Page 14 - Print 21 July-August 2019

Printing People
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As a first tier privately owned printing company, Southern Colour is constantly looking to supplement its core business. It seeks to provide extra services, particularly to the corporate customers where print
is just one element of their marketing activities. It operates warehousing and direct mail on their behalf; web2print and software development are also in the frame.
“We want to help solve marketing business problems for them. From a manufacturing point of view we offer a total solution, and if print comes along for the ride, we’re very grateful. But we have other revenue streams within that marketing activity that we can also access.
“Print will always remain our core business. We’ve seen other businesses
move into print management, and some have achieved some outstanding results; however, there are a lot of opportunities around the edges of print manufacturing to supplement that income and make it a more attractive proposition for our customers to utilise us.”
One of the pieces of desirable ‘stuff’ is the development of online software to facilitate customer communication. Southern Colour takes this seriously with a substantial IT department that’s continually upgrading software offerings based on customer requirements.
“We have many elements to our online offering. One customer might want to access our production portal, web-to-print, event management, or our finished goods inventory. Another customer might only want access one or two of those elements.
Dawson has a clear-eyed view of the role of technology. While acknowledging his background is not craft oriented he still believes in the primacy of human input to the production process.
“While I’m not your passionate craft person, I don’t believe the need for skilled staff has dissipated and we’ve got one hundred per cent reliance on technology.
It takes it to a certain point, but if we don’t have human QA processes in place we’ll still make errors. We have to rely on the skilled printer, even though they’re using all the latest technology, and the skilled bindery operators to make sure they’re visually checking that the job is correct.”
The former teacher sees technology as a way of moving the company forward, not an end in itself. This year he, Onpack MD Michael Nankervis, and Impact Digital MD Heath Nankervis, went to the Hunkeler exhibition in Switzerland where he was mightily impressed by the advances in inkjet and automated finishing.
“It was such an impressive show. Our board has been monitoring the development of inkjet for some time and we will continue our research in this area including a trip to drupa next year. Inkjet quality has come a long way. Automation is improving. It will play a bigger role in the future,” he says.
Determined to maintain control where possible over production costs, he has pioneered a major solar panel installation on the roof of the Southern Colour
plant. Faced with ever increasing power bills he installed more than 1000 solar panels, which are generating 360 off grid kilowatts. He believes ‘green’ credentials should be a given in the printing industry, with the company already signed to ISO
“We try to have a solution that can be made fit for purpose for whatever our customer requires. This area is all about solving our customers’ business problems relation to their marketing activity. Some of the modules developed, like our event management module, were initiated after a round table chat listening to customer’s frustration in this area.”
Moving print forward
in
Rod Dawson takes pride in the number of Southern Colour’s long service employees and the low turnover of its people. Where possible he promotes from within, and makes the point that apart from his sales manager, all members of the executive team have risen through the ranks.
“We’re extremely proud of the way we retain staff. It helps them buy into the bigger picture. We offer an environment where people feel valued. Every business would love to be an employer of choice in their industry. You want to be the place where people knock on your door and say ‘I’ve heard good things about you and want to work with you’.”
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environmental management, backed by Forestry Stewardship Council and Chain of Custody Environmental Certification for its papers.
“All of us have a high level of passion for the future at Southern Impact. In regards to Southern Colour, it’s all pretty straight forward. We focus on our strengths and strive to always improve. I think the model we’re running has worked for us. We’re doing something right, but it’s nothing special – it’s just what we do and try to repeat with accuracy and consistency.” 21
Top: Purpose-built: Southern Colour’s Keysborough facility
Above: Core business: print from the Heidelberg Speedmaster six-colour plus coater at Southern Colour