Snap Qld to use CMYKhub

In a brand new business model the Snap franchise network is entering into partnership with trade printer CMYKhub and supplier Konica Minolta, just months after closing its independent printing centre at its franchisees’ request.

The Brisbane CMYKhub site will be used by all 22 of Snap’s Queensland franchisees for their digital and offset printing.  Equipment includes a Konica Minolta C8000 colour digital press and a bizhub 1200 with black and white output. CMYKhub will also provide four-colour printing.

Stephen Edwards, CEO of Snap, says the use of the hub will eliminate over-capacity and free up franchise owners to spend more time with customers. He tells Australian Printer, “Snap has more than half a million clients in the country. Our job is to deal with them on a local level, so the more time we can free up to do that, the better. We were a heavily manufacturing-focused business. It doesn’t make sense to have that if we are trying to be client-focused. Moving forward, best of breed supply is what we are looking for, and these two partners have got that.

“Our aspiration is always to have the best of breed. Many of the franchise owners in Queensland felt there was a need to evolve what we had, and an opportunity came up that we could explore that.

“There is so much overcapacity in the industry, and this move is making sure that we funnel our volumes into the best places. It doesn’t mean the volume in the network is going to go down – we think it’s going to go up. The only way to move forward is to collaborate, and we understand that collaboration with the supply channel is key.”

Edwards adds that while the partner hub model may be the best solution for Queensland, Snap networks in other states are still performing well and will not necessarily be replaced by similar systems.

The new Brisbane hub represents an extension of Snap’s relationships with both CMYKhub and Konica Minolta – having worked with both enterprises in the past.

Clive Denholm from CMYKhub says, “We are glad to be part of it. When we set the strategy up for CMYKhub as a business we had a focus on building hubs for distribution nationally, with the sort of capital equipment you just couldn’t afford to bring to a small operation. We have focused on being a trade-only model with international coverage and building a software platform that makes it easy to obtain pricing and manufacture different types of work. I suppose the hard work we put in to our model has created the right sort of platform so we can partner with a company like Snap. It’s a good marriage and we appreciate the partnership.

“You need to focus on the end user and I think having software that is easy to use and to get the information when you need it. We have spent $3m since we started on the software – it is an important part of the supply chain.”

Franchisees will be able to use CMYKhub’s web-to-print software for ordering.

As well as kitting out the new hub, Konica Minolta has also supplied tech to six local Snap stores; Edwards says to refresh their capabilities to a minimum standard that will then be supported by hub-printed work.

David Procter, general manager of production printing with Konica Minolta, says the project saw a non-traditional vendor approach from the supplier – focusing more on problem solving in consultation with Snap and CMYKhub rather than trying to sell the biggest kit. He tells AP, “The discussion continued over the past few months, with a whole lot of variations as to how the site was going to be set up. We were sitting down and working out what was needed together, which I think has worked pretty well.

“We have been partnered with Snap for the last eight years, and I think that vendor relationship has evolved over time to being a strong partner. Konica Minolta has listened over a period of years to understand how things have changed.”

GO TO MORE AUSTRALIA NEWS