Page 54 - Prnt21 magazine Jan-Feb 2023

| People in Print | Movers & Shakers
Les Baddock back in action following major fire
900 exhibitors signed up
for drupa
Some one and a half years before the start of the trade fair, drupa has reached a major milestone with 100,000sqm
of net exhibition space already booked, by around 900 exhibitors, from 45 countries.
Key among them is Heidelberg, with other well- known and longstanding exhibitors like Bobst, Comexi, Duplo, EFI, Epson, Esko, Fujifilm, Heidelberg, Horizon, Koenig & Bauer, Kolbus, Komori, Konica Minolta, Kurz, Landa, Müller Martini, Screen, Windmöller & Hölscher also committed to being there.
“Current booking levels and the positive verdict received
by exhibitors make us very confident and optimistic – despite the geopolitical and economic challenges – that drupa 2024 will again be the world’s most important industry meeting place,” said Sabine Geldermann, director drupa.
Optimistic: Sabine Geldermann
One of the country’s oldest trade houses, Les Baddock Bookbinders, managed to get back up and running just seven weeks after a devastating fire ripped through its Sydney facility late last year.
The company has made
the building good again after
the fire, which destroyed the power circuits and much of the plumbing, both of which now have been renewed and replaced.
The production equipment is being slowly replaced. Baddock is still waiting on its insurers before it gets the big ticket items such as its PUR binding line, but many smaller items such as folders and guillotines have been installed. Simon Ashmore, managing director of the business, which
is more than 100 years old, said, “We have worked hard, and
are operational once again. We didn’t get fully up to speed until the new year, but were fairly full again in December.
“It has been a challenging situation, but our expectation
is that we will be back to where we were. We will also be looking at investing in new areas, depending on demand.”
The fire was caused by a stray spark falling into the magnesium blocks. No staff inside the building at the time were injured. It took 15 fire trucks and 60 firefighters to tackle the blaze.
Ashmore paid tribute to the trade for its support since the fire. He said, “We have been
overwhelmed with messages of support and offers of help from the industry. That has been a real positive, and has meant
so much to us. We would also like to thank our customers for their support through these challenging times.”
Founded by Les Baddock at the beginning of the last century the company marries traditional skills with modern techniques. It services the print trade, offers bespoke binding and restoration, and binds student theses.
It has grown over the years through its strong customer relationships and by acquiring bookbinding companies such as LJ Cullen, JA Martin Reeve, Trade Ruling & Binding and Peckham Binding.
Back up and running: Simon Ashmore, MD, Les Baddock
PAKAFLEX PRINTER NAMED LIA VIC GRADUATE OF YEAR
Paul Plunkett (r) and Will Hamer
Paul Plunkett, flexographic printer from Pakaflex, has been named LIA Victoria’s 2022 Graduate of the year, with Jacinta Allen, who works in prepress at Breen Printing, the runner up.
The awards were presented at the Association’s final meeting for 2022, held at Fujifilm Business Innovation
in Burnley, where along
with Plunkett and Allen the other finalists at the event included Rajiv Kumar from Schur Star Systems, Tan Pham from Andrew Kohn, Joshua McCormick also from Pakaflex, and Zac Soutar from Adams Print.
Plunkett received a study and career development grant of
$3000, and will compete for the national title at the biennial Awards in Sydney later this year. Allen received $2000 to help further her education.
Plunkett received his award with Pakaflex operations manager Will Hamer in attendance. David Galbraith from LIA Victoria presented the awards.
54 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023