Automated booklet maker is top of the class for Tony Wouters of SchoolPix
Another HP Indigo press installed late last year meant Victorian school photography company, SchoolPix, had to upgrade its finishing line to keep pace.
Tony Wouters is the founder and owner of the growing photographic and printing business that harnesses the ability of digital technology to produce personalised photo albums and posters for schools. Along with his wife Mandy, the professional photographer has created a unique enterprise that blends personal service with high technology imaging.
He runs a team of photographers that spreads out across the state to photographically document school and preschool students individually and in classes every year. The digital files are then carefully processed back at Hallam into a varied range of photographic products, all of them personalised and unique, all of them capturing a precious moment in the childrens' development.
With the business growing strongly Wouters put in a second HP Indigo digital press following it up with a highly automated near-line Horizon booklet maker. Since then he's been impressed by the increase in productivity in the operation.
“It’s doing everything we were expecting and everything we hoped for and everything we want it to,” said Wouters. “We installed the new Horizon just before Christmas and it’s been up and running since we returned from the holiday break. We’ve seen a major, dramatic improvement in lead time, improved output and reduced costs.”
Wouters says the business has been growing steadily since SchoolPix first introduced booklets for children several years ago, and the new HOF-400/SPF-200L/FC-200L booklet maker is helping to cope with demand.
“The new Horizon also allows for different covers and different internal content. We’re able to produce booklets of many different sizes and we’re also producing a memory book for preschoolers and kindergarten children. We now employ about 20 photographers, and seven or eight teams are out on the road every day in Melbourne and country Victoria.
Wouters has seen some dramatic changes in the school photography market since he started out 34 years ago.
“From film to digital, obviously, but things are just much more personalised now. We offer many different kinds of booklets and photo packages to choose from and we’re careful to back that up with an unmatched level of customer service.”
Wouters paid tribute to the Currie Group, distributor of the Horizon booklet makers.
“I take my hat off to them. Currie is a great company to work with in terms of service and support and supply.”