Printers who'll take a punt

By ELLEN READ

Small, innovative and gutsy are three words that sum up Auckland's CCL Communications.

CCL is a family business. It was started in 1985 by Richard Davy and Peter Hitchcock and focused on scanning for the printing industry.

Though small, CCL has always been an innovator, and the last year has been particularly busy.

Richard Davy's sons Heath (technical director) and Aaron (marketing director), took shareholdings in the firm. Both have worked full time at CCL for more than a decade - and Aaron really did start off sweeping floors when he was still in school.

CCL also invested in New Zealand's first Heidelberg system with direct-to-press capability, designed a building in Mt Eden and moved in.

Not bad for a family business - now with 23 staff - that successfully competes against ad agencies, design houses and major printers.

The secret to their success is being big enough to make an impact but small enough to care, says Aaron Davy.

The star of the recent developments is the Heidelberg SM 74 DI press.

The high-tech Heidelberg made the traditional film and plate process go the way of the dinosaur. Now, digital files generated by graphic artists are fed directly into the workflow. Colour jobs up to A2 size can be printed almost immediately straight from design. The quality is superb.

"This seems like magic to anyone who has been in the printing business, but it's what you can do today with technology,"says Davy.

"It's hard to believe what the press can do - high-quality, cost-effective print runs with speed but still using conventional inks and paper stocks."

The Heidelberg can print brochures, sales documents, annual reports, point of sale, pamphlets, and niche-run magazines, including Human Resources for the Human Resources Institute and cover posters for ACP's stable of magazines such as Next, Cleo and She.

Its output is up to 15,000 units per hour, which is average compared with huge commercial presses, but it scores with efficiency and print quality. The past year also saw CCL change its name to CCL Communications Group Companies to better reflect its evolution.

CCL's new 1100sq m headquarters in Normanby Road, Mt Eden, features a 500sq m printing area that's still so clean you could eat off the floor.

"Compare that with old-style dirty, inky printing!" says Davy.

CCL was a leader in the knowledge and creative economy before the terms were coined. In March 1985, Richard Davy and Peter Hitchcock had a vision that led CCL to establish the first independent digital scanning service for graphic arts in New Zealand.

"We were certain that digital workflow in graphic design and print was the way of the future," says Richard Davy.

"Our confidence in that has never wavered."

Aaron says: "We are a relatively small company that has done pretty well in a very competitive industry. We truly are focused on client service, and we have shown over the years that we are not afraid of taking a punt when it's needed.

"You don't have to be huge to be a leader. You just have to lead."

This approach is obviously a hit with the company's customers.

ACP Media production director Michael Turner says CCL's attraction has always been its people.

"They have a different outlook on business to the run of the mill.

"We have a long relationship built on trust and with superior technology."

Realistically, Aaron Davy says, the company has a nine-month to 18-month lead time until another firm catches up with its technology.

During this time, he says, CCL has to capitalise on its innovation and back that up with exceptional service and quality.