More gold gongs for Geon at Western Australia PICAs

Private equity-backed Geon once again triumphs at the PICAs, taking the highest number of golds at the Western Australia awards.

General manager of Geon WA, Ian Smith, (pictured) told Print21 that there was much excitement from all 54 of the Bassendean-based staff. “Winning 12 awards is great recognition for our team,” he said. “From a business point of view, it demonstrates that across the board our standards are quite high.”

Smith added that the most pleasing thing for him was that many of the gold winning entries were for difficult categories, such as multi-page books and annual reports. “With these, there is more chance of something being not quite right,” he said.

The triumph comes after Geon in Moonah took the lion’s share of gold winning entries at the Tasmania PICAs in August. A modest Smith admitted that he never goes into the competition expecting to win.

“At the end of the day, we submit the entries and just wait and see,” he said. “I never second-guess whether we might or might not win.”

The African-themed soiree also saw Printing Industries’ national president, Jim Atkinson, and chairman of the Australasian Paper Industry Association (APIA), Bernard Cassell, drive home some of the more serious issues impacting on all of us. There is opportunity for businesses in taking up Lean and Competitive manufacturing and spreading the positive aspects of print in a communications package, was the message they brought to the 2010 Western Australian PICA. 

The night was a theme of the African savannah with pre-dinner drinks and entertainment by the Akwaaba African Drums and a rather dubious looking man in a safari suit.  Later, Matt Hollywood worked his magic and humour on the crowd with Chairman of PICA, Ian Smith, and with a little of Matt’s help, having the crowd in stiches as he acted out his past life as a miniature magician. 

Major sponsors Kodak provided the Kodak Coffee Lounge, where guests could network and catch up away from the lively party going on in the BelleVue Ballroom. On display were pictures of PICAs past and memorabilia, which had many saying, “I remember them”.  Kodak also provided each table with a camera so that guests would be able to have pictures of their night at PICA. 

Pictured: manager Heidelberg WA, Michael Leek with LIA/Heidelberg Graduate of the Year, Jessica Ward, of Sun City Print and Design.

The Heidelberg Award for PICA WA was once again won by GEON Bassendean for its entry, Beyond the Edge, in the Book Printing Case Bound category.  Geraldton-based apprentice, Jessica Ward (above) of Sun City Print and Design won the LIA-Heidelberg-Graduate of the Year. The last formality of the evening was to award the Kodak 2010 Printing Industry Recognition Award. Kodak’s Gary Hardman presented the award to William (Bill) Holywell. Bill was the founding father of the Perth-based label printers Supa Stik Labels.