Former Salmat and Fairfax man buys out $14m Victorian printer

Neil Collyer, who has managed Fineline Printing since 2008, acquired the firm from founders Trevor Nurse and Andrew Cohen, who have retired after 30 years in charge.

“I believe it’s a really viable business. It’s got a solid reputation within the industry. It’s got a terrific stable of clients. It’s a really strong business,” he told ProPrint.

The client base includes Jenny Craig, Stockdale & Leggo, Whirlpool, Narva, Pilot Pen, Herald & Weekly Times, Dulux and Racing Victoria, he added.

Collyer became Fineline’s general manager in 2008 after four years as Salmat’s national manager of operations, two years as Trading Post Group’s national publications manager and eight years as Fairfax Regional and Community Newspapers’ group general manager.

He was appointed chief executive of Fineline in 2010 after acquiring a 20% stake.

Collyer said Nurse and Cohen had hired him to transform the company from a sheetfed offset operation that was stuck in its ways into a modern, diversified business.

He said he had grown Fineline from a $7 million firm to one that was forecast to turn over $14 million this financial year.

He attributed the success to creating a more professional culture, restructuring the sales team, exploiting his strong network of contacts, building an online ordering system and introducing print management and digital printing arms.

Since the company moved into digital in mid-2010, it has boosted its headcount from 33 to 50 and won a “million-dollar account” with Innovation & Business Skills Australia that was recently renewed for three years, he said.

Collyer said the digital arm was likely to continue growing as run lengths decreased. He predicted the arrival of another two presses in the next five years to go with its existing digital fleet of a Kodak Nexpress 3000, Konica Minolta 650HC and two Konica Minolta Bizhubs.

He also said Fineline planned to focus more on bundling its range of services, which include pre-press, embellishing, direct mail, inventory control, warehousing and distribution.

“Gone are the days when you can say ‘I’m just a printer’,” he said.

Collyer has formed a three-person executive team that he said would give Fineline “a more corporate model” and allow him to step back into a more strategic role.

John Burns has been headhunted from LeGrand International to manage finance, while Joanne Kinsey and Kelly Wallace have been promoted from within to manage sales and operations, respectively.

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