PMP bounces back from PacMags loss with new ACP deal

PMP has locked in a multimillion-dollar contract with the country's biggest magazine publisher after renewing its deal with ACP.

The new contract was signed last Friday, backdated to 1 January 2012.

Chief executive Richard Allely told ProPrint the agreement followed "well over six months" of negotiations.

ProPrint understands the contract is longer than the previous three-year deal that was due to expire in September 2013 and gives ACP an option to extend.

Allely said the loss of Pacific Magazines last September had probably strengthened PMP's bargaining position, as other printers would have needed to make significant investments in new capacity in order to win ACP.

"In losing Pacific, concern around ACP was probably reduced… The loss of Pacific probably took some degree of pressure off the [potential] loss of ACP."

Pacific Magazines is now being handled by IPMG, whose companies include Hannanprint and Offset Alpine Printing.

Allely said PMP had an "excellent relationship" with ACP and that he was "pretty sure" the publishing giant had not held serious discussions with any of PMP's rivals.

He thought ACP had wanted to continue the relationship because of the "tremendous surety" PMP provided.

The company produces high quality work, turns magazines around quickly, meets strict deadlines and is flexible enough to handle last-minute changes, according to Allely.

He told ProPrint that PMP had agreed to print extra copies of the Woman's Day issue that covered the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton. When the issue sold out, PMP had then been able to print tens of thousands more copies overnight, he added.

"Even with a tight deadline, we always deliver and publishers really value that," he said.

Last Friday's announcement said the agreement would give PMP "the opportunity to increase its volume of printing with ACP".

Allely said some of ACP's publications were produced by other printers, but PMP would now have the chance to bid for those jobs once their contracts expired.

ACP Magazines' general manager of production services, Ian McHutchison, did not get back to ProPrint by the time of publication.