A family man on a mission

Succession planning is an issue facing printers from coast to coast. Printing is a greying industry. The task at hand is to recruit the next generation: younger people to take printing into the future as a dynamic communications channel. For many, family inheritance is the answer to this generational game. It certainly seems that way at mid-size Rawson Graphics, where not one but two sons of past owners are taking the company into the next era.

The Rawson name on a printer’s shingle goes back to a single-colour operation in the garage of a Sydney suburban house in the late 1970s. Since then, the company has grown into a multi-faceted 1,850m2 complex that housing pre-press, offset and digital facilities as well as sophisticated warehouse management services.

The company went through its early growth under the watchful eye of Peter Finch and John Kable. The expansion is now being accelerated by their sons. Co-director Lachlan Finch took the reins with Nathan Kable in 1999 and since then the traditional print shop has morphed into a 21st century marketing-oriented service business.

Customer focused
Finch says Rawson Graphics “is a lot more dynamic” than the shop overseen by the paternal proprietors. It’s “a lot more focused on customer solutions”.

The focus on solutions hinges on understanding the customer’s business. Finch stresses the need for research to come to that understanding. When approaching a potential client, he will often spend a great deal of time collecting background information before attempting to develop a solution to a particular need.

As an aside, he notes that in the past, businesses were hesitant to provide this kind of information to an outside supplier. That’s not the case any more. Finch says the average client is generally very open, offering up in-depth detail to help Rawson provide the right service for their needs.

Something else that has changed since his father’s day – but not necessarily for the better – is the commoditisation of printing. With Finch senior at the helm, the company prided itself on being quality printers, whereas today quality is taken for granted. Customers expect quality, and a whole lot more. “Hence the emphasis on solutions,” he says.

That’s not to take away from the company’s continued focus on quality – the awards lining the walls of its premises show that high-end work is still Rawson’s calling card.

Finch cut his teeth across an array of roles in the family business: first as a gopher, driver, and sweeper-upper to earn some pocket money. He later approached it with a more serious bent, getting involving in TAFE sales and business management courses. Today he fills the position of sales director, and services a portfolio of clients. The transition from the previous generation provided opportunities for growth, Finch recalls. “We needed to look for growth and our previous premises hampered that,” he says.

“With runs progressively getting shorter, we identified the need for a colour digital offering, which we introduced shortly after taking over the business,” adds Finch.

Today, the digital division operates as a separate entity, Satellite Digital, which recently installed its second Indigo press to cope with the demand generated by the Rawson sales team. While digital printing now accounts for around 20% of the company’s overall turnover, it has become a considerable growth area, according to Finch.

He adds that the recently introduced inventory management system has also contributed to the firm’s growth. Linked to an online ordering system, the service offers inventory control and on-demand deliveries. Finch describes it as a virtual warehouse, which feeds back to customers’ information as to when they need to reprint. Something else that has helped sales is Rawson Graphics’ FSC accreditation, which the company secured three years ago. Finch says that they went after the sustainability badge thanks to environmentally conscious customers, who see it as a priority in their marketing activities.

All these avenues to expansion have helped drive a steady rise in turnover. In the early days, a million-dollar year was a highlight, but gradually that grew to $3 million. By 2006, annual revenues had doubled and the firm was well on the way to a solid base. Following the move to new premises four years ago, it hit double figures. Today’s turnover is well into the mid-teens.

Relocation result
Finch admits that the company’s growth had been severely hampered by the limited premises it used to occupy. Today the company is located in a purpose-built factory in Sydney’s burgeoning industrial area of North Ryde and employs more than 40 people in its various service areas.

The move to the new premises was also accompanied by new equipment, upgrading of the pre-press section and adding new staff.

While Finch concedes that there is a squeeze on the mid-size printer, he maintains a positive attitude. He says Rawson’s customers reap the benefits of being able to take advantage of the personal touch, and have easy access to management at their supplier. Finch sees this as an advantage over the conglomerates, where top management is often at arm’s length from the customer.

Independent advantages
While he isn’t over-awed by the trend toward industry consolidation led by nationwide groups, Finch admits “it is of course difficult, being independent”.

And while the recent spate of company closures and insolvencies have left a dark cloud hanging over the industry, Finch is quick to point out that in recent months there have been several mid-size start ups in the industry, which he views as a vote of confidence in the category.

Will these new names go the distance? “The only way to survive is to be innovative, offering customers solutions for their business,” he says.

“There are many clients out there who don’t want to be serviced by the Geons, the Blue Stars or by print managers. Conversely there are many jobs on offer today and a lot of smaller customers in which the Geons and the Blue Stars are not interested,” adds Finch.

“It is that smaller market that we identify as potential for us and that they don’t particularly chase.”

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