Page 13 - Print21 March-April 2022

Cover Story
Its new management team comprises Randal Shreeve, the founding director; COO Mat Walker; the CFO Charlene Enslin; sales manager Joel Statham; operations manager Andrew Poole; Matt Geary, business accountant; and David Kelada, finance broker. Walker
says, “The new management team is well placed to lead Billboard’s new strategic direction post-Covid. The team has an extensive amount of experience in printing and business, and a keen understanding of the evolving requirements of the market.
“Our value proposition is speed to market, while maintaining great quality, at a fair price.”
The company has just made one of its biggest ever investments, installing three new EFI VUTEk Q5r wide format roll-to-roll print systems, the first time it has installed EFI.
Walker says, “Covid posed its challenges to the business through 2020 and 2021. However, this also provided an opportunity to refocus why we do what we do. Billboard Media has been re-energised with a new management team, with extensive industry experience to identify opportunities and help with growth. The new team spent time focusing on developing a new growth strategy.
“One of the key pillars of the strategy was investing in new print machines, which will help increase our capacity, reduce costs, and improve our speed and quality outcomes for customers.
It wasn’t just doing the same work at higher productivity and reduced costs that drove the decision to
invest though. Walker says, “The new machines also open up new markets which we plan on exploring in the near future. White print capability allows us to change the way we do things, and opens up even more opportunities.”
Billboard currently has a dozen
wide format print systems, with
the new printers joining as extra capacity, although in time some of the company’s older printers will be retired.
Environmental sustainability
has become a key part of the modus operandi at Billboard, and certainly an increasing number of clients are demanding their suppliers adopt
a sustainability ethos, Billboard though has been travelling on the environmental pathway for a number of years.
Walker says, “Billboard Media has installed 200 solar panels, LED lighting, we recycle more than 95 per cent of our paper and cardboard,
Main
Treble tonic: Billboard Media installs three new EFI VUTEk Q5r printers
Founding director: Randal Shreeve
Front cover
Looking ahead: (left) Brett Addison, BDM, EFI;
and from Billboard Media:
Joel Statham (top), sales manager; Charlene Enslin, CFO; Andrew Poole (front left), operations manager;
and
Mat Walker, COO (front right)
Right
and we have installed water tanks to collect rainwater. These and many more initiatives all demonstrate our focus on sustainability.”
Consistent with the company’s environmental determination was the criteria in choosing the new print systems. Walker says, “Sustainability was one of many driving factors
in the purchase of the new Q5r machines. Reduced ink usage and power were the first two benefits that come to mind.”
In addition to the sustainability requirements, Billboard's criteria when it came to analysing the market for new print systems included a five-metre wide machine, speed, quality, cost savings (ink, power), white ink capability, and clear coating ability.
on global technology advancements and implemented new machines and processes to keep our offering at a world-class level.”
Covid of course had an impact
on the business, as it did others. Walker says, “It was to be expected. Fortunately, we have quite a diverse business which saw some parts grow significantly through Covid, while other parts declined.”
Today it focuses on four key product categories: Self Adhesives, Wallpaper, Rigids, Posters, Banners, and Packaging & POS. It services
a range of businesses from retail
to sporting venues, service-based businesses, construction and more.
It is one of the largest trade houses
in Australia with one of the largest fleets of machines in the whole of the southern hemisphere.
“Through aggressive strategic investment Billboard has gone from strength to strength to ensure it remains at the cutting edge.” – Mat Walker, COO
Walker says, “We chose EFI because the Q5r printer ticked the most boxes when comparing all available options on the market. We went through a thorough analysis. We are committed to quality and speed. Our customers have come to know us for these attributes, these models allow us to deliver on this.”
The new VUTEk Q5r printers are the first EFI models for Billboard. Walker says, “Changes in the strategic direction of our main supplier opened up an opportunity in the roll-to-roll space.
“Thanks need to go to Randal Shreeve, Charlene Enslin, David Langford, David Kelada and many others at Billboard Media for their crucial work in making the Q5r purchases possible. Special thanks to Brett Addison, business development manager at EFI.
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