Tropical delight

Queensland based jobbing outfit Payne Print believes that investing in new technology is key to keeping ahead, and has just taken delivery of a new single-colour GTO

Payne Print in Mackay, Queensland has recently installed a new Heidelberg Printmaster GTO 52 one-colour press. Manager Lyn Lawton talks about the motivation for the purchase and how this family-owned offset printing business is still going strong after 36 years.

Located in tropical Mackay, which is in the picturesque tourist haven of the Whitsundays, Payne Print employs a staff of 22, four of whom are second-generation family members of Tom Payne who started the business back in the mid-1970s. Daughter Lyn is the manager, stepping into the role after her father retired in 2008 following the floods that virtually wiped out all of the company’s equipment.

She says, “Dad stayed on to see us through the floods and their aftermath. Once all the equipment had been replaced and we were back on our feet, he decided at the age of 74 years to retire.”

Payne Print is predominantly an offset-only business as Lyn explains. “We haven’t moved into digital in a big way because we haven’t found the need to do so. Apart from a small digital copier, we are focused on the A3 offset market, and we produce everything in house from graphic design right through to full colour print, bookbinding and finishing.”

She says the company’s work is split 60/40 with the majority comprising bookwork and the remaining 40 per cent related to the mining industry. “We’ve seen a slight slowdown in work coming from the mining sector in recent weeks, but our customer base is spread across a number of industries, and when one slows we pick up in other areas.”

In July, the company took receipt of a new Printmaster GTO 52-1 colour press, which is used on a daily basis to produce a range of carbonised books that require numbering and perforating. Lawton says, “Before we settled on the GTO we did look around at other presses on the market. We wanted a jobbing machine, a single-colour that would eat up the bookwork. My brother Kerry, our production manager, is a printer from way back and he suggested we go with the GTO because it met all our requirements, and we knew we’d have no issues with it in regards to reliability.”

The machine was built in Germany and arrived three months after the order was placed. She says, “It was worth the wait because this machine is fantastic. Since it was installed, it has not missed a beat. We run it every day, all day long and it is perfect for short and long runs alike. The GTO press really is a great workhorse.”

The company also operates an older GTO 52-2 two-colour, which is used to produce safety tags on synthetic substrates.

She adds that the new press complements the other five presses the company operates, and has enabled Payne Print to improve productivity by freeing up the larger presses for multi-colour work.  She says, “It has also generated an increase in volume as we can push through more jobs in a shift as the new features on this machine make it that much faster than the older model. And our press operator really loves the new machine.

“Heidelberg was great with the installation too. We had an engineer and an electrician here for the best part of a week. They not only installed the new GTO, but they also moved the older press into our adjacent building for us, and got that running as a back-up machine for when we are swamped with work. It was no issue for them that we are based in north Queensland, and we really appreciated their assistance.”

Earlier this year, Payne Print also purchased a new Polar 78X guillotine to complement the two larger Polars in the print and finishing departments. Lawton says, “We decided to get the smaller Polar because of the increased volume of work we have in the bindery. In the past we had to wait to trim small jobs, like book covers, but now with the new guillotine anyone in the bindery can operate it, and as a consequence we no longer have issues with backlog.”

She expects the business continuing to enjoy its relationship with Heidleberg. She concludes, “We’ve used Polar for years and like the GTO, they are well-engineered pieces of equipment. And they have great longevity.” The same can be said for Payne Print. 

GO TO MORE Features NEWS