German packaging giant buys The Lilyfield Group

Iconic Sydney printer, The Lilyfield Group, is sold to German packaging company, STI Group.

The 30-year-old family-owned printer based in Regents Park was bought by Reg Hammond, (pictured) in 1979 as a bankrupt business. Under Hammond's innovative leadership it was quickly turned around into a thriving enterprise, purchasing Australia's first Heidelberg 6-colour CD 102 printing press in 1994 and Sydney's first Heidelberg 8-colour 4/4 perfecting press in 1996. Hammond himself received the Heidelberg Australia Award at the 2007 National Print Awards.

According to Hammond, who is departing the industry for good, the STI Group's offer was simply too good to refuse. He has no plans on continuing his involvement with printing and is proud to be leaving on a high note. “I started the company 30 years ago with only two people,” he said. “Today we employ 100 staff.”

He added that there would be no redundancies staff redundancies as a result of the sale, but The Lilyfield Group will be undergoing considerable changes, starting with a new name. “It will stay Lilyfield for a while, but eventually the name will change,” Hammond said.

The German company took control of Lilyfield on 11 August, with an official announcement due in two week’s time.