Having installed a Fujifilm Acuity Printer, Fujifilm CtP technology, and XMF software, Broderick Print, on Auckland’s North Shore, is taking advantage of opportunities that never existed before the digital technology arrived
John Broderick, managing director, and his son Jonny Broderick, sales and marketing manager, at Broderick Printing & Design, have guided the company through a seamless transition from solely offset print to a mix of offset and digital. While the company retains its offset presses, it’s the new digital technology that’s getting the pulses racing on the print shop floor.
John Broderick says, “I’ve never seen so many happy faces among the employees; they’re excited about coming to work and we are excited about the prospects with the Acuity. You can do anything. It’s cost effective digital printing.”
Jonny Broderick agrees. He says, “Technology is changing things rapidly. The general trend is toward smaller runs not the old ‘I must order 5,000 to get my costs down.’ You don’t have to do that anymore. And we now have cheap set-up costs; that’s why digital is such a fast growing market.”
The recent recession made Broderick Print think hard about capital expenditure, but John Broderick knew that if he did nothing to change the situation, then he could expect little to change on its own. He says, “You can sit on your hands during a recession, but after 18 months you have to do something. That’s because of the entrepreneurial nature of people who run their own businesses.”
Moving from offset to digital
In John Broderick’s case, his entrepreneurial flair ignited 20 years ago when he started Broderick Printing & Design. He says, “It was brought about by the ‘87 stock market crash. I was director of a printing company, and had been doing that for 18 years. I was in the process of buying a company for that company and the manager said, ‘Why don’t you buy that company for yourself?’ I think they couldn’t afford to keep me on because of the crash. So I started out on my own.”
Broderick’s business philosophy encompasses a commitment to continuous improvement. He says, “Back then, I remember thinking if I had a GTO, I would have made it. And, as you progress, you get your first GTO, then a two-colour, then a four-colour. After a while, we had four GTOs working flat stick, but how long was that going to last?”
He continues, “We’ve always put the surplus back into the business. That’s the model that works in New Zealand. Look at the successful guys. You can’t rest on your laurels. The man who sat on his GTO is going out of business because the business is no longer available.
“The jobbing printer is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. His market is threatened he doesn’t have the technical back up to operate the machinery that’s around digitally. We used to look for second hand gear but now if someone offered me a five-colour press for half price, I would have to say, ‘No thanks.’”
Planning with the Acuity
Acquiring the Acuity was part of the company’s long term plan. The Brodericks first saw the machine at PacPrint in Melbourne last May. Jonny Broderick says, “We were sending flat bed stuff out and we realised we could do it ourselves. Having a good marketing strategy and forward planning makes you aware of the pitfalls, but you still have to look at the work that you are putting through. You must ensure the machine is going to fit the kind of work you are going to do. We did that.”
With the Acuity in place, Jonny Broderick sees fresh opportunities. He says, “I told someone this morning we can print on anything. We are printing on all sorts of media and all sorts of jobs for example posters and banners. On a recent job, we did ten core flutes and every one of them was different. A truck driver came in last week and said, ‘Can you print on this? He had been to another printer and they said they were sending that kind of work to China.”
He predicts that, as the company expands its options in print, it will complete more of its jobs in house. He says, “In the future, printing will look after the whole media. While we don’t want to get away from our core business, we need to make use of our marketing expertise and knowledge. We continually ask, ‘What more can we do for our clients?’ And that’s how this can improve our service. When you become a one-stop shop, the client is facing only one bill.”
Wayne Gates, special projects wide format manager at Fujifilm Graphics Systems, says, “The future of print is now clearly all digital and Broderick is at the forefront of a model that many conventional offset printers will be looking to replicate. The market today dictates that work is required on a myriad of media. The Acuity Advance is a UV printer that has few restrictions in this area. One day you’re printing a banner on vinyl the next you’re printing on a door. It’s an extremely capable wide format device that gives infinite options to offer your clients.”
XMF forms the connection
The Fujifilm XMF software and plate setting technology at Broderick Print is also part of the company’s plan to offer more to its clientele. Jonny Broderick says, “The colour management system connect all the machines. The colour profiles are set up through the XMF software so it talks to all our machines and tells them what to do.” He acknowledges that XMF saves time and money but adds, “It’s not just the time; it’s knowing that you are going to get it right. That’s something we won’t compromise on.”
Kerry Bolton oversees prepress operations at Broderick Print. He says, “The XMF is now our main imposition software. It enables us to go a lot larger, and we can pretty much mix and match impositions. It’s very quick too. For example, if we are doing a monthly trade mag, we can drop in a new Pdf and the work is done in a few minutes. Once you understand how it works, it’s pretty good.”
Bolton also looks after the Fujifilm platesetter. He says, “The plate setter is highly accurate. You can remake a plate and know it will be right. It’s faster, cleaner more efficient of course. There is very little operator error. Once a job is set up, it’s push a button and go.”
He has a long list of the plate setter’s capabilities and adds, “There’s the ability to turn tracking on and off automatically, and the ability to print only parts of the job. We know the register will be spot on. It’s a very quick process to get up and running and get a good colour match. When it comes to repetitive work, it’s quite a boon. When a job comes up again, it is just a matter of looking at the archive. This saves the guys on the press a lot of headaches.”
Fujifilm connects with the future
As a company that prides itself on its professionalism, Broderick Print sees a natural fit with Fujifilm Graphic Systems. John Broderick says, “We insist on 100 per cent quality. Ian Gibson at Fujifilm drives a sharp team. If he says it will happen, it happens. We never have to get back and say, ‘What’s happening?’ All the years I’ve known Gibbo, I’ve always found him to give 100 per cent. Fujifilm is still a growing thriving company.”
Many businesses have found progress difficult over the past 18 months and some have not survived. As the tough economic conditions recede, businesses like Broderick Print stand ready to move ahead and John Broderick sees Fujifilm technology playing a significant role in that. The Acuity has given Broderick Print ammunition to expand into other markets and grow its business. He says, “With the Acuity, I’m thinking, “Where are we going to put our next one. I’ve said to the boys, ‘If this takes off, where will we be in six months time? Where will we put another machine?’ That’s the sort of forward planning we have to do.”
