A year on from its official New Zealand opening, Cyber continues making an impression on Kiwi printers
A recent first anniversary for Cyber New Zealand may have created an incorrect impression that this newcomer to the New Zealand scene lacks the sophistication required to provide the levels of service required in this industry.But in reality, Cyber boasts some serious experience. David Taylor, general manager Cyber New Zealand, has over 25 years working in the industry. Coming from an engineering background with Ryobi, Taylor possesses an ability to separate truth from fiction when he hears people talking about machinery. He says, “There are three of us in Auckland, and one in Wellington, and we all like getting our hands dirty.”
In Wellington is New Zealand’s ‘Mr Ryobi’ Chris Godfrey. Another machine nut possessing 25 years engineering experience, Godfrey is the guy with the Ryobi personalised plate on his van. In the Auckland office, Cyber’s office manager Catherine Taylor has 20 years in the industry and provides a human aspect to a business that can easily become mechanical. Her knowledge of machines and parts remains integral to Cyber’s ongoing success.
Training and technical support
Cyber believes in investing in its staff. Training, knowledge, and skills take precedence. David Taylor says, “Cyber is very good on training. We've all been to Japan. Ryobi insists that when it fits a new model then you have to send someone there for training.”
Cyber New Zealand also receives technical support from Cyber in Singapore. Taylor says, “Only last month we had one of Cyber’s expert technicians, Kenneth Wong, in New Zealand to help with training on Shoei folders. This is another one of the advantages we can offer through belonging to the international company.”
Customer support
The expansive immaculate showroom at Cyber’s New Zealand headquarters, in Wiri Auckland, impresses with its clean lines and sheer size. It’s big enough to house machines like the Ryobi presses that went into action at the official opening last year, both B2 and A1 presses. But even a showroom this large can’t accommodate every machine that Cyber offers, so the company has to look at other ways to help clients see the bigger Cyber picture.
Taylor believes Cyber’s customers need more than a brochure and a clever sales pitch. Given the big ticket item status of most presses, Taylor fully understands his customer's desire to see a press in action before making a purchase decision. He says, “We go to trade evenings in Australia and we take customers over there. Sometimes we’ll arrange for customers to visit one of our overseas showrooms, but we have excellent referral sites that they can also visit locally.”
Cyber’s latest overseas showroom is the new facility in Singapore, Cyber II (see story in the news section). Taylor sees the facility as a valuable addition to Cyber’s milieu. He says, “Of course, at some stage, we will take customers to Cyber II.”
In Cyber’s case, it’s that link with customers that matters most. Taylor says, “They give you a boost. It’s about having that relationship with customers. It’s always good just to chew the fat”.
Cyber philosophy
Besides its principal partners, which are press manufacturers, Ryobi and Akiyama, Cyber also handles agencies for other machinery such as Shoei, Uchida, Nagai, Perfecta and Hohner.
Over the course of its business development Cyber has developed expertise across prepress, press and post press sectors, and is well placed to offer printers relevant advice on the benefits of different solutions.
In his 25 years, Taylor has witnessed many changes in the machines he’s sold and serviced. One stand out feature he mentions is the reliability of modern presses like the Ryobi 750 series and the new B1 Ryobi 1050 series. He says, “Machines don’t break down like they used to and that's not surprising when you consider that the equipment we bring in today has 30 per cent less moving parts than the old machines.
“Tonnage has also increased. It was all A3 when we started, but now we’re going from an A3 size print to a B1 size print, so presses can weigh 90 tonnes. The average weight of a press used to be 25 tonnes, now it’s 60 tonnes.”
Despite the changes he’s experienced in the industry, David Taylor retains the same outlook that is at the heart of Cyber New Zealand. He says, “We like to think our philosophy will always remain the same: honesty, integrity and, above all, fair business practice.”
