Böttcher Australia celebrates 10th birthday

Böttcher Australia celebrated ten years in the Australian printing industry on March 1st, 2008.

It was ten years ago that the company's local director, Mitch Mulligan, laid the foundation stones for the establishment of Böttcher Australia Pty Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Felix Böttcher Gmbh & Co KG in Köln, Germany.

After spending a month in Germany being trained in the ways of Böttcher processes and technology, Mulligan began local operations in March 1998 from the lounge room of his home, employing his first employee to sit at the other end of the lounge room table in the following months.

"From there it was to our first office and warehouse facility located in Bridge Street Rydalmere, which we soon outgrew and moved to our current Castle Hill location in 2001, installing our blanket converting facility at the same time," Mulligan recalled.

"When Böttcher Australia started, it was with the promise that the industry would directly benefit from Böttcher's entry into the local market by raising the bar, and that the local team would work hard to bring about positive changes in the press room to the advantage of printers, owners and shareholders.

Hip-hip hooray! The Böttcher team celebrates its ten-year anniversay.

"We've achieved this through the appropriate application of technology and solutions aimed at minimizing the consumption of raw materials and the impact on the environment whilst simultaneously maximising productivity."

Over the ten years, the company and its offerings have grown considerably and it now has a solid stable of customers and market-leading products in rollers, blankets and press chemistry.

The company now has a family of 16 employees nationally, many of whom have been with the company between five and eight years. During this time, the company has also established offices in Victoria and Queensland.

Sales manager, Adam Todd, has been with the company for eight years and manages a national sales team of six fantastic sales people. Angela Hall has also been with the company for eight years and manages an enthusiastic team of four staff, while Mark George, business development manager, has been with the company for seven years as southern region manger.

Over the past 10 years, New Zealand customers have also been well-served and supported by the NZ distributor, Nova Inks & Chemicals, under watchful guidance of MD Allen Walbridge's direction, Blair Welch as general manager and Andrew Wilkinson's stewardship and product management.

"Being a company that is committed to service, strong technical ability and know-how, Nova has proven to be a fantastic partner and a natural fit with Böttcher and its leading technical products," said Mulligan.

After a decade of growth, development and constant change, Mitch Mulligan is confident about what the future holds for the company.

"Whatever happens, it is sure to be a stimulating and absorbing time to be involved in the local print industry and I feel proud that Böttcher Australia has achieved so much and will continue to be an important part of it," he said.