The Sydney firm ordered a six-colour Rapida 162a plus coater, which is expected to be installed in October.
[Feature: Dark days are over for Centrum Printing]
General manager Sandra Mascaro said four printing clients, which each spend about $1.5 million per year on packaging, agreed to transfer their packaging to Centrum before the order was placed. More clients are expected to follow, she added.
Mascaro told ProPrint that Centrum’s first packaging press would target the sort of small- and medium-run work that Amcor and Visy don’t do.
She also said it would allow the $5.5 million-turnover business to diversify into more profitable work and offer clients a fuller service.
“Our plan at the moment is that we will double our turnover in 18 months. We feel that with the new press, we can offer something unique to our customers and we can target the high-end market. We’ve been very limited with our old presses with the type of work we can do,” she said.
“We need to step out of the box and start to lead the way rather than follow everyone else. We need to do something that’s going to target more of a niche market, something that’s a bit more specialised.”
The Rapida 162a has a top speed of 13,000 sheets per hour, a maximum sheet size of 1200 x 1620mm and can print on substrates up to 1.2mm thick.
Centrum will have to relocate to accomodate the Rapida 162a, said director Percy Vij. The current Mascot site is about 1,100sqm; the new factory will be about 2,000sqm, he said. A move is expected by August, but the new location has yet to be finalised, he added.
Vij told ProPrint that one of the press’s best features was its ability to print on a range of substrates, including board, plastics, synthetics and vinyl.
He said Centrum also looked at Manroland and Heidelberg, but opted for KBA due to its reputation for quality and excellent sales service.
KBA’s sheetfed general manager, Dave Lewis, said the Rapida 162a would give Centrum a niche capability that would allow it to step away from the overcrowded commercial market.
“There wouldn’t be any more than eight presses this size in Australia. When I say niche, I mean real niche,” he told ProPrint.
“They’re going to be able to do things that not many other printers in Australia can do. If they do it right, they can really prosper.”
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