Luminar Group | 97Shedding digital light on SMEsAustralian converter Luminar has expanded its digital printing capacity to give small businesses high-quality packaging ready for competing with big brands. Piotr Wnuk reportsuminar’s story started from humble beginnings nearly two decades ago. It has been growing steadily, building on years of experience and reputation. Luminar now operates with a team Lof 20 and relocated from a small facility in Castle Hill to a 1,000 sqm warehouse in Riverstone, north-west Sydney, after changing its name in 2018.‘Luminar has been around for over fve years; however, I started my career in print in my dad’s company, which was then called Avonlea Labels. So, altogether, I’ve been in the industry for about 11 years,’ recalls Matt Ellis, managing director of Luminar Group. ‘My dad started his business out of our garage in 2005. He was working on a two-color fexo press while my mum took care of the accounting side of the business and answered all phone inquiries.’ Ellis comes from a marketing background with a focus on online advertising. Before joining his parents, while he was selling Google Ads, he persuaded them in 2007 to develop a website and invest in Matt Ellis in front of the Screen L350UV press installed in 2021 as digital marketing. part of the company’s commitment to enhancing digital operations‘That was the catalyst to getting my parents out of the garage,’ adds Ellis.“When I took over the business He joined the business 11 years ago as its ffth employee. He immediately noticed enormous demand for high speeds, variation from my father, I chose a new and low-order quantities.‘I had a chat with my dad about taking the digital label trend name – Luminar. ‘Lume’ translates seriously. And soon after, he few me to Melbourne to negotiate our frst HP Indigo press. The rest is history,’ notes Ellis. to light, and at Luminar we help Five years ago, he bought the business from his father to create a hybrid digital label and fexible packaging facility. He has grown shed light on our customers’ the company from 12 employees to around 22. Positioned as a hybrid digital labeling and fexible packaging company, Luminar’s products and businesses”broad customer base includes industrial, automotive, and food and beverage clients. economy, and despite the effects of Covid-19, entrepreneurs ‘With such a diversity of customers, we needed a technology that continue to start up new operations to achieve their dreams. In would increase our printing effciency without sacrifcing quality fact, by the end of June 2021, there were more than 2.4 million or attention to detail. Since October 2021, our fexible packaging actively trading businesses country-wide – a 3.8 percent rise on the sales have grown by over 1,000 percent, and to continue servicing previous year.our customers at the highest level, we felt the Screen Truepress Jet L350UV was the best solution for us and our customers to Small focus, big ambitionscater to this business growth. The decision to select this machine ‘When I took over the business from my father, I chose a new name came about after a long association with Jet Technologies, which – Luminar. “Lume” translates to light, and at Luminar, we help shed systematically proved the L350UV’s unrivaled reliability and high light on our customers’ products and businesses,’ says Ellis. ‘We productivity,’ says Ellis. want to highlight their story, brighten up their brand, and ensure ‘Having the local support from Screen and Jet Technologies each product radiates through the packaging and labeling. It’s a made the decision a no-brainer, and we are excited about the meaningful name and encompasses everything we do.additional strength this system will provide for our already-strong ‘For small businesses, how you present your product is often printing capabilities. Since working with the new system, we have the difference between a purchase and a lost sale – it’s simply found that it is incredibly effcient and agile, offering a wide range the nature of fast-moving consumer goods. That means you need of materials used to service our existing customers while also the right packaging to get eyes on your products, and digital can supporting our growth trajectory.’ deliver far more than traditional. We have a passion for educating Implementing the L350UV has extended Luminar’s digital our customers on the buying journey and the positive impact printing capacity and streamlined its existing digital operations. on-demand short-medium run lengths can have on any business, ‘We have worked with Luminar for many years and are very and I feel our responsibility to help customers understand all their excited at the digital printing opportunities that the L350UV will direct and in-direct costs associated with buying in bulk.bring for its business,’ adds David Reece, director of sales at Jet ‘However, small businesses often can’t afford to source their Technologies. printed packaging from traditional providers. Not only are there Luminar focuses on established small and medium businesses eye-watering setup and labor costs, but the long waiting times as well as innovative and hyper-growth businesses such as My can be hugely detrimental to cash fow management. Unlike Muscle Chef and Mingle Seasoning, and craft beer and health and digital print packaging, conventional techniques usually require beauty clients. Small businesses are the backbone of the Australian a high minimum order that could be anywhere from 10,000 to Jul - Sep 2022