Kyal Osborne, the current Managing Director (MD), joined the company in 2003, and with a background in accounting, he went straight to work learning the art of selling print. Osborne progressed to sales management, then general management and finally, became the Managing Director when he bought out his father at retirement. Osborne says that once he had learned the ropes, the company followed an aggressive sales growth strategy, and by the end of 2010, they were pursuing a strategy of growth via acquisition. Many years and acquisitions later, they are now the Greenridge Group, with company brands that offer everything from commercial print to mailing and merchandise, and they run the gamut of sign and display. The company first dipped its toe in the sign and display pond by investing in a digital printer in 2005 and buying its first digital wide format machine. Over time the company has invested back into more broadly servicing the wide-format market, including acquiring a hybrid roll-to-roll and moving into Point of Sale (POS) display. Osborne says the company leans towards selling value rather than volume, specialising in custom and boutique Point of Sale (POS). Over time they have bought or come to own via acquisition, several large format machines, and earlier in 2022, after taking stock of their two dedicated flatbeds and two roll-to- roll machines, they decided to invest in the EFI Pro 30h wide format hybrid LED printer. Osborne notes that “it is a beast of a machine, not only in physical dimensions, taking up most of the space previously occupied by several other machines, but also in its output, replacing both previous flatbeds and then exceeding the company’s previous output capability.” He says they are delighted to have much better control of their production and output, which the new printer gives them. The new EFI Pro 30h also makes their factory lean and efficient, and he notes that they have already seen gains in their ability to produce high-quality work faster than before. “Currie Group, who facilitated the sale and installation (over the weekend to not disrupt production), were highly responsive” says Osborne, and as the first of this model of EFI installed, he says the company embraced the learning curve with him. He notes that Currie Group is highly committed to the training of Greenridge Press staff on this machine and are fantastic to deal with. Paul Whitehead, Business Unit Manager – Sign & Display at Currie Group says, “We are delighted to extend our long- standing relationship with Greenridge Press. The productivity and versatility of the new EFI Pro 30h were shown to not only increase turnaround times but lower production costs. Being based in Toowoomba, it is critical that the machine is reliable with a high level of uptime. Working with a professional outfit like Greenridge in partnership allows for a fast learning curve and return on investment.” Osborne concludes, “there are always hiccups with any installation; on the whole, they [Currie Group], have been highly responsive and dedicated to ensuring that we are operating as efficiently as we can possibly be.” Greenridge Press invests in Greenridge Press invests in first EFI Pro 30h in Australia first EFI Pro 30h in Australia Starting as a family-owned business offering commercial printing in 1992, Greenridge has grown into a group of companies. 6 DEC 2022/JAN 2023
