New Zealand Printer May 2020

25 FEB – 3 MAR 2021

New Zealand Printer

PROCESSING & PACKAGING

May 2020

interpack

PrintNZ Covid-19 Survey Pride In Print judging The Printing Museum Online Printing expands

For further information and assistance with travel and accommodation planning Robert Laing_Messe Reps Tel. + 64 9 5219 200_ robert@messereps.co.nz Tel. + 61 427 353536 _ robert@messereps.com www.messereps.co.nz_www.messereps.com

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May 2020 Features p8-47

8 Real Media Collective: Kellie Northwood says that our industry will endure through the pandemic but don’t forget to ask for support 14-15 Pride In Print: Judges for this year’s awards say entries have risen to a new level of quality, making their job even harder.

18-19 Cyber: A passion for printing drives Cyber to succeed in an ever changing industry. We talk to Mr Herbert Cheong and his son Bernard 20-21 Covid-19 Recovery: Benefitz founder Aidan Bennett has practical ideas to help during this pandemic

CONTENTS 42-45 Online printing: Lorenzo Villa says that, between global trends and local patterns, online printing offers growth 46-47 drupa: Print legend Frank Romano unpacks the results of this year’s WhatTheyThink.com US print industry survey PrintNZ p12-15 & 16-17

Ruth Cobb faces the reality of life after lockdown. Iain MacIntyre finds out how two leading print companies have dealt with Covid-19. PrintNZ has also completed a survey on how members have fared so far under Levels Three and Four Wide Format Plus p35-39

22 Judges pics: We see some of our Pride In Print judges as they wrestle with the entries for the competition

36-38 WF News: Postponements, new wraps and an award for sustainability feature in the latest news

24 Fellman: Resident sales expert Dave Fellman says many lessons learned from cooking can apply to print production

37 NZSDA: Melissa Coutts says, with a recession looming, signage companies have an opportunity to grow their business

Advertiser’s index

Aarque 9 APM 9 Currie Group 9 Cyber OBC Eamar Plastics 50 Sprinter IFC Graphic Lamination & Coating 5 Graphic Machinery NZ Ltd 9 Inline Graphics Limited 50 interpack OFC NZSDA 39 Pride In Print IBC PrintNZ 23 VPR 50 Wholesale Print 29

25-28 Heidelberg: Printers can now gain a competitive advantage through digitisation, automation and connectivity 30-33: Printing Museum: Keeping our rich heritage of print history alive, The Print Museum has also provided its secretary Dan Tait-Jamieson with a fascinating journey through print 34 Safety first: The New Zealand Institute of Safety Management says need to keep their focus on known health and safety risks as well as Covid-19 40 Printerverse: If the quickest path through a jungle is behind an elephant, by comparison the quickest path to business reinvention is a global pandemic 41 drupa reset: A feeling of deja vu hits the industry as it prepares again for the giant trade show, now less than a year away

NEW ZEALAND PRINTER PO Box 32-395, Devonport, Auckland 0744 EDITORIAL: 021 631 559 Bruce Craig, Editor: bruce@newzealandprinter.co.nz CONTRIBUTORS: Aidan Bennett, Ruth Cobb, Deb Corn, Melissa Coutts, Dave Fellman, Iain MacIntyre, Kellie Northwood, Frank Romano, Dan Tait-Jamieson, Lorenzo Villa CIRCULATION: subscriptions@intermedia.com.au

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p19 Supporting the industry’s ever changing requirements is one of the pillars of Cyber

ISSN 1171 7912

DISPLAY ADVERTISING SALES & SERVICE: Brian Moore – brian@newzealandprinter.co.nz +61 410 578 876 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING: Brian Moore – brian@newzealandprinter.co.nz DESIGN & PRODUCTION: Carrie Tong – carrie@i-grafix.com

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Printer Media Group New Zealand: New Zealand Printer, ProPack.pro 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 2020: Contents of this magazine are subject to copyright and cannot be reproduced without written permission of the publisher.

May 2020

3

NEWS

Iridesse achieves ideal deinkability score

IN BRIEF NIPPON PAPER has received approval from Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board to go ahead with the acquisition of Orora’s Australasian Fibre Business.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) gave the deal a green light last month and said Nippon Paper’s subsidiary Australian Paper would become vertically integrated with one of its major customers (Orora’s fibre business). Last year, Orora agreed to sell its Australasian Fibre Business for A$1.72bn ($1.8bn).

XEIKON has announced new dry toner technology, Sirius, which it will use in its latest Xeikon SX30000 digital press and its new Xeikon CX300 digital label press. For the Sirius toner, Xeikon has changed its production parameters and has improved the charging kinetics properties by adapting the outer shell of the toner to cope with a higher engine speed.

Xeikon says its new developer unit ensures image quality for high coverage applications. The Xeikon SX30000 press offers a printing width of 508mm on a range of substrates at 30mpm.

SHOW ORGANISER INFORMA has announced that ProPak Asia 2020 will take place from October 20-23 at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre in Thailand. Originally slated for June, the biggest processing and packaging trade exhibition in Asia postponed due to Covid-19. The show will feature 65,000 square metres in nine halls, with more than 2300 exhibiting companies from 50 countries. Informa says, “We believe these new dates will allow more time for normality and confidence to return to the marketplace, ease travel restrictions, and provide better, all round conditions for exhibitors and visitors to engage.”

Ingede, the international association of the deinking industry has given the Fuji Xerox Iridesse digital production press a deinkability score of 100/100 for CMYK as well as gold, silver, clear and white.

This makes deinkability, a key part of the recycling process, possible for all the Iridesse’s coloured and metallic dry inks. Fuji Xerox says this makes the Iridesse the ideal press for sustainability-minded printers that do not want a large quantity of their output one day contributing to landfill.

Ingede says that paper recycling saves energy and saves water, which together with a reduction in the requirement for new resources, lowers the environmental impact of using paper.

Deinking and recycling provide the industry with raw fibres for reprinting,

Deinkability makes it greener: The Fuji Xerox Iridesse has added to its sustainability credentials forming a key part of efforts to improve the industry’s sustainability and to reduce its carbon footprint objectives.

The European Paper Recycling Council uses the ‘deinkability score’ to assess the recyclability of a printed product. To produce a bright pulp suitable for reuse in a wide range of recycled paper and board, deinkability is tested using Ingede Method 11, the results of which form the score.

Deinkability Scores cover five parameters: luminosity, colour, cleanliness, ink elimination and filtrate darkening. The pulp quality needs to reach a standard high enough to make recycled products of a similar quality to the original ones. So, if you can de-ink well, you can recycle into high-grade products.

A high deinkability rating delivers a bright pulp suitable for reuse in a range of recycled paper and board.

Bauer buys Pacific and closes titles Bauer Media has completed its A$40m ($42.4m) purchase of magazine publisher Pacific Magazines from Seven West Media just two days after announcing it would make 70 Australian staff redundant, following a sharp reduction in advertising revenues attributed to the Covid-19 crisis.

The Pacific Magazines deal comes after Seven West Media instituted court proceedings to force Bauer to complete the transaction.

Brendon Hill, chief executive at Bauer, said, “We are extremely pleased to complete the purchase of Pacific Magazines. It will drive the consolidation publishing needs right now to be competitive at what is a very challenging time for our industry. We welcome the Pacific staff to the Bauer Group and look forward to working with them.

However, Bauer Media has now suspended the publication of several titles, saying the impact of

Covid-19 in Australia and the correlated decrease in advertising revenue left it with no other choice. Titles affected will maintain a digital presence and print publication will resume once the trading environment improves.

All of this also follows the company’s decision to shut its New Zealand operation, which published titles including the Listener, Woman’s Day, New Zealand Woman’s Weekly, North and South and Next.

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May 2020

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NEWS

ABG to provide HP Indigo V12 finishing AB Graphic International will provide Digicon Automation modules to deliver high-speed finishing in both nearline or inline configurations for the new high speed HP Indigo V12 Digital Press.

Currie Group supplies HP Indigo and AB Graphic International in New Zealand.

Under development especially for the newly announced HP Indigo V12 Digital Press, the new AB Graphic (ABG) Digicon Series 3 modules will focus on automation. This will enable continuous production, whilst promoting quality and efficiency.

The first HP Indigo based on next-gen LEPx architecture, the HP Indigo V12 Digital Press for labels prints as fast as analogue.

It prints up to six colours at 120 linear metres per minute using six inline imaging engines running simultaneously. It can produce up to 130,000 linear metres per day with one operator. A new high definition imaging a system on press provides 1600dpi resolution.

Fast: The HP Indigo V12 Digital Press boasts high quality at analogue speed It also offers up to 12 colours on press with the ability to change inks on the fly and create any combination of colours. The press prints on a range of substrates, from 12 micron film to 450 micron (18pt) board. It supports pressuresensitive, sleeves, flexible packaging, tubes, IMLs and more.

The HP Indigo V12 Digital Press is scheduled for release in two years’ time. Mark Daws, director Labels and Packaging at Currie Group, is excited AB Graphic International will provide the finishing for the HP Indigo V12. He says, “ABG has once again set the benchmark in advanced

Intermedia Group launches virtual events service The Intermedia Group, which owns New Zealand Printer publisher Printer Media Group, has launched a virtual events solution to give companies a platform to show their latest products and services.

The launch of The Intermedia Group’s Virtual Events comes as trade shows and other forums to show new technology to customers have been cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Virtual Events offers businesses opportunities to digitally deliver virtual events, webinars and product launches through The Intermedia Group’s proven distribution channels.

The virtual event platform can deliver live newzealandprinter.co.nz

and recorded content to audiences directly to help brands boost their engagement, awareness and lead generation by live stream or long-term hosting.

The virtual events can be delivered in a variety of formats including from inside a studio or remotely.

The Intermedia Group managing director Simon Grover says, “As a B2B media company, we’re in the business of connecting brands with their customers – so we’re very excited to be launching Virtual Events, which provides our clients with dynamic new marketing opportunities and makes events accessible to everyone, irrespective of geography or social distancing rules.”

digital finishing technology, focusing on more automation, better efficiency and higher production output streams.

“Designed to handle even the highest production speeds offered by the new HP Indigo V12 digital label press, it can run inline or offline to the HP Indigo press platforms. The new automation in the Digicon S3 modules will offer faster turnaround capability, enhanced productivity, and ultimately, better profitability.”

IN BRIEF FOG Software Group has acquired Optitex, a global provider of integrated 2D and 3D CAD/CAM software solutions for the fashion and apparel, automotive, upholstery, and industrial fabrics industries.

Optitex says it will operate as an independent company within FOG, using its historic Optitex name and brand, allowing the company the strategic and operational freedom to focus on the specific needs of its users. Optitex will continue to innovate its products, expand its suite of software solutions and services, and directly support its customers worldwide.

KODAK says demand has increased for its Sonora processless plates, despite reporting sales for the latest quarter being down by US$24m. Kodak says that it will release new Sonora products next month. It had intended to release these products at drupa in April and will not wait until the next drupa to unveil them.

Like other companies, Kodak attributes its fall in revenue to the Covid-19 global pandemic.

The company has produced isopropyl alcohol for hand sanitiser and manufactured face masks.

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May 2020

5

NEWS

Fuzed makes contact Award-winning company Fuzed has set up a contact tracing system in response to Covid-19.

Tegan Mills, general manager at Fuzed, says, “Fuzed is all about thinking outside the box and a global pandemic is definitely one of those times where constricted thinking just isn’t going to work.

“We are all struggling to get back on our feet and we are very conscious of the fact that those within our geographical community as well as our print community need a hand.”

She says the initiative came about as the company looked at ways it could operate more smoothly in Level Two. She adds, “At first, we intended to set up a contact

Koenig & Bauer takes virus hit Koenig & Bauer’s first quarter results have suffered from Covid-19’s impact.

The company achieved a group order intake of €271.5m ($491m) in the first quarter of 2020; a group revenue 25.3 per cent lower than in the prior year; and an EBIT loss of €34.9m.

According to the company, restrictions in travelling had a significant impact on order and project processing for the delivery, assembly and installation of machines for its international customers.

First contact: Fuzed has thought outside the box with its contact tracing system

tracing system to make it easier on ourselves at our own premises, but then we thought, why not improve on it, make it pretty and offer this for anyone who needs it.

“From conception to launch, and with a couple of long days and nights, it took about five days to complete.

We have had a great response from this initiative so far.”

The company is pleased that the simple to use system has received positive feedback from users and is keen to take it further. She says, “We would also like to point out that if any of our fellow print companies would like to jump on this, we’d be happy to send them a PDF that they can print themselves.”

SGIA and PIA unite American print associations the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA) and Printing Industries of America (PIA) have merged to form a company called the Printing United Alliance.

Ford Bowers, its new president and chief executive officer, says, “Printing United Alliance reflects the invaluable partnerships and industry convergence that has evolved over time.

“The organisation name seemed an obvious choice

to many as our North Star points to the industry continuing to come together and strengthening to ensure future growth and longevity.”

Scott Crosby, chairman of the Board and Transcontinental PLM Vice president of sales and marketing, says, “In this time of consolidation, printer members and the supplier community at large are looking for a unified solution to the challenges they face in this era of rapid change.

“The new Association will become the place to find answers for everything related to printing. It is a great honour and privilege for me to serve the industry as we look forward to a new beginning.”

Paul Cousineau, vice chair, says, “The industry is going through great change right now, so the timing for these two like-minded organisations to come together dovetails nicely. I am honoured to be a part of something so significant and impactful.”

Heidelberg expands subscription model Heidelberg has expanded its data-based contract business.

The company has placed greater emphasis on its partnership based approach, meaning that the new options support the Smart Print Shop concept developed by Heidelberg to boost the overall efficiency of print shops. Its Print Site Contracts provide a 6

May 2020

variable combination of consumables, services, software, performance consulting, training, and equipment solutions in a single package.

Garo Derderian, head of lifecycle business at Heidelberg, says.

“Heidelberg is helping to improve the print shop production process with our new range of partnership-

based Print Site Contracts, leaving customers to focus more on their market, and on developing service and product innovations.

“Perfect interaction of the various components is the only way of optimising the production process.

The extensive wealth of data obtained via the link to machines in the service environment, which

Heidelberg makes a point of utilising for the new contracts, plays a key role in this regard.”

David Schmedding, in charge of the new business models at Heidelberg, says, “The contracts’ focus on optimising Heidelberg products during the operating phase has now become a vital focal point of the company’s strategy.” newzealandprinter.co.nz

NEWS

HP partners for virus protection HP New Zealand has announced a collaboration with ShieldsUp, a not for profit community organisation producing plastic face shields for healthcare workers fighting Covid-19.

