Printing Industries CEO Andrew Macaulay says a ‘dramatic improvement in performance’ in 2017 has seen the peak national body post an operating loss that’s $400,000 less than the previous year. This is the second year in a row that the peak body has taken a hit as a result of fundamental restructuring.
“We’ve pulled it back from the brink. The actual operating loss was about $800,000, which is down $400,000 on the 2016 figure of $1.2m,” says Macaulay. "We’re now in the situation where we can look towards a much-improved performance this year,” Macaulay says.
The Association reported an operating loss of $1.4 million in 2017, $571,000 of which was the result of revaluation losses on land and building assets.
“The fact of the matter is that over the past two years, we’ve had to absorb huge restructuring costs that should have been incrementally absorbed over the past decade. Whilst we’re not as advanced as we’d like to be, the reality is that we can’t just wave a magic wand. We have, however, turned it around and moved the association onto a sustainable footing,” he said.
Following the crisis year of 2015 where the Association's future was under threat, Macaulay was appointed with the brief to get the PIAA onto a sustainable footing. He's driven a sometimes-unpopular agenda that has seen staff numbers drop from 25 to six and state offices closed down.
Macaulay insists core industrial relations services to members have improved out of sight while he's stepped up lobbying efforts with federal and state MPs. "Members don't need offices all over the place but they do need access to services and we're offering a broader service now than we did with 25 staff members."
He shafts home the fall in membership over the past year to massive consolidation in the industry. “This directly reflects the state of the printing industry. But against that, some members who left the organization during the trouble in 2015 have now started returning.
“Our 130-year old association is back, alive and kicking goals. And it’s all due to the foresight of a new generation board that is driving transparency and is aware of what the industry needs.” He believes, a new look board of directors is set for generational change and effective succession planning.