Fears as Sensis starts printing phone books offshore

PMP staff anxious as Sensis explores Asia as an option for the printing of both its White and Yellow Pages.

Currently, all Sensis metropolitan, regional and local Yellow Pages and White Pages directories are printed in Australia by PMP. However some of the company's Car Directories using the familiar Yellow Pages format have already been printed in Asia.

According to spokesperson, Stephen Ronchi, Sensis has a contract with PMP for the printing of the Yellow Pages and White Pages directories to the end of June 2009.

It is feared that after this contract expires, the printing may be sent overseas.  Observers cite the Yellow In The Car Directory. Ronchi confirmed that a “minority” of the Yellow In The Car Directory publications was printed in Asia.

He was not unable to comment further on Sensis’ future plans.

“Sensis is currently working to explore a range of measures to meet our long-term goals,” he said. “This work with PMP and other parties is still underway and, as such, no decisions regarding our future contract have been made.”

One PMP employee said that staff from the Chullora printing plant are all concerned over their future, with fears that printing the Yellow Pages and White Pages overseas will result in the loss of more than 100 jobs.

The employee added that these worries have not been abated by senior staff. “It is now five months to go on our contract to print directories for the whole of Australia and PMP management still tell us they have no idea what is going on with our future contract,” the employee said.

In an interview late last year, Brian Evans, CEO of PMP was confident that phonebooks was a healthy market for the company.

"It will remain a good, steady business for us for the next seven years," he said.