appointments 
Auckland’s Original Screen has two reasons to celebrate. The company has just installed Australasia’s first five-colour, fully automated in-line screen printing machine – and the world’s largest - in its new 3000 square metre Onehunga premises.

And Original Screen only recently brought home the coveted President’s Award from the Screen Graphic Imaging Association of Australasia awards in Sydney.

The company came away from the ceremony with an unprecedented seven awards, five gold’s, one silver and the supreme award, an unexpected haul say directors Greg Nash and Warren Fenning.

They made a flying visit to the awards ceremony with two key staff members, but didn’t expect to take so many medals home with them.

The gold’s were for posters up to 1020mm x 1520mm, posters over 1020mm x 1520mm, single sheet (plus a silver in this category), best student apprentice (Brett Thomas) and backlit signs and displays.

The two business partners also celebrated the successful installation of their new German-manufactured Thieme 5070 printer recently with a party for suppliers, clients and staff.

They ordered the purpose-built 34 metre by 10 metre machine following a visit to last year’s FESPA expo in Madrid where they also purchased an automatic coating machine and stencil processor. The five-colour machine is capable of 800 finished five-colour prints per hour on sheets up to 1600mm x 2600mm.

Nash says the machine’s production capacity is huge, enabling them to do 12 months production in six weeks, enabling them to take on big offshore contracts, in addition to work in New Zealand, putting the company on par with Australian competitors.

It makes the eighth Thieme printing press in the factory, including a 5030, 3000 S, and a 3020 single-colour printers, plus a squeegee cutter TSC. The company has grown from a staff of seven full-time and two part-time three years ago to 18 full-time and six part-time staff today. It has also won 41 industry awards.