Page 46 - Print21 Nov-Dec 2020

Year in Review
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Vicon expands with interstate move Innovative garment print business Vicon is doubling the size of its floorspace, with a move from Sydney to Brisbane, and is investing $600,000 in additional print equipment as part of the move.
Bauer reboots NZ printing at Webstar
Newly acquired publishing giant Bauer Media is printing magazines again in New Zealand, with the presses at Webstar NZ rolling once more, following a near four- month hiatus from its biggest customer.
Coles abandons print
Supermarket giant Coles stopped Australia’s biggest print job, with IVE taking a $35m-$40m hit from not printing the weekly catalogue. The Coles catalogue job used 10,000 tonnes of paper a year, and was printed by IVE in Melbourne and Sydney, with its presses producing 10 billion pages a year for the job.
Kurz celebrates 50 years in Australia
Kurz Australia celebrated half a century of operation, and hosted a series of staff events at locations around the country to mark the momentous occasion.
Riecken named NSW LIA
Heidelberg Graduate of Year
Heiko Riecken from trade print operation Industrial Print Co was named the NSW LIA Heidelberg Graduate of the Year, receiving his award on-site at the Lithgow NSW factory, in a special ceremony attended by industry leaders.
Fears over zombie businesses
With company collapses at an all-time low, there are fears that JobKeeper, Covid commercial leasing rules, and creditor limitations are opening the way to unscrupulous operators taking advantage of credit lines, and also to unsustainable pricing pressures in print.
Amcor milestone as profits hit US$1bn
The world’s biggest packaging company Amcor hit a major milestone, with reported a net profit for FY2020 reaching US$1bn for the first time, with an 11 per cent increase on the previous year.
Penrith Print Museum open for visitors
The Penrith Print Museum is open for visitors, after a four-month closure due
to the Covid-19 pandemic. Volunteers
at the museum are also working on the restoration of an original 1841 Columbian printing press.
August
The Lamson Group celebrates 30 years
Diversified trade print company Lamson Group celebrated 30 years in business, with founder Arthur Frost joining his
son and current managing director
Rodney Frost in toasting the success of the business.
End of era as Salmat seeks
to wind itself up
Former marketing services powerhouse Salmat asked its general meeting at the end of the month for approval to delist, wind itself up, and appoint liquidators.
Half year revenue at oOh!
tumbles by a third
Revenue at outdoor giant oOh! Media plunged by a third in the first half, as clients pulled in their marketing spend while commuters stayed at home, resulting in a $27.5m net loss.
Solid result at IVE with $76m profit
The Covid-19 crisis saw diversified marketing services group and heatset print giant IVE take a 6.6 per cent hit on EBITDA, on revenue down by 4.4 per cent to $691.5m, with NPAT coming in at $32.6m for the 2019-20 financial year.
Covid slashes $130m from Ovato sales
Heatset print giant Ovato suffered a $130m hit on its sales revenue in the 2019-2020 financial year, as catalogue and publication paginations plummeted. The company’s sales fell by 19.4 per cent to $539m, down from $669m in the prior year, as Covid tore through its clients.
September
Adelaide first on hitlist for
AusPost letters
Residents in 40 Adelaide suburbs will be the first in the country to suffer from national mail monopoly Australia Post axeing its letter delivery schedule from daily to five times a fortnight.
New era with Williams to run Digitalpress
The owner of Digitalpress, bsi group,
has appointed industry veteran Cameron Williams as general manager of the company following the end of the handover period that saw founder Theo Pettaras leave the business.
Taylor bids adieu to print
in lifestyle change
IVE national sales director web offset and distribution Natalie Taylor is calling time on her 25-year career in print, opting for a lifestyle change to run paddock-to-plate experience venue Milk Haus on the NSW South Coast.
News in 10-year print commitment
with new plant
As the domestic newspaper printing industry rationalises, New Corp has released details of its new Vic print plant, revealing
it has taken an initial 10-year lease on the 11,000sqm site in Truganina on the outskirts of Melbourne.
AAB goes to market for digital growth
AAB Holdings, the owner of print businesses Pegasus Print Group and SOS Print + Media, has gone to market in what will most likely be one of the industry’s largest digital print technology upgrades and expansions this year.
Gone but not forgotten
Several of the industry’s well known figures left us this year, with Frank Hilliard of Melbourne’s Eastern Press, Bob Gardner formerly of
SOS, and Stan Halkeas of Halkeas Printing reaching the end of their innings. Also departing were 40-year Colorpak veteran David Johnson, as well as laser printer inventor Gary Starkweather. RIP all.
46 Print21 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020