HP has mobilised its partners, Emirates Team New Zealand, and Rodin Cars, to boost the ShieldsUp network by offering their HP 3D printers to print components for the shields, accelerating the existing production levels of the ShieldsUp community.

Oliver Hill, HP New Zealand’s country manager says, “Our partners Emirates Team New

Protection: HP and ShieldsUp have banded together to help healthcare professionals Zealand and Rodin Cars have generously agreed to work alongside HP to

support ShieldsUp. We have committed to getting more face shields into the hands

of New Zealand healthcare workers more quickly.”

Since launching in late March, ShieldsUp has received more than 16,000 requests for face shields from healthcare workers across New Zealand and that number continues to grow daily.

Matt Carter, ShieldsUp medical consultant says, “With HP and its partners working alongside our 500 strong volunteer community, we have been able to significantly increase our daily production and achieve our objective of delivering critical protection to our frontline medical and emergency workers.”

Ink safe for food packaging

Cito deal puts Bobst in the box seat

Domino Digital Printing Solutions has launched UV97BK, a new food packaging compliant UVcurable black ink available for use with the company’s K600i high resolution digital ink jet printer.

Domino says that, under the right conditions, UV97BK is migration compliant. Jim Orford, K-Series product manager at Domino, says, “UV97BK clearly demonstrates our ability to provide customers with a reliable, robust and compliant black ink for non-direct food packaging applications across multiple sectors.”

Bobst has acquired a majority participation of 51 per cent in Cito System, which provides components for the converting and diemaking industries.

Cito has expertise in paper, cardboard, and corrugated board.

Julien Laran, head of Bobst’s Business Unit Services, says, “Bobst recognises the strategic role played by tooling.

Our partnership with Cito System will optimise the entire packaging chain in terms of innovation and standardisation.

“Together, we can help optimising and

transforming a very fragmented industry, ensuring that die-makers can manufacture and distribute the best possible tooling for an agile packaging production which provides converters with a significant competitive advantage.”

Jürgen Mariën, managing director of Cito System, says, “Production performance and quality is made by high tech machines in combination with perfect tools and processes.

“Now Bobst and Cito System, leading suppliers in the packaging and tooling industries, are working

hand in hand. Combining the two companies’ innovation expertise we can improve performance and quality for the benefit of our customers.”

Raphaël Indermühle, head of sales and marketing of Bobst’s Business Unit Services, says, “The partnership with Cito System is a new and crucial piece of the puzzle.

While we have significant expertise in tooling, we want our partners to faster develop and promote diemaking components in the market.

Pack and Print supplies Bobst in New Zealand.

Xerox claims virus killed its acquisition bid Xerox has confirmed it will withdraw its tender offer to acquire HP and will no longer seek to nominate any candidates to HP’s board of directors.

In a statement, the company claims the current global health crisis and resulting macroeconomic and market turmoil caused

by Covid-19 have created an environment not conducive to Xerox continuing to pursue an acquisition of HP. Its statement says: “While newzealandprinter.co.nz

it is disappointing to take this step, we are prioritising the health, safety and wellbeing of our employees, customers, partners and other stakeholders.”

This move came only days after HP issued a letter of its own to its shareholders, penned by HP chief executive Enrique Lores and HP board of directors chair Chip Bergh.

The HP letter says: “We are committed to doing everything we can to

support those in need and respond to the challenges at hand.

“This pandemic is still unfolding, and it will impact people, the economy and business activities for months, if not longer.

“Our primary responsibility in this difficult period is to focus on HP’s business and address the needs of our ecosystem of stakeholders around the world, including our shareholders, our millions

of customers, our 250,000 partners, and our team of approximately 55,000 employees.

“We are actively managing many challenges, including assuring the health and safety of our people, addressing supply chain disruptions, monitoring and addressing our customers’ liquidity needs and, more broadly, ensuring HP is well positioned to support people working remotely.”

May 2020

7

REAL MEDIA COLLECTIVE

Knowing what support is available is critical in unprecedented times The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown the world into chaos.

It can be tough for a business owner to work out how to navigate this terrain. The Real Media Collective business checklist may help but most of all stay safe

KELLIE NORTHWOOD

T

he past weeks have had significant impact on our lives, livelihoods, mental and physical health and it is difficult to not feel overwhelmed. I have felt overwhelmed. I have been frustrated, angry, fearful, confused and sleepless. I have needed to lean on family, friends and most inspiring, on you. We are a wonderful community and most of us have been a part of it for decades. If you are feeling overwhelmed reach out, share the load. It is important.

I have had many conversations where I’ve had nothing to do but listen and understand and others where I have been listened to as, I too, release the pressure valve. We all care deeply. We want this to change for our businesses and for the industry more broadly.

Each and every conversation starts with a genuine ‘How are you going today?’ and ends with a ‘Take care, keep well’.

This has filled me with a sense of pride for the fight in us all. I’ve had the opportunity to work on some solid pieces of intelligent, positive and future focused plans to present to government, industry partners and customers – there is a genuine sense of ‘we are in this together’.

The times are difficult, they are overwhelming, however there is a humanity amongst us that keeps us strong. I thank you all for that.

The announcement of the economic response from the government is just one part of the situation. There is plethora of information to work through but it is important to know that you are not on your own and you have access to many services that will help you survive the impact of Covid-19.

It is equally important that you

Together: Our industry will endure so keep your team culture strong and share the burden

are all well-armed, without being inundated with changing information. Understanding how the various packages can provide relief for your staff, households and businesses to ensure our resilience is vital.

We have produced a reference guide with detailed information regarding the various measures for you to access. You can access it here: https://www. therealmediacollective.com.au/ covid-19/.

It is important to know this information is not provided as advice and all members, and non-members, are urged to seek independent expert advice from a chartered accountant, financial adviser, your banking partner or government department to ensure full relevance to your specific needs.

This is a fluid situation with economic stimulus, restrictions and more being reviewed regularly. We are working to keep our members and the industry updated and informed during this difficult time.

We will get through this.

Our industry will endure and we are here to support you.

Do not hesitate to reach out to either myself, the board or our Collective team with anything you feel we can assist you with.

Most importantly, do not be complacent, keep healthy and be kind to yourselves. The rest we will rebuild together.

Your Business Checklist Review staffing levels and make sure you are not overstaffed.

• If you have under-performing staff now is the time to let them go. The reason the government has announced so many initiatives is because they want you to keep as many staff employed as possible. It takes time and investment to build a good team and culture so try to prevent disrupting that by letting go of employees too quickly.

• Communicate early and communicate often. Your staff will be facing the same fears you are in the current climate so try to help them through.

• Where possible, try to hold on to as many 8

May 2020

people as possible and split the burden, e.g. consider reducing wages.

Contact your landlord and try and negotiate a rent-free period or a period of reduced rent.

• Ensure the landlord is aware of any government support or any bank support in terms of freezing loans so they can contact the bank and possibbly freeze the loan for a period, so they are not feeling the pain also.

• Keep aside any rent saving here that you can avoid spending. Once you have moved into a more secure position, you can make

the additional rent repayments back to the landlord.

• Each landlord will have a different situation so you will need to work to their individual circumstances to get a result that works for both of you.

Understand the economic stimulus that has been announced by government.

Create a marketing plan for the next six months and execute it.

• While everyone in your industry is on the defence, you have an opportunity to get on the offence and try to win market share during these challenging times. newzealandprinter.co.nz

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Print Service & Supply Businesses - Stay in Front Stay in front of your prospects, New Zealand Printer readers, with an ad in the New Zealand Printer Directory. Pay just $150 ex gst a month over 11 issues and get noticed by the people who need your goods or services. The Directory is published monthly near the Print Calendar at the end of the NZP news section.

Contact Brian Moore on +61 410 578 876 or email brian@newzealandprinter.co.nz for details

PRINT CALENDAR Print, Sign, Display & Graphics Virtual Trade Show May 31, 2020 to September 30, 2020 Online 24/7 Expect to see product demonstration videos, virtual tours, sales presentations, downloadable brochures, product photo galleries, website links and show specials, accessed by clicking dedicated links on a virtual stand.

www.visualconnections.org.au

CNA Conference & Awards Postponed from May, 2020 - date to be announced Crown Plaza Hotel, Auckland The Community Newspaper Association Conference and Awards provide a platform for independent owners of community newspapers to learn, network and celebrate. CNA represents local papers and protects the integrity of hyper-local news.

www.cna.org.nz

Pride In Print Awards Postponed from May, 2020 - date to be announced Vodafone Events Centre, Auckland Judges managed to finish their duties before the national lockdown. However, industry members will have to wait until organisers find a way to celebrate the best of the best in New Zealand’s printed visual communication.

www.prideinprintawards.co.nz newzealandprinter.co.nz

Labelexpo Americas

Interpack 2020

September 13-17, 2020 Rosemont, USA America’s largest label show includes multisubstrate presses, digital presses, laser die cutting, prepress and plate making, decoration systems, multi-process ink systems, high technology label materials, films, sleeves and wraps.

Feb 25 - Mar 3, 2021 Düsseldorf, Germany Considered the largest event in the packaging industry, Interpack specialises on the packaging process within the food, beverage, confectionery, bakery, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, non-food and industrial goods sectors.

www.labelexpoamericas.com

www.interpack.com

Fespa Global Expo

drupa 2020

October 6-10, 2020 Madrid, Spain Organisers of the big European show believe they can host it in October, alongside the European Sign Expo and Sportswear Pro exhibitions.

Postponed from June, 2020 to April 20-30, 2021 Düsseldorf, Germany The world’s leading trade fair for printing technologies has changed the expo landscape with its decision to move the show to 2021, meaning other shows such as the Melbourne’s PacPrint will also have to move.

www.fespa.com

ProPak Asia October 20-23, 2020 BITEC, Bangkok Originally slated for June, the biggest processing and packaging trade exhibition in Asia postponed due to Covid-19. The show will feature 65,000 square metres in nine halls, with more than 2300 exhibiting companies from 50 countries.

www.propakasia.com

www.drupa.com

NZSDA Conference and Sign Expo July 8-10, 2021 Auckland The now postponed conference, awards, and Sign Expo will still feature everything that would have happened this year. The awards event acknowledges outstanding design and craftsmanship across a range of signmaking methods.

www.nzsda.org.nz May 2020

9

helping hand

Perspectives differ on

Getting everyone back to work is the quickest way we can the economy moving again

B

usinesses within New Zealand’s print sector, and indeed within most every industry in the country, have experienced a wide range of impacts as they have navigated through Covid-19 to date.

In this article, we convey the contrasting experiences of two well-established print firms, as their seasoned managers offer personal insight as to circumstances encountered, decisions made and predictions on and what may lie ahead.

Benefitz Benefitz founder and managing director Aidan Bennett describes his business as “one of New Zealand’s most diverse companies in the print space”.

Originating in the creative sector in the late 1980s, it has since successfully evolved to encompass graphic design, print offset, digital and largeformat, finishing, publishing as well as the particularly-growing area of signage.

10

May 2020

IAIN MACINTYRE

Companies have experienced Covid-19 in different ways

However, he says unlike many challenges the business has been able to react and adjust to over those years, the sudden onset of lockdown has hit hard. He estimates Benefitz was initially reduced to just five per cent of previous volume in the Level Four lockdown period with a handful of essential services clients. It subsequently climbed to about 50 per cent at Level Three, with predictions that Level Two may bring a return to 60 to 70 per cent.

“We have been very proactive with marketing for Covid-19 items and all of the stuff our customers needed to set up for Level Three and now for Level Two. I think we might get back to 80 to 90 per cent but our guestimate is that it may take until September.”

In terms of endeavours to best mitigate financial impacts, Bennett says the business moved just prior to lockdown to release 10 of its initially 80 person workforce. These were essentially casual staff and those who had another income to support them.

He says, “All of the staff we kept were on 80 per cent pay during the initial lockdown.

Since we’ve been on Level Three, we’ve essentially had people on around 60 per cent.”

In addition to those wage bill reductions, the business has worked to lighten other fixed overheads as best as possible.

This has included negotiating over existing supplier agreements and equipment maintenance contracts; many being “either put aside or deferred”, as well as on rents across the firm’s three sites, where an about 50 per cent reduction has been achieved.

He says, “We approached them to provide some assistance, essentially getting all of that cost out of the business for those three months. We are quite fortunate that we don’t have a lot of debt.”

Grateful for the government’s initial wage subsidy package, Bennett, who offers more on page 20, welcomes the Budget announcement of a targeted extension to the scheme and other business support as vital. newzealandprinter.co.nz

helping hand

navigating Covid-19 He says, “In a normal cycle, if the economy starts to turn, you’ve got time to adjust to that.

Over a few months, you can reduce your costs and trade on. With this one, where the government basically closes you overnight, you just can’t react to that.

“The government giving that wage subsidy for three months was brilliant. Had they then dropped all businesses like ours on June 17, I reckon that would have been disastrous.

“I think there is that amount of damage that if our business was operating at 60 to 70 per cent without that continued support, we would have needed to make some structural change, which would have involved further reducing our head count.

“The government’s extension gives us an opportunity to return to sales levels which may mean we can keep our entire team. It is for the good of our business and for the good of the country if we are able to keep all of our people in jobs.”

Looking ahead, Bennett says although Covid-19 will be a “massive thing to get over”, he has confidence his firm and many others in the same predicament can eventually do so.

He cautions, “But business does need that support over a longer period because the downside for the country, if they don’t, is there will be much longer dole queues.

“It is also really about sensible business now, once we get back to somewhere near the new norm. But a lot of it we can’t control, that is the trouble.”

Gravure Packaging In a contrasting experience, Gravure Packaging managing director Greg Chapman says as an essential provider of flexible packaging, mostly for food and beverage and household FMCG type products, his firm has “continued to our fullest extent possible” during lockdown.

He says, “Some employees chose not to work and to selfnewzealandprinter.co.nz

Award winning: Gravure Packaging managing director Greg Chapman (r) shows local MP Chris Bishop one of the company’s World Label Awards.

isolate, especially the higher risk, aged or caring for aged persons, or for some underlying health reason.”

Needing “all hands on deck throughout”, Chapman says to ensure that minimal cross-shift contact was achieved, the firm’s two shift arrangements were adapted.

He explains, “If someone caught the bug, we could not afford to have it spread across both shifts. Most of our office staff worked from home and we used a shared calendar to book office times when needed.

“Our workload has been very high during this time, especially with products in the household disinfectant range and some food items. It would have been nice to add someone to our team but employing someone under such restrictive conditions was not really practical.”

In regard to what they have learned from maintaining operations productively during difficult lockdown conditions, Chapman says it has been notable that some staff found working from home very much suited them, whereas others did not.

He says, “Many people commented on how much they

enjoyed fewer interruptions in their working day. Both office and production reported fewer interruptions equalled better productivity.

