Geoff Selig is back in business with Caxton Web

Takeover of Quality Images sees high-powered web printing team including Mike Shannon gear up new web operation in Sydney.

In a major shift in the heat-set web market Selig, former CEO of Blue Star and his brother Paul have assembled an experienced team to rebuild the family’s stake in the industry. Three years after he left the industry, the failure of Paul Canty’s Quality Images at Huntingwood opens the door for the new team.

“I don’t know if we’re crazy or not. There’s no doubt the industry has suffered a secular decline in recent years but the heatset web sector seems to be more resilient than most,” said Selig. “It [Caxton Web] is a small business in relation to the market. Our job right now is to stabilize it and look after our customers.”

He said the plan is to pursue modest growth while building a quality team. Currently Caxton Web employs 60 people. The Selig brothers bought the Quality Images business and the equipment but not the company. The web equipment comprises of a couple of Goss/Heidelberg M600s and a Heidelberg 6-colour plus a good finishing line.

“It a very good operation, a very good layout, with good machinery” he said.

The presence of Mike Shannon, previously MD of Webstar before he left last year, cannot be discounted in a market where much of the business is driven by the people you know. There is little doubt that ‘modest growth’ or not, Caxton Web is likely to become a major force in the sector.