The new managing director of Heidelberg Australia & New Zealand had big shoes to fill as he walked on stage at the Palladium Ballroom; he took the mantle from previous boss Andy Vels Jensen, who was known as a rousing NPA orator.
Timson told this year’s audience it was time print “regained its position as a credible industry”.
At the NPAs during PacPrint09, Vels Jensen used his speech to warn that 15% of printers would go to the wall due to the recession.
It seems poignant that the 2009 Heidelberg Award for Excellence in Craft went to Brisbane-based Printpoint, one of the many commercial printers to have collapsed since then.
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Four years later, it seems the ravages of the GFC and the rise of internet communications have been worse than Vels Jensen predicted.
“Over the past five years, we have seen 40% of the industry disappear and I believe we will still lose another 10% this year,” said Timson last Friday night.
“Our industry is at a point where if we don’t fix our model, we will continue to see companies disappear.
“The finance industry has all but wiped us off. To get money to replace or expand is nearly impossible based on the balance sheets put forward by printing companies… I can say that if you do not get serious about running your businesses as just that – businesses – you will likely be among the 10% that will not attend this dinner next year.”
Timson said clients had responded favourably to Heidelberg’s recent decision to tighten its trading terms to 30 days.
“Most of the feedback I got was that it was and is the right thing to do, and it was about time somebody started getting serious about financial accountability,” he said.
“More encouraging was the customers who said they repurposed my letter and sent it to their customers in an effort to bring their customers to account.”
Timson spoke before presenting the Heidelberg Australia Award to McKellar Renown Press. Heidelberg has sponsored all 30 editions of the National Print Awards.
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