Trade Envelopes has secured a $1.2m government grant to build its new facility in Geelong, making it the third print company to expand its operations using a seven-figure grant this year.
The co-investment grant comes hot on the heels of PMI Imageworks’ $2.6m windfall last week to expand its operations in northern Melbourne and, the Victorian Government says, create 110 jobs.
Focus Press opened its Wollongong plant this year, which it built with the help of a $6.1m grant awarded in 2012.
Trade Envelopes managing director Toby Pitt says printers considering expansion should apply for the second round of the grant so they too can cash in on the $24.5m Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund.
“I would be more than happy to talk to any potential applicants to give them my experience of the process,” he says.
“Geelong is an excellent location to expand into Victoria or expand current Victorian production. Factory space, transport, well trained staff and a great town all make it a great place to do business.”
[Related: More printers getting government grants]
The scheme is an Australian and Victorian Government funded initiative, along with Ford Australia, established to encourage new investment in the region in the wake of Ford’s pull out from Australia by 2016, with 300 job losses expected by the end of this year alone.
It funds up to half the cost of any investment that will create new jobs and begins before June 2016. PMI Imageworks won its grant last week under the other half of the scheme that encourages investment and job creation in northern Melbourne.
Victorian Premier Denis Napthine says the government is proud to support Trade Envelopes in its decision to choose Geelong as the location for its new expansion.
“In addition to manufacturing, Trade Envelopes’ new Geelong facility will be used to up-skill its Australian workforce to use state-of-the-art technologies, such as its new inkjet digital printing system,” he says.
“The company currently produces its envelope products in Sydney and prints in Brisbane and is now implementing its vision to boost its competitive edge by reducing the number of envelopes it imports and expand its range of Australian manufactured products.”
[Related: More Trade Envelopes news]
Pitt says the new plant will slash its imported envelope volumes by 30 per cent. “These grants show that the government is willing to support our industry for particular projects that meet very stringent criteria,” he says.
He says Trade Envelopes will open the new 2500sqm Geelong facility in August, bringing its total floor space to 5000sqm and doubling capacity to two million envelopes a day.
The company has selected a site near Avalon Airport that will accommodate two Winkler + Dünnebier envelope machines imported from Europe and the US.
Pitt says the plant’s core activities will be envelope manufacture and high speed production digital print and will be operated by 12 initial new staff, growing to 36 within two years, making it the company’s biggest facility by far.
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