ONA Print Graphics has bought fellow Newcastle outfit Westlakes Printers after a long history of working together, the printers merging as local industry work shrinks.
Warwick Nichols, owner of ONA Print Graphics took over Westlakes Printers after second generation boss Tony Fulton decided to pack up his inks and retire. Nichols says ONA and Westlakes shared a working relationship for many years before the sale, the Newcastle printers splitting much of the volatile local work.
“If Westlakes closed down permanently we would have lost quite a bit of work as we took on a lot of their digital colour printing jobs, so we were happy to make the transaction and acquire their customer base,” says Nichols.
Since the acquisition, Nichols tells ProPrint it has been a smooth operation with Westlakes customers happy to make the transfer.
“The bulk of their work was mining safety related printing, so when we took over we acquired that workload too. There has been a slight revival in the particular sector in Newcastle and the customers have been loyal so it has worked out well so far,” he says.
[Related: Advance Press buys Pilpel Print]
Following the sale, Nichols took on board Westlake’s in-house graphic designer and one sales representative, alongside two small finishing presses and a tags and labels printer.
Westlake’s Boolaroo-based facility has since closed down, with some equipment and the workload shifted across town to ONA’s Lambton plant.
Nichols says he was swift to take over Westlake’s operations after hearing of Fulton’s retirement as the Newcastle print market is often a laboured sector.
“There are only a few offset printers left in Newcastle, many are shutting down and dying off because of the harsh local market,” adds Nichols.
“Westlakes survived because they were heavily involved with mining safety printing which has always been a booming industry here. ONA is doing well but I have seen a lot of printers fail, with factory floors full of mothballs and staff stripped back to the bare minimum.”
Nichols has owned ONA Print Graphics for 16 of the printer’s 25-year history. ONA specialises in graphic design and digital colour printing with a focus on canvas, poster and wide format signage production.
Westlakes Printers was run by second-generation printer and owner Tony Fulton, who is now retiring and selling the family-owned business after several decades in the industry.
The lion’s share of Westlake’s work came from producing danger, safety and inspection tags for the mining sector. It also printing carbonless books and business cards which ONA Graphics now outsources.
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter