ABnote picks up the two-year old multi-channel communications business, creating one of Australia’s largest providers of variable print and mail house services.
The buyout makes ABnote the region’s single largest printer of secure transactional documents and the third largest business in the space overall. The global card manufacturer and provider of secure transactional products and solutions, acquired all of the assets of Post Connect, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Australia Post. Details of the transaction are confidential but it's business as usual, said an ABnote spokesperson. There are no plans to conoslidate any of the mail site around the country and while there will be no large scale redundancies an unknown number of Post Connect employees will not be moving across
According to Nicholas Ficinus, ABnote Australasia’s chief executive, the Post Connect acquisition includes significant proprietary IP. "[This includes] know-how, strengthening communication channels for all of our clients, and complementing our already diverse multichannel solutions offerings in both document and digital platforms.”
He noted that the acquired business, “allows for our clients to engage and connect effectively with their own customers, through integrated marketing solutions. The simple idea is to deliver smarter ways in order to connect with customers and assist in business growth.”
ABnote Australasia’s Chief Operating Officer, Orlando Berne, said that, “The acquisition of Post Connect will strengthen our print mailhouse capabilities significantly, with operations in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and Adelaide.”
PostConnect, which was formed in 2012, was made up of Australia Post eLetter and First Direct Solutions. Its aim was to offer end-to-end data, insight and multi-channel communication solutions for business customers.
The sale comes as a surprise following Australia Post's enthusiastic investment in state-of-the-art high-speed printing, two Oce Colour Stream 3700 Inkjet Presses as well as intelligent insertion equipment to combine files, letters and information. PostConnect was the first mailhouse in Australia to offer full-colour inline printing on envelopes which enables marketers to deliver fully personalised marketing messages.