If there can be any sliver of a silver lining to the continued spread of the deadly COVID-19 coronavirus, it may be that print work that has long been done in Asia may find its way back onto Australian soil, particularly in the signage sector.
Printers are reporting an uptick in work coming in, particularly wide format operators in the signage space, as some production ceases in China.
The inflow of work to Australian printers comes as COVID-19 continues its march around the globe, creating havoc on production facilities in China and hitting global supply chains hard as global stock markets continue to dip into the red.
One such printer to be deriving some positives from the virus is Peter Faille, the owner of Sydney digital textile printer Sublitech. Faill is hopeful that the influx of signage print work into his operation will stay in a post-Coronavirus environment as clients who have had to find onshore producers can see first hand the quality of the work, ease of communication and colour matching of jobs that come with working with a local producer.
“The Coronavirus has directly affected us positively as a lot of signage companies are trying to find alternative suppliers now,” Faill told Sprinter.
“If you were printing in China right now you would probably be having some sleepless nights.”
Faille said it became apparent almost as soon as the virus broke out at the end of 2019 that Sublitech would gain an influx of work with the situation unlikely to be rectified quickly.
Printing in China is unarguably significantly cheaper than in Australia and this is a tempting prospect for many companies but the benefits of printing locally can often outweigh this purely economic decision.
“They have a heart attack when they come here and we quote the work,” Faill said.
“But I think in the long-term, they will stay with us because they see this is easier, faster and they can talk to someone that understands and have colours checked.
“They are factored costs into an end production. If you love the quality and if the corporate colours are correct, it proves that we are doing well.”
Next Printing, another wide format printer in Sydney, has also had some unexpected work pop up as an indirect result of the virus as shipping containers with offshore signage were delayed and needed to be in Australia for a time-sensitive international sporting event.
Next Printing managing director Romeo Sanuri told Sprinter the work that came in was more an indirect result of the virus. On the downside, he said there had been a number of events cancelled as guest speakers have no longer been able to travel.
The Coronavirus, or COVID-19, was first reported in Wuhan, China on December 31, 2019. According to the World Health Organisation, COVID-19 has claimed 2718 lives in China with over 78,000 cases reported. There have been 44 deaths outside of China, including one in Australia. Fourteen countries have also been effected by the virus with sudden increases in Italy, Iran and Korea.
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter