Trade print supplier Lamson Paragon Group is opening a new manufacturing facility in Dandenong, Melbourne, responding to a reduction of capacity in the marketplace. The company says the recent closure of Melbourne print company Midway and the Four Trade Only (FTO) manufacturing plant created an obligation for it to support the broader market in Victoria.
Rodney Frost, shared services manager, Lamson Paragon Group
Rodney Frost, shared services manager with Lamson Paragon, says, “We thought we owed it to our channel partners to have a presence down here, to provide a friendly alternative with the products and services we offer. We think there are some opportunities here for us with the relationships we already have. Some of those relationships can’t produce work out of Sydney, they need someone locally. “Once the FTO and Midway situations occurred, we were basically dictated to that we needed to set up here to do the right thing by our partners. It is good that we have their support and loyalty – in this diminishing industry it is tough, but we can make it work. We just want to help people build their businesses and help them to help their customers.” Established in Australia in 1983, the Lamson Paragon Group of Companies produces several print products and is comprised of Lamson Paragon, Paper Rolls Australia, Cheque-Mates, Docuspace and Fairplay Print. The new Dandenong site will manufacture all products across the company’s brands. Frost says the Melbourne plant will not be as large as Lamson’s Sefton site in Sydney, which contains 11 web presses. For the Dandenong site, he says, “We have taken about 1,000sqm to start with, more than enough to service the local market. We are looking forward to getting everything up and running in mid to late October.” The new plant will join one Cheque-Mates site in Melbourne’s Springvale, as well as plants in Sydney, Perth and the Philippines. Expanding into the Philippines a couple of years ago, Frost says the Asian extension is purely about delivering a competitive cost base for partners, and that for every five people added to the Manila office the company employs another staff member in Australia. Working with printers, print managers, copy shops, mail houses and advertising agencies, the company says it makes a point of dealing with trade customers only, through channel partnerships. It is also interested in giving back to the community, with Frost an ambassador for the annual Vinnies CEO sleepout held in June, and about to embark on a charity bike ride for cancer. Frost says, “We are very big on giving back. It is not just about building a business, we like to give back as much as we can.”
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