There is no appetite for personal glory in Trent Nankervis’ involvement with CMYKhub. From a well known Melbourne printing pedigree, he is unsettled in the spotlight, uncomfortable with the notion that people may think he is in it for any reason other than to make the printing network operate as well as it can. One of a new generation of printing industry leaders, he embraced the changing market as an early adopter of ‘web-to-print’, partnering with Clive Denholm to pioneer a business model he believes to be the future of printing.
CMYKhub is the largest ‘trade only’ printer in Australia, with serious production facilities around the country and employing over 100 personnel, while utilising perhaps the most innovative printing workflow software yet developed. This past year has been a big one for the network, with the arrival of its first HP Indigo 10000 in Melbourne along with major Ryobi press installations in Sydney and Brisbane and another one for Perth before Christmas.
Accompanying Horizon finishing kit from Currie Group in most centres has lifted the investment totals into the millions. It has created the most sophisticated and comprehensive ‘trade only’ service network ever seen in Australia. In the process it is transforming the production and marketing of print, as well as improving the business dynamics of an increasing number of commercial printers.
Project Manager of his future
At a time when many printers are struggling to envisage a viable future, Nankervis considers he is only at the starting gate as far as his contribution to the industry goes. And while he may be engaged with the latest of industry technology, there is a solid reality to his dealings with customers. Despite the sheer efficiency of the internet-enabled CMYKhub system, he maintains that customer communications is the foundation of his printing business. These days he is on the road more and more, traveling the length and breadth of the country, meeting as many of the CMYKhub resellers as possible.
“You can’t meet everyone face to face but I do my best to meet as many customers as I can,” he says. “Everything we do here has just one focus; what is the benefit for our customers? We’re not here for any other reason.”
Trent Nankervis may have a blue-blood printing pedigree but at the beginning he had no intention of entering the family calling. He studied at Melbourne University as a Project Manager and practiced for a number of years before the siren call drew him towards the transforming practice of printing. At the beginning it was the advent of new technology and specifically his engagement with Clive Denholm’s pioneering work in workflow software that intrigued him. He was taken by the development of world-class web portals for ordering print, algorithms for optimum pricing, ganging up different size jobs and automatic fulfillment and despatch. It was a revolution in print production and with its focus on ‘trade only’ marketing it appealed to the business-savvy second-generation printer.
“Managed production is the future of the industry,” he says. “It is up to us to develop the most efficient way to produce print; the resellers take care of the sales and profitability. The management information system (MIS) developed by Clive [Denholm] is the glue that holds it all together. It allows us to reduce staff and develop very efficient production. Technology plays a key role but we also employ the best people who use the best resources.
Lean production from the start
“We’re not about driving change or trying to lead the industry. We’re one possible solution to what was going to happen anyway. CMYKhub operates exceptionally lean production. That’s been the concept from the start,” says Nankervis.
Ongoing consolidation of the industry has seen the number of small- to medium-size printing companies shrink dramatically. There are practically no small offset presses being sold any more while digital engines are enjoying a boom time as printers take advantage of their lower capital costs and lack of skilled labour required to operate them. However, most print volumes are still more suitable for offset presses than digital so there is a demand for efficient offset production either in-house or over the Internet.
The role of the local printer has changed from being a production-oriented operation to a sales and marketing enterprise. This gives the CMYKhub network its reason for being.
“The best resellers, the most successful are those who are sales focused. We have both types – those who are into production and those who go out there, meet their customers and find a solution to their needs. The sales-focused printers are strong, stable and growing,” said Nankervis.
DIFOTIS – Delivery In Full, On Time, In Spec
CMYKhub may be a radically different print production network but the basics of print buying still dominate. Nankervis knows that while the parameters of transacting with customers and fulfilling their requirements may be different, the value proposition of the industry remains largely the same. “Service and price are the key buying decisions, same as always. It’s up to us to meet the demand. People are still part of it of course, even in web-to-print. They still ring us at the office, which is staffed 16 hours a day, with anything out of the ordinary. Our staff are empowered to make the decisions, to solve their problems.
“It’s about simplification. It’s incumbent on us to make sure the resellers are competitive. We’re not always the cheapest but across ‘a basket of goods’ we’ll be exceptionally competitive. We try to work with our resellers, after all we want them to win the job and we will work with them to do our utmost to ensure they do. There is no tiered pricing; we have a fair price right across the range for all customers. I’m confident that we have a very fair price across ‘a basket of goods’, because we understand the process of print and its associated costs very well,” he says.
CMYKhub is particularly strong on its commitment to being for ‘trade only;’ many other printers sell themselves as a ‘trade printer,’ meaning they will supply other printers while also selling direct to the market, perhaps to the same customer. It is a shady area and one that CMYKhub steers clear of completely. Its re-sellers know they are dealing with a genuine ‘trade only’ printer. The company’s ideal customer is a small-to-medium printer who has good management skills, some production kit with a number of years experience in the trade. They should also have a good client base.
“A good majority of our resellers have kit, maybe a two-colour or four-colour small offset Shinohara or Heidelberg. They may have, or be in the process of buying digital. In many cases after a while, they put more of their offset work through us and sometimes they finish up putting a cover over the offset press and leaving it in the corner,” says Nankervis.
“We don’t try to do everything for them; we’re not a one-stop shop. If you try to do everything you can lose focus. We do offset and digital printing and gang it up. It takes the production worry from our resellers.”
If there is an identifiable family trait in the Nankervis influence at CMYKhub it’s a leaning towards perfectionism. “We work hard at getting things right, if that’s what you mean,” said Garry Nankervis.
The two work well together, with Garry admitting he sometimes operates as a handbrake on Trent’s enthusiasm. He recognises the benefits of his son not coming into the trade by the traditional routes of trade and apprenticeship. “He is not defined by how it was always done. He is prepared to accept new ways, while I tend to look under every rock,” he said.
The compliment is returned with the acknowledgement that his father’s experience has saved more than one rash investment. “It’s been good. Dad and I are better than ever, we’re good friends and the business has made our relationship grow even stronger,” says Trent.
Change is a constant
There is no sense that CMYKhub has reached its full potential yet. It’s a very disciplined and focused business model attracting plenty of imitators, even as Clive Denholm is exporting it to the USA and the UK. Success requires the ability to stay ahead of the game as the print market shifts in response to technological change.
“You need to be able to change to stay relevant. I’m always on guard against becoming complacent. Managing growth in a sustainable manner to ensure all customers are completely satisfied is a crucial focus for us.
“Then there is the sense that, as the business becomes bigger, the adoption of new ideas becomes slower. It’s important to stay agile and be able to respond quickly,” he says.
He keeps a close eye on the dynamics of the market and constantly asks his customers what they want. Broadening the product base is not an immediate project but it’s on the radar. Print management auctions are not. It’s a business model that does not suit his operation, even as Nankervis sees it as an inevitable growing part of the industry. While he is obviously eager to increase the customer base there is no drive to grow for growth’s sake.
“It’s not all about size; there is a right size for every business. At this stage I’m enjoying what I do. I enjoy the technology so long as it benefits the customer. I like the people I work with and I have a good work-life balance. It’s been good,” he says.
Over the past three years, CMYKhub has become a central part of the business life of an ever-increasing number of Australian commercial printers. It is a production lifeline at a time and in an industry where the future is increasingly uncertain.
In making a success of this new business model, Trent Nankervis embodies the best traditions of an established printing industry, delivering a sense of continuity and security to his customers.