Australian printing bounces back as customers avoid overseas supply risk

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Image from PVCA

Pizza giant Domino’s has started using the ‘Proudly Printed in Australia’ logo on its marketing materials in a move to support the local printing industry and help bring back manufacturing onshore.

The ‘Proudly Printed in Australia’ logo will be featured on 2.5 million pieces of unaddressed mail per week, as well as Domino’s point-of-sale materials and other local store marketing pieces that will be printed and distributed by Brisbane-based IPG Marketing Solutions.

Domino’s Chief Marketing Officer ANZ Allan Collins said the company supported ‘Proudly Printed in Australia’ because of its belief in local manufacturing.

“Domino’s is always looking for ways in which to reduce energy usage and our carbon footprint, find efficiencies and continue to support local manufacturing,” Mr Collins said.

“Not only is it good for the environment and the communities in which we operate and live, but it is also good for business, reducing costs for franchisees, and allowing Domino’s to deliver greater value to our customers.”

Mr Collins said two big benefits of keeping printing in Australia are fast turnaround times and higher quality.

“Working with a local manufacturer who understands your business leads to a drastic improvement in quality control of your end product,” he said.

Local print is greener, faster and safer

COVID-19 has exposed the vulnerability of international supply chains, prompting many companies to return their print production to Australia, according to Andrew Macaulay, the Chief Executive of the printing industry’s peak body, the Print & Visual Communication Association.

“The book industry is seeing orders from institutions that they haven’t seen in the recent past. We’re seeing packaging production that is coming back into the country,” Mr Macaulay said.

“With COVID-19, we’re seeing an attack on the Australian economy and the realisation that our supply chains are high-risk, because we’ve moved so much manufacturing overseas.”

“We’ve been running a Buy Australian Print campaign for some time. There’s been terrific take-up of that. Australians have said enough is enough, and that there’s a real value in domestically-produced material.”

Mr Macaulay said if a print job required a lot of manual work, going offshore might be significantly cheaper – but for a standard job, printing in Australia would be only 1% or 2% more expensive, once you factored in time, design costs, transport, logistics and delays.

“When you consider that the Australian printer is running a sustainable business where staff are paid properly, they’re protected by workplace and safety standards, they’ve got superannuation, they’ve got worker’s compensation, they’re not pouring effluent into the rivers – I reckon 1% or 2% is good,” he said.

He also added that when companies buy Australian print, they’re not just supporting their print partner, but also an “ecosystem” of related jobs, such as designers and creatives.

Australian print industry highlights its sustainability credentials

Domino’s printing partner, IPG Marketing Solutions, is a supporter of Sustainable Green Print (SGP), the print industry’s environmental certification program. IPG has the highest rating possible, Level 3.

IPG General Manager Kahn Barlow said the Company wanted to be a good corporate citizen, which meant minimising waste and its impact on the environment.

“We know this is also important for many of our customers, who are aligning with a print partner that has strong values in relation to sustainability.”

Image from PVCA