Queensland crisis spells make or break for printers

Natural disaster in Queensland could contribute to further downsizing of the printing industry.

The past few weeks have been filled with anxiety and fear for those in Queensland, and the local printing industry is no exception. Last week, those in Cairns fled and prepared for the worst as Cyclone Yasi approached.

Cameron Mackellar, general manager of Geon Queensland, said that both the Cairns and Townsville sites were evacuated last week along with the town, but business has resumed once again.

“Talking to the Cairns staff the day before, they were all very nervous,” he said. “All is getting back to normal. Power came back on in Cairns last Friday and on Saturday in Townsville. Both operations are now back and running and fortunately, none of our employees suffered too much personal damage and neither business had any significant damage. I believe business will certainly have an impact, though, as many customers and businesses in both regions have been impacted.”

Cairns Plan Printing Services told Print21 that: “we were lucky” and did not experience any damage. Lotsa Print and Design’s Cairns office was also spared by the skin of its teeth.

“In reality, we dodged a big bullet,” said general manager, Marty Griffiths.

Its Townsville office is still without power, however, and Griffith believes there may be ramifications. “We are 85 per cent reliant on tourism, so while the cyclone didn’t affect us damage-wise, businesses in the region have still taken a massive hit,” he said.

Newly elected president of Printing Industries, Susan Heaney, of Heaneys Performers in Print on the Gold Coast (pictured) predicts that the Queensland printing industry, which in comparison to New South Wales and Victoria did not experience the same levels of consolidation and closures, is likely now to contract even more.

“The whole of Queensland has been hit and I think a lot of smaller printers will find it too hard,” she said. “The economy has already battered them and this might be the final straw. It could change the industry in the next six months.”

A representative from Printing Industries’ Queensland office said that the association was not aware of any major damage after Yasi last week, with printers in the Brisbane area getting back to business. “There are a few in Brisbane who are still in the process of having machinery looked at … the biggest effect for printers will be losing business because the area is damaged and people [customers] having other things on their mind.”