Print chief sets sights on technology-driven future

By DITA DE BONI

The wildest Technicolor dreams of direct marketers and utility companies are shared by the new man at the helm of print management company Moore Gallagher.

Personalised mass mail-outs, four-colour utility bills embellished with pie charts and graphs, and control of the portals of e-commerce are all part of the future for Moore Gallagher if new managing director Sam McCann's dream of end-to-end print, laser imaging and mail-house service provision is achieved.

Mr McCann ascends the helm of a company born out of the marriage of Moore Business Forms and Systems and Gallagher Mailing Services.

The combined company, with turnover of more than $55 million and 400 staff, holds around a 45 per cent market share of the "essential mail" business - utility bills, Government department notices and other favourites - and also has a small stake in direct mail printing and processing.

Gallagher Mailing Services was the smaller partner in the merger but ex-Gallagher managing director Mr McCann - with 25 years of industry experience - says he will bring the more "laid back" corporate culture of Gallagher to the combined business.

"Gallagher had been run like a family business until a management buyout in 1985. After that, the company decided it had to move forward into a more customer focused, technology driven entity," he says.

"The board involved in the current merger [between Moore and Gallagher] decided Gallagher as a private company had put the hard yards into rebuilding and that we had the experience to bring that culture to the new merged company."

Moore - part of Moore Australasia and formerly part of Canadian-based Moore Corporation - had a more tiered management approach while privately owned Gallagher could offer a "can-do" attitude, says Mr McCann.

He intends to promote a flat management structure, open-door policy and encourage more participation from employees, saying he will handle the varied functions of the company by giving senior managers "ownership" of their departments.

Mr McCann says the company aims to grow by about 10 to 12 per cent a year on the back of a growth in in-house commercial mail operations - either leaning heavily on the services of Moore Gallagher or simply outsourcing all billing and documentation needs to the company.

He does not rule out a trimming of staff and resources at some point in the future, as there are many "overlaps" between the merged operations.

As part of a push for new business, the company has recently won a $1 million-plus contract to print and send documents to the public on behalf of the Department for Courts. It has also managed to combine the billing needs of major client TransAlta and its two recent acquisitions South Power and Power New Zealand into a single system.

The former Belfast inhabitant says the New Zealand business environment is one of "continuous evolvement, and [New Zealanders] are quick to listen to a story. What they look for is under promise and over deliver - and they are loyal to that when they find it. Price becomes secondary."

Mr McCann says the secret in his trade is to recognise that many mergers affecting New Zealand businesses lead to fundamental change and companies like Moore Gallagher must recognise where newly merged operations are going.

"Technology allows us to be situated anywhere, and why not be situated here in New Zealand?"