Page 26 - Print21 Magazine March April 2021
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                Print Profile
    Another automated finishing investment is Australia’s first PlastGrommet welding and eye- letting machine. The Spanish-built technology automates what previously provided hours of casual work for students and backpackers. Given their Covid scarcity now, the automated system, operated by one experienced and skilled individual, is a godsend for the finishing process of large banners.
Without this, nothing
The positive, busy atmosphere at Cactus has a lot to do with how it has managed to survive the Covid year. Fully owned by Ooh Media,
it has thrived at a time when other businesses in the same sector have struggled and folded. There’s no doubt that Cactus was well placed with automation and print power to survive the lockdown, but even so, its success is a singular achievement.
According to Spicer, the work coming through from Ooh Media, played a significant role.
“We posted a very good result last year. The market stayed strong for
us. You have to take your hat off to the people at Ooh Media. They rallied the marketplace exceptionally well in tough, tough, times and we rode on the back of that. We run two different silos; the Ooh business and the Cactus direct work. Our direct reps also did exceptionally well. We couldn’t have put our hand up for a new machine if not for the support of Ooh, as well as the work of our direct reps,” he said.
The business posted some of its best ever months last year, and despite some lean times, is looking towards a stellar year ahead. Spicer is clear about the importance of relationships in the company’s success.
“We have long term, loyal staff. They know the business and many have been with us for more than
15 years. We take on board what they say about how a process can be
Right The PlasGrommet Eyeletting processes
    a 50-metre roll in 12 minutes with one operator rather than the 2.5 hours it used to take with casual workers.
 “It’s a bit of a furphy about print capacity because you’re only as fast as your slowest point. We’ve automated a lot of our finishing to give us more efficiency.” — Keith Ferrel
improved. We ask them, ‘is there a better way of doing this?’, we have 42 staff, and every single one is customer facing. We all sell, and when a customer visits the factory we make sure they have a good experience,” he says.
Digital advances
Spicer shrugs off the question of digital versus classic – ie print – billboards, pointing out the benefits of customers having 24/7 exposure in print as opposed to rotating digital images. Digital billboards currently account
for five per cent of the available
sites, yet consume 55 per cent of the sector’s spend. He believes classic print billboards are an essential complement to digital, especially during campaign launches. With Cactus’ speed to print – three days from receipt of the file
to delivery – it can match customer’s delivery expectations.
In addition, there is a much bigger classic presence in areas
where digital is uneconomic.
“We have a large footprint in the regions where all the billboards are classic. People travelling throughout the country see the same message displayed with accuracy and consistency,” he says.
Spicer is keen to promote the company’s SmartSkin, which makes its posters 100 per cent recyclable. The posters are recycled at a plant in Mildura. “We have the infrastructure, there’s no charge to the clients. Just now, 25 per cent
of the billboards we produce are SmartSkin. All our bus stop posters are on a fully recyclable substrate.”
Cautious about being drawn on who’s the largest, Spicer will say
that Cactus is in the top two or three in the country in terms of volume. As to future investments, he defers to Ferrel, but makes the point that like every other business they have to submit detailed capex forecasts. With the current dearth of tradeshows and future technology showcases, they have their eyes firmly fixed on Fespa in Amsterdam in October this year.
Whatever the next Cactus technology investment decision it is one the sector will be watching with interest, ready to emulate. Surely the sincerest form of flattery. 21
         26   Print21 MARCH/APRIL 2021
Last Turbo standing
In a specially built room with good ventilation at Cactus, the last HP Scitex in the country is still pumping out posters. Now over 20 years old, HP no longer supports the Israeli-based inkjet drum printer. According to Keith Ferrel, he trawled every existing site in the country cannibalising spare parts to keep it operating.
“I can’t understand why someone hasn’t picked up the technology. It’s
fast, it’s reliable and the quality is great,” he says.
Two dedicated operators, husband and wife team, Rebecca and Kenneth Miller, 15 and 20 years respectively with Cactus, make the old machine sing. They were recruited from the company’s former Indian operation.
Outputting at blistering 400sqm per hour the Turbo can print on a wide range of substrates.
































































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