Confusion reigns as Clear Skies in administration

The company that trades as major NSW signage business Skope Group Services Manufacturing is in administration with debts to creditors topping $1m, but confusion reigns as to the status of the multitude of related entities.

Clear Skies Corp is in administration. Its ASIC notice notes it trades as Skope Group Services Manufacturing, Scream Visual Wholesale Manufacturing Division, and FM Engineering & Wholesale Sign Manufacturing.

Clear Skies' sole director Robert Price is also the general manger of Comm-Klad. Clear Skies trading entity FM Engineering shares factory space with Comm-Klad, in a building in Campbelltown owned by Clear Skies.

Scream Visual though has the same telephone number and address as Skope Group Services, which operates from a Castle Hill premises, as does another company, All Works.

Clear Skies owes $427,000 to the ATO, by far its biggest debt. Industry suppliers are also on the creditors list, including the MM Plastics trio Amari Visual, Graphic Art Mart and Chief Media, who are owed $134,000, HVG for $30,000 and Mulford Plastics owed $18,000.

It also owes an as yet unspecified amount in employee entitlements.

Fairview Architectural is owed $77,000. Fairview is the Brethren-owned aluminium cladding supplier currently under threat of class action by legal entity IMF Bentham over the fire resistance, or not, of cladding it supplied.

The signage industry is caught up in the cladding furore as some signs attached to the sides of buildings may have been produced with uncertified aluminium. There is a special seminar at PrintEx this week on the issue, being held Wednesday 3.30-4.30pm.