“A valuable lesson for us: keep people (staff and visitors) out of our factory and let them get on with producing stuff. We have rediscovered that when people are busy and focused on their work, they are happier and more productive.

“The old habits that have been created over time to increase social interaction, such as water coolers, kitchen chats and coffees etc, have proven to be harmful to productivity and [even] mental wellbeing.”

Although not specifically relevant to his company, Chapman welcomes the government’s Budget announcement of a targeted extension to the Wage Subsidy Scheme and other business support. He says, “A helping hand is needed to restart the economy. Many companies who were closed down during the lockdown laid off people and those dollars are no longer circulating in our economy.

“We have saved lives by being tough on the isolation Continued on page 12 May 2020

11

helping hand Continued from page 11

Aidan Bennett, founder and managing director of Benefitz

thing and ringfencing the virus. Now it’s time to save livelihoods and get those people badly affected back to work and feeling good about being at work.”

Looking ahead, Chapman says Gravure has a lot of work planned for the coming months.

He says, “We expect to fill a couple of positions that have been vacant throughout this period.”

He encourages companies who have been able to continue and evolve their operation during the pandemic to “really look at how to hold on to some of the productivity gains that have been, or can be, realised over the next couple of months”.

He advises, “Look carefully at some people working from home more often.”

For those print firms severely affected by lockdown, he says it would be beneficial to spend time with accountants, particularly given the financial support options being provided by government.

Gravure Packaging has won numerous accolades, including World Label Awards, for its printed products and its innovation. The company has used its out of the box thinking to respond to Covid-19. Chapman adds that all companies can take lessons from this period and include them in future business continuation plans (BCPs).

He says, “Most BCPs focus on natural disasters and not much time is spent on social media sabotage or political policy. It’s a good idea to revisit our BCPs to make sure that all sorts of what-if scenarios have been considered.”

Perspective from PrintNZ PrintNZ chief executive Ruth Cobb says the contrasting stories of these businesses highlight the breadth and depth of the print industry, its vital role in the infrastructure of New Zealand’s economy and its fragility when that economy is threatened.

She says, “On the positive side, there are the essential businesses that cannot survive without print to get their products out. Food, beverage and household-related packaging has been the best

example of this during the lockdown phase.

“For printers in this sector, it has appeared to be business as usual, although not without having to make some rapid adjustments to be able to do so. If print had not been able to operate during this time, the downstream effects would have been felt by the whole country, and there would have been a lot more to worry about than a shortage of flour and toilet paper.

“Of course, there is a flipside.

Print is a part of every industry such as tourism, events, retail and hospitality; the list is endless. But when these sectors, come to an abrupt halt, so too does the print work those businesses purchase. That has a crippling effect on our industry at the other end of the scale.

“And in the case of Covid-19, unfortunately that scale has been far from balanced. Our recent survey reflecting that during the month of April the average level of print industry activity was just 28 per cent.”

Cobb notes that as the country moved into Level Three and now into Level Two where many more businesses can open, the flow of print has started again. She says, “But it is only a trickle at this time.

We hope that the tap will open a little more over the coming weeks and months and that our industry bounces forward.

She concludes, “We are essential, we are resilient, and we are innovative.”

Handling the pandemic – could we have unlocked sooner?

During the Level Four lockdown, New Zealanders not fully employed kept themselves busy with a range of distractions, from placing stuffed toys in their windows to making their own sour dough loaves. However, as the country gets back to business and puts the toys away, we take time to consider how the government has dealt with Covid-19.

A largely positive rating has been given to the government for its handling of the pandemic by our two print manager interviewees and others consulted, although with one questioning if lockdown measures could have been eased sooner.

Greg Chapman believes the government played a “prompt and strong hand” in its response.

He says, “The results have been good so far, they’ve done a good job and should be commended. I think they deserve an eight or nine out of ten for their approach so far.

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May 2020

Time to put the toys away, but should we have got back to work sooner?

“Time will tell just how deep the recession will be and for how long it will last. Their plan to stimulate the economy is underway and let’s hope it works as well as the lockdown did at strangling the virus.”

Aidan Bennett concurs that the government’s initial reaction was “good”. But he believes full lockdown should only have proceeded for the initially-prescribed period, followed by a transition of perhaps two days at Level Three and then fully into Level Two. He explains, “What they’ve done is drag it out another two weeks effectively and every one of those days has massively affected the economy, a lot more I reckon than they think it has.

“I think they got far too careful after everyone locked down; they needed to trust people more.

“We’ve got about four of our staff working from our offices and you can see them all keeping their distance, washing their hands; they understand what they need to do. That is what the government should have done, let them get back to work and do the things they were effectively doing during lockdown.” newzealandprinter.co.nz

Bursting our bubbles

I

have struggled with writing this article for over a week – trying to decide if I have an obligation to write something upbeat and positive, or do I tell it how it is for most of our industry.

I think, at the moment, it is important to understand the reality of the situation and, on pages 16 and 17, I have covered off the results of the snapshot survey carried out this week.

2020 will certainly be a year to remember; a watershed moment presenting us with the greatest of challenges, but also, we hope, with some incredible opportunities. Although at this point in time, they are difficult to see as we focus on getting through this crisis. There would be very few businesses, if any, that were prepared for a crisis the breadth and depth of Covid-19 and the consequential effects.

We have gone from watching something from afar and being concerned about the possible disruption to supplies of offshore products, to being micro-managed by the government and told what we are and are not allowed to do, from having effective efficient businesses to closed doors.

As a business, an industry, and a country, we have never seen disruption on this scale.

For print, disruption has usually taken the form of a change in technology with time to assess the change and absorb its impact, to make the choice to adapt or dig in your heels.

Not so with Covid-19. This is a disruption that has caused every business to deal with it right now and it is not about the technology at all. It is about the businesses and the people.

I have spoken to many business owners and managers over the past seven weeks and they are devastated about the effect this has had on the people they employ, from their inability to continue to pay full wages through to having to make people redundant to ensure the survival of the business.

This has been a challenge for them all, and there have been many sleepless nights as they try to navigate a never-before travelled path. newzealandprinter.co.nz

RUTH COBB

Ruth Cobb faces up to the reality of life after the lockdown

Pain: bursting our bubbles will almost certainly cause financial difficulty Few of the companies in our industry have a pot of reserves set aside for a rainy day, let alone a six to twelve month storm. The provision of the government wage subsidy so quickly was a welcome relief, but it has brought with it many problems of its own. The wage subsidy was announced when there was no indication of a shut-down in sight, and so it seemed like a commercial panacea, something that would help tide businesses through a downturn in work. But the wage subsidy also came with unclear and continuously changing rules of application; the misunderstanding of employees that the subsidy belongs to them; and more importantly, the impending end of access to it. What then?

Covid-19 and the lockdown will have a devastating effect on our economy. Many businesses will simply not survive it. And because print plays a significant role in the infrastructure of our economy, for every business that has been crushed by Covid, there is a flow on effect to print.

Will everyone in our industry survive. It is a sad fact that that is very unlikely.

PrintNZ has worked for the industry through lockdown, lobbying government across a wide range of issues, deciphering rules, providing guidelines and talking to individual members. As we move into the next stage, the

industry lobbying continues in the background and our services move to assisting businesses on an individual basis. We want to limit the casualties and are here to do what we can to help.

As we start the long climb back, perhaps the first opportunity that has presented itself is to step outside the boundaries to redefine the way we think about operations, productivity, and people management. We have all been forced to look at different ways to work, smarter ways to work and more flexible ways to work, and while these decisions have had to be made quickly, once refined they may result in a more productive organisation going forward.

These are extraordinary times that require thinking outside the square, looking at what our New Zealand businesses can turn their hand to and the new ideas that will be borne out of this crisis. Some of these ideas will come from others, but some will come from our industry too. I am sure there are already many of you working out how you can adapt your offering, work with your customers to create new products and thinking about where to from here.

Whatever happens, print will be there for all of it. As the economy creates a new normal, we will need to pivot and adapt but we will be there.

May 2020

13

PRIDE IN PRINT XXX

Entries reach new heights in this

Quality: Pride In Print entries are world class

B

oth the number and quality of entries into the 27th annual Pride In Print awards has risen again this year, according to the industry judges, who spent three days examining them in March.

Sue Archibald, manager Pride In Print Awards, says, the 703 entries received for this year’s awards, up from 660 last year, shows a big jump in interest.

The Labels category had the biggest rise from 90 entries in last year’s awards, to 162 this year, with a noticeable rise in quality as well. Calendar entries were also up. Early bird entries rose by 70 per cent, an indication of the importance of the industry awards to those participating.

Archibald says, “People took up the incentive to save their best work and enter them earlier, much more than they have in the past, with higher entry levels being submitted the opportunity to take advantage of the early entry reduced fees was fully utilised.”

She adds that the increased 14

May 2020

Quantity and quality receive a boost in our annual awards competition

level of participation clearly indicates the pride printers, and related trades, take in their work. It also indicates the high value placed on winning a Pride In Print award. She says, “Our industry is world class and these awards prove it.”

Announcing the winners The current situation, with the world reeling from the effects of covid-19, means that organisers will have to wait for a date to advise when and how to announce the 2020 Pride In Print awards winners.

The print industry, and related industries such as signage and packaging, form such an integral part of the economic mix that it comes as no surprise to see them highly impacted by the global pandemic. However, these industry sectors have overcome massive setbacks in the past.

Most agree that we can work together to survive Covid-19 and Pride In Print is there to support the industry in any way it can.

Archibald contends that the current industry challenges may see some new

opportunities for presenting the entries. She says, “Adversity often presents opportunity and this industry is most certainly one to embrace a challenge.

After all, is this not what the awards are all about?”

New categories The Pride In Print Awards created a new category this year, Structural Design, in an effort to separate Point Of Sale entries into flexible and structural, such as large display stands.

This new category has also attracted more entrants, who have contributed what judges describe as “some fabulous work”.

Judges across many of the categories say printers have lifted the bar higher and, while they can attribute some of the increase in quality to better machinery, many entries achieved outstanding quality due to the innovative use of different processes and attention to detail.

Some of the innovations included printing on difficult stocks; using several different embellishments on one piece newzealandprinter.co.nz

PRIDE IN PRINT

year’s Pride In Print Awards was so high compared to previous years that very few were able to be passed over.

“It makes the judging job so much harder as entrants continue to push the boundaries and present us with some outstanding results.”

Code for innovation

Pride In Print judge Somp Vanxnay checks out an entry of work; and careful planning and manipulation of images at the prepress stage. Some of the work would have had a zero tolerance for error.

Skills raise entry quality Across the board, entrants tried different ways to add value to the printed material.

Labels judge Tony Wheeler says judges have seen a big increase in the use of offset and a, “very high level of embellishment” from varnishes to foils, coatings, textures, embossing and even sculptured foil.

He says, “All the new investment here in machinery is helping to raise the benchmark.”

However, judges point out that skill still plays the major part in the quality of the work submitted. Work still has to reflect excellence from original design through to final execution. He adds, “In some of the work, the degree of difficulty was remarkably high; the embellishments just added to that. You still have to have perfect registration and good design at the start.” newzealandprinter.co.nz

Finishing judge Steve Watson says judges awarded entries a good number of gold medals, purely because of the quality.

He says, “There were some outstanding entries and some complicated ones. The standard

While the barcode quality remains high in all this year’s entries, GS1 New Zealand quality services manager Owen Dance hopes to see even more design innovation. Judges testing applicable entries with barcodes found all of them fit for purpose.

Dance says that, having achieved the necessary quality, entrants must now look for greater innovation. To get the word out, UCOL, the Universal College of Learning in Wellington, has run a design competition called Raising the Bar. Now in its third year, it offers a $2000 cash prize.

In this year’s Pride In Print Awards, the limited number of entries that carried barcodes all needed verification after testing as part of the awards judging criteria.

Pride In Print organisers continue working on strategies to move the awards forward.

New Zealand Printer will keep the industry posted through the magazine and our website.

Boundaries: Pride In Print judges say this year’s entries have shown how to push the limits of what they can achieve in print May 2020

15

How is the print industry tracking RUTH COBB

PrintNZ chief executive Ruth Cobb takes us through the Covid-19 lockdown survey

A

s the printing industry largely re-opened at Level Three, PrintNZ undertook a survey of both members and nonmembers to gauge the initial effects of Covid-19 on the industry. These summarised results show an industry facing its biggest challenge as we take stock and start to look at how we rebuild.

On March 25, New Zealand went into Level Four lockdown which saw most businesses in the industry close either partially or fully for five weeks.

The effect on sales is shown in the chart in the middle of this page, with a moderate drop-off of revenue at the end of March followed by catastrophic results in April for most businesses. Overall, 84 per cent of print businesses did some work during Level Four (top chart on this page), in most cases this was minimal. The exception was the 13 per cent of businesses that remained open full time to supply essential products during Level Four.

On April 28, the country moved to Level Three, which saw the industry able to operate again. The bottom graph on this page below depicts work levels in the first 10 days of reopening, with 96 per cent of businesses reporting new orders in that time.

Those that could, continued to work from home during Level Three. Vulnerable employees (those who are either high-risk themselves or reside with high risk people) also remained at home during this time. On March 17, the government announced a 16

May 2020

newzealandprinter.co.nz

ng? - a snapshot at level Three subsidy only, or to allow staff to top that up with annual leave.

However, the wage subsidy alone will not be enough to ensure businesses remain viable and many have taken further steps to help reduce their costs during this time.

Business Confidence Business confidence (bottom chart this page) sits at the lower end of the scale as we navigate our way through unchartered waters. This is in line with the April Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) at 26.1 and the Performance of Services Index (PSI) at 25.9, both the lowest they have ever been, highlighting the severity of the situation we are in. During the GFC the PMI bottomed out at 36.1 and the PSI bottomed out at 44.9.

These results were taken at Level Three. We will re-survey the participants in six weeks’ time and overlay the results to mark the progress of our industry in the journey back to ‘normal’.

Thank you to all the companies that participated in providing this snapshot of the industry at a time when there are many other things needing your attention.

Comments

$12.1bn wage subsidy scheme that would provide funding to help businesses pay their staff’s wages. Businesses were required to make best endeavours to top up their staff’s wages to 80 per cent of their normal pay. This was possible while businesses were able to continue trading but as lockdown continued this became more difficult and some business opted to pay the newzealandprinter.co.nz

As an industry association, it is our job to act as a voice to Government, keep members abreast of information and provide relevant documentation to the industry. The PrintNZ team has worked tirelessly during this time, and in this instance has worked for both the members and non-members so that our industry could be well equipped to deal with this evolving situation. Thank you for the many messages of appreciation received both as part of the comments in the survey and via individual emails.

