Major shakeup in Melbourne printing power

In one of the most significant realignments of the Melbourne printing scene in recent years, Michael Wu and Moody Moody Abrogatah are moving their respective businesses, Ability Press and Docklands Press, to the former Todisco-owned Mercedes Waratah premises in Docklands.

Under the new corporate entity – Docklands Ability Group – production has already started at the new location as the presses stop Ability’s former Keysborough premises. None of the offset presses at the old factory will be transferred but Michael Wu is taking his HP Indigo, Kodak Nexpress and two black & white digital engines to the new location. Similarly, his co-located Miracle Bindery business will also be moved to Lorimer Street.

An undisclosed number of printing staff have been made redundant in the shift, some of them electing to take voluntary payouts rather than make the trip into the city. All the Miracle Bindery personnel have been offered jobs with the new business.

Michael Wu’s OnDemand digital, the former Bruce Peddlesden operation, will continue to operate at the nearby Williamstown Road site, until at least February rather than risk disruption during some of its busiest months. It will then be consolidated into the huge Lorimer Street production facility.

Moody Moody Abrogatah will shortly close down production at his Docklands Press premises at Heidelberg West. He will shift his big Komori offset press to the new site, but leave most of the other production equipment behind.

Initially all the business will continue to trade under their own names: Ability Press; Docklands Press; Miracle Binding, Mercedes Waratah and M& M Bindery. Somewhere down the track, Ability and Docklands will coalesce into Docklands Ability Group but the other brands will continue.

In the new entity Michael Wu will take on the managing director role while Moody Moody Abrogatah will act as sales director. They are 50/50 equal owners of the concern.

Neither Michael nor Lenny Todisco, formerly running Mercedes Waratah and M&M Bindery respectively, will remain with the group, although according to Michel Wu, they will be on call to help out during the transition.