The name is apt, and appropriate, for a company that specialises in not specialising. Frontline Print is on the frontline of just about every digital print battlefield, capable of handling every foreseeable request from a long list of clients that the company has built through always saying yes — and delivering on their promise.

Directors Wayne and Colleen Godsell started the company back in the early ’80s, and focused on printing digitally when most people had no idea what that meant. It was a request from a big customer that turned Wayne’s head around to digital print, and it has not turned back since.

“We started the company in 1984, printing variable data price tickets for retailer Big W, which we did for a few years,” recalls Wayne. “Then one day I received a call from Big W informing us they were switching over to barcodes and could we handle that. Of course, I replied, no problem at all. I hung up the phone, turned to my wife and asked, ‘What’s a barcode?’”

Not to be deterred, Wayne diversified Frontline Print into barcodes, and developed a penchant for tackling new product lines by taking on new digital technology to handle them. That continues today.

Frontline Print now has 13 staff, and handles cut-sheet digital printing, mostly with variable data, for all manner of business and corporate stationery, booklets and brochures, and wide-format digital printing in both roll-to-roll and sheet formats up to 3,500mm long, and with media thicknesses up to 13mm. The company also produces plastic cards, labels and tags for retail, security and other applications, using flexo, hot foil, thermal and metallic inks.

“Our latest products are vehicle signage and vinyl wrapping of cars,” Wayne comments enthusiastically.

In its ongoing campaign to stay several steps ahead of its competitors Frontline Print recently invested in a Ricoh Pro C7110SX digital press to both improve its production volumes and to broaden its already varied product range.

“The Ricoh Pro C7110SX has all the features we had been looking for, and asking our suppliers for,” says Wayne. “It has definitely brought new products to our range with its ability to lower fuser temperatures. That allows for a greater variety of stocks to be used.

“One that surprised me was a custom-sized envelope run of 4,000 with a full mail merge of variable data, and it ran without a jam. The white and clear toner is an absolute winner, as well as the long sheets which enable us to do tri-fold A4s double-sided with variable data, which we previously had to outsource.

“The Ricoh Pro C7110SX fitted into our workflows and processes seamlessly using the same rip — we had no problem at all. Our operators love it, and it took three months before we needed our first service call,” he said.

“With far less downtime it certainly has increased our throughput, and the wider range of products we can offer customers has increased sales.”

Frontline Print uses a sophisticated online presence for accepting much of its business, which not only makes ordering for clients quicker and simpler, it also makes Frontline’s internal processes faster.

“Our website generates orders from all over Australia and New Zealand and they come in 24/7. I used to have them coming into my iPhone, but some customers would place orders at 3:00am, waking me up, so I quickly stopped that.”

The Ricoh Pro C7110SX has taken Frontline’s product range to new levels, and it has also meant that turnaround times can be reduced to offer customers a special service.

“Our major strength is that we offer so many products in-house,” says Wayne. “We also offer a fast one or two-day turnaround on many products – we do charge extra for this service but customers are happy to pay for it.

“We also have customer templates stored online so they can order customised products with online proofing and payment, which of course means no artwork delays, no chasing money and a better priced product.”

What’s next for Frontline? According to Wayne Godsell, even more of the same drive for specialised services and products, including a greater range of booklets and brochures.

“Unless a new machine comes on the market we will probably invest in another Ricoh Pro C7110, only this time with a Plockmatic booklet maker attached,” he says.

There is just no holding him back from taking on new business opportunities. After doing so for over 30 years, he doesn’t know any other way of doing business.

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