The following are some of the other comments, grouped into common themes:

Debt and Debtors • No one wants to take on more debt in these conditions, relief is what is needed

• Taking on increased levels of debt is not an option; at some stage you have to pay it back. MPs do not understand how SME businesses manage cashflow.

• Have lost several customers due to them closing down, so don’t expect we will get back 2019 sales levels.

• Have started 50 per cent payment up front for all orders.

• Debtors paying up so far.

• Debtors looking pretty good.

Have taken all cost savings initiatives available.

• Some major debtor issues.

Keep it in New Zealand • As an industry we need to support one another, this is what makes the industry what it is today.

• Keep employment and New Zealand economy onshore.

• Lobby for Kiwi made.

• Have picked up packaging work that used to be done in China.

• New Zealand needs to put out a positive buy local, stay local message.

General • Covid-19 has highlighted which employees are valuable members of staff • Worksafe phoned for a random check, We had our practices in place and the consultant was impressed.

• Communication from Government not clear, lots of grey areas i.e. essential work.

• Documentation from Government hard to decipher – therefore hard to pass on to staff • Recession history shows people will restrain on spending

Glass Half Full • Level Two will hopefully bring more business, keeping optimistic through this.

• I feel we are in a good position to keep moving forward though it will require very careful monitoring.

• I am positively optimistic we are agile enough on our feet to change and we can all learn to do better business.

May 2020

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PROFILE

Rediscovering the joy of printing

I

n a period of consolidation

and printers marking the end of their roads, Cyber has managed to not only keep afloat but also thrive and grow beyond what it was once.

The company, that was started in 1976, has grown in leaps and bounds – from being just a start-up in Singapore to now becoming one of the largest printing distributors in the Asia-Pacific region.

Cyber chairman Mr Herbert Cheong, one of the pillars of the company, saw the company through its establishment in Singapore, followed by an expansion into other countries including Australia and New Zealand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, outer Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos.

He says the company is still committed to keeping in tune with the needs of the printing industry, and in working together towards a common goal of keeping print alive through times of change.

He says, “We’re facing what some call the ‘sunset industries’ where printers are ending their operations. But the problem is, these printers have got all the wrong machines. So, the tools for printing is very important in staying relevant in the industry.

“Many presses that printers use are past their use by dates and they’re hesitant to refresh their inventory with new machines that have features that the market demands.”

He adds that only when printers understand the benefits of having newer machines can they experience efficiencies in their business.

He says, “For example, we approached one of our printers to get a new machine. He initially refused, but after much convincing bought a press from us.

“Now, that one machine is doing the work of four of his other machines and he has since bought another five of our other newer models. So, we don’t need to be facing a sunset industry if printers keep themselves updated with the latest in printing technology.”

Cyber Australia managing director Bernard Cheong, who oversees the business on the Pacific side of the Tasman, said it’s not a matter of the age of the kit, but how the kit is equipped.

18

May 2020

Heading up the Cyber business: Mr Herbert Cheong (l) and Bernard Cheong (r)

Passion is the driving force that is propelling Cyber to success in a challenging industry

He says, “You can buy today a press that is already dated. But it is too slow and cumbersome to operate in today’s economy,” Bernard mentioned.

“Today’s machines need to enable immediate delivery with LED quick drying capabilities, have perfecting functionalities, have the capacity for four or eight colours depending on the job, and be automated.”

Passion is key According to Mr Herbert, passion for printing is the underlying requirement to remain relevant in the industry.

He says, “We have been in this business for more than 40 years. In the beginning, we made plenty of profit – we used to sell one machine a day. In the first eight years of the business, we sold 1000 presses. But now that growth, as all businesses go through, has plateaued and it’s the passion that drives us” Bernard mentions that the need to constantly evolve is also another reason that Cyber has remained relevant. He says, “We never sit still. We now represent Ryobi in 13 major

countries, mostly within AsiaPacific and have worked with the business for more than 40 years. We get involved in things like product development, and are much in tune with each other. We want to continue building on that partnership.

“We also work very closely with our users to make sure we do what we can to improve productivity and efficiency.

Workflow and processes have to be right as there is no room for mistakes. All businesses should also watch their bottom lines.

“What equipment you use is actually secondary; you should look at the bottom line of your business and pick the right machine to improve your bottom line. That’s why business owners are easier to have conversations with than business managers as they’re more interested in bottom lines and make the necessary decisions to evolve.

“If you don’t make your bottom lines, you lose your passion.”

Moving forward, Mr Herbert says the company will keep working on its strengths and adding value to the industry. He added that the packaging space newzealandprinter.co.nz

PROFILE Branching out into other Cheong family businesses Being in print distribution isn’t the only business that the Cheong family is involved in. Their other investments include a candy business, Hudson’s, that was in operation since 1899. The family bought the business five years ago.

Mr Herbert says, “The owner of this candy factory was diagnosed with cancer and his children were not interested in taking on the business. So, he put up the business for sale and we bought it.

“For us, it’s about having a business besides what we do on a daily basis.

“We’re not deviating or getting out of the printing business; we’re adding in and confectionery is ever-growing and is an

is flourishing and Cyber is aiming to make its mark in it.

“We cannot deny that commercial printing is plateauing and that the packaging area is growing. So, we want to increase our play in this area.

“We are not resistant to change, and neither should our industry be. We have to do what it takes to keep moving forward in the industry and evolution is a key part of that process.”

evergreen market so it sparked our interest.”

Mr Herbert and Bernard are also bringing to market some robotic devices as well.

They recently launched a robotic cart business named Thouzer and robotic wheelchair business named Garoo, both manufactured by Doog Inc. Both solutions function as human-assist technology, with “follow-me” functionality.

Using wide-angle sensors, the solutions automatically follow the operator and can track the target within a 10m circumference.

Thouzer is already in use by DHL. Bernard says, “This new generation of robots are designed to work alongside people, not people-free areas. They use Lidar

technology, which are laser-guided solutions.”

Mr Herbert adds that the brand Cyber is quite fitting for these robotic solutions.

He says, “The meaning of Cyber is the study of communications and control. What we’re bringing to market is communication equipment. At the same time, the machine is being controlled.

“Robots are going to take over the mundane work that people don’t have to do.

In printing, for example, there is a lot of work that is manual.

“What Thouzer allows is the ability to replace this work with robots so that people can focus their efforts on more important and less mundane work.”

Bernard adds that the function of printing itself has changed.

He says, “In the early days, printing was considered a craft.

Today, it is a commodity. But when you bring the craft back, that is when you bring the margins back.

“What tht means is there is no margin left in commodity anymore. Your commodity is the same as everyone else in the market.

“But when you bring the craft back in what you do, you are creating something different and this will result in a closer bind between you and your clients. If you think there isn’t a market for craft or something different, consider it again. That is what may differentiate you in the market and position you in a space where there aren’t any competitors and result in you being a market leader.”

Supporting the industry’s ever changing requirements is one of the pillars of Cyber newzealandprinter.co.nz

May 2020

19

COVID-19

Covid-19 means business ne

T

o say we are in challenging times would be an understatement.

My business life started over 40 years ago as a young pimply-faced advertising cadet at the New Zealand Herald. The year was 1979, I was 16 going on 17. Erebus had just happened.

Rob Muldoon was the prime minister.

Nine years, later I started our business, Benefitz. August 1988, as New Zealand was battling with the fall-out from the share market crash of 1987, and things were starting to bite.

In hindsight, it was a crazy but good time to start out in business. It was a character building time for all. Just two years prior, Michelle and I had bought our first home with the assistance of my parents. We paid $76,000 and the rate on our $40k mortgage was 24 per cent!

In the ensuing 32 years I have been in business, we have navigated some challenging periods: those recessionary early years; the introduction of the personal computer and the internet that have both challenged and changed our business; the ups and downs of several economic cycles; the tech wreck years; the GFC years; the emergence of the smart phone, social media and online communication.

We have navigated it all and grown to be 70-80 people with a consistent turnover north of $15m annually.

But this Covid-19 problem is on another level in terms of being a challenge for our business; like nothing we have ever faced before. All these previous challenging periods happened slower and businesses had time to react and adjust to the problem.

We were ordered to shut by the government for the good of the country.

I am proud that, prior to this period, despite employing hundreds of people over the years, we had made only a handful of people redundant over three decades.

This is because in troubled times good businesses can alter their business models to suit the new environment and limit the damage. Businesses 20

May 2020

Aidan Bennett says the government must not walk away from good businesses

Aidan Bennett, founder and managing director of Benefitz

were never faced with having to completely close down overnight for weeks on end, before facing an immediate recession at the other end.

Business people have no control over any of what we are dealing with now.

It has been disappointing to see and hear comments from what I believe are uninformed people casually saying: “Good businesses will survive and not so good will fail”, with a ‘so what’ flavour.

The purpose of this message is to respond to that thinking and clearly outline the unprecedented position businesses like ours are now in.

In the case of our business we have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past six or seven weeks.

We have a good business.

Nobody has been getting filthy rich from Benefitz, but we have been trading well for a long time, providing good lifestyles and livelihoods for the owners and our team.

Prior to Covid-19, we have had years of positive trading and the simple equation of debtors versus creditors was well in our favour on March 26th, day one of lockdown.

But all this has changed during this Covid-19 problem period.

Along with thousands of other Kiwi businesses we are fighting for survival, battling to protect our livelihoods and that of our people and their families.

We will be drawing on all the experience we have from 30 plus years of trading to get through this. We are well equipped to succeed. But this is a massive hurdle to overcome.

So, what do we do to get through this period and come out the other side?

Firstly, we took stock of our current situation. We quickly got an accurate handle on what our current financial situation was just prior to lockdown. We reported that position to our bank so the people there were fully in the picture. This also allowed us to work out what remuneration we could offer to our team during the lockdown period.

The government’s wages subsidy scheme has been a big help. It enabled us to propose remuneration of 80 per cent for our entire team (owners included) for the lockdown period. I applaud the speed at which this wage subsidy was approved and made available by the government.

We then needed to set about eliminating costs from our business.

Our desire from the outset newzealandprinter.co.nz

COVID-19

needs government support

Good business needs good people: Benefitz director Dallas Bennett

has been to try and protect the livelihoods of our team. In the belief that once we were through the problem we would be well set, with our valued team intact, to grow once again in the post-Covid-19 environment.

Our landlords have been good. Our key suppliers have been good. Our staff have been very understanding and flexible. We have now cut remuneration for all to around 60 per cent, again supported by the wage subsidy. A combination of all these things has enabled us to reduce our overheads to approximately a third.

Now, in the level three work environment, we are focused on generating sales and a margin to cover these new levels of overheads. We are just over a week into this. Over the coming weeks we are hoping that business will slowly increase so we can pay the increasing overheads and start adjusting remuneration towards more normal levels.

But we have some huge obstacles to overcome.

The drastic reduction in overheads is a very big part on the back of having the wage subsidy of $585.80 per week for every staff member.

That support at the moment newzealandprinter.co.nz

only lasts to mid-June. The uncertainty beyond that is a massive problem. Particularly if the market is totally damaged as a result of the Covid-19 problem and related lockdown.

Something we and all other businesses had absolutely no control over.

That is why it is absolutely important that the government does not walk away from supporting businesses that have been dropped into this dilemma.

Good businesses will fail if they do not get the balance right. If support ends after the current wage subsidy on June 17, then I believe the consequences will be severe for business.

Sadly, there will be those who say: “You have made a decision to go into private enterprise so you should fend for yourself�. If we were talking about normal market forces, they would be absolutely correct. But what we have here are not normal market forces.

We have a situation where the government has been dictating what we can and cannot do (mainly cannot do) since March 26th. It is subjective if what they have done is right or wrong.

What needs to happen now is a total focus on protecting the livelihoods of people in what were good businesses before this problem. Our own business is probably indirectly responsible for providing livelihoods for 200 to 300 people. If it was left to fail in a fragile economy many lives of good people will be severely affected. Multiply our business by hundreds or thousands of other businesses throughout the country and you will appreciate the damage and the problem that will eventuate for New Zealand.

The government must not walk away from good businesses. Strong support must continue.

Benefitz, on Auckland’s North Shore, is directly and indirectly responsible for the livelihoods of hundreds of people May 2020

21

PRIDE IN PRINT

Judges get into their work for Pride In Print 2020

J

udging has finished for this year’s Pride In Print Awards.

With the event postponed, let’s take the chance to catch up with some of the judges doing their work…

Nick Moore fr om

Alex Stra ight, from Rapid La bels

Brandpack

, in the fo reground

nt Guys Mike Whyte from The Pri

Theory (l) and Anushka Harrison from Culture andt Finishers Prin n ingto Well from Maree Bishop

Somp Vanxay from

From lef t Tim Upto Malatios of Seabren of Blue Star Wellington; Peter from Wakefields Di eze Fashions; and Dickon Lentell gital 22

May 2020

Admark Visu al Imaging

ue Star Tim Upton from Bl

Wellington newzealandprinter.co.nz

XXX FELLMAN

Recipes for success A key to success: Every print job has to end with a happy customer

There are many lessons that can be learnt from cooking, and some apply to print too, according to industry expert Dave Fellman

M

ost of the cooking at our house is done by me. That is partly because I work from home, while my wife is a school teacher with a fairly long daily commute.

But it is also because I have some skills in the kitchen. My first career was in food service, and while I would never call myself a chef, I can cook pretty much anything you give me a recipe for.

The consistency business Okay, that is all very interesting, but what does it have to do with printing?

Simply this: when I worked in hotel and restaurant kitchens, I was in the consistency business.

In other words, it is not enough to serve a great meal; you have to serve lots of great meals.

Consistency, of quality and service, is as important in the restaurant business as it is in the printing business, and maybe even more so for printing. This is because printing customers do not always see quality or service failures as life or death situations.

In a restaurant, a quality failure can literally kill someone. Okay, it is true that only a very small percentage of food poisoning victims actually die from it, but if you have ever had a serious case, you probably remember thinking you were going to.

The key to consistent quality in the restaurant business has two parts.

24

May 2020

The first is to use quality ingredients. The second is to prepare them the same way every time – in other words, to follow the recipe.

Yes, there is a trial and error stage in the development of a dish, but once the recipe is finalised, quality comes from consistency in preparation.

So, is printing any different? I tried this idea out on one of my clients recently and he felt that ‘quality ingredients’ would be less of an issue in printing than in food preparation.

“Paper is paper,” he said, “and ink is ink and toner is toner.”

But think back on some of the quality failures you have experienced.

Have there not been times when the paper or the ink or the toner was the problem?

In the kitchen, there is plenty of opportunity to inspect the raw materials, right up to the moment they go into the preparation of the dish. Just yesterday morning I cracked an egg in my own kitchen that looked fine on the outside, but quickly identified itself as spoiled.

