This article first appeared in the August issue of ProPrint
When Leon Wilson acquired Revolution Print, he set about future-proofing the business by backing it with knowledge and experience and taking calculated risks on emerging technology. In the August edition of ProPrint magazine, Leon talks about his business decisions, making a global mark in downtown regional Ballarat, and why every printer needs to trust their gut and invest in the future of print.
The ‘print geek’
Business in regional Victoria was tricky during the pandemic. Leon did a lot of soul-searching and questioning his life’s purpose. After diving deep, he branded himself a passionate print geek who prints people’s dreams. The Print Geek appears on Leon’s business card and the Revo website.
“I geek out about print. We’re not scared of new technologies. Our whole mission is to share what we discover and create the future of print. We print dreams.”
He is also a self-professed tech nerd and a Mr Fix It. He is brazenly enthusiastic about understanding how things work. “I learn how equipment works and how to fix things, which is super important in the print game,” says Leon.
From copy shop to tech expert to printer
When Leon Wilson finished school, he didn’t know what he wanted to do, so he started working as a copy shop trainee technician.
He progressed from the copy shop to a brief spell as a salesman to working in tech, systems software, and data. He says his journey has led him to where he is today and why he loves experimenting with new printing technologies.
“Getting into the software space led me into what I’m doing in print. My technical ability, problem-solving skills, and ability to take chances on emerging new technologies gave me a greater understanding. I’m not scared to get my hands dirty and fix stuff,” Leon explains.
After a few hard knocks early in his career, including a stint of glandular fever that led to a prolonged three-year period of debilitating chronic fatigue, Leon found himself at the local family-run printer in his hometown of Ballarat, building its online system and successfully digitising the business. Ten years ago, Leon started buying into the business. Previously family-run, it had operated since 1902 and served the local community’s printing needs for over a century.
Leon acquired ownership three and a half years ago from then-owner John Schreenan. John decided to hang up his printing boots during the pandemic and retire. He stayed until December last year to see Leon through the difficult COVID years. John is the godfather of Leon’s kids. Leon says they are incredibly close.
“He’s taught me so much, and I have taught him too, being from a younger generation with a different attitude. We’ve had differences of opinion, but our relationship has been beautiful throughout the process,” says Leon. “In the end, we could just be completely truthful and know where we’re going and what each other’s thinking without even saying it.”
Advocating for mental health
Chronic fatigue combined with the COVID experience shaped Leon into a strong advocate for mental health in the workplace. He is not afraid to share his own experiences with mental health and wants to help others feel comfortable talking about it.
He says nurturing his people and creating belonging is the company’s soul. Revo’s strategic mission is to take responsibility for the individual, ‘to win, grow and learn as a team’. During the pandemic, Leon built a group fitness studio at the facility.
“I care so much about our team, and the big thing that keeps me going is fitness and exercise
Investing in innovation
Eight years ago, Leon and John went to drupa with a plan to learn and explore when Leon discovered the KM-1 at the Konica Minolta stand. A couple of years later, they bought the machine in Japan. It was the second installation in Australia after Simon Crabtree at Jossimo Print.
“It’s downstairs, and it’s Serial Number 30, the 30th in the world, and it is in regional Victoria,” says Leon. “Australia is a small island compared to the rest of the world, and we’re doing some crazy things here. But Ballarat? A population of 100,000 at the time, investing heavily in emerging technology?” It was a big deal.
A bold new approach
The purchase was a huge investment for the business, and Leon knew if they could afford the machine, they needed to run it 24 hours a day. Leon became best buddies with the technicians and underwent some in-depth training.
“I think I am the only one in the Southern Hemisphere allowed to change the very expensive printheads myself, of course, with permission.”
To the horror of the visiting Japanese KM representatives, Leon drilled holes in the machine and installed webcams to monitor the printer remotely. He commissioned his artist friend to graffiti the wall adjacent to the machine with ‘New Game’ because that was Revo’s new approach. We then went ahead and completely wrapped the KM-1 in Revo branding and colours. It’s a whole new attitude, and we are doing things differently,” says Leon.
Six months later, Revo invested in digital embellishing equipment (The MGI 3DS + ifoil), which became hugely successful and, shortly after that, underwent a complete overhaul of its finishing equipment and purchased more cutting-edge machines, including the latest 4 clamp PUR perfect binder, and the A4 landscape saddle stitcher from Horizon and the Currie Group. Shortly after, Revo closed their offset altogether.
“We didn’t need to,” Leon says, “but if we’re going to commit to the B2 digital space, we can’t focus on both.”
From Germany to Ballarat
While geeking out over print technology online, Leon stumbled upon a compact digital high-speed laser system that cuts, kiss-cuts, engraves, and perforates sheetfed substrates for short-run personalised applications built specifically for the print industry. It was commissioned and developed by a German direct mail and packaging company when it couldn’t find a suitable cutter for its business needs. It can be used with paper or carton board for various applications requiring intricate, short-run, dieless cutting while the Namecut feature in the included software can personalise every sheet.
To Leon, it epitomised the future of print, and he wanted one. Konica Minolta International distributed it. As an owner of every piece of industrial equipment Konica sells, he thought the process would be easy, but KM said it was a ‘no-go’ because they couldn’t service it in Australia. Refusing to accept the answer, Leon travelled to Germany to meet its inventor, who taught Leon how to service the device for himself.
An Australian first
Leon is now the proud owner of The Futurecutter, the only machine of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. The machine’s creator travelled to Australia to be at Revolution Print when his Futurecutter arrived. Leon says 12 hours on the Futurecutter is the same output as two staff running a flatbed digital die cutter and rotary cutter for an entire week each.
“Our Futurecutter has been running for six months, but we still haven’t officially launched it yet; word is already getting out, and I prefer the personal approach of one-on-one education sessions (demos); organic growth is really important to us,” says Leon.
A future of print
Leon’s Futurecutter is transforming his business by improving automation, better servicing existing clients, and creating an entirely new market. He says it is simply the most exciting investment the business has ever made, and it sits proudly on the Revolution print room floor. Leon believes it will cement Revo’s mission to create the future of print in Australia. The Futurecutter has also allowed the business to decommission and sell multiple devices, freeing up much-needed space.
“We have a don’t-give-up attitude. Revo is in the top 20 printers of the ProPrint Awards every year and we are doing some world-class groundbreaking stuff. The next six months are going to be crazy for us. We’ll be very close to reaching our goal of full capacity.”
Leon admits he has heard of his growing reputation in the industry for taking risks, and he’s pretty happy about that. He is also keen to share his speculative bets and experiences for the future progression of print in Australia, including motivating people and leaders and educating them in software, automation and investment.
This first appeared in ProPrint magazine. Read the original article here.
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