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Hot on the heels of the establishment of a book printing and fulfillment operation close to its massive Western Sydney warehouse, Amazon is expected to add localised signs and banners to its printed offerings. The e-commerce behemoth with global sales approaching half-a-trillion dollars, is in the process of creating up to 2,000 new jobs at Kemp's Creek, close to the site of Sydney's future airport at Badgery's Creek. Andy McCourt goes up the Amazon and finds we're not headed up the Swanee.

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The union representing Ovato print workers who were forced to apply for their redundancies through the Fair Entitlement Guarantee (FEG) says former Attorney-General Christian Porter knew of the plan and did nothing to protect workers. “The Ovato case sets a dangerous precedent,” said the AMWU, which has called for legislative change.

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Melbourne's Covid lockdown has been extended by another seven days, with Acting Premier James Merlino warning that the state is dealing with a variant of the virus that is “quicker and more contagious than we’ve seen before.” Regional restrictions in Victoria are proposed to begin easing from 11:59pm Thursday. The list of authorized workers in Melbourne includes: Any person who performs work that is essential for the continued operation of: all manufacturing.

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The Australian Sign & Graphics Association (ASGA) says it’s received confirmation from Business Victoria that all manufacturing - not just essential manufacturing - is on the list of ‘allowed businesses’ during the Covid lockdown. 

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“In light of numerous market changes affecting costs for materials, components, chemicals, global freight and logistics, Electronics For Imaging, Inc. will be implementing price increases for its inkjet inks, parts and supplies,” the company announced. Price increases will vary by product.

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Women in Print reports a record attendance at its Breakfast Series on Mental Health and Wellbeing and says sponsorship is still available for a webinar next week titled Bridging the Gender Communication Gap (10 June, 3pm AEST).

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Easy Cut Studio, a leading developer of sign-making software solutions, has unveiled the latest edition of Easy Cut Studio which offers certified drivers for the new AM.CO.ZA V-Series, AM.CO.ZA V-Smart Series, AM.CO.ZA V-Auto, Polaris, Vinyl Express EnduraCut 2/3, Vinyl Express EnduraCut Plus, STM Robotics, APD, and Dika cutting plotters. 

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Speciality printers worldwide can now access information on the main FESPA website in all the languages spoken by the 37 national FESPA Associations, following an intense programme to localise content on fespa.com.

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3M’s new Print Wrap Film IJ280 and Gloss Wrap Overlaminate 8428G provide 'exceptional' performance and ease of use, resulting in faster installs with less rework, the company says.

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A major fire at the German headquarters of global printing ink manufacturer Siegwerk has caused some restrictions in production but the company says operations are gradually resuming. 330 firefighters attended the blaze and two were hospitalised with injuries.

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 London-based tech firm Pluvo has launched Pluvo Column, an innovative 'air purification totem' that can be encased in Out Of Home advertising as it cleans one cubic metre of polluted air per second.

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HP’s printing net revenue was $US5.3 billion for the fiscal 2021 second quarter, up 28% from the prior year period, as HP Inc. and its subsidiaries posted total Q2 net revenue of $US15.9 billion, up 27.3% from last year. 

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ASGA's Treasurer and Victorian Chair, Mick Harrold, has issued his take on the Victorian lockdown, which he believes was predictable and avoidable. Mick notes that his opinions apply to his business, Visual Exposure, and that individual members should do their own research as to how restrictions may apply to them.

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Spandex, supplier to the global sign, graphics and display industries, has appointed Australian-born, Sydney Uni graduate Andrew Coulsen as chief executive officer, effective 3 May 2021. Coulsen will be based at Spandex headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. He succeeds Rod Larson, who becomes executive chairman.

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Enfocus, the leader in PDF editing and workflow automation for the graphic arts industry, has released the latest update to Switch, the workflow automation platform for printers. “Last year, the focus was on the creators. Enfocus made Switch more flexible and scriptable than ever by supporting Node.js. This year, the attention is turned to the end users.” (video)

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Mimaki Australia welcomed a group of LIA members for a showroom tour on Wednesday afternoon, followed by dinner and presentations at Carnarvon Golf Club Guest speakers were Mimaki’s John Bryson and publisher of Wideformat Online, Andy McCourt.

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Epson Australia has introduced the new SureColor F10060H, a high-speed dye sublimation printer with support for media up to 76” wide. It features six ink lines including traditional CYMK along with two more that can be configured for either Light Cyan (Lc) and Light Magenta (Lm) or Fluorescent Pink (Fp) and Fluorescent Yellow(Fy).

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Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems (Kongsberg PCS) has expanded its C Series range of digital finishing tables with the launch of the compact new C20 – "the smallest high-speed production table on the market."

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FESPA’s latest Coffee Break webinar (Jun 1, 8pm AEST) will focus on printing standards, what is available and why they’re valuable. “Get the benefit of world class expertise without paying through expensive trial and error,” FESPA says.

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The New Zealand Sign & Display Association (NZSDA) has partnered with training company Goleman Group to provide association members with on-site height safety training.

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Roland DG Australia has introduced a plan to assist customers in Queensland and New South Wales whose businesses has been affected by the current mice plague. “There have been a number of instances reported of mice chewing on electrical cables."