Fortunately, I was well schooled back in my own restaurant days. Crack the shell; hold it upright; inspect the egg; and then, if you are satisfied with its quality, add it to the dish.

You do not necessarily get the same opportunity with paper, ink and toner, especially if we are talking about a sealed ink or toner cartridge. But if you do not see a defect on the front end, you do have the opportunity to see its effect on the back end. The moral here is, if a meal is not right, do not serve it.

Similarly, if a print job is not right, do not deliver it.

Start to finish Quality comes from consistency in preparation, from start to finish.

That raises a question; where does a print job start? I think the answer is that it starts at the point where the specifications of the job are being transmitted from the buyer to the seller.

That could be limited to the technical specifications (stock, colour, quantity, finished size, etc.) or it could also include the applications specifications. the purpose or objective of the printed piece.

Either way, it is critically important that those specifications are accurately communicated.

I have found that the vast majority of quality or services failures originate at this point, which means that, unless someone picks up on a problem and corrects a miscommunication before the ink or the toner goes on the paper, the job is doomed right from the start.

Now, where does a print job finish?

It is not at the end of production or the point of delivery.

It can only be at what we should call the point of known satisfaction. In other words, every print job has to end with a happy customer.

Do you have a means of determining the happiness of your customers? If not, I submit that you are not following a recipe for success. In fact, you may be flirting with disaster.

Dave Fellman is the president of David Fellman & Associates, Raleigh, NC, US, a sales and marketing consulting firm serving numerous segments of the graphic arts industry. Contact Dave at dmf@davefellman.com. Visit his website at www.davefellman.com. newzealandprinter.co.nz

Heidelberg News Asia Pacific

Heidelberg’s BIG ON Packaging

May 2020

6_AZ-HD-Nachrichten_drupa_Hauptmotiv_216x292_IsoCV2_300_EN.indd 1

HEIDELBERG NEWS

Heidelberg’s BIG ON Packaging Packaging producers throughout the world are achieving some of the highest volumes of production with Heidelberg equipment.

WORLD With more than 120 billion Euros of packaging printing produced annually, Heidelberg has a major role in the production of this work with its equipment designed for packaging printing.

Breakdown of producers • Major groups: 10 per cent • Independents: 65 per cent • Commercial: 25 per cent Over the past five years, there has been considerable consolidation within the packaging industry, with a number of major packaging companies scouring the world and buying up independent packaging businesses.

In Australia and New Zealand, we have seen local packaging companies being purchased by companies such as Graphic Packaging and Westrock.

High productivity and efficiency of manufacturing facilities. are essential in meeting the For example, the Mayr-Melnhof demands of the end customer. Group has some 45 plants in 18 countries around the world, It is not unusual to see a duplicating the equipment of printing machine produce up each of the plants. to seven million impressions per month.

The benefits of this for their major customers is the To achieve these impressive production of identical quality numbers, the equipment has standards in each country. to be technologically advanced as well as extremely reliable.

Heidelberg has the range of equipment to deliver these impressive numbers.

The Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106 is still the market leader in the field of packaging and is supported by the Speedmaster CX 102 as well as the extremely popular Speedmaster CD 102.

Even the half size Speedmaster XL 75 plays a major part in packaging printing.

Combining the Speedmaster with logistics provides a very powerful, virtually nonstop production tool.

These major groups have the capabilities to invest and equip manufacturing plants with the most modern and highly Mirror imaging plants productive equipment available Key to the success of most in the world. major groups is the replication 26 Heidelberg News Asia Pacific

Asia Pacific

Some of the largest and most sophisticated packaging is produced in Asia, particularly in countries like Japan.

Combining UV with foiling and metallic stocks has enabled the Japanese to create some of the most exquisite packaging in the world.

Asian countries such as China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are seen as opportunities for the larger packaging groups to set up plants.

This is because of lower labor costs in these countires and the need to meet high volumes of production. www.heidelberg.com/au

HEIDELBERG NEWS

Wide range of products and functions provide high efficiency With 42 per cent market share in packaging machines, Heidelberg leads the way with technology, innovation and productivity to enable and aid the customers of today and tomorrow in achieving their demands.

Speedmaster XL 106/XL 75

The Speedmaster XL 106 at 18,000 sheets per hour is the flagship of the Heidelberg sheetfed offset presses.

Fast makeready features such as Autonomous printing, Inpress register and colour control, colour boost, automatic plate loading, inspection control as well as many other features make life easier for the press operator.

Speedmaster CX 102

The Speedmaster CX 102 at 16,500 sheets per hour has become an extremely popular press for customers who want similar technology and still need high levels of productivity.

Speedmaster CD 102

The Speedmaster CD 102 at 15,000 sheets per hour is still the best-selling press in the world. It is reliable, with an increased level of technology to meet the latest demands of our customers.

www.heidelberg.com/au

Heidelberg News Asia Pacific 27

HEIDELBERG NEWS

Supported by Prinect workflow Prinect makes smart production possible. As a central platform, Prinect seamlessly integrates all the steps involved in print production into consistent processes. From the customer contact through to production, the finished product, and billing. Whether your company is small or large, whether commercial, packaging or label printing – Prinect is the right solution.

CtP – Suprasetter From the simple hand loaded device, right through to the fully automatic pallet loader, the Heidelberg Suprasetter is the most versatile CtP in the world having sold thousands of units worldwide.

Our laser technology has been developed exclusively for the Suprasetter family.

Suprasetter is leading the way not just in the quality of their imaging, but also their reliability and availability.

Their integration into the Prinect print shop workflow guarantees the correct delivery of all orderrelated data.

28 Heidelberg News Asia Pacific

Die Cutter – Masterwork

High Speed Cutter – Polar

No packaging facility is complete without the ability to die-cut or fold boxes. Heidelberg, in partnership with Masterwork, has developed equipment to meet the onerous demands of the packaging market.

POLAR high-speed cutters meet the highest demands regarding quality, efficiency and durability.

The high-speed cutter can be employed both as an individual machine or as the centre of an automatic cutting system for processing paper, paperboard, cardboard or plastics.

Through continuous development and innovation MK Masterwork has quickly established itself internationally as the second largest supplier of Postpress packaging equipment in the world. Sold and supported by the Heidelberg network, customers can be satisfied that the right equipment is recommended to meet the production demands of our customers.

POLAR-Mohr has linked diverse tasks, such as jogging, buffering, loading, cutting, transporting or unloading to automated and networked systems. The POLAR systems concept provides a tailored solution for any production requirement.

Heidelberg Graphic Equipment Ltd. Unit 4/ 19-23 Geddes Street Mulgrave, Victoria 3170, Australia www.heidelberg.com/au www.heidelberg.com/au

E AD TR Y! NL O

OVER 900 BUSINESSES TRUST WHOLESALE PRINT AS THEIR TRADE PRINT PROVIDER...

ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?

TALK TO US NOW ABOUT OUR NEW PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM Call 0800 289 774 or register your interest at www.wholesaleprint.co.nz/register

The Printing Museum:

I

Casting for print: Volunteers Nat Tito (l) and Michael Currie in the bunker casting room at Mangaroa

t started with a loose question one day in January 2013 in the Marlborough Sounds.

My daughter was drawing cards as a fundraiser for a school trip to Nepal. So, I asked my diving friend Keith, “Would it be silly to buy an old press to print them on?”

Bowie, as the engineer is better known to many Wellington printers, replied “No, that’s a great idea. Find a Heidelberg platen. They are one of the best ever made. You love machinery and old things and I’ll help you.”

The TradeMe app is a dangerous thing when you have an idea, time and just enough cell phone coverage.

30

May 2020

Dan TaitJamieson explains his ongoing fascination with The Printing Museum

The purchase completed, a search for local advice on platemaking led me to Tony King in Greytown. Tony has been at the forefront of fine letterpress printing for many decades and at the time was on the committee of The Printing Museum.

I ended up getting the plates made overseas as no one local could tell me how to faithfully reproduce the 0.05mm dot on the cards. My daughter and I then did a Heidelberg workshop with Graham Judd of GTO Printers in Auckland. After purchasing another press, an Arab Foolscap Folio, it was time to visit this ‘museum’ that I had never heard of in my home town.

I found it in an old army storage shed in Mangaroa, behind Upper Hutt. It hadn’t

been there long, after having to move from the previous home near Silverstream. The new space was pretty rough, shared with cars, furniture, birds, sheep droppings and drips of rainwater. A band of stalwarts sat around the machines at morning tea, the main door open, even when there was occasional snow on the hills around.

End of the letterpress era The Printing Museum (Inc.) had begun life 30 years before when a group of enthusiasts and trade printers began collecting items of historical and industrial interest.

This was at a time when the era of letterpress, the method of printing by mechanical impression that Johannes newzealandprinter.co.nz

a letterpress journey Gutenberg had perfected in the West in the fifteenth century, was coming to an end. Had it not been for their foresight, many of these sixty, wonderful machines, some of which are now listed items of historical interest, would have been lost forever.

But this was no place for a museum. It was too far from the city to attract visitors; there was little security; the working conditions were poor and the committee at the time reckoned they had just enough funds to pay the rent for a couple more years. A new proposal to move the museum to the Kapiti Coast fell through.

I knew I had to get involved.

John Nixon, now the president, once owned Wellington Typesetters, and he felt the same.

Letterpress wasn’t something I had been looking for in my life, but it is endlessly fascinating and very addictive. And here was this wonderful, world-class collection of printing presses, linecasters, and a Monotype Super Caster. Michael Curry, an extraordinarily clever electrician/engineer and tireless worker, had managed somehow to get it going again with only the manuals to go by.

Metal type was being produced again in New Zealand. In fact, the museum was then, and still is, the only operating type foundry in the Southern Hemisphere.

My mission was now twofold. Something needed to be done about the museum, to realise its potential. Part of that was building a letterpress community, so access to fast, affordable plates was essential.

The five parts of The Printing Museum The Printing Museum is a major asset for New Zealand. It comprises five sections: • The Museum – the working collection from the 1852 Harrild Albion from The Evening Post to the recently acquired General Assembly Library bindery.

• The Book Arts Centre – modelled on those of San Francisco, Minnesota and London, teaching a broad range of book related arts and crafts.

• A Community Workshop – along the lines of The Arm in New York, offering a workspace and guidance for printers and artists to pursue their own projects.

• A Printshop – Bedplate Press has printed a number of books over the years, mainly type specimens.

Several fine editions are now well under way.

• The Foundry – A principal source of income and major asset, The Printing Museum sells type to printers and institutions throughout Australasia and further abroad.

The Printing Museum is a major asset for New Zealand

A museum that makes things While in the USA at the time of the Americas Cup, I visited book arts centres in San Francisco, Minnesota and Los Angeles. Firstly, to observe the teaching models and best practices.

Secondly, to learn more about photopolymer Continued on page 32 newzealandprinter.co.nz

Ex-president Bill Nairn working on the 1852 Evening Post Albion press May 2020

31

Continued from page 31

WCBA in progress: The Printing Museum has begun raising funds for the Wellington Centre for Book Arts

Dan Tait-Jamieson (l) at the signing of the International Association of Printing Museums (IAPM) founding document, with the mayor of Cheong-ju

Stitched up: The Smyth Book-Sewing Machine 32

May 2020

platemaking. Moana Road Press was set up on my return and has been supplying photopolymer plates and bases to customers in New Zealand and Australia ever since.

It became clear early on that the future of the museum was not about the equipment but about what you could do with it. Someone once told me, “We have 450 museums in the country, how many more do we need?”

But most museums don’t make things: this one was special. Now, how to start telling the world (and local funders) about it and develop a community to support it?

One way was via the platemaking; another was via letterpress classes that started in my garage in March 2014: Dr John Holmes and Tony King ran the first introductory classes.

One of the early students, pushed into it by his wife, was a retired fitter and turner, John Randall. During the lockdown, he has been stripping down a Monotype Composition Caster, something he had to do for The Type Archive in London a few years ago when the machine he was supposed to be learning on didn’t work. With Michael and the other John, we now had a committed team who all shared the same vision for the museum. It has taken us on journeys around the world.

To make sure everyone was on board with our vision, we produced a concept document, outlining five parts to the museum (see box on page 15).

Everyone was in agreement and the team has been working to that end ever since: accounting was upgraded to cloud-based software; the website was redone; the logo was refreshed; the newsletter, Type High, combined digital with letterpress; and membership was built.

The workspace at Mangaroa was reorganised by creating a dedicated space for the foundry in ‘the bunker’, an old concrete ammunition dump. A printery was created nearby with a selection of type cabinets: a Furnival, Vandercook SP-15, a demy Albion and several treadle platens.

Alan Loney returned from Melbourne for the first masterclass on the Albion that had been brought back to Wellington from the EPMU in Auckland. The class was able to use a tearoom.

We expanded the foundry with the addition of two more casters from Ferrymead, along with more matrices and keyboard parts. An Auckland printer donated a Monotype keyboard that John Randall has now restored.

Other missing parts, such as the drums and stop bars, were donated by Alembic Press in the UK and Woodside Press in New York. As funds allow, The Museum has bought matrices, both Linotype and Monotype, to improve the quality and range of the typefaces. The first trials of Monotype composition have recently been completed while Michael Curry, now the vice president, has operated the Super Casters to fill increasing demand for metal type.

Monotype rescue Late last year, The Museum became involved in an international rescue of the Australian Monotype collection, after the default of the Melbourne Museum of Printing.

We bought everything we could at the auction, outbidding the scrap metal dealers. John Randall and I spent a week loading two containers with The Australian matrix collection, seven casters, 400 moulds, a MonoPhoto and several other machines.

The Museum has two years in which to repay the $50,000 cost of the operation, either by fundraising or reselling some of the equipment. We had decided that we wouldn’t be able to live with ourselves if we didn’t try.

There have been several other major additions to the collection in recent years.

A beautiful Smyth BookSewing Machine was donated from Auckland and Massey University Printery donated a large quantity of type cabinets. After many months of negotiation, the Speaker of the House agreed, in late 2018, to the deaccession of the complete General Assembly Library bindery at Parliament.

While all labour is voluntary, several revenue streams fund The Museum’s activities.

One of them is restoring and selling presses to the growing letterpress community. To this end, we have added workshop capacity in the form of two lathes (one with a tool post grinder for grinding rollers), a milling machine and a large drill press. newzealandprinter.co.nz

While we also need to maintain and repair our own items, part of the thinking is to attract more engineering enthusiasts to assist with the workload and to become part of our community.

Support needed The other main revenue streams are selling metal type from the foundry, and memberships. These latter have almost tripled in the last five years to make The Printing Museum one of the largest such organisations in the world.

The membership will need to grow further if we are to achieve our long term goal of a national printing museum housed in an appropriate iconic building.

