Ways in which printing companies can transition to cleaner printing technology will be revealed in a national seminar program Printing Industries will run in April 2012.

The three-hour workshop program will be free of charge following Federal Government funding approval for the program this week by Enterprise Connect under its Workshops, Industry Intelligence and Networking (WIIN) initiative.
 
Brisbane will be the first city to host the program on Tuesday 17 April 2012 and Perth the final city on Friday 4 May 2012.
 
Printing Industries CEO Bill Healey welcomed the WIIN funding and said it provided an opportunity to help position the industry to face the expected energy related challenges from 2012 and beyond.
 
"From 1 July 2012  the Carbon Tax will be introduced and while that will cause costs to increase across the printing industry value chain, energy prices are likely to continue increasing independent of the Carbon Tax," he said.
 
"This is why it is critical that in our role as the peak industry body that we develop a comprehensive framework addressing the energy cost challenge being faced by our industry."
 
Mr Healey said that in addition to the seminar program, Printing Industries has entered into a partnership with a group buying exchange, EMSquared, which will explore cheaper electricity purchase for companies as one of its first priorities to achieve cost savings for members across key areas of business expense.
 
"Our preliminary research involving a mid-sized printing operation in Sydney has identified an 11 per cent saving off their current electricity bill," he said.
 
Printing Industries National Manager for Policy and Government Affairs, Hagop Tchamkertenian, said a goal of the workshop program was to deliver useful and practical information to help the industry effectively manage energy costs.
 
"Being conscious of the fact that business operators are time poor we have ensured that the three hour seminars will target the improvement areas for printing companies," he said.
 
"They will go further than just raising awareness and will demonstrate how companies can establish energy efficiency objectives and targets.
 
"Information on developments in printing press technology covering both conventional and digital printing will also be provided."
 
Mr Tchamkertenian said the participation of technology suppliers would help provide a holistic solution to the energy challenge faced by the industry.
 
"While most improvements can be achieved without investment in new technology, the enabling role of new technology associated with a lower carbon footprint should not be overlooked," he said.
 
"We will also be incorporating components of the Sustainable Green Print (SGP) program,  the Australian printing industry's standard and accredited environmental certification program, to address energy and water efficiency issues and principles of Competitive (or Lean) Manufacturing."
 
The seminars offer industry participants a unique opportunity to be briefed about energy management related issues to enable them to effectively manage them.
 
"While energy may not be the highest single cost faced by printing businesses, the fact remains that energy costs are increasing in significance and they are forecast to keep on increasing over the next decade or two.  
 
"The reality is that a failure to effectively manage energy related costs equates to lower profit margins" Mr Tchamkertenian said.
 
Dates for the national Transitioning to Cleaner Printing Technology seminars are below. Information on venue details will be released early in the New Year.
 

Printing Industries Association of Australia
www.printnet.com.au