Tony Wolf & Son Printers has celebrated the opening of its new facility with a party for staff, clients and local government figures, hoping its change of scenery will lead to a nimble and sustainable operation.

The 480sqm Smeaton Grange plant is smaller than its 600sqm predecessor, but it is in a better location, owned rather than rented, and managing director Ian Wolf says size the size is perfect for his evolving business.

He adds that turnover has returned to near pre-2011 levels, but with pressure from imports and online printers, margins are much lower than they were. He says, “If we could charge what we did in say 2009, we’d be blitzing in terms of turnover, but the market has changed.”

The 53-year-old family company has reinvented itself since losing a client worth a third of its business in 2011, shutting down a four-colour offset press and trimming its staff from 19 to nine.

The company now runs a year-old Fiji Xerox Colorpress 800 digital printer and a DocuColor500 doing short run work for small and medium businesses in its local area, including two local councils. No client is worth more than 10 per cent of the business.

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