The support of the printing trade will become increasingly important as we look to cover the main expense: rent of $10,000 per annum for Mangaroa and $8000 for the new book arts centre.

This centre, the WCBA or Wellington Centre for Book Arts, is The Museum’s greatest achievement to date. The first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, it was opened by Grant Robertson, the Associate Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage, on February 15, 2020.

While not the ultimate home for the complete museum, it is an important step as a showroom for the collection, a community workshop and a centre for teaching a broad range of book arts and crafts.

Classes kicked off at the end of 2019.

The three rooms comprise a bindery; essentially most of that moved from Parliament buildings; a printery (Vandercook SP-15 proof press; Arab treadle; Albion; Heidelberg Platen and an Intertype C4 (someone sneaked that in); and a composing room with six cabinets of metal type, three of wood.

The location in central Wellington allows much better access for the target market of printers, designers, design students, artists and the craftoriented. newzealandprinter.co.nz

A fine edition of an historic unpublished manuscript is the first major community project.

That work, for which 40kg of new Arrighi (Centaur Italic) 16 on 18pt type has been cast, will be launched at the WCBA’s second letterpress and bookbinding fair on November 7.

More to learn It has been a fascinating journey since that question I asked in the Sounds all those years ago, both mine and The Museum’s.

Then, I didn’t know what a chase was. Now, I can talk about set size, durometer and discuss the relative x heights, ascenders and descenders of typefaces.

It has taken me around the world. I have met and worked with some wonderful people. And yet there is so much more to learn and so much more to do on both fronts. The next three years will be the most crucial for The Museum.

We need to prove the concept of a working, educational museum and build a community to support it. If we do, there is a better chance that this world-class collection and facility gets the permanent home that New Zealand’s printing heritage deserves.

Dan Tait-Jamieson is a former manufacturer who has worked closely with non-profit organisations for the past 20 years.

He started Moana Road Press, moanaroadpress. com, in 2014 to supply photopolymer plates for letterpress. His main presses are a Heidelberg Platen, a Vandercook SP-15, two Arab treadles, a Vicobold and a Haddon Swift. After attending a conference of the Association of European Printing Museums in Italy, he was invited to help with the formation of the IAPM, the International Association of Printing Museums, based in Cheong-ju, South Korea.

He currently chairs that organisation and is secretary-treasurer of the The Printing Museum.

Learn more at www. theprintingmuseum.org.nz

The Printing Museum membership

MEMBERSHIP NEW/RENEWAL April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2021

(fNewmembershipsvalidfromJantoMarchfollowingyear)

Name: …………………………………………………………………………………………………

Address: ………………………………………………………………………………………………. ………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Phone: ………………………………………… E-mail:……………………………………………..

Member Benefits

I enclose my annual subscription: Individual or

$40.00

$……….

•

Corporate/Family

$60.00

$……….

• •

Type Metal Donation* … kg @ $20 $……….

Technical Terms copies …

@ $20 $……….

Total

Please send me a GST Invoice

$……….

• • •

10% off all type and lead products, classes and publications Free newsletter, Type High Free advertising of member services on the website 10% off purchases at Gordon Harris Priority to purchase Bedplate Press editions Feel-good feeling that you’re helping to preserve New Zealand’s printing heritage.

☐

I would like the following trade services advertised on the website…………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Signature ………………………………………… *Every $20 donated is turned into $60 of type by the magic of free labour volunteered by our members and helps to pay the rent on our storage and operations facility at Mangaroa and the new Wellington Centre for Book Arts.

Bank A/c no for direct credit: 03 0774 0911748 00 Please scan and email this form to: info@theprintingmuseum.org.nz Or post to: 20 Moana Road, Kelburn, Wellington 6012

Printing Museum membership is $60 per year (incl. GST) for families or corporates, and $40 for individuals. Members receive the newsletter, Type High; discounts

on classes, type, plates and supplies; and most importantly, they get a feel-good feeling from supporting New Zealand’s printing heritage.

WANTED The Printing Museum gratefully accepts donations of treadle, platen and proof presses, chases, tympan paper, galleys, type high gauges, composing sticks, quoins, quoin keys, line gauges, gauge pins, furniture, reglet, leading, spacing, lead cutters, type brushes, ink knives, brayers, tweezers, planers, mallets, letterpress manuals and books, type specimens, catalogues, price lists, advertising material etc.

In short, any items related to New Zealand’s printing heritage.

Alternatively, The Museum pays $3 per kg for lead type alloys suitable for recasting into new founts.

Phone: 0274 444-599 Email: info@theprintingmuseum.org.nz

¶ The Printing Museum Whare Taonga Perehitanga

May 2020

33

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Safety should be the word on everyone’s lips After lockdown and Level Three, kiwi businesses need to ensure health and safety for their staff and management

N

ew Zealand print, signage and packaging businesses headed out of Alert Level Four lock down last month, after completing preparations for returning to work.

The New Zealand Institute of Safety Management (NZISM) says all businesses need to keep a sharp focus on known and understood health and safety risks, alongside those of Covid-19. Obviously, we all need to limit any spike in incident numbers as no one wants a return to Alert Level Four.

Greg Dearsly, president of the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management (NZISM), echoes the government’s support of “safe” economic activity at Level 3 and the importance of staying safe and looking after each other.

He points out that leaving lockdown and getting back to business will present strong challenges, more than the annual return to work after the long summer break, which often sees an increase in serious workplace injuries and fatalities because people take time to get back into work mode after a break.

While New Zealand had found itself immersed in COVID-19 related health and safety conversation for weeks, the usual health and safety risks still exist for all organisations and need special attention. He says, “After a lot of inactivity, businesses will want to make up for lost ground, but rushing isn’t going to help. We need to take it a step at a time especially now we also have to consider additional safe work practices 34

May 2020

The first consideration for all businesses should be mental health.

It is important to check-in with everyone.

People need to understand each other’s situations after being in lock down, so we can be safer together.

Greg Dearsly, president of the New Zealand Institute of Safety Management such as social distancing. In this new environment the risks have increased, and this means extra health and safety effort is essential.

“The first consideration for all businesses should be mental health. It is important to check-in with everyone.

People need to understand each other’s situations after being in lock down, so we can be safer together.”

He also emphasises the importance of post lockdown “return to work” days where people can re-familiarise themselves with equipment and operations. He says, “There will be different needs for different sectors, including checking equipment that’s been inactive for weeks and then reviewing operations and day to day processes to make sure we all remain safe.

“The best advice is to follow the three principles: leadership and communication across the whole workplace; management of business as usual risks with those related to Covid-19; and regular worker discussion and engagement.”

Leaving lockdown, a first for everyone, will produce new pressures including financial, uncertainty about the future

and even business viability.

Safe working also now means rules around social distancing and high standards of hygiene.

This does not just mean personal but also making sure equipment used by different people is sanitised regularly to prevent the virus from surviving on different surfaces.

Dearsly continues, “These topics have been discussed in the media and amongst us for weeks, but this new Covid-19 environment is not an excuse to take eyes off the risks that already exist. This pandemic has shown that as a country we place the health and the safety of our people ahead of everything; kiwis have shown this by their commitment to adhering to lock down rules. I would encourage businesses to maintain this spirit as we start to return to work.”

He adds that no organisation will have all the answers in this new health and safety environment so they should not hesitate to seek credible advice from different experts. Many are industry specific, including NZISM accredited practitioners and professionals, and those registered through the Health and Safety Association of New Zealand (HASANZ). newzealandprinter.co.nz

WIDE FORMAT +Plus

Visual Connections invites us to a virtual trade show JCDecaux says thanks l oOh! joins the hunt l Durst makes masks

WIDE FORMAT NEWS

Durst masks have filtration know-how Durst has produced what it calls ‘community masks’ in its demo centre in South Tyrol, Italy.

The masks, initially made for employees of Durst Group and sister company Alupress, will subsequently become available for other companies. Durst will also make the know-how to produce the masks available to interested print service providers worldwide through its branches.

Durst has used its years of experience and knowledge of filter systems to stop microparticles in ink supply systems from clogging up print heads to develop the material for the filter membrane used in the masks. Matt Ashman, Durst Oceania managing director, says this inner lining sets the Durst masks apart from others with the lining now in the final stages of certification from European medical authorities.

Software sees inside PDF files Software specialist Enfocus has announced the upcoming release of PitStop Pro and PitStop Server 2020 workflow automation software.

The patent pending technology uses computer vision techniques that enables PitStop Pro and Server to ‘see’ the visual content of a PDF file.

PitStop can look for images, and graphical shapes.

Durst has used its experience in ink filtration to produce its washable and reusable masks He says, “The filter membrane was something we worked hard to get and make sure it is certified.

It is now going through the European medical certification process. It hasn’t gone this way here yet but in Europe it looks like wearing a face mask in public is going to be compulsory probably for the rest of the year.”

Durst will make the intellectual property around the design, e-commerce solution and production and cutting of the masks available globally.

The fully adjustable and reusable masks come in four sizes. Their three-layer structure uses polyester fleece textile materials with a filter membrane that users can disinfect and reuse.

Durst HQ has explicitly stated the masks are not a protective equipment in accordance with VO (E) 2016/425 or a medical device in accordance with Directive 93/42 / EEC. Christoph Gamper, chief executive and co-owner of Durst Group, says, “In line with our pixel to output strategy, production takes place digitally and fully automatically: in a web shop with a specially programmed editor, the masks can be individualised with graphics, images, texts, and our workflow software then sends the designed file directly to the printing machine and then the printed material is processed by a cutting system.

“The announcement of our initiative on social media alone has generated great demand and print service providers worldwide are adapting our concept.”

Emergency workers thanked Out of home giant JCDecaux produced a ‘Thank-You’ campaign across its large format network to thank essential workers across New Zealand.

The campaign, developed by JCDecaux’s in-house creative team, thanked those people in essential services, working to help our nation get through the fight against Covid-19. Medical

professionals, grocery and dairy staff, delivery drivers around the country, as well as farmers. The purpose of the campaign was to show gratitude and call out the incredible job these people in our communities are doing to keep us safe.

Steve O’Connor, chief executive of JCDecaux ANZ, says, “In a time of tremendous upheaval and uncertainty for us all, there are many New Zealanders

working night and day to keep us cared for and making sure we have access to necessary services, and of course our medical professionals – true heroes, facing great challenges and potential threats to their own health to keep us safe.

“Our hope is they see this campaign on their way into work and home again, and they know that we recognise and applaud their contributions.”

Easier cutting just a click away EasyCut has announced the global availability of EasyCut Pro 5.1.02, the 32bit and 64-bit vinyl cutting software for Windows and macOS. The new update offers a range of features that include streamlined workflows; a user friendly interface which sign makers specified; and new faster 36

May 2020

processing speeds. The company says the software not only processes large images faster during the design application but also throughout the printing and cutting process. It adds that, thanks to an increase in speed of more than 20 per cent over previous versions, the new version delivers significantly more thrust to

greatly improve production capabilities.

EasyCut Pro targets both small and large printing and cutting businesses.

While previous versions of EasySignCut Pro 4 proved popular as vinyl cutting software solutions for more than one million users worldwide and 65 percent of sign business companies,

those versions only supported 32-bit machines before. The need to support 64-bit systems has become more important over time as many Windows 10 and macOS Catalina users run 64-bit machines. EasyCut now delivers 64-bit versions of its vinyl cutting software for users who run 64-bit Windows or macOS. newzealandprinter.co.nz

Look for opportunities in

W

ithout a doubt, we are heading into a global economic crisis.

A recession looks inevitable. People have already lost their jobs; businesses have closed; and only a few lucky ones have been able to take the losses from their cash reserves. But it is all not doom and gloom, as newly formed businesses can have the agility to take advantage of a weaker economy and come out on top.

From day one, the operations of a new business should automatically be a leaner, meaner business model that will maximise the value for its customers, in comparison to existing businesses now struggling to come to terms with how they can manage the change to a more stripped down back to basics business model.

Their existing pay structures and incentives, residual cost structures and staff attitudes that they have built up over years, may no longer work.

As we now face a recession, businesses and customers are looking at all expenses, trying to seek ways to lower costs.

As we actively do this, it does provide opportunities for new businesses with that right mix of elements to get noticed within the industry to potential customers.

Those more established businesses finding it difficult to lower costs, will most likely have accumulated a high level

MELISSA COUTTS

Melissa Coutts says even now, you can successfully start or grow a business

of fixed costs, which forces them to be less flexible when dealing with customers and therefore gives new businesses a chance to win the work.

The following key points help explain why you can now take the time to start or grow your business. For those keen entrepreneurs and leaders within our industry that have recently established a new business or are developing growth within their existing one, remember that good business practices and taking advantage of the current market climate can work well for you now, as well as in the future.

Saving money is key – Starting a new business with few fixed expenses will help your ability to compete in the market. Customers will be watching what they spend and looking for cheaper alternatives, so it is the perfect time to win them over. If you do a good job, you will keep those customers when the economy recovers.

People are looking for work – If your new business is growing rapidly, then you may well need to increase your headcount. In a downturn, when many are being made redundant, highly qualified, talented and motivated individuals can be found much more easily than during the good times. You may find that they may even be more receptive to a lower salary and less benefits than they would

Look out: The new business environment will throw up different opportunities for signage companies newzealandprinter.co.nz

demand in a stronger economy.

Lower interest rates mean cheaper credit – We have seen this already, as the main banks of affected countries have started to drop interest rates to keep people spending. This also means that loans and in particularly credit cards may make more sense for start-up businesses in the early days.

Industry leaders become vulnerable – Giant corporates will be looking to scale back through the downturn, and smaller businesses might not have the resilience to see out the storm, but new businesses are agile and flexible and as long as they have minimal overheads. It will be hard for the economy to resist them.

Less competition in the market – When there is a strong economy everyone is keen to start up a business but, in a downturn, there are less trying to start up, as there is less funding about.

Innovation is wanted – As we are finding out a downturn in the economy creates problems, which also slow investments in innovation.

Customers and businesses are looking for solutions to their problems, which in turn offers opportunities for new businesses to solve.

Smart investors – But if you need funding, there are still plenty of investors who are looking for new business opportunities, especially now.

When the economy takes a downturn there are investors that are looking in particular to move their money out of the stock market and into new ventures if your business prospects are promising.

Good habits for life – Any business that has started during these tough times has been built to be lean, mean and efficient, and these habits should be well established for when the market recovers.

Therefore, once customers are spending again, you will be able to raise costs to demand higher profit. If you can build or grow a business when the economy is down, your business will be better positioned when things improve and move to normal, whatever normal will look like in the future.

May 2020

37

WIDE FORMAT NEWS

Virtual trade show attracts exhibitors Visual Connections, the Australian print, sign, display and graphic arts industry suppliers association, will host a free four-month long virtual trade show.

It will run from May 31 to September 30, open 24 hours a day and come after the Covid-19 pandemic forced the postponement of the Visual Impact show, which did not take place on the Gold Coast..

Visual Connections says the show will feature videos, links, contacts and other options for exhibitors to showcase their products and services.

Traffic reports now available OMANZ has launched a new live traffic report that details the impact of the Covid-19 alert stages on traffic flow across the country’s main metropolitan centres.

The organisation blends the data, sourced from NZTA and Auckland Transport to provide insight and a representative snapshot of the weekly travel behaviour of New Zealanders. OMANZ members (QMS, JCDecaux, oOh!, Media 5, AdVantage Media and Bekon) represent approximately 87 per cent of out of home advertising revenue.

OMANZ will update and publish the report to its members each week.

Almost there: The Print, Sign, Display & Graphics Virtual Trade Show opens on May 31

The show can provide product demonstration videos, virtual tours, sales presentations, downloadable brochures, product photo galleries, website links and show specials, accessed by clicking dedicated links on a virtual stand.

Peter Harper, chief executive at Visual Connections, says, “The show will bring together a broad range of information and content to provide a comprehensive experience, albeit in the virtual sphere.

Visitors can peruse the entire offering by navigating through easy to use buttons on each virtual stand.”

Jet film targets microbes Jet Technologies has introduced a new antimicrobial protective film.

The company says the protective film, SteriLam, contains an invisible and odourless ingredient, Biomaster, based on silverion technology, which inhibits the growth of microbes by up to 99.99 per cent. The film destroys bacteria, fungi, and moulds including antibioticresistant bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vancomycinresistant Enterococcus (VRE).

Jack Malki, director at Jet Technologies, says SteriLam films remain effective for a period of 10 years or longer, regardless of how many people come into

contact with the product, as they are durable and don’t wear off or leach out.

He says, “Now more than ever before, the cleanliness of products, equipment and the things we commonly come in contact with at work and at home is at the forefront of peoples’ minds.

“SteriLam films can be used in a wide range of applications, with greatest benefit in areas where people may be more susceptible to bacteria, such as hospitals, medical facilities, aged care facilities, as well as high traffic locations such as schools, supermarkets, public transport and government services locations.”

Applications include pharmaceutical and supplement packaging; medical related products and communications; products aimed at people with weakened immune systems or aged care; outer packaging for supermarket food and beverage products; school and university materials; printed products including books, point of sale and other graphic arts applications; labels; printed items displayed in public transport; and restaurant menus.

The company adds that while SteriLam is not suitable for direct food contact, it can be used in indirect food contact applications.

Bear hunt brought fun for kids During the Level Four lock down oOh!media has joined in the nationwide bear hunt, which provided kids of all ages some light hearted entertainment while in isolation.

Images of at least eight different teddy bears run across oOh!’s Street Furniture digital product nationwide, joining the many families around New 38

May 2020

Zealand placing teddy bears in their windows to be spotted by other families as they passed by.

Nick Vile, oOh!media New Zealand general manager, says the teddy bear creative changes depending on context in the local area being triggered by the weather, special events and also the time of day. He explains, “There is a specific

teddy for sunny days, and a teddy with an umbrella for rainy ones. We also have a sleepy teddy for later at night, plus a teddy with cutlery for lunch time.”

He describes the national bear hunt initiative as a fun and innovative way of keeping kids entertained as the entire country selfisolates. He says, “As a public space medium, oOh!

is passionate about doing what we can to support the community through the technical capabilities of our digital product and our ability to reach into neighbourhoods nationwide.

In this instance we are using both those things to help amplify this heart-warming initiative with the ultimate aim of boosting community spirit across New Zealand.” newzealandprinter.co.nz

Get it right the first time Our members have the right knowledge and experience, so to get more kiwis trusting your business become a member today!

Right people, job done well!

Visit us at www.nzsda.org.nz

TALES FROM THE PRINTERVERSE

Restrategise your return to normal after COVID-19 If the quickest path through a jungle is behind an elephant, by comparison the quickest path to business reinvention is a global pandemic

T

earing everything down at this point in time provides a clear view of where you have been and provides an opportunity to plan the road ahead using what you have learned from the past to guide you. This is your moment for reinvention. We have learned that print is an essential communications device for a society to function in a global pandemic.

We have read amazing stories of print shops, industry vendors and suppliers creating and providing much needed Covid-19 protection and social distancing graphics to the world.

That is an amazing reflection upon the ingenuity and spirit of the print industry and we should all feel proud to be part of it, but that good feeling will fade as quickly as the need for ‘wash your hands’ signage and focus needs to be on what print will be needed in the months to come to stay essential.

If your recovery strategy is based on ‘getting back to normal’ you will miss out on this unique moment in time to evolve with the world.

Here are three things to think about before you open your doors:

The cloud If your business had to first create a system to work remotely when you needed to work remotely, now is the time to gather feedback, do research and make improvements so it can function optimally for employees and customers.

If you had a system in place, get feedback from everyone currently using 40

May 2020

Restrategising through a global pandemic will give you the in-depth knowledge you require to make the right decisions for your business

it, especially your customers , and make improvements. Develop best practices for remote working and continually educate your staff and customers on your process. It will become a differentiation you can sell on.

Your offerings If your business was just starting now and could only sell three things after the lockdown is lifted, what would they be?

How can you create packages and service offerings for those items and automate and optimise the workflow process for less human touches and maximum profit?

How can you market these items and find relevant customers who need your help?

These aren’t rhetorical questions.

I don’t have specific answers as each business will have opportunities, challenges and customer needs during the recovery.

Focusing on what will be needed for recovery is the key.

Your staff Tough love time; now is the time to clean house, a clean slate for everyone.

Old relationships have value, but new ideas and energy will be priceless for your future. Look for hires outside the industry to bring a fresh perspective and by fresh, I mean young.

People who not embrace technology and use it can see more clearly how print can enhance, support or lead a digital marketing experience.

Selling the same print to the same customers when business starts again shows you have learned nothing from the world living and shopping online these past months.

In few weeks, months, or days from now, the world will open for business almost all at once. Don’t become a casualty of the coronavirus by striving to get back to ‘normal’ when this is over.

Take the gift of time you have been given now to strategically relaunch your pandemic-prepared business with fresh ideas and opportunities to help your customers relaunch theirs.

Deborah Corn has more than 25 years of experience working in advertising as a print producer. She is the Intergalactic Ambassador to The Printerverse at Print Media Centr, a Print Buyerologist, international speaker and blogger, host of Podcasts From The Printerverse, cultivator of Print Production Professionals, Head Girl in Charge at Girls Who Print, host of #PrintChat, the founder of International Print Day and the founder of #ProjectPeacock. newzealandprinter.co.nz

DRUPA

drupa resets for 2021

O

rganisers say they found it difficult to postpone the next drupa trade show, but they regard it as the only right choice for everyone involved.

The question for everyone now is what will happen on the way to drupa 2021?

The organisers have gathered statements from the industry confirming loyalty to the trade fair and stressing the importance of direct interaction with existing and new customers that global trade fairs make possible. The industry hopes for a quick end of the pandemic and is counting on a strong drupa 2021.

Giacomo Farnè, sales representative for Italian exhibitor Pentabox, says, “We are glad Messe Düsseldorf decided to postpone drupa to 2021. drupa is the industry’s key event everyone is waiting for. That is why it is so important that the fair can function without restrictions, that many visitors come and that we can exchange ideas intensively for 11 days.”

Hiroaki Shimosaka, general manager of Graphic Systems Business Division at Fujifilm Corporation agrees.

He says, “We were already in the final stages of preparing for drupa 2020. However, given the current exceptional situation, we believe the decision to postpone was both right and unavoidable.

The announcement in March has minimised the economic damage to exhibitors and we are grateful that the decision was made before the impact could become even more drastic.

“However, while the Coronavirus is causing social-distancing and general caution, the communication infrastructure provided by the printing industry, and the role of print remains unchanged.

We are therefore preparing for drupa 2021 to be successful, when the extent of the Coronavirus has subsided.”

Organisers add that, while the postponement goes hand in hand with adjustments, it also offers opportunities: Some exhibitors plan to make the most of the additional time and newzealandprinter.co.nz

The new dates in April 20-30, 2021, now firmly established in the international calendar, means less than a year until drupa 2021

complete and redevelop further innovations and to ask for a greater presence at the trade fair in 2021.

In the meantime, drupa invites its community to take advantage of the website’s various features to present themselves, publish company and product information free of charge and keep up to date via the newsroom and social media channels. These services can bridge the current need for presentation and visibility as well as provide the industry with targeted information and interaction.

Positive comments have come from countries with strong representation at drupa which are heavily affected by the Coronavirus such as China and Italy. Stefano Monfredini, sales director at Technomac Italia, says, “Due to the pandemic, we need to give people and companies the time to regain their strength and wait for confidence to return as the driving force for private and business life. We believe that the postponement of drupa gives everyone the opportunity to regain balance on which to build the future.”

Loretta Sellecchia, manager for Marketing and Exports SCS Atomaberg, says, “Although it will take some time to get back to normal, we are confident that drupa will be the solution to give the printing industry a new boost.”

Organisers say that as

a platform for industry participants, drupa provides orientation, impetus and, above all, meeting the demand for face to face meetings to a high degree. Jean-Pascal Bost, chief executive officer at Bobst, says, “At the first drupa in 1951, Bobst sold 43 machines.

70 years later, in 2021, we will be shaping the future of the packaging world at drupa by actively driving change in the industry, sharing our vision in a changing world is essential, and drupa 2021 will be the right place to do so.”

Claus Bolza-Schünemann, chief executive of Koenig & Bauer adds, “drupa is the leading trade fair and the highlight of an entire industry.

We at Koenig & Bauer have already put a lot of energy and passion into drupa. We would like to share this with you, also in 2021, and of course on the way there. Stay tuned, it’s worth it.”

The drupa team will continue working hard to support the exhibitors in their efforts to remain successful in the market even after the effects of the Coronavirus.

Guanghui Wu, chairman of Shanghai Yoco Printing Machinery. And Wei Huang, chairman of UP Group, add, “After the storm comes a rainbow. We are looking forward to April 2021 to meet at the most important global meeting place for the industry, drupa. “

Reset: New dates but the same venue for the next drupa May 2020

41

ONLINE PRINTING

Printers move online to

M

ainstream operators, innovators, artisans and packaging professionals light up the web to print landscape.

If the Internet has democratised access to information and social media have stimulated interaction between brands, retailers and consumers, Amazon has convinced buyers of all kinds and all ages that buying online is safe, comfortable and even rewarding.

Printed products, although more complex and full of customisation and creativity, do not seem to be an exception.

The first fledgling phenomena of online print sales go back to the 1990s, but it is only

LORENZO VILLA

Lorenzo Villa says that, between global trends and local patterns, online printing offers growth

The litho printing department at Onlineprinters continues to grow its installed base o Maurizio Battiston, co-founder and chief executive officer at Skillpress

Giuseppe Prioriello, founder and chief executive officer of Packly

Michael Fries, chief executive officer of German company Onlineprinters 42

May 2020

in the last decade that such sales have really taken on significant size, as large players progressively raise the bar in their services and investments and disproportionately broaden their product portfolio, their range of ancillary services, also the geographical reach. All this to the point whereby both the large national operators, those still without an online store, of course, and the thousands of small local print-service providers are all wondering how appropriate it is to enter an already crowded, mature arena.

Above all, they are asking themselves what the real prospects for growth and development are, and which investments must be made.

Although almost all online businesses have some elements in common: strong automation, effective quality management and impeccable customer care.

Online printing is not an exact science, nor does it provide for a common or standard organisational model that can be just adopted and copied indefinitely. The internet

is instead a powerful interactive channel and as such it must be understood, exploited and supported.

To find your own successrecipe and to ensure space for growth in the medium to long term, it’s first appropriate to analyse the market, the best practices and the moves of the most relevant operators.

Established companies set the example Favoured over other global economies because of the larger average size of their companies, the United States and Germany are undoubtedly the Western countries that have best interpreted the concept of consolidation and concentration of business.

In the case of the USA, the result is a vast market flying a single flag and speaking the same language, where giants such as vistaprint.com, controlled by Cimpress, are thriving.

In Germany, success factors include the presence newzealandprinter.co.nz

ONLINE PRINTING

move profits skyward to come. In our case, we are also expanding our product range with gadgets, textile applications and products that help our customers achieve their marketing goals.”

Creativity succeeds

United on line: A team of dedicated customer care operators at Unitedprint’s headquarters in Radebeul, Germany

of Heidelberg Speedmaster presses of significant technology manufacturers, trade shows, logistics infrastructure, skilled labour and an automation culture. Advantages that German printers have been able to exploit masterfully, optimising their workflows and creating state-of-the art online sales models which go way beyond clumsy multilingual websites used to place orders here and there.

The most successful online printers have made cultural and linguistic diversity their flag, hiring local staff across Europe, creating mother-tongue customer care infrastructure, sometimes opening national subsidiaries. The names are the emblazoned ones of onlineprinters.com, flyeralarm. com, unitedprint.com and others. These companies are large but remain largely independent or family-owned.

Michael Fries, chief executive officer of German company Onlineprinters, says, “The online printing market, and our company in particular, benefits from four main factors. newzealandprinter.co.nz

Jason Frueh, founder of MyCreativeShop, during a recent speech at the annual Chili Publish event First, there are still a significant number of customers who move from slower and more expensive purchasing processes to faster online orders.

“Another success factor is the increasingly international scope of our activities. Also, we are constantly evolving our focus from printing to e-commerce, to create an excellent customer experience at low prices.

“Finally, through integrated processes and centralised purchasing, we share a mutual benefit with our subsidiaries.”

This company, founded as a printing house in 1984, now employs more than 1,400 people and is the symbol of how a favourable geographical location, combined with fierce competition between compatriots of long tradition, can advance the quality of service and product.

He adds, “We continue to aim for double-digit annual growth, and we believe that the conversion from small, decentralised printers to large industrial e-commerce models will continue for many years

What about when online printing is artisanal and design-driven?

If online selling is synonymous with democratisation, it is reasonable to think that every printing business can benefit from this opportunity.

Surprisingly, even those who don’t have actual production capacity and sometimes not even machinery can benefit.

The most far-sighted entrepreneurs have understood that to be successful, it is necessary to break away from a generalist offer and build an original and recognisable recipe of their own. The American platform mycreativeshop.com was born as a large container of creative solutions, in which printing is only one of the possible outputs.

