Perth trade printer Large Format Media has more than tripled sales in the past year with broker and agency work flooding in from the east coast.
Director Rod Wood says much of the new work is for national retail brands like department stores and franchises that want print supplied locally to their WA outlets.
“We are able to deliver signage around the state same day or next day, which just can’t be done from the east coast, and they often have tight deadlines,” he says.
“Signage also has a hard time surviving the trip across the Nullarbor and often 10-15 per cent of it is damaged and has to be reprinted, so clients prefer to source it locally instead.”
“We have also got in with two of the country’s biggest print managers so that has been a big help. Margin has also stayed about level because there are so many one-off jobs.”
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Wood says the new work has increased revenue by 265 per cent in the past year, smashing his target to double turnover. He told ProPrint last year the goal was to go from $800,000 to $1.6m in FY15, and $2m the year after.
Revenue for the wide format specialist is now split evenly between trade printing and agency and print manager work, going from only trade print a year ago.
“It is hard to crack the agency market because they expect consistent quality and have high expectations, but they have been coming to us after hearing about our work from other,” he says.
Wood attributes the company’s success to investing in quality staff and automated equipment, software, and workflow – such as upgrading software and parts on finishing equipment to triple cutting speed.
“Having 20 years of experience in the WA print market I know that the highest quality products and exceptional customer service are only part of the reason for our success,” he says.
“The key is to recognise that these agencies are also looking to lower their interaction costs, and with our business model we have the best solution to provide services at rates much lower than what the industry traditionally offers.
“Wide format has not been high volume efficiency focused, having grown out of signage, so we have tried to be particularly good in that area.”
Wood says hiring staff from outside the industry and training them up has been a successful strategy so far.
“We have a younger crew with enthusiasm, which means they will learn faster than someone who has been in a different part of the industry for a long time,” he says.
Wood says capacity has gone from 65 per cent to 90 per cent with adding a second shift and extra hands the next step for meeting growing demand for LFM’s services.
He says many printers are buying expensive new kit they do not have the work to service and would be better off using a trade printer like his instead.
“There’s no point in having a new machine you only use two hours a day and while paying it off every month,” he says.
Wood says he has recovered from his 110kph speedboat crash in November 2013 where he broke his elbow into 50 pieces, cracked his shoulder blade, tore ligaments and bone off his knee, and fractured his shin and heel.
“My knees, shin and shoulder are all good and while my elbow will never be the same again, it has 90 per cent motion which is better than the 50 per cent doctors expected,” he says.
Wood says he finished second overall in the 2014-15 racing season and despite a tentative start he is back to zipping around at full speed.
“The accident has taught me to go slower around corners and not push so hard, and I’m actually racing better as a result,” he says.
Large Format Media sports a Roland DG Soljet Pro4 XF-640, SwissQPrint Impala, Miller Weldmaster, Graphtec FC8000 cutting plotter, Tekcel CNC router and PrintCost MIS.
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