Page 44 - Print21 Nov-Dec 2020

Year in Review
...continued from page 43 June
World first as Aussie virtual show live
Show specials, latest print technology, panel programmes, all from the comfort of your office – the world’s first virtual print trade show opened its doors, as local event, the Print, Sign, Display & Graphics Virtual Trade Show goes live.
Alon Bar-Shany to leave HP Indigo
Alon Bar-Shany, the global face of HP Indigo and its long-time general manager, is leaving the company after a quarter of a century with the innovative print systems developer, the last 16 as its leader.
Allclear installs Australia’s first
HP Indigo 12000 HD
Despite Covid, life went on. Brisbane-based commercial operation, Allclear Print + Signs, has installed the first HP Indigo 12000 HD Digital Press in the country, in a “natural progression” for the business.
Bauer sold to Webstar NZ owner
The region’s biggest magazine publisher, Bauer Media, is in new hands, with private equity fund Mercury Capital the new owners. Sydney-based Mercury Capital is also the majority owner of heatset printer Webstar in New Zealand.
July
Newspaper presses silenced in end of era
This month marked the end of the era of a community newspaper in every town and region in the country, with many presses falling silent for the last time, victims of the Covid crash, new technology, and structural changes in society.
Durst makes mask IP available
Digital print solutions developer Durst releases the IP on the masks to its Rhotex users around the world, including those in Australia. It has been producing masks in its demo centre at its Italian headquarters, using its filter technology developed for its inkjet presses.
Paper imports plunged by 30% in April
The fall in print during the start of the Covid crisis was highlighted by the April import figures from IndustryEdge, which says coated mechanical imports plunged, with bigger falls expected in May.
Focus boss Singh boxes way to Australian Masters
Focus Print Group CEO Mark Singh Shergill found a new way to release the tensions
of running a business in the Covid era, taking up boxing – and fighting his way to
a national title taking out the Australian Masters.
QLM opens new Australian centre
QLM Label Makers opened its new 3000sqm Australian production centre, with clients, suppliers and government ministers all lining up to wish the business well in a virtual event live-streamed to guests.
Duarte becomes CEO at
Centrum Printing
Sandra Duarte is the new CEO at Centrum Printing, saying she is proud to accept the high profile role at the large format, display, and packaging printer, where she has been general manager.
Stuff NZ sold for $1, Nine
keeps print plant
Nine sold its former Fairfax NZ newspaper business Stuff for the princely sum of $1, and a Kiwi dollar at that, but is keeping its printing plant, which it will lease back to Stuff.
Affinity Print buys Cain Colour
for UV capability
Melbourne-based Affinity Print bought family-owned Cain Colour, in order to
boost its UV print power in the high-end packaging market. All Cain staff and owner Chris Cain will come over to Affinity, along with the UV Heidelberg SM52 and the rest of the Cain production equipment.
Heidelberg pulls out of drupa
The world’s biggest offset press manufacturer Heidelberg pulled out of the rescheduled global mega show drupa next year, opting instead to host a series of events at its five Print Media Centres around the world. Most of the other major exhibitors followed suit in the next three months.
Ballarat newspaper plant to close
Regional newspaper plants around the nation are facing closure as the big three publishers discuss print sharing, and instigate their own closures, with the ACM Ballarat site the latest to get the bad news.
Public debut for printed solar panels
The budding printed solar panels concept is one step closer to commercialisation, with a demonstration project now in place at a Sydney shopping centre. The renewable energy project could be a boon for printers.
Industry player robbed of $100k
in email scam
$100,000 was scammed from a print industry business. The company was a victim of the so-called CEO email scam. The scam targets accounts departments, financial controllers, and managers with an email purportedly from the managing director asking for an urgent payment to be made.
Going, going, gone, and not gone
Despite the economic contraction relatively few printing businesses went under in 2020, far less than in a normal year, entirely thanks to the government’s JobKeeper, eviction prevention, and insolvency pausing programmes.
Those that did hit trouble included some well-known names:
● Bambra Press – still trading in administration
● Direct Mail & Marketing – now under new ownership
● Skope Group – controversial business which was effectively two separate arms
hit administration just months after steering though a DOCA which saw $1.5m
of its $2.3m debt wiped out.
● Adherettes – long-time Melbourne signage pioneer business bought by
Joey Bacic’s ambitious signage company OMG!
● Sydney Binding – closed, taking out on one of the only two major perfect binding
trade houses in the country.
● Trade printer Sureprint – went into in liquidation, the move bringing to an end the
eight-year-old business that came to attention in the collapse of the Media Options
trade printer, which went down with multimillion-dollar debts in 2013.
● 1288950489 Pty Ltd – former owner of Sunshine Coast operation Express Print & Mail liquidated with $4.15m worth of debts shortly after the business, equipment
and brand name was sold to a company owned by the former owner’s mother.
● Wide format print business Craftech – bought three years ago by Peter Friend-Ngui
from Des Mason, now gone.
44 Print21 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020