Manufacturer of advanced digital production technologies, Durst, has officially launched in Oceania with the opening of its first office, in Melbourne, and the amalgamation of its distributor, Photo Electronic Services’ (PES) staff.

As part of the company’s establishment in the country, Durst A/NZ sales manager Matt Ashman has been promoted to the role of managing director for the region.

Speaking exclusively to Sprinter, Ashman said the move makes the Australian office the 22nd subsidiary for the business.

“Four years ago, I joined the A/NZ industry from Durst Europe to build the operations of our distribution partner, Photo Electronic Services,” he said.

“Photo Electronic Services was our distributor in Australia and under the stewardship of Paul Taylor, did a great job for more than 20 years. Durst Phototechnic has bought out PES, and going forward, we will be known as Durst Oceania.”

Durst has been in operation internationally for more than 80 years and is based out of Northern Italy. It started off with photographic cameras and photographic printers, then moved into inkjet printing about 12 years ago.

The Durst Group is privately owned.

According to Ashman, the company’s first point of focus is to support our existing customer base, then focus on its large-format P5 platform and direct-to-media labelling and packaging solution, Tau, into the region.

“By far, our biggest market is large format print, but we have other areas within the Pareto inkjet arena, for example labelling, ceramic tile decoration, textile decoration, etc. and packaging is coming up quickly on our horizon,” he said.

“And that’s part of the reason for Durst wanting to establish its presence in Australia. It’s a big market for packaging – we’re talking about folding carton and flexible packaging.”

Ashman also added that the establishment of the new premises will provide the business plenty of opportunity in Oceania.

“It shows Durst’s commitment to the region moving forward. We’re interested in bringing the company’s global solutions to customers in Oceania, and growing Durst Oceania from strength to strength,” he said.

“We’re excited about this opportunity.”

Durst Group CEO and joint owner Christoph Gamper, who has led the company’s transition and introduced a new management structure, thanked PES for its support.

“We are extremely grateful to the work dedication of PES… as a long-standing Durst distributor. But now we move forward and welcome Durst Oceania to our growing family,” he said.

“Matt and his team epitomise our new business philosophy: a passion for technologies and markets, with innovation as the driver, and active collaboration and participation in every area. Durst Oceania is an important strategic step as we continue to shape the future and grow our business.”

Durst Oceania will be located in Tullamarine, Melbourne.

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