The partners have vast experience and contacts between them for sourcing and supplying high quality machines, specialising in the Heidelberg Speedmaster range of presses. The availability of spare parts and service support for the Speedmaster range is the best of any press in Australia, according to ASI.
The partnership was born after Pacprint last year. Carthew, King and Rio had for some time believed there was a niche for a business focused on obtaining the very best equipment the world market had to offer and delivering it to market via a full service operation, which would offer a turnkey operation including importing, installation and operator training the likes of which would be unique in the Australian marketplace.
The goal of ASI say the partners is to become the first choice of Australian printers when it comes to late model, high quality used equipment.
Sourcing and importing high value capital equipment into Australia is not without risk and poses logistical challenges: many are the stories about presses arriving damaged or other than described. However, the partners are making the most of their years of experience to overcome those challenges, taking responsibility for all aspects of the transaction, from acquisition, through installation to training.
Over the last 15 years, the partners have between them imported more than 70 presses, acquiring invaluable experience and building solid contacts all the way.
Clyde King, based in Brisbane, is a printer by trade and was state manager for a well known supplier before starting his own business in the early 1990s.
Based in Sydney, Paul Carthew was a former Speedmaster manager for Heidelberg Australia. He began rebuilding and selling Heidelberg presses on his own account 20 years ago.
Meanwhile, Alex Rio in Melbourne worked with Heidelberg Australia for 15 years dealing with the full range of new printing technologies and built up considerable expertise in the used equipment area.
The partners have between them more than 80 years experience in the printing industry and after gaining experience with major equipment suppliers in Australia, have developed reputations as highly regarded independent used equipment dealers not only in the local market, but, importantly, in Europe and the UK through their policy of sourcing machinery through only the very best of overseas dealers.
As this issue went to press, ASI was installing a 2001 model SM74-5 – CP2000 model in Sydney, with an eight-colour soon to be installed.
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