Jason Frueh, founder and chief executive officer of MyCreativeShop, says, “Among the parameters of my business idea, I considered it essential that it had to be scalable, automated, with a small or almost non-existent physical warehouse. I didn’t know anything about the world of design or printing, but I felt that the idea could work.”

The platform allows users to create a graphic design based on a fully customizable online template, without the support of a designer. Once the operation is complete, you can download your project and buy printing from a trusted vendor, generating the potential for many other offline printers. Or you can order it on the platform in the desired quantity.

Frueh says, “A very small percentage of users order printing through us. So much so that the related turnover is below 25 per cent of the total.

It is also our most expensive revenue stream as there is a tangible cost associated with printing.”

Continued on page 44 May 2020

43

ONLINE PRINTING Continued from page 43 MyCreativeShop, which leverages Chili Publish’s powerful automated publishing infrastructure, is a lightweight, scalable model that enables the American company to serve customers worldwide while remaining incredibly small.

The Italian company Skillpress serves as an example of how it is possible to digitise, and to bring online, the art of typography. The small company, born from the love for typography of its founders Maurizio and Marco Battiston, has chosen to subvert the logic of standardisation that characterises almost all online suppliers.

Skillpress, which fully utilises an HP Indigo 12000HD and a modern finishing department, has turned total freedom of size, substrate, grammage, finish and quantity into its strengths. Battiston says, “We invest a lot in training and advice to our customers for the choice of papers, finishes and binding methods; we also produce the single copy for them, and we treat each project as if it were the only one of its kind.

“Although many find it senseless and uneconomic, for us it is a winning model, and our customers recognize us as true craftsmen of online digital printing.”

the Italian thecolorsoup.com, three businesses with different histories and sizes, all sharing a strong orientation towards textile substrates. But above all they share a desire to combine simple print output with an unlimited range of designs and patterns, searchable by theme or colour, sometimes scalable in size, created by young international designers, who find visibility and business opportunities on the platform.

This open and meritocratic attitude involves new stakeholders and generates a spontaneous network of promoters for printing infrastructures.

Among the solution makers, there are also those who have focused on niche applications, such as the British moo.com.

Founded in 2006 by Richard Moss, the company has always been inspired by the passion of its chief executive officer for extreme design and quality, which Moo uses to transform the segment of business cards, considered by many others as just a commodity.

Amanda Champion, marketing and communications manager at Moo, says, “The exchange of a business card is

often the first time a potential contact, customer or investor interacts with a company or brand. Having a carefully designed premium card helps you stand out in a crowded market.”

“Moo is just over 12 years old and had £100m in revenue in 2018. The business card market is booming and, looking at only the 600,000 new companies that open their doors each year in the United States, the market opportunities are obvious.”

Profit from new segments For online printers, packaging is the next big thing.

Today, packaging is the market that expresses the highest volumes, growth rates and margins. At the same time, except for promotional containers and gadgets, it is the most challenging segment to deal with.

Making packaging involves managing a multitude of variables, such as the design of effective templates and diecutting patterns, adherence to strict quality and safety standards, impeccable reproduction of spot colours, the use of enhancement, the

Solution makers Between decoration and hyperverticalisation, you must make way for solution makers.

If design plays a crucial role in the development of conventional printing projects, its importance increases if we enter the field of unusual applications, with substrates and surfaces that have little or nothing to do with commercial printing and display graphics.

It is new territory, made up of operators that we could define as solution makers, able to satisfy a new printing demand, often creating an offer separate from that of other print service providers. Most of them have gained specific experience outside the graphic arts, to the point that their portfolio ranges from fabrics to wallpapers, from photographic paper to pictorial canvas, up to gift-wrapping paper.

This is the case of the American spoonflower.com, the Dutch Motiflow.com and 44

May 2020

Business cards produced using specialty papers made by Moo

Packly produces and ships micro-orders of folding carton boxes, digitally printed and die-cut with Zünd technology newzealandprinter.co.nz

ONLINE PRINTING integration of packaging into industrial packaging processes, the durability needed for shipping and for display at the point of sale and effectiveness and impact in its interaction with consumers.

For this reason, there are still few online print operators who have introduced it, perhaps limiting themselves to simple products that can be made with standard papers, weights and sizes.

Among the pioneers of web to pack, there is the Italian pack.ly, a software company founded in 2014 to open the way for designers, agencies, small converters or simply newcomers to design, approve and purchase online professional packaging.

Giuseppe Prioriello, founder and chief executive officer of Packly, says, “We have found that the packaging industry was still conditioned by complex and expensive production methods, inaccessible to a large part of the market. That’s why we designed software that would make digital die-cutting and 3D rendering accessible to everyone.”

Entirely web-based, but also accessible via API, Packly gives

access to a library of models, fully customisable in size and substrate, to apply your graphic layout.

At the end of the process, in addition to the interactive 3D preview, you can download the generated die path file, or place the order. Packly can produce and ship micro-orders in a few days, starting from a single copy, of folding carton boxes, digitally printed and die-cut with Zünd technology. It can also complete medium and large runs, printed with Koenig & Bauer sheetfed offset presses, finished with Bobst converting lines or with a Highcon digital die-cutter.

Labels deserve a separate chapter. Another vast and hyper-technical market, which online printers mostly treated as an ancillary service, providing stickers and small reels, or a little more.

Unexpectedly, the CCL Group, the global giant of labels, is presenting itself with the ability to change the sector.

In 2018, with its self-adhesive skills and converting capacity to satisfy the most demanding brand owners, the Canadian group launched online portals such as etikett.de in Germany

Solution makers: Annemijn Filius (l) creative director and Femke Wijbenga, marketing manager of Motiflow

Skillpress fully utilises an HP Indigo 12000HD newzealandprinter.co.nz

and etichetta.it in Italy and acquired established operators such as easy2name.com in the UK.

Digital transformation Will technology be the trigger?

Although the ongoing supremacy of any successful business depends on the strategic capabilities of its management and leadership team, and on the skills of its workforce, new or evolving technologies continue to be a driving force for our industry, as well as being a trigger for new businesses.

Over time at drupa 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016, digital printing, and inkjet in particular, has taken on increasing importance, to the point where it has become the main protagonist at the show and where at the next drupa, in April 2021, it will be considered as an indisputable fact.

It is to be expected that the discussion will shift to digital transformation and the hybridisation of print production processes.

The strategic messages of organisers and exhibitors will increasingly focus on interconnection, automation and digitisation of the design, procurement, preparation, finishing, converting, inventory and logistics stages.

As chance would have it, it is precisely these ingredients that have already added flavour to the online printing production and sales models, with yet more destined to make a difference.

Lorenzo Villa, print engineer and publisher, holds a degree in Graphic Arts, as well as technical, strategic and commercial skills. From the late ‘90s, he has written for print industry publications.

The co-founder and former general secretary of the EDP Association, from 2010 he started serving innovative manufacturers as management consultant, specialising in product and business development, with involvement in projects within graphics, textile and packaging. In 2015, with his partner Gabriele Lo Surdo, he founded Density and acquired Italia Publishers, driving an ambitious revitalisation plan based on a new generation of B2B media, delivering the industry higher levels of knowledge and inspiration.

May 2020

45

SURVEY XXX

The US printing busi Every year, WhatTheyThink. com, an industry e-publication, surveys the US printing industry.

Frank Romano unpacks the results.

I

t is often said that 2019 was the best year the US printing industry has had since 2016. There was a renewed sense of optimism at the fall trade shows, particularly Printing United in Dallas, where we heard that it felt like 1997 again.

The last two years have seen a printing renaissance, driven by new technologies such as inkjet and the applications it can enable.

These new enhancements, with finishing techniques such as those from Scodix, MGI and Highcon, make print applications special.

The US printing industry is mostly comprised of small businesses with 70 per cent of the 25,256 businesses in the US employing under 10 staff. Twenty two per cent were medium sized with 10–49 employees and seven per cent had over 50 staff. But these seven per cent are very important. They represent a large portion of industry revenues and about 70 per cent of capital investment.

The shift from print to electronic communication, from print advertising to social media and from traditional mail to email has definitely taken its toll on print.

It was fortuitous that new technologies came along when they did. It can be said that wide format inkjet ‘saved’ the industry. The industry’s climb out of the Great Recession was a tough slog and 2017 and 2018 recorded some pretty dismal shipments data.

Challenges still remain. Even during the Great Recession, surveys found boundless optimism for the next year. The 46

May 2020

The last two years saw a printing renaissance in the USA, according to Frank Romano

FRANK ROMANO

US industry seems happy, but cautious. A major challenge for the industry is a skills shortage, which is a reason for the heightened interest in automation.

People worry that, “A robot will take my job” but we may welcome robots because we can’t get people to do the jobs that need to be done.

There are a few recurring themes.

The first is that print businesses have been on a binding and finishing equipment buying spree over the past few years. This seems to be largely over.

The second is that many businesses don’t have many investment plans. “We have no planned investments” was the top response to our investment question for the first time.

The third theme is that the shift to wide format printing is also largely done.

So, what’s the next adventure? Textiles?

Packaging? A little bit of the former, not so much the latter, according to the survey.

Print business owners seem to be having sales force issues. Finding qualified sales people and the capabilities of sales people were the top opportunities and challenges and sales reps topped the list

of positions businesses were looking to fill. In revenue terms, business in 2019 was perceived as pretty good.

Forty eight per cent said revenues had increased by six per cent or more compared to 2018 (up from 42 per cent in last year’s survey), while 12 per cent said they had decreased by six per cent or more, up from last year’s four per cent.

Twenty per cent said they stayed the same.

There was an average change of plus4.1 per cent in revenues from 2018 to 2019, compared to plus3.8 per cent last year.

Almost two-thirds expected revenue to increase by six per cent or more in 2020. Only three per cent (up one percentage point) of respondents expected revenues to decrease by six per cent or more.

Overall, just over one third expect revenues to hold steady.

Printing establishments on the whole expect a plus 6.6 per cent change in revenues in 2020, up from plus5.8 per cent last year. If we adjust for inflation, that’s more like a plus4.5 per cent change.

As for anticipated 2020 jobs, 45 per cent (up one percentage point from 2018) expect orders to increase six per cent or more in 2020, while only three per newzealandprinter.co.nz

SURVEY

siness by numbers

Recently, American print businesses have been on a binding and finishing buying spree cent (up one point) expect them to decrease by the same amount.

The survey found profits in 2019 were down over 2018: 37 per cent (down from 42 per cent last year) reported that profits increased six per cent or more from 2018, and seven per cent (up from four per cent) reported that profits had decreased by six per cent or more over 2016.

The average change in profits from 2018 to 2019 was plus3.7 per cent, down from plus4.1 per cent last year, or, adjusted for inflation, plus1.6 per cent.

Shops with 20–49 staff continued to fare less well.

Only 30 per cent (down from 33 per cent) said profits had increased six per cent or more while 14 per cent (down one point from 15 oer cent) said they had decreased six per cent or more.

Things improved slightly for the businesses with 50 plus staff: 39 per cent (up from 35 per cent) said profits had increased six per cent or more while eight per cent (up from five per cent) said they had decreased six per cent or more.

Overall, 44 per cent (down from 46 per cent) expect profits to increase six per cent or more in 2020, while an unchanged two per cent expect them to decrease by the same amount. newzealandprinter.co.nz

Getting pricing under control Pricing is the new number one challenge from this survey - as it was two years ago.

Last year, it dropped to number two, and for this survey, it again rises to the top at 29 per cent of respondents, although it’s down from 31 per cent.

As printers move into new product and service areas, knowing how to price them, and price them competitively, is a challenge. But that this item is declining suggests that printers are getting a handle on communicating the value of print. The number two

Wide format remains a growth area

challenge is “Competition from other print providers” selected by 25 per cent, down from 39 per cent.

The number three challenge is traditional in printing industry surveys: “Capabilities of sales personnel” selected by 23 per cent of respondents.

Tied at number four (22 per cent) are economic challenges “national” and “local economic conditions” up from 21 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively.

What are print businesses planning to buy in 2020?

The overwhelming response selected by one-third of respondents was “We have no planned investments”.

Exhibitors at what is now drupa 2021 will have to offer solutions that really provide an economic benefit to industry services.

The number one actual item is “finishing and bindery equipment for digital production” (16 per cent, down from 25 per cent last year).

Finishing equipment has been at the top of the list for the past few surveys; as we saw with less interest in “broadening our finishing capabilities”.

It’s likely that binding and finishing have been broadened and the opportunity and corresponding investment will languish until there is some new compelling product introduction.

The number two item is “additional space/new location” (15 per cent up from 8 per cent). That’s a good sign that businesses are expanding and adding capabilities.

The number three item is “Workflow automation software” selected by 14 per cent, up from 10 per cent.

The crux of the problem that has plagued the industry: costs increasing, demand decreasing and pricing a challenge are still evident.

The full report is 125 pages with explanatory charts and graphs. All values are in US dollars. ‘Printing Outlook 2020’ WhatTheyThink’s Overview of the Current Economic State of the Industry is prepared by Richard Romano. www.whattheythink.com May 2020

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Coming soon What is the Power 50?

This annual event recognises the leaders and innovators in New Zealand’s printing industry and associated sectors - the people who keep this industry moving strong with a clear vision into the future. It provides a wonderful opportunity for all 100 nominees to come together with families and associates to celebrate the highs and lows of the year. Peer nominations and industry powered voting means the Power 50 belongs to the people in the industry.

How can I get involved?

To become a valued sponsor of the Power 50 please contact Brian Moore on +61 410 578 876 or email brian@newzealandprinter.co.nz Editorial enquiries to Bruce Craig 021 631 559 or bruce@newzealandprinter.co.nz

Coming soon What is the Emerging 20?

Last year, the Emerging 20 came from people in the industry who wanted to recognise the contributions of the rising stars of our industry. The Emerging 20 recipients come from all facets of the industry including production, sales, graphic design and administration and receive nominations due to their commitment in the workplace. If the 2019 Emerging 20 members are anything to go by, the future looks exciting for print.

How can I get involved?

If you would like to support this initiative, please contact Brian Moore on +61 410 578 876 or email brian@newzealandprinter.co.nz Editorial enquiries to Bruce Craig 021 631 559 or bruce@newzealandprinter.co.nz

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May 2020

You can advertise for a single month - or all 11 issues over a year (we don’t publish in January) and save! (New: prepay for a full year’s advertising and save 10%!)

Whether you have goods or services to sell (or that you want to buy), have a business for sale (or want to buy one) or you have a job to fill, NZP Printer Trader works hard for you!

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NZP Printer Trader (Classified) ads are found at the back each issue - always in the same place, for easy reference. Many readers look at the Printer Trader first when they start reading their monthly issue of NZP. Contact Brian Moore on +61 410 578 876 or email brian@newzealandprinter.co.nz for details newzealandprinter.co.nz

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