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The Australian Sign & Graphics Association (ASGA) has updated members on Stage Four Covid-19 restrictions in Victoria and how they will affect business operations.  “It is an unfortunate reality for most businesses that your work will dry up very quickly.  Within one week, you may find that you have little or no work regardless of your decision to keep operating.”   

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“We expect the end result here is that while our members are able to remain open, the amount of incoming work will fall to a very low level,” said the Australian Sign & Graphics Association (ASGA) after the announcement of stage four lockdown restrictions that will see thousands of Melbourne businesses shut down and an estimated 250,000 Victorians stood down from Thursday. 

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Fuji Xerox Australia made a profit of $5.9 million for the year ended 31 March 2020 despite a six percent fall in revenue to $608m, according to IT news site arnnet.com.au

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Despite the restrictions of Covid, The Printhead Doctor's Vince Bezzina reports that he is still recovering many blocked printheads by mail and courier - the service, and sale of machines and fluids, continues relatively uninterrupted.

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If you missed last Thursday's Webinar organised by industry think-tank Ascent Partners, you missed 90 minutes of very valuable information to help forward-planning for your business. It was recorded and viewable from the link below.

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“Social distancing has not only transformed the way we interact but the way your customers are telling their story and branding their business,” says HP. Its latest free webinar, ‘Evolving your print business in these times of social distancing,’ includes a look at printing opportunities that meet urgent public health needs.
   - Thursday Aug 6, 1:00 PM AEST

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Episode 3 of Ball & Doggett's YouTube series RESET - “What optimism looks like to you for your business right now?”- features Allain Pool, managing director of Melbourne’s Press Print, a high-end digital printer with a staff of 20, and Charlton Hemingway, MD of production consultancy Work Works.

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“All of our plans and those of our customers have been severely challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Canon Oceania managing director Akira ‘Dave’ Yoshida, releasing the company's Sustainability Report 2020 – an overview of 'the issues that matter most to future performance and prospects.'  

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An Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) survey on Business Impacts of COVID-19 has found ten percent of business owners expect to shut down if government support measures are withdrawn. About 42 per cent of small businesses are currently accessing support measures.

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Seiko Epson Corporation announced the merger of group companies Fratelli Robustelli, a textiles printer manufacturer, and textiles ink business For.Tex. “Epson sees substantial opportunity to leverage its inkjet technology to expand its business and is thus strengthening its textile printing product lineup and operations.” 

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The New Zealand Sign & Display Association says members have until Thursday to enter their designs into its competition to find a new association logo. "The time has come for a NZSDA logo redesign...to simply refresh and bring it in line with current design sensibilities."

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Global outdoor advertising leader JCDecaux reported adjusted revenue was down -41.6% to €1,075.4 million in the first half of 2020 after a collapse in advertising caused by Covid-19. “The global advertising market remains highly volatile with low visibility. Considering the risk of new waves of Covid-19 and new local lockdowns being implemented, it remains very difficult to give a guidance for Q3 2020.”

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As Xerox bemoaned its 35% revenue drop, in the US, Kodak shares soared as much as 1,900% in two days after the inkjet printer and plate company secured over AUD$1 billion of a government loan to produce generic-drug ingredients in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It's a remarkable turn-around that has made millions for long-suffering stockholders.

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Since its founding over 25 years ago, John Hatzigiannis’ wide and super-wide VFX Print Group has grown to be one of the largest digital printers on the East Coast of Australia. VFX now has branches in Brisbane, Melbourne and the ACT, as well as its main hub in Leichhardt.

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“I am proud of our employees who did what was necessary during this unprecedented disruption to support our business and clients, especially those delivering essential services,” said Xerox CEO John Visentin announcing the company’s Q2 2020 results. Revenue was down 35 percent year over year to $US1.47 billion. “We have evaluated our business under numerous recovery scenarios to ensure we can respond quickly."

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“The reliability of the machine is nothing short of incredible,” says John Howard, managing director of Eye Spy Signs in Cambridge, Tasmania, about the company’s 'pride of the fleet' Durst Rho 163 traffic sign printer. "It was not cheap but what do you expect to pay if you are buying the best in the world?"

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Drytac, a global manufacturer of self-adhesive materials for large format print and signage markets, has appointed Stark Digital as its new dealer in New Zealand. In February, Drytac named Melbourne's Shann Digital Print Media as its exclusive Australian distributor.

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Cactus Imaging and oOh!media’s ‘Know My Name’ campaign for The National Gallery - aimed at increasing the representation of women artists - was awarded Best Use of Multi-Format by the Outdoor Media Association (OMA) in its Q2 2020 Creative Collection competition. The Grand Prix and Best Use of Digital award went to JCDecaux Content and Broadsheet Media.

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Changes at ASGA continue afoot, with the appointment of Liz Bouzoudis in the newly-created role of Marketing Manager. Liz is based in South Australia, the same state as incoming ASGA President Julie Rochester.

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Heidelberg has exited narrow web by agreeing to sell its Gallus division to Swiss asset management group benpac Holdings. It was only in 2014 that Heidelberg acquired control of Gallus in a deal that made Ferd Ruesch AG Heidelberg's largest shareholder at 9%. Heidelberg will continue to support the inkjet engine which is part of the Gallus Labelfire 340 press.

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“We question why the interest rates proposed by the lenders are at usual commercial interest rates and feedback from members has revealed some rates are quite high – 11.26% given the ‘unsecured’ nature of the loan,” says Kellie Northwood, CEO of The Real Media Collective (TRMC).  “The scheme does raise some concerns in relation to lender behaviour and lending conditions.”