Heavy hitters are light on their feet– magazine article

Few companies are better placed to survey the state of the graphic arts infrastructure than Heidelberg, as Mitchell Jordan reports.

Flexibility is the key determinant of the success behind New Zealand printing companies. In a rapidly evolving industry, the ability to adapt to new market conditions and make use of appropriate technology marks the difference between success and failure. This style of strategic thinking is often innate in the entrepreneurial individuals driving small to medium size printing companies. It involves a ‘sense’ of where the market is heading and of knowing when is the right time to move.



According to Hemi Brown, Heidelberg business development manager, New Zealand, this flexible thinking is a feature of many of the small to medium size companies that make up the industry. A definite fan of the ‘small is beautiful’ philosophy, he is very positive about the prospects for printers.



“What makes the New Zealand printing industry so successful is its ability to change and react to both the market and changing market conditions,” he says. In other words, successful companies are “light on their feet”.



Finding new ways to work


To illustrate the type of enterprise that is setting the pace with new business models, Brown points to Pakworld in Christchurch, an offset printing company that began doing short-run and overflow work from high volume carton producers. From there it has forged its own identity and developed a name as a reliable and innovative supplier. Part of its success has been the readiness to acquire the latest technology when it sees an opportunity to put it good use, such as its recent purchase of a Varimatrix die cutter from Heidelberg Australia and New Zealand (HAN).



In the same vein, Brown also highlights Oliver and Young, a company that comes from a prepress background and which has combined this experience with design skills. He sees this as being typical of the evolutionary path for a successful New Zealand company.
“It’s the design side which has made them stronger,” says Brown. “They generate a lot of their own work rather than contract it.”



According to Andy Vels Jensen, managing director HAN, there are a number of features that distinguish the New Zealand industry and contribute to its success. He maintains there has been a particular buoyancy and healthy optimism within the industry over the past four years.



“New Zealand printing companies are very much marketing-orientated and keen to look for export opportunities. They tend to have more females working in all levels and roles, and management in general features many professionals who do not necessarily come from the industry,” he says. “This would tend to promote a more business-orientated approach rather than craft-based.”



Soaring to greater heights


One of the most high profile companies in the industry, Soar Printing, is another that makes a point of acquiring the latest technology to drive towards its strategic goals of integrating manufacturing processes into the business. This month it can lay claim to being the first company in New Zealand to purchase a Heidelberg XL 105, the company’s largest and most productive press. According to Fred Soar, managing director, the XL 105 was chosen for its “versatility and productivity. It gives us the flexibility we require to expand the range of printing we can offer.”



Machines aren’t all that Soar has purchased: in 2005 the company brought Baileys Printing and, late last year, also purchased Hollands Printing. These business developments should come as no surprise considering that in the NBR survey last year, Soar Printing was declared the most exciting company in the New Zealand printing industry, winning this title for its work with personalised print.



“We are the first New Zealand printers to successfully bring digital printing into a mainstream printing factory,” says Soar.



Brown accredits Soar’s success to its commitment to servicing the people who generate printing jobs.



“They have a very strong sales team to service agencies and designers very well,” he says. “That’s their niche.”



In their innovative growth paths and commitment to customer service, these enterprises are typical of the go-ahead vision that is remaking the New Zealand printing industry.

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