Auckland plant closure drives APN to outsource to PMP

APN outsourcing deal to PMP a massive blow for over 100 NZ printers as the Manukau plant closes down.

APN’s Manukau heatset printing business has been up for sale for some time now. In April this year, Brian Hood, chief operating officer for APN Print, told Print21 that there was “no intention to close the business”.

In a statement this week, however, APN stated that “gloss printing operations are no longer core to the company’s strategy and have been treated as a discontinued business for accounting purposes” and it had decided to close the Manukau plant.

This means gloss printing requirements will be outsourced to PMP as APN’s exclusive provider of gloss printing services under a long-term 10-year contract in New Zealand.

CEO, Brendan Hopkins, who leaves APN at the end of the year, said that “We welcome the opportunity to form a long-term relationship to PMP. This arrangement allows APN to focus on delivering high quality multimedia products to its customers in the most effective manner with a proven supplier.”

According to PMP’s CEO, Richard Allely, the arrangement is a vote of confidence in PMP’s NZ capabilities. “We are delighted to be considered the best option for this large contract and look forward to a long-term relationship with APN,” he said.