Breen Printing is set to expand its operations with the launch of a second factory located across the road from its current premises.
The Healesville-based company in Victoria, which is led by husband-and-wife team Kirsty and Luke Woodhead, says it is “bursting at the seams” in its current facility following significant growth.
“We’ve seen significant growth over the past few years on the back of COVID, which has been great, but as a result we’ve become a bit strapped for space,” Luke told Sprinter.
A second site has long been part of Breen Printing’s expansion plans. After several years of searching, the company recently secured its new location across the road from its existing facility.
Scheduled to be operational by the end of the year, the new site will allow Breen Printing to split its operations between the two locations. Alongside relocating equipment, Breen will also be investing in new machinery.
“We’re planning to move some of our existing equipment across to the new site, as well as purchase additional machinery to expand our product range and introduce new services for our customers,” Luke said.
With fit out work currently underway, the new facility will also support growth in specialised areas such as small-run, large-format packaging and point-of-sale (POS) materials.
“We already do some of this type of work, but the new site will allow us to bring more of it in-house and launch new products into the market,” Luke added.
Kirsty confirmed Breen’s wide-format operations will be relocated to the new site.
“We’ll be moving our flatbed and wide-format printer over. We’ve also recently purchased second-hand finishing equipment including a perfect binder, booklet maker, saddle stitcher with three-knife trim, and a large folding machine,” she said.
The company also plans to invest in a large flatbed cutter and is considering a second digital press to increase capacity and improve turnaround times for on-demand jobs.
“While the second press will provide backup, both sites will operate independently,” Kirsty said.
“We’ve also been developing a range of web portals to automate more of our processes.”
This year also marks another major milestone for the business – five years since Kirsty and Luke took ownership of Breen Printing.
“When Kirsty and I first took over the business we had clear plans to grow, employ more people, expand into the online space, and enter the wide-format packaging and POS markets,” Luke said.
“However, when COVID hit, we had to put everything on hold. For three years, like many businesses, we were just focused on getting through. Now, we’re ready to pick up where we left off. The timing of the new factory couldn’t be better, and we’re excited to restart our plans.”
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