Worldwide boasts 48 franchises across Australia, 12 of which are in Queensland. The company has a long-standing relationship with Konica Minolta, so when it came time for the South Brisbane store to upgrade its presses, Konica Minolta had the perfect solution – the first of its kind in the country.
Worldwide South Brisbane’s office is lined with trophies, and its staff are proud of its commitment to quality and service. The South Brisbane store is the largest of Worldwide’s franchises in south-east Queensland. “Our core areas of business are government, corporates and local small business groups, and sporting clubs,” said Matt Wibberley, franchisee of Worldwide South Brisbane, Springwood and Redlands.
Seeking extra redundancy in colour, as well as capacity for envelope printing, Worldwide South Brisbane has purchased a new AccurioPress C6085, and its ‘baby brother’ the AccurioPress C2060, from Konica Minolta. The C6085 – the first to be bought in Australia – is capable of 400gsm automatic duplexing, and is replacing both a colour machine (a bizhub PRESS C1085, which will be moved to Worldwide’s Springwood shop) and a mono machine. “The advantage on this machine is that it has the banner format as well, which is something we were looking for,” Wibberley added.
Mary Kiely-Scales, specialised print specialist at Konica Minolta, describes the C6085 as a machine that can ‘virtually hit any part of the market’. “Whether someone’s looking for books or heavy business cards, it’ll do it all. It can do double-sided 400gsm business cards, it can do booklets. It does a bit of everything, and that’s what these guys are looking for: to try and grab as much printing business as they can without having to outsource.”
Colin Johnstone, Konica Minolta’s national manager for franchise, is thrilled that Australia’s first AccurioPress C6085 has been sold to a franchise. “It’s fabulous news to get this technology into a franchise centre, and particularly the first device,” Johnstone said. “Generally digital engines of this size are being installed into big commercial printers, but the fact that a franchise has the volumes to justify a purchase like this is a great story – something we’re really proud of and excited by at Konica Minolta.”
Worldwide’s newest acquisition will also come with Konica Minolta’s SD-513 saddle-stitch finisher, which can utilise four-position or two-position stapling, and produce books with square spines. The creaser option also prevents toner cracking. “We call it the booklet-making factory,” said Kiely-Scales. “It will do full-bleed books and trim them on three edges.”
Worldwide, which recently rebranded from Worldwide Printing Solutions to focus on ‘more than just print’, has counted Konica Minolta as a ‘premier partner’ for many years. Wibberley and the South Brisbane team have had Konica Minolta’s support through thick and thin, says Kiely-Scales. “This centre went through the floods in 2011, it’s been through a lot of hard times. But to be able to continuously be positive, and get out there and grow the business – that’s why I like dealing with these guys.
“To be associated with that, and to grow together, is a great thing,” she said.