Printers are sifting through the wreckage of major failed print businesses Five Star and Printcentre at auctions this week as the number of industry players contracts further.

The two high profile companies join a long list of well known names over the past few years, with On Demand the next to have its equipment go under the hammer.

Melbourne based Printcentre collapsed in controversial manner in July, with staff arriving to find the gates locked and neither directors nor liquidators in sight, the latter turning up four hours later. Adelaide’s Five Star went down with debts in the millions. On Demand collapsed for the second time in a year, the Bruce Peddelsden owned business  first went under last September, it was bought by Michael Wu in November, and then collapsed again in July.

Printcentre’s auction was yesterday, directors John Doyle and Darren Soppi have not been seen since the company closed. Five Star’s is today on site in Netley, although the Heidelberg presses have gone there are half a dozen wide format roll to roll printers and a heap of paper, toner and ink that may be good buys for local printers.

Some of the On Demand kit has been bought by Mercedes Waratah, which ran the company under licence after it went broke and then bought the business, along with some kit and about half the staff, and have since renamed it Data Digital Direct. Debts from On Demand may also hit the millions with the equipment suppliers said to be vulnerable by the receiver. No date has yet been set for an auction of the rest of the kit.

In all three cases unsecured creditors are likely to see a paltry return at best.

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