Geon Brisbane builds a bigger future

Taking over another company is never easy, but Geon in Queensland has managed to integrate not just one, but three different businesses into a dynamic print powerhouse. Mitchell Jordan travelled to Brisbane to visit the new state-of-the-art print centre and see what the future holds for the company in the sunshine state.

Geon may only be four years old, but its footprint in Queensland dates back decades. In 2007, when the private equity-backed company was nearing the end of its big buy-up phase, it acquired mailing house, Impressive Laser Solutions, bringing its total of Brisbane-based businesses to three, also including Penfold Buscombe (formerly Scanlon Printing) and Octane.

Each of the three businesses serviced three very different areas: offset (Scanlon Printing), digital (Octane) and mail, giving Geon strong playing power not just in Queensland, but across Australia. However, being based in different locations always brings with it issues in continuity and cohesion; pretty soon a solution presented itself: a purpose-built print centre (pictured below) that would house all three of the businesses in one location just as Geon had achieved earlier at its facility in Highbrook Business Park, New Zealand.

Such a concept is fine in theory, but in practice many a time it has proved a headache for companies, to say the least. Three different companies means three different attitudes. It takes a steady hand and a patient mind to steer everyone in the right direction but Cameron Mackellar, who came on board as general manager just before the site’s completion 26 months ago, can take considerable credit for the success of the Geon building in Eagle Farm, Queensland.

Mackellar, who has a strong background in web printing, spent 12 years at PMP prior to joining Geon and was attracted to both the thought of taking on such a challenge and also being part of a company that was on the growth path.

“Geon had very large growth plans and initiatives in place,” he recalls. “They wanted to take this business and, through the support of Gresham Private Equity, drive significant growth into the organisation organically, and through other opportunities such as acquisitions.”

Looking back, Mackellar realises his task was certainly an ambitious one. “It was an enormous challenge: we had three separate business and three separate cultures,” he says.

“The most significant challenge was blending them all into a Geon culture that is team-orientated and filled with people who take ownership and responsibility on board.”

Of the many employees that came across to the new facility, most are still with the company today, and, according to Mackellar, are a significant part of the business.

“They all make a valuable contribution and have a strong work ethic,” he says.

Mackellar sees the new building as an embodiment of Geon’s achievements within in the state of Queensland. “The plans for expansion into the Queensland market were set in stone well before two years ago when we opened, but this place was specifically built to integrate the various acquisitions we had made in order to have one operational facility that services all of Queensland,” he says.

“It’s a state-of-the-art facility; the location is fantastic for servicing both south and north. We are essentially on the Brisbane River with the main freeway next to us and the city just kilometres away.”

Mackellar isn’t exaggerating when he describes the building as state-of-the-art. The camera doesn’t lie, of course, but it is also hard to capture how impeccably laid-out and clean the premises is (outside is also the nesting centre of choice for some fierce-looking crows). With the river just behind it, the building has also hosted some fun times for staff and customers, including a recent garden party.

On a tour of the factory floor, I see just how carefully planned out the space is: the four Heidelberg presses take pride of place, with separate areas for digital printing (powered by an HP Indigo 5500 and Xerox and Konica Minolta presses), mailing and bindery with enough space to easily extend each of these divisions, which is exactly what Mackellar intends on doing.

He sees digital print and mail as the two biggest growth areas for Geon in Brisbane.  “Whilst offset printing is the mainstay of our business, digital and mailing have been consistently growing for us, even in the GFC, whereas the offset market has been adversely affected with some volume decline,” he says.

“We run offset printing 24 hours a day, five days a week and want to run digital printing and our mailing division to a similar pattern. We see great potential in both of these areas of our business as it allows us to provide the total solution to the customer.”

Power of the people
It is people that are just as important and necessary in growing a business and Mackellar credits the team for placing Geon on a strong, upward growth trend over the last six months.

“This has been achieved largely through adding resources to our existing capability. The only way to grow is to have the right people on board,” he says.

One of the people he is referring to is Bill Campbell, (pictured right, with Mackellar) sales manager for Queensland, who joined the company just over one year ago after a considerable time heading up sales at fellow Brisbane printer, Fergies Print and Mail.

“What attracted me to this role was the sheer scope of the company and the range of products it offers – Geon is a lot more diverse than a traditional printing company and has significant opportunities for growth,” Campbell says.

Since joining, Campbell has wasted no time in recruiting “some good quality, dedicated salespeople” to drive business further. It hasn’t always been easy. He admits that: “The Queensland market is always tough, challenging and highly competitive due to oversupply and pressures in the industry. It’s mainly a commercial market here.”

Still, the sales team’s efforts are reaping rewards. “Bill has been a fantastic acquisition for us – he has amazing market and customer knowledge,” Mackellar adds.

