Leading print and packaging business Immij is investing strongly in packaging – developing innovative solutions, acquiring Roden Print & Packaging, and installing new packaging converting equipment.
As society, business and the print industry evolve, smart print businesses similarly evolve to stay relevant, valuable, and sustainable. They evolve though only if the senior execs or owners are open-minded, see the way the wind is blowing, and have the courage to make changes.
Immij principals Michael Smithe and Alistair Hill created Immij 14 years ago. In the intervening years there has been the GFC, cheap offshore pricing, Covid, and the rise of the smartphone, all of which have impacted on the growth prospects for commercial print – and caused the Immij owners to look to recalibrate the business.
Immij principals are print industry leaders. They have been at the forefront of all service and technology changes in the industry for over 50 years
In fact, as the times have changed Immij has not been standing still or hoping things would return to the way they were before.
The company is taking a major step forward, with big investments. It has acquired MacBird, which took Immij into Immij Green Life – designing and printing plant tags for the plant growers and fresh produce markets. Also Burtons print and packaging in 2016 and more recently Roden Print & Pack both in Sydney and is installing its own inhouse packaging equipment for Melbourne, specifically a new SBL A1 die-cutter, a SBL carton gluer line, and a Heiber and Schroeder carton tray
forming machine.
And while commercial print is, and will remain, a core component of the Immij business, and one it is well equipped to produce, with a fleet of the latest LED UV presses, it is in packaging that Immij sees the greatest opportunity for growth, and it is taking decisive steps to position itself as an indispensable supplier.
Mark Randles, group general manager says, “We have built our reputation on high quality and shorter lead times than the current market can offer. We are determined that having a full inhouse operation will only benefit our clients even further. Being able to produce the entire job from start to finish with complete control over schedule and quality is where we want to be, and what we will now have.”
Immij has plants in both Melbourne and Sydney which delivers strategic benefits for packaging clients, with about 70 staff in each location. Staffing is the number one issue in industry now, Randles says, “We look after our staff, we offer them upskilling, they know they are in a business with a clear direction for the future.”
The new die-cutter and folder gluer have gone into the company’s Mount Waverley plant, with the Sydney site taking in another carton gluer from Roden Print & Pack. Randles says, “Packaging is a growth opportunity, but it is not for everyone. You must have the appetite to invest, and you have to get it right. You need carton design capabilities, you need the full set-up, and you need the commitment. Immij has them all.”
One of the drivers of the growth in packaging is the increasing trend to on-shoring. With the trade war with China, and the shipping crisis, the market is now looking to local suppliers to get the guarantees they can’t get from offshore suppliers.
Randles says the demand for on-shoring is growing strongly, he says, “We field calls almost every day from someone saying they’ve been let down by their overseas supplier and can we work with them. Part of our motivation behind investing in a full inhouse end-to-end packaging production solution was the difficulties that the market is now having in dealing with offshore providers.”
Along with its investment in carton production Immij is also about to embark on a new step, with a tray-forming machine for fibre-based trays. Randles says, “There is a huge trend away from plastics of all kinds, back to fibre-based packaging, as brands seek to reduce their environmental impact. The new tray-forming machine will be used to supply the fresh produce and take-away food packaging market. Immij is determined to be at the forefront of the move away from plastic, and this machine will create new opportunities as customers move away from synthetic packaging.”
The evolution of the print industry is throwing up as many opportunities as threats. Companies like Immij are leading the way into the new era by recognising the opportunities, giving them careful consideration, and then taking decisive action to put themselves in a position to give the market what it wants. Immij will continue to look for opportunities and acquisitions within both the packaging and commercial print markets.
This article was first published in the September-October 2022 print issue of PKN Packaging News, p40.
