PaperlinX trims back and looks to logistics

UK-based chief executive, Toby Marchant, predicts PaperlinX will be a different company in five years’ time as it focuses on logistics.

In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Marchant, who took over from Tom Park last year as both managing director and CEO of PaperlinX Limited spoke of his plans for the company.

“We feel we have lost relevance due to what’s happened to us and the way we performed in recent years,” he said. “We are a much smaller company. We need to deliver consistent results to regain the confidence of investors.”

Looking to the future, Marchant said that he intends to utilise the company’s logistics far greater and become a broader supplier for the graphics industry. He also noted a “resurgence in using paper”, noting products such as high-end coffee table books “where choosing the right paper can transform the end product into something of real and lasting beauty.”

Marchant, who presents PaperlinX’s results this week, does not foresee a short-term pick-up but is optimistic of the company’s ability to get back on track – even if it does mean moving in different directions.

“I’m confident about the business and about the opportunities ahead,” he said. “The senior management has been diverted away from the core business last year.