Page 27 - Prnt21 magazine Jan-Feb 2023

Print Profile | Packaging|
and renovating to meet the needs
of what are now six full time staff, and a number that will double in the coming years. He says, “My main role now is to drive the brand and the offering. I see Inke as a tech company that provides packaging, and tech companies need to be fully focused on development, otherwise you can easily be left behind. It is a really exciting time to be in this sector, we have a huge amount to give, and will be driving forward to achieve that, my foot is flat down on the pedal.”
MYRIAD BOXES
The product range has moved a long way since those early days, now there are myriad types and sizes
of boxes available, and customers can order custom sizes. The digital arm has been joined by a service offering longer runs printed offset
or flexo. Reeve says, “We still have the same digital printer, but for the non-digital work we have a pool of 15 or 20 print service providers that we place the jobs with. We often have clients order a couple of hundred boxes online which we will print digitally, but then they may want 30,000 boxes, in which case we outsource to the analogue market.”
One key factor that is resonating with the market from Inke is that all
boxes are manufactured in Australia. He says, “Everything we provide comes from within these shores.
And as consumers particularly are becoming far more aware of the social and environmental impact of their buying decisions, brands both large and small want to show their credentials. The drive to onshoring is also coming from the well-reported shipping issues that we all know about. There will always be someone who wants to order from China because they can shave some cents off the price, but they have to be prepared to take a risk on delivery, and have to risk consumer aversion on social, political or environmental grounds. Working with Inke means contributing to the Australian economy, and buying in a regulated market, and knowing delivery schedules will be met every time.”
Looking to the future, he points out, rightly, that while he has introduced a successful new way of engaging with customers, to a large extent the market is still in the hands of the old school, purely through the age of the people involved, but as
digital natives like himself move into positions of responsibility that drive to move everything to the online world will become an unstoppable wave, he says, “If you don’t embrace technology you will be in serious danger of being left well behind.”
With a four year upward trajectory, and a welcome acceptance in the market from brands established and new, Reeve says, “I am more excited each week. We will be taking on new staff in resources, in marketing, in activation, in design, enabling the business to grow to new heights.”
And that ability to accept and embrace the challenge, to serve the market, to take the industry forward, is exactly what printing, packaging, and every other industry needs.
Clients are process agnostic: Jordan Shreeve
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