Cliff Lewis Printing officially opened its new factory last night as a culmination of four decades in commercial print growth throughout the southern Sydney suburb.
All four members of the founding Lewis family, including mum Lyndall, who still helps out with the accounts, were relieved to have made it through the six-week shift with Cliff, who reckons he’s retired, declaring the move almost killed him. The new premises are the latest chapter in a long history of being at the forefront of print technology and business practices for the family firm.
Sons, Matthew and Adam, now ably running the business since Cliff stepped back nine years ago welcomed customers, suppliers and staff to the celebration, even as the night shift continued to pound out the day’s work downstairs. Visitors were shown around the new factory with its centrepiece five-colour Komori Lithrone 28, four-colour and two-colour Heidelbergs, as well as a comprehensive Horizon collating and finishing set-up. Upstairs in the digital section a brand new Fuji Xerox Versant is barely three weeks old working alongside a Fuji Xerox 800.
A notable feature of the production is the ongoing NCR four-copy print coming off the Heidelberg two-colour. In a world rapidly moving towards complete electronic processes, the endurance of the self-carbonated forms is a testament to the utility of print. While Adam admitted there was less of that type of work around these days, nonetheless the press operates most of the time.
An honoured and welcome guest at the birthday celebration was Bob Roberts, publisher of Numi$ News, a coin-collector publication run out of his Wynyard shop. There is some dispute as to whether Cliff Lewis Printing has produced 420 or 500 issues of the catalogue over the 40 years. Either way, the relationship goes back a long way with Matthew Lewis singling Bob out for special mention on the night. Customer relationships that last so long are surely a testimony to good and honest business practices.
As visitors prepared to head out into the night, the final toast of the convivial event was, “Here’s towards another 40 years of Cliff Lewis Printing.”