request by the customer to provide a new label solution, giving rise to an 18-month programme of research and development,
Hostmann-Steinberg NZ Ltd would like to congratulate GEON Print & Communication Solutions for their success at the 2011 Pride In Print Awards. WE ARE PROUD TO BE ONE OF THEIR PREFERRED SUPPLIERS.
(09) 528 0627 (09) 528 0642 www.hostmann-steinberg-ausnz.net tel.
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GEON executive general manager for New Zealand, Andrew Durrans celebrates on the night (above) and with Parul Sheopuri, Urbis publisher (left), on winning the Pride in Print supreme award.
with the printer partnering with an end manufacturer to trial the print and a production mould. Geon trialled various substrates, inks, fountain solutions and coating formulas and moulds, sourcing products worldwide to get the best combination with the printed material. Pride in Print judge and chairman Scott Porter sees in-mould labelling as an increasing area of industry development. “This involves placing the label in the mould and then creating the product around it. They have gone to a lot of effort to source the right materials that will stand up to extreme conditions that the label is exposed to during the moulding process. “Their efforts have produced a product that has integrity and will last a long time showing no deterioration. It also shows a willingness to develop new streams for a technology that has previously been applied to smaller products like tubs and pottles. “That represents a challenge to traditional printed labels that are applied by glue. Now, this is a commercial product in the marketplace. The industry is showing it can develop new challenges,” Porter says. Executive general manager for Geon’s New Zealand operations Andrew Durrans says the awards were well earned. “The results were a real thrill and a very strong recognition of our commitment to quality.” It’s an apt summation; the awards are evaluated on “technical excellence in all facets of the production process.” Accepting the award, Durrans described the moment as a “huge recognition” of the expertise of his staff. “What the judges said is the bar is getting lifted and the quality is getting better each year and I knew our team had lifted the bar.” One of a number of magazines Geon prints on a monthly basis, with tight timelines, the Urbis publication is just one example of the quality printing customers have come to expect from Geon. “It has some inserts and crossovers involved with that overlay individual pages, so it is critical that you get the alignment right. It
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is a work of art from the front end pre-press to the final binding process,” he says. The magazine sector is a competitive one, but Geon competes well. “Our customers are demanding more from us. Particularly on front covers they are looking for special colours and the eye candy. “Urbis is a magazine that also sells over the counter so it is very important that you attract the people they’re targeting, which is the people who are looking for high-end fashion and quality; they need to see that in the product. The advertisers in that magazine are the higher-end brands. It is important that they are aligned to a high-end product. “As a leading print and communications business, we clearly have a responsibility to
the industry and we see our commitment to these awards as part of that. The awards allow us to be judged against our competitors. You get recognition from the wider industry and our customers and staff get a huge buzz from the jobs that win awards. “I would like to thank our staff throughout the country for the huge part they played in Geon’s success,” Durrans concludes. GEON Print & Communication Solutions 107 Kerwyn Avenue Highbrook East Tamaki Auckland T 0800 436 647 www.geongroup.com — Advertising Feature