T
here is one company which has taken the bold step of saying outright
that print is not dead, and it is an emphatic statement at that. Tunleys’
investment of R30 million in the latest printing technology sends a
very clear message that printing is not dead, nor will it ever be. The
installation of the first Xerox Impika digital inkjet press in the Middle East
and Africa region puts Tunleys in a league of its own.
Tunleys is one of the leading mailing and digital printing companies in the
local market. It recently expanded its product offerings with the acquisitions
of Lasercom in the printing and mailing sector and Business Genetics,
an electronic data handling and digital document distribution company.
According to Tunleys group executive chairman Jeff van der Watt, these
two organisations incorporated in the Tunleys group give the company a
huge advantage for the distribution of transactional documents as well
as opening the avenue for transpromo mailings.
The addition of these two companies to the Tunleys Group created more
critical mass for the distribution of documentation for its clients but it did not
warrant an investment of the nature of the Impika. Jeff explained, ‘In addition
to the acquisition of these two organisations there has been a growing shift
from paper-based communications to electronic. A major factor influencing
this was the recent strike by Post Office employees which resulted in the
postal service being disrupted for many months. Another aspect of this is the
legal requirement on our clients, especially the financial institutions, to send
out monthly statements to their customers. They realised that with the postal
situation they were unable to meet their legal obligations.’
He added, ‘This has resulted in many of our clients’ customers opting for
electronic statements. This is contrary to what is being seen in the markets of
Europe and the United States where there has been an increase in the volume
of paper-based communication. People do prefer paper but it must be reliable.’
Jeff van der Watt, Tunleys group executive chairman
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