Geon cuts 5% of staff as Group "reorganises"
Dec 17, 2008
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Print conglomerate Geon Group has retrenched staff across its local operations today, and has admitted that further cuts are possible.
According to Stuart Shirvington, Geon’s general manager of operations, the retrenchments amount to less than five per cent of its 1440-strong workforce.
“I can confirm that we are doing some reorganisation, and not just in New South Wales,” he told ProPrint. “It’s in line with the current economic climate, and part of a normal process. I can’t give you exact numbers as we’re still going through the process, and it’s pretty early – it’s happening today – but they’re not big numbers. We continue to manage our business, and it doesn’t change our overall strategy.”
Geon Group joins a growing number of print operations in Australia and overseas in cutting costs through both operational streamlining and in staff cuts.
“This is going across our business, not just in New South Wales,” said Shirvington. “Businesses go through these processes from time to time. We’re talking to our staff about the continual growth we’re on, and the things that we’re doing, and that hasn’t changed. We’re still pushing ahead with our technology investments, so it’s not all doom and gloom.
“We’ve invested in a lot of software and IT. We‘ve bought pieces of equipment across the Group, including digital equipment recently, and smaller items like laminators and so on. We’ve moved printing presses all around the Group.”
Geon’s new facilities in Queensland and New Zealand are still on track, according to Shirvington.
“Our new site in Queensland, at Eagle Farm, is now up and running. It’s been operational for about six weeks now. And our Highbrook [Auckland] site in New Zealand (pictured) is a great success. It’s been running since about January this year, and Andrew Durran is very proud of it. It’s the largest sheetfed operation in New Zealand.”
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