Lotsa Print & Signage of Cairns and Port Douglas in Far North Queensland has become the first printer globally to achieve a perfect 100% audit score for ISO 12647 colour Quality Management System, using Mellow Colour.
“This is a fabulous example where a business has learned how to overcome the challenges of operating in a regional area with what can be a very testing climate,” said local MP Warren Entsch, Federal member for Leichhardt, who presented Lotsa owner Peter Martin with the perfect-score certificate supplied by Colour Graphic Services.
“It was great to meet with Peter Martin and his team at the Port Douglas premises," said Entsch. "Peter showed me the system which continually monitors the colour and quality of their printing, and it’s just amazing – I have a whole new appreciation for the process behind the printing that we get done through Lotsa.”
Lotsa is the epitome of a modern, progressive printer with offset (Ryobi) digital (Xerox iGen4) and wide format (HP). All processes are now ISO certified and audited.
David Crowther of Colour Graphic Services, who conducted the audit, said: “It’s a remarkable achievement for any printer, but especially so for a regional one like Lotsa, having to battle tropical weather and logistic issues. I had to double-check all of the criteria to make sure I hadn’t missed anything.”
Maintaining Mellow Colour ISO 12647 colour Quality Management System (QMS) certification requires six-monthly audits by a qualified lead auditor such as Crowther. Lotsa had previously gained Australia’s highest QMS audit score of 95% at the company’s September 2015 audit and has now gone one better.
Peter Martin explains how his SME printer in the tropics has managed such an accolade: “We have become devotees of the ‘Church of Colour.’ No longer do we rely on one or two people to manage perceived quality. With ISO and Mellow Colour systems in place, all staff can be a part of the process and take ownership of managing colour consistency across all 5 printing machines, digital and offset."