A somewhat diminished post-administration SEMA looks poised to enter the digital mail race, competing with industry rivals, Salmat and Australia Post to claim a chunk of the local market share developing in email-based essential mail delivery.

The New South Wales PICA Award entries are now open, with entry open until 10 September for printing industry hopefuls who wish to be featured in the 2012 Awards.

The winds of change for 26 June 2012: New state manager for Halifax Vogel Group Victoria, Trisha Gardiner joins DES, and Roger Gee goes with Hostman-Steinberg Australia.

Workplace bullying, harassment and discrimination will be the focus for a series of short briefings being run by Printing Industries throughout the month of July.

There was much movement at the station this week with SEMA’s creditors giving the green light for a management buyout of the embattled essential mail provider. Industry consultant, John Stewart, who has been named as the company’s new managing director, led the buyout.

The first Heidelberg Speedmaster SX52 press to be sold in the Australian market has gone to Melbourne printer, JP Printing, a family-run commercial printer for the local A3 market.

The closing days of the 2012 financial year are playing host to a huge sale on the entire available Pantone Colour range, with all Pantone products slashed by a whopping 12 per cent for the rest of the financial year – right up until June 30.

Currie Group is bringing the innovative Israeli-manufactured machine to Australia this month with a series of demonstrations at the Group’s Hawthorn showroom planned for July and August. In February this year, David Currie (pictured) travelled to Israel to review new pre-drupa technology. While there he took the opportunity to sign his Currie Group as the Australian agent for Scodix, the innovative digital enhancement press.

Industry heavyweight Heidelberg shocked the local industry last week by pulling its presence from PacPrint13 next year, but Australia’s leading printing industry suppliers have shown their support for the quadrennial trade fair by confirming their places as primary exhibitors.

The practice of importing cut-price volume office paper under the ‘no country declared’ (NCD) provisions to mask paper imports arriving from regions with questionable pulp harvesting practices – notably Indonesia – is not only continuing, but rising, according to the latest issue of Pulp & Paper Edge.

The decision by the industry’s iconic supplier not to participate with a stand at next year’s show in Melbourne has sent shock waves throughout the industry. According to Andy Vels Jensen, CEO of Heidelberg Australia and NZ (HAN), the decision is not a reflection on the PacPrint business model but a hard commercial decision forced on the company by changing market dynamics.

Australia’s foremost direct marketing event is set to roll around again, with the Australian Direct Marketing Association Forum 2012 convention to be held from August 22-24 at the Sydney Convention Centre in Darling Harbour.

Kodak has started the ball rolling for the sell-off of its dedicated capture device business and technology, with the company this week seeking approval for the sale of over 1,100 patents in its ongoing effort to recover from its bankruptcy in the US earlier this year.

Understanding and using innovation in printing businesses will become an important focus for Printing Industries industry engagement following a successful round of forums in cities around Australia which ended last week.