One of Perth’s biggest printers, Picton Press, is in external administration, following the ATO taking court action to wind up the company over a $1.3m debt. Picton also reportedly has another $700,000-$800,000 owing to creditors.
General manager Graham Jamieson is offering no comment to the media. Picton is owned by directors Dennis Hague and Gary Kennedy. Jamieson is also one of the PIAA board directors.
Australian Printer has spoken to the administrator who has said there will be a creditors meeting next week, and as it is now the plan is to keep the business together with a restructuring possibly followed by a sale. Picton Press is still currently trading, the administrator says the company has no issues from a trading perspective, just that the ATO has decided enough is enough.
There are 30 staff at the Perth printer, around half the number it used to have before it made a major press investment five years ago with a ten colour B1 KBA perfector. Picton’s website notes that 80 per cent of employees have been at the company for more than ten years.
The 27 year old business produces offset and digital jobs including flyers, posters, brochures, point of sale (POS) materials, folders, and calendars.
Atish Shah, managing director of rival Perth outfit, Quality Press says,“Even if they are a competitor, it is not good for the industry as a whole. We do not want to see it happening, we try to work each other closely and help each other out. It is generally known that the pie is getting smaller, things getting tighter and the margins getting cut. These will happen more and more often.
“The competition is not healthy. On occasion their pricing surprised us, but we had no issue with them. It is unfortunate for the industry as a whole.”
This year has seen no slow down in print businesses going bust, with Melbourne printers Graphic Impressions and STS Creative Printing being liquidated. Consolidation has also left many printers without work, with the most recent example being the 45 staff let go when Fergies was sold to rival Queensland printer Printcraft.
In April 2000 Picton Press purchased Muhlings Printers, one of the oldest printing businesses in Western Australia.
In November 2001 Picton Press merged with Alken Colour Media, a 30 year old business with experience in prepress, bringing both print and prepress abilities inhouse.
The company made a multi-million dollar investment in 2013, purchasing a 10-colour KBA Rapida 106, running it with the EFI Pace MIS.
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