Letters, feedback, get it off your chest: 30 May 2008

Readers have their say on last week's news. Why not write in and join the debate.

 

Re: 'Made in China' light boxes threaten ISO standard
This article is just the tip of the iceberg; there would be thousands of well-made products being copied by industries in China.
 
It is good to see somebody taking a stand against inferior Chinese products being imported into Australia.

Ross Cummings
Alpha Label Printing

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Re: Massive consolidation rocks Sydney's printing industry
Consolidation of this group was inevitable the moment the credit crunch broke. They, GEON are a heavily leveraged private equity group and the price of credit went up and hey presto; plant closures and redundancies ensue. The longer the credit crisis persists the worse it will get. This is an opportunity for some to lock-in client relationships and prices. It is no longer about prices but about cost and those with little or no control over their costs are going to 'slash and burn'.

Ashley Balls

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Re: Sale the only answer for Nexus Print Solutions
"In the last two years those markets have come under attack from price competition and new technologies to produce print,'' Nexus managing director Craig Thornquest said.

The above quote from Nexus (ex?) managing director, Craig Thornquest, seems to be a very convenient duck for cover given the optimism discussed at the outset of the Gillingham's / van Gastel take-over. Quite simply, this company was mismanaged and once again, the staff will undoubtedly be the ultimate losers. There have always been too many players in the Adelaide marketplace and to combine two companies as diverse in clientele as van Gastel and Gillinghams, was always going to be a huge gamble. There has been no more "price attack" in the last two years than at any other time in the past.

Bob Reid.

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The article was a very worthy read. I recently joined the estimating/customer sales department and so often get bogged down by just the sheer volume of quotes. Reading this excerpt has taught me how the deal with some thorny issues as well as "buying time", and in a sense keeping the client satisfied/informed. I'll definitely try to implement some of these useful tips when I do another quote.

Harold.