Tassie printer spends $200,000 to beat low-cost imports

Uniform City managing director Charles Cook told ProPrint that the $200,000 project, which included a switch from screen to digital printing, would allow the Hobart business to differentiate itself from its bulk-order Chinese competitors by offering custom-manufactured, short-order runs.

GJS Machinery installed a Roland VersaStudio BN-20 desktop inkjet printer-cutter, Roland RS-640 wide-format inkjet machine and AIT 240CR pneumatic shuttle heat transfer press in mid-May.

The plant was officially opened on 11 July by the state Minister for Economic Development, David O’Byrne, and local senator Carol Brown. It will be staffed by 15-20 people, depending on demand.

The new plant and equipment cost $150,000, according to Cook, with $55,000 of that coming from an AusIndustry grant. Uniform City also spent $50,000 creating a new web-to-print system called UC Leavers, he added.

Cook told ProPrint that UC Leavers would allow Uniform City to do something unusual for a Tasmanian company in targeting mainland customers.

The self-service portal will give school leavers a chance to design their farewell jumpers, which Cook described as a growth market.

He said while Tasmanian schools placed orders of about 80-90, mainland orders could reach 200-300.

Cook said manufacturing and printing were very competitive markets, so Uniform City was counting on its new technology to help it create a niche.

GJS Machinery director Greg Stone said Uniform City’s new digital technology showed “high-quality print work can be done onshore, which helps to secure Australian jobs”.

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