Innovation pays off for printworks
THE Commonwealth Games was a flop for many Gold Coast businesses, but one Nerang printing company says the event brought full order books and a pressing drive for innovation.
Fast Proof Press (FPP), which next year will celebrate its 40th year in business, invested $500,000 in a state-ofthe-art stitching machine ahead of April’s Games.
Fast Proof Press operates from leased premises on Lawrence Dr and was established in 1979 by the late Bob Whitton who worked in printing after joining News Corp as a runner, delivering copy to the printworks. He went on to establish a community newspaper in then Tallaganda Shire, southeast of Canberra.
Bob Whitton moved to the Gold Coast with family in the 1970s and in 1979 established Fast Proof Press, now run by Matthew and Daniel Whitton, two of his three sons.
Products include brochures, books, posters, publications and point-of-sale visual material.
Daniel said the Duplo Saddle Stitcher, purchased six months ago as a key investment, cleared a bottleneck created when work stacked up for what was then the company’s sole stitching machine.
He said the Duplo machine was the most modern on the market, and enables the business to turn work around on the same day it is received, partly due to a fast and easy input system.
“Last year it would take us three to four days to get to a stitching job,” he said. “Now we have the capability to do same day, or even, overnight.”
Matthew Whitton said the Games gave them the confidence to invest in the machine.
FPP undertook printing work for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games Corporation, including athletes’ handbooks and other special publications.
“The Games increased our sales by $250,000,” Matthew said. He said print remained relevant because it was more of a niche product today and not as ubiquitous as in the past.
“Calendars are a great example,” he said. “Years ago I would have received 10 different calendars a year from all different suppliers. But now, if you get one, you go ‘wow’. It is something special.”
Matthew said the real estate industry is a prime example of the power of print.
“I was talking to one of my real estate customers and he loves print,” he said. “He said he wants to take people away from the internet. He said: ‘I want to use the internet to get them to the property, but once they are in the property, I want to give them a brochure they won’t throw away because it is too good’.
“When they discuss the property, they go to the brochure before the internet.”
Matthew Whitton said print is useful because it offers a different, “quieter”, level of engagement for people.
“It is about using the web and print together as a marketing tool,” Daniel added. “Then, print will never die.” Daniel said FPP needs to invest in new technology to enable it to print and supply quality products to customers within shorter time frames.
“Print, in this day and age, is getting quicker and quicker,” he said. “That is all due to the internet, because people want answers straight away. So we have to start supplying print like that.”
The brothers are currently working on a calendar to mark 40 years, showcasing the different types of printing available at FPP. Matthew Whitton said the calendars, which they create every year, are becoming more and more popular with their clients. ESTABLISHED:
1979
FOUNDER:
Bob Whitton OWNER-OPERATORS:
Sons Matthew and Daniel Whitton
BUSINESS:
Design and printing of brochures, books, posters, publications and point-of-sale visual material
STAFF: 33
TURNOVER: $8 million (FY18)