Though Campbell has spent much of his lifetime in the printing industry, both him and Mackellar recognise the importance of bringing fresh young blood into the industry. In particular, Mackellar realises the industry is not seen as particularly “glamorous” for those choosing a potential career, but he also sees the importance of promoting the positive aspects of working in printing.

Of the 130 employees, 10 per cent of the workforce are apprentices. Book binding apprentice, Matthew McClellan, enjoys the “creative” aspect of the job. “It’s interesting learning how books are made,” he says.

Another recent addition to the team was 24-year-old Nicole Woodward, who took up the role of marketing coordinator this year, fresh out of university. After they were inundated with applications from aspiring graduates, both Mackellar and Campbell conducted extensive interviews with a shortlist and were blown away by the creative ideas that young people were able to bring to the business. A stand-out presentation on the printing industry secured the job for Woodward, who has since taken on a number of responsibilities, such as the compilation of the company’s e-newsletter and also had the idea of creating an entire room to showcase Geon’s range of print and products to customers.

“We didn’t really have anywhere to show products to our clients and the room was empty, so I thought it was the perfect place to show customers what we do rather than just tell them how fabulous we are,” Woodward explains.

She admits that prior to joining Geon, she never thought much about print, but after getting involved would definitely recommend the industry to others her own age. “There are so many different aspects of printing – whether it’s design or the marketing side. It’s a really interesting industry to get into,” Woodward adds.

Outside of Brisbane, Geon has been busy expanding its presence throughout all of Queensland. With two regional sales operations in Townsville and Cairns and sales reps on both the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, every inch of the state is well covered.

Two months ago, a new Xerox press went into the Cairns site. “There have been a number of digital company closures in Cairns and that rationalisation provided us with a great platform for a start-up operation that is well supported by the exiting customer base,” Mackellar explains. It is likely that something similar may take place on the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast soon.

It fits well with Mackellar’s future plans for Geon. “We would like to double the size of our business turnover in Queensland in the next five years,” he says. “We’ve got the facility and management capability to do it; the market is certainly there, we just need to offer the right solution. That’s the key to generating a good profit.”


The view from up high
Three months ago, Scott Thompson went from looking after Geon in three states to the whole of Australia. He talks about his plans for Queensland and how the industry must change in order to survive.

In only two years, Scott Thompson (pictured) has risen through the ranks from southern region manager to executive general manager of Geon Australia. Undoubtedly it’s a big role that sees him frequently up in the air, travelling from one state to the next, but Thompson insists that it is far from draining.

“It’s actually fun,” he says, “you get to meet with great clients and customers and any day I help somebody grow is a day I thoroughly enjoy.”

With a background in packaging, Thomspon is familiar with printing, though he does believe it is too resistant to change.

“Compared to other industries, it spends more time looking backwards than forwards, but there are still plenty of opportunities,” he says.

According to Thompson, each state in Australia has its own different challenges and Queensland represents a strong opportunity for Geon.

“The Queensland market appears to be very fragmented. There are a lot of small, family-owned companies with their fingers in all parts of the pie. It’s not buoyant, but it’s certainly showing good growth,” he says.

“Queensland is very big geographically and it’s an expensive freight state. Digitally, there is an opportunity to service markets more effectively.”

While he sees traditional offset print as continuing to be a large part of Geon’s offering, Thompson also recognises the potential of digital, which also goes hand in hand with mailing.

“People are printing then mailing and with one person to manage that whole campaign for them means there are greater opportunities,” he says.

Thompson was involved in the executive group for the Queensland company as it embarked on the new building and offered advice to the team along the way. He describes the journey as “one of the biggest fun challenges anyone can have”, and credits Mackellar for his dedication.

“Cameron and the team did a sensational job in turning things around. It was all about effective communication at all levels of the organisation and involving everyone on that journey – then the cultural change is easier to achieve,” he says.

“The results are speaking for themselves in terms of morale, industry feedback and worker motivation.”

What makes a good print salesperson?
Competition between sales people has never been more competitive in the printing industry. With more companies competing over fewer jobs, sales people are a printing company’s best asset. So, what makes a good sales rep? Bill Campbell (pictured) shares his thoughts:

“For our market, relationship selling is the key. You can be a hard worker, but unless you’re good at relationships you’re generally not as successful,” he says.

“When hiring, I look for someone with in-depth knowledge of the industry. It’s difficult to transfer someone from a non-print background because in our market, clients look to sales people for information and knowledge on how to produce products.”

It has only been in recent years that the term “salesperson” has replaced the long-held “salesman”. Campbell estimates that around 30 per cent of his team are female.

“It’s not gender-specific,” he says. “You need a mix of people to appeal to a range of different clients.”