The past six years has seen Worldwide South Brisbane undergo a complete digital overhaul and emerge stronger and more profitable than ever. Rebuilt from the ground up on a Konica Minolta platform in 2008, the business has defied the challenges and trends of a transforming industry, entering a brand new growth phase.
Worldwide South Brisbane has set its reputation on delivering a high level of personalised service. Rising demand in a competitive market drove the business to look for a reliable and cost effective digital printing solution. According to George Bacic (pictured), Worldwide South Brisbane's managing director, the consistency and reliability offered by Konica Minolta were paramount in his decision to replace its entire printing fleet.
"Not only did we need a suite of first class equipment, we wanted a partner we could trust and a service we could depend on. Quality was also of equal importance. In order to stand out in today's crowded market, the print quality and colour accuracy had to be more than okay - it had to be exceptional," said Bacic.
The move gave Bacic's team the scope it needed to move forward in the digital arena, going on to install more than ten Konica Minolta production printers over the course of the last six years. The business now runs a number of top-of-the-line colour presses including a bizhub C8000 and C65000, a bizhub 1200 and two PRO 920s, as well as a range of C353s for its smaller commercial print work.
"We're really impressed with the service and reliability of these machines. Aside from normal maintenance, the devices have hardly ever broken down and when you're in such a busy growth period, minimal operational down-time is critical to customer retention," he adds.
Since then the local Konica team has working closely with the Worldwide South Brisbane team to better integrate its automation features throughout the business to increase value. On top of its ongoing service, this support was felt most keenly during the Brisbane flood disaster in 2011, where Konica Minolta's quick action proved critical to salvaging the business.
Bacic recalls, "Water was already lapping at the front door when Konica Minolta sent in their trucks and engineers to break down and transport the machinery. They housed some of our printer in a dry warehouse while we operated from our Springwood store until the primary location was back up and running. Without Konica Minolta's help I don't know how we would have survived that devastating and turbulent time."