Page 32 - Print 21 magazine Jul-Aug 2021

Profile
continued from page 31
“The last couple of years there were really rough. Horrible. I think everybody knows that. So, it was a blessing I was made redundant, a blessing in disguise.”
It didn’t take long for the industry to react, and soon after, David Procter, the godfather of digital production print at Konica Minolta, made the first phone call. The opportunity he presented sparked
a time of reflection, a period of assessing her life and career. After being at the coalface so long, Threlfo took off for six months to consider what she really wanted from the
rest of her life. She had plenty of exemplars, mentors and options to consider. Her mother was a successful businesswoman, devoting her career to building a unique all-female real estate franchise in Queensland. Was it time for a change?
As it turned out, the call of the printing industry proved strong and before long, Threlfo was welcomed at Konica Minolta four years ago as sales manager.
“For a time I was sort of like,
what do I want to do? I did have
six months but I was talking to Konica Minolta through that time. So I probably really had about three months, saying, ‘look, I just need some time to sit on a beach.’ Then we started seriously talking. And that was the best thing.”
“Lots of printers had their head in
the sand and struggled to come to terms with the fact that this press they were buying, or this piece of equipment, wasn’t going to last ten or fifteen years.”
to me is that we – everybody – treat each other with respect. It doesn’t matter if there’s pressure, there’s always pressure in business. But every person’s job is important in making the wheels turn, and as long as everybody appreciates that, keeps the focus on the customer first and treats everyone with respect, then that to me is good culture. That’s what we have at Konica Minolta. People like coming to work, they feel valued. And, of course, that relays itself to our customers.”
The arc of Threlfo’s career is a chronicle of the changes digital printing has wrought on the industry. Now recognition has arrived not only for the technology but also for her as an individual. She is currently chair of PacPrint, a prestigious industry role that would not have been seriously considered only a few years ago. Threlfo is held up as a role model for women in the industry, and is the subject of seminars and presentations.
Change is too often sheeted home to the loudly vociferous. However, for it to be lasting, it requires the commitment of practical achievers, those who work in the trenches dealing with real-world challenges. This is a role that Sue Threlfo has played all her life. 21
Above
Konica Minolta’s
‘iGen killer.’ AccurioPress C 14000.
Within a short time of being back on deck Threlfo was promoted to her current role of general manager sales, responsible for industrial and production print. And to all intents and purposes, it seems as if she has found a lasting corporate home.
“I love everything about working with Konica Minolta. It’s just a pleasure really. The people I work with, the culture. So what it means
Stepping up in print power
As the first generation of high volume digital print systems reach the end of their life, Threlfo is now promoting new solutions such as Konica Minolta’s AccurioPress C14000, which comes with inline finishing.
Many first generation digital printing machines in operation are coming to the end of their lives. This opens up a renewal window of opportunity for rival engines to stake their claim. Until now Konica Minolta has not competed in the high- volume, colour production space. But last year it launched the AccurioPress C14000 to directly challenge the incumbents. Spec’d up to compete on speed and volume, it represents a new dimension in digital production printing.
It also brings with it newly developed finishing capabilities, which according to Threlfo, makes it even more appealing to mainstream commercial printers.
“Even printers with their own large finishing departments are interested when they see what can come off the back
of the C14000,” she says.
Developed in-house, the Konica Minolta
finishing module turns the digital engine into a virtual printing factory. It has
a 50-sheet booklet maker with front trimming and optional creasing, slitting and spine corner forming. Perfect binding for books up to 30 mm as well as 100-sheet stapling with cutting mechanism, it can handle 102-sheet auto ring binding as well as having an automated inline business card and postcard trimmer. Add a Multi (GBC) for 2-hole and 4-hole punching as well as
six different types of folding and you’ve got most commercial printing products covered.
“Konica Minolta has great products. When we bring something to market, it’s always fantastic technology. Look at this new trimmer unit. There’s nothing like it
in the market,” Threlfo says.
“It’s all about productivity these days.
Everybody who comes in here is looking
for streamlined workflows and greater productivity. So things like the trimming unit, or any of our in-line finishing solutions, are proving much more of interest than ever before.”
Even while promoting a lower spec’d version, the AccurioPress C 12000 as an alternative, she sees much of the value of the unique inline finishing being appreciated in smaller businesses that buy the newly released AccurioPress C4080. Aimed at the lower volume and franchise markets, its ability to turn out so many different types of finished products makes it one of the company’s top sellers.
32 Print21 JULY/AUGUST 2021