Ive Group's new Sydney catalogue plant is on the move... before it has even opened.
Issues including a larger mailroom and better road connections have reportedly driving a decision to "move" the greenfield site's location from Seven Hills to an existing factory in Huntingwood in western Sydney.
Making room for extra finishing equipment as well as taking advantage of superior transport connectivity sees the planned printing plant switch sites. A further key benefit is that the Huntingwood factory - previously occupied by Sharp - already exists, whereas that in Seven Hills was yet to be built.
Ive plans to replicate facilities of its Franklin Web's Sunshine, Melbourne, site in Sydney and has ordered an 80-page manroland Lithoman heatset press for it.
Industry website Print 21 says there are reports that a Goss Sunday press from group member AIW is to be moved to Sunshine.
Franklin is due to take over production of the Coles supermarket catalogue in July, a giant order announced soon after its merger into the expanded Ive Group.
• Ellerston Capital - once the Packer family's investment vehicle - has upped its interest in Ive. A notice to the Australian Stock Exchange at the end of last month announced that Ellerston and its associates have bought almost 1.4 million shares in the past two months, increasing voting power to 10.32 per cent.
James Packer is understood to own only about 25 per cent of Ellerston, after selling down his interest in 2011.