If you thought there was an end in sight to the ongoing industry consolidation, think again, as Ascent Partners’ Richard Rasmussen highlights the industry’s biggest consolidations.
Blue Star, having fielded offers on their business, decided to engage Goldman Sachs to sell its business. That was announced on 24 August, so we all wait on next developments. One component is already in the process of being sold, Rapid Labels (NZ) to the Tiri Group.
PMP also announced it cut TMA from the process of conducting further due diligence on its business because of lack of proof of its financial wherewithal. TMA later announced they were going to open a factory in the Philippines and then PMP announced a 25% cut to their web press fleet. Whether these two later events are related to first is unknown.
Acquisitions
There were plenty of announcements in the first two months of FY 13:
- Amcor buys Wayne Richardson Sales
- Lorimer (VIC) buys Gumming and Varnishing Sales
- CCL Labels buys Graphitype Printing Services’ pharma business (NSW) for $7 million
- Champ purchases Eye for $120 million plus
- Paperlinx buys Canterbury Packaging (NZ)
- Brand Print Australia buys Visibility Event Signage
- Prographica buys McDowell Creative (NSW)
- Fuji Film buys Salmat’s BPO division for $375 million
Management Buys Outs (MBO) and Mergers
There were three MBOs reported – Zip Print (NT), Fineline Printing (VIC) and Doran Printing (VIC), one co – location proposal (McPersons into Vega), and one proposed merger (Good Impressions with Sydney Allen).
Closures / Creditor’s meetings:
These included Elephant Print Media VIC (Wound up), Mr Copy NSW (creditor’s meeting), Printergy VIC (Voluntary Administration).
We also saw Goprint (QLD) announce they intended to close and the training facility / program at RMIT (VIC) was taken over by an independent, CLB Training and Development.
Suppliers
Here we saw Mathias Bauerle go into administration and a bid by AIP (owners of Mark Andy) to buy Presstek. Weddenrnburn (NZ) announced it would move to larger premises in Mt Wellington, and Anitech is to close its ACT premises.
Sales and Installation of Equipment.
There was a substantial volume of major plant sold and installed in the first two months of FY13:
Offset Presses
Heidelberg announced it had sold 18 Speedmasters in the last six months, locations undisclosed. KBA advised they have sold large format presses to Labelcraft (VIC) and PMS Lithography (VIC). Komori installed a press at Centurion Print (NZ).
Digital
- Xerox – 800 & 1000 presses installed at Superprint (NZ), an IGen 4 to Complete Colour (VIC) and another 800 to Meteor Design and Print (NZ)
- HP – Magnify Media (VIC), a Scitex FB 7600, Discus Digital (WA) an Indigo 7600, and Centurion (NZ) an Indigo 5600
- Canon / Oce – A1 Instant Printing, a Canon ImagePress C7010VP, and Aust Post (2 x Colourstream 3700).
- Ricoh, a ProC651 printer was installed at Icon Print (NZ)
- Lanier, a PROC751 Ex digital printer was installed at Siris Printing (NZ).
Bindery / Finishing
- Kolbus - Special Equipment (QLD) ordered two Kolbus Perfect Binders and Hannanprint a third.
- Special Equipment also ordered 3 new folders, and a sewing machine.
- Polar – KW Doggetts purchased a 137N and a 115N
- Sitma – Future Sources (NSW) purchased a 950 E plastic wrapper
- Ferag – An Easysert Inserter was sold to Future Sources
There were other sales and installations reported –see our web site, www.ascentpartners.com.au.
Businesses on the Market
Ascent Partners have some good size commercial printers on the books along the Southern and Eastern Seaboard. Also we have a couple of smaller ones in Vic and some hopefully about to come on the books around the country. See our web site for further details, where you can also register your interest.
Next month we resume the first Tuesday of the month’s summary of Market Watch. You can receive the email edition of our monthly bulletin free by subscribing on our web site. This also carries the links to stories as reported in the trade press.