Carton printer Anzpac Services is shutting down its Australian gravure printing operations and moving the work overseas, resulting in the redundancies of several of its long-term employees.
The century-old printer – which began operations as a small family outfit in 1900 – is now transferring its gravure work overseas and is set operate as a pure litho printer, according to a former member of staff.
Anzpac’s reshuffle also leaves most of its gravure staff without a job, with only a few team members shifting to its new litho operation.
One redundant staff member told ProPrint ‘market pressures and tough local prices’ forced Anzpac to look overseas for its production. According to the former Anzpac staffer, a number of the redundancies have affected workers who have been with the business for decades.
ProPrint also spoke to Anzpac operations manager Steve Arduin who confirms the business has moved part of its work – including machinery – overseas to a sister company, however says the Anzpac is still open for business as a lithographic printer.
According to the company, Anzpac housed one of Australia’s first gravure printers in 1964. The group also generated generate a hearty chunk of its profits from tobacco paper printing in the 1970s and 80s before it also went overseas.
In 2008 Anzpac was acquired by Singapore-based conglomerate New Toyo International Holdings in a $60m deal.
Anzpac’s local operations have been based in Sydney’s south-west since 1992. It is understood its Smithfield facility will remain the carton printer’s new lithographic location following the reorganisation.
The packaging printer made a sizeable operations investment ten years ago with the purchase of a KBA multi-unit press – said to be the longest litho press in Australia at the time – and a new die cutter and gluer and a computer to plate imaging system.
Its pre-press department also houses CAD carton design, a Konsberg sample making unit and a Luscher CTP imaging system.
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