Reflections on the passing of Alan Ferguson – Steven Reichelt

The recent death of industry identity, Alan Ferguson, has prompted questions whether the industry can do more to recognize and assist when fellow printers fall prey to depression.

Alan Ferguson of ASF Printing in Melbourne died under tragic circumstances that we will never fully understand on May 5, 2011. The family asking for donations to Beyond Blue in lieu of flowers at his funeral suggests that he was a man fighting depression. Those that attended his funeral heard of a caring, helpful, generous, hardworking and proud man who under the burden of mounting business pressures gradually withdrew from his family and friends as he battled to keep ASF viable and trading whilst seemingly his mental health deteriorated.

Equally undeniable however is that the pressures that we all face in this industry weighed far too heavily on this vulnerable person.

Reflecting on my own last conversations with Alan, I can now more clearly see that he was not coping – but he did his best to conceal the depths of his troubles from us all. We were all accustomed to Alan battling – of driving past his factory on the weekends and seeing the roller door open with Al’s car in the drive. Alan was always tired – we heard the grandchildren speak at his funeral of how “Poppy” would always fall asleep on the couch at family gatherings. I now cringe at the thought of how we’d laugh when Al seemed to be unsteady after only a few beers and a glass or two of red at the lunches some of us would share with him as exhaustion took its toll.

A few years ago now Alan took the bold step of moving his successful then A3 operation into Port Melbourne, purchasing a ten color A2 and focusing on servicing the Print Managers market. I didn’t know Alan back then and must admit, along with others, I resented this suburban cowboy moving into our territory and undercutting us with his perfecting multicolor.

But in a story familiar to many, he turned from an estimator to a quoter and finally just another bidder in what amount to reverse auction systems that reward those that damage the industry with unsustainable pricing. And as we all do on a daily basis Al competed with those seemingly able to sustain losses of tens, even hundreds of millions of dollars.

With Alan’s passing I cannot but help think of the reports of an undoubtedly powerful figure boasting at an industry conference that he had the ability to “crush any printer in the palm of his hand”. Whether the story be true or not it reminds us of what the human cost of business arrogance can be.

Alan competed with opposition that ultimately entered administration owing industry peers hundreds of thousands of dollars – after selling off the assets of the company and calling in the receivers. This abhorrent practice has seemingly become the norm in this industry – a legal loophole that damages the very people that were supporting the business through providing services and extending credit.

After Al’s funeral a trade colleague told me of $65,000 he’d lost through yet another recent administration of this nature, grateful that he’d maintained his insurance cover for such events. It’s sad when we need to insure ourselves against the possible actions of industry peers that we support on a day by day basis.

Where does this leave us all? I for one cannot profess to be a “great mate” of Alan’s. He was someone I got to know over the last four years, developed a respect for and a business friendship with – primarily through his generous assistance any time I needed it. Yet I feel gutted by his death, as I’m sure many of us with a similar relationship with Alan do. At his funeral I saw the people who were really hurt by all of this – his wife and family, all his old Albury mates, the grandchildren.

It makes me question what this once proud and rewarding industry has become with our willingness to eat our own. We face pressures like all businesses from competition, regulation, finance, the GFC, cashflow, etc etc – but the real damage is coming from within the ranks. Alan had his faults – maybe he was not a great business person – maybe he was too trusting – too naïve – too proud to admit the depths of his problems and ask for help. But he worked hard and did all of the things we expect. He looked after his staff, invested in the industry, paid his suppliers and helped everyone who asked for assistance in an overly generous manner.

We need to remember that when we hear of businesses struggling to compete, creditors losing money to trade debtors, administrations and receiverships, staff not being paid their entitlements and the like, these are just the monetary measures of what is taking place. Behind that there is a further cost. Some lose their businesses, some their homes – others their life’s savings. In Al’s case the cost was far greater.

RIP Alan Samuel Ferguson.

Steven Reichelt
blue print
Port Melbourne