PMP Print and Horton Media dominated the major awards at this year’s Single Width Users’ Group (SWUG) conference in Rotorua, New Zealand.
PMP, the largest heat-set web printer in Australasia, swept the Heatset Tabloid category, taking out all three top prizes for Threads, Savvy and Farmers Open Home. PMP also won the retail catalogues award for JB Hi-Fi Smashing Prices and finished third with its Briscoes catalogue.
Horton Media, Australasia’s largest independent cold-set web printer with plants in Auckland and Queensland, picked up the Tabloid 42gsm prize for The New Zealand Times and won the Tabloid Enhanced category for Aaron McLean.
Otago-based media company Allied Press won the Broadsheet award for The Southland Times, ahead of NZME’s Chinese Herald and Allied’s Otago Daily Times.
The 15th annual SWUG conference, this year titled Print With Passion, attracted over 130 web offset printers from New Zealand, Australia, Tonga and Fiji. Highlights included presentations from 15 industry experts, a site visit to Norske Skog’s paper plant at Kawerau and a gala Awards Dinner.
“From the opening presentation, when Anthony Payne from Fairfax Australia provided insights on occupational health and safety, to the last pre-site briefing from Kevin Mackey of Norske Skog, everyone was riveted and keen to soak up the valuable information that was being shared,” said SWUG chairman Dan Blackbourn.
“Featured speaker Sir Ray Avery gave a fantastic presentation on his life,” said Blackbourn. “He is a truly remarkable man who continues to give back.
“Well done to the winners of the Quality Awards and to the SWUG Apprentice of the Year, Navdeep Sidhu. This is the fourth year in a row apprentices from NZME’s Ellerslie print site have won this award, so kudos to them and the training that they have in place.”
Next year’s conference will be held in Wellington during August. The SWUG committee is interested in receiving feedback to aid the planning process. For information, visit www.swug.co.nz or call Dan Blackbourn on 021 770 804.
Here’s the full winners list:
Category A -- Tabloid 42gsm
• winner -- Horton Media, The New Zealand Times
• runner up -- Beacon Print, CHB Mail
• third place -- Beacon Print, HB Today
Category B -- Tabloid Enhanced
• winner -- Horton Media, Aaron McLean
• runner up -- NZME, Gingerella
• third place -- Allied Press, Queensland Tourist News
Category C -- Broadsheet
• winner -- Allied Press, The Southland Times
• runner up -- NZME, Chinese Herald
• third place -- Allied Press, Otago Daily Times
Category D -- Retail Catalogues
• winner -- PMP Print, JB Hi-Fi Smashing Prices
• runner up -- Webstar, Auto Trader
• third place -- PMP Print, Briscoes
Category E -- Heatset Tabloid
• winner -- PMP Print, Threads
• runner up -- PMP Print, Savvy
• third place -- PMP Print, Farmers Open Home
