MELBOURNE PRINTERS HIT BY STORM

The monster storm that swept through Melbourne this week saw several print businesses impacted, including Neo Press and Eastern Press, which saw an established gum tree uprooted and hitting the Mulgrave building, and power cut off.

Seth Watts, CEO of the business, said, "It was a scary moment, but no-one was injured as a consequence thankfully. Having a 30 metre tree crashing into your building isn't something you want to see."

The tree missed the production equipment by a metre, although it sent smashed glass from the plate glass window throughout the digital room. To compound the damage, power was also off for several hours.

Watts said, "We went on the front foot with customers and told them what happened straight away, and that there may be a slight delay, and they were totally supportive. It is moments like this when the community pulls together."

The company had restored its power by the end of the day and began the clean up. It is confident it will get back on track for next week’s deliveries.

Watts said, "The storm was like a mini tornado, and I'm from Michigan so I know what they are like. It was 30 minutes of intensity. We actually had three trees uprooted."

Melbourne was smashed in the storm by torrential rain and damaging winds, which damaged buildings, left 50,000 people without power, and left workers with a miserable commute home as nine rail lines were significantly impacted.

Eastern Press, which was founded by the late Frank Hilliard in 1983, was bought by commercial printer Neo 18 months ago. Neo is a third generation family business. Eastern moved into the Neo building.