In a letter to customers, Spandex Managing Director Alex McClelland has explained why some adjustments have been necessary to prices. The letter reads:
"You will most likely have read about the upcoming price increases from paper suppliers in 2014. This is an indicator of the economic challenges which the print and adjacent markets all face.
Spandex Asia Pacific, as a committed supply partner focusing on value and providing our customers with best practice customer service and product offerings, is not immune to these trends. Our margins are tightly controlled and we very much regret that we must pass some of these increases on. I say ‘some’ because the increases will be well below the double digit ones announced by the major paper merchants. The past year has seen the Australian dollar decline up to 18% against our EU and US trading partners’ currencies and this has also affected costs, along with raw material price rises.
This is not a blanket increase; it varies across product groups and all are in low single-digit percentages. Arlon vehicle wrapping films for example, decreased in price last year and, even with this year’s increase, are still below what they were pre-2013. Spandex’s own range of large format media, ImagePerfect, remains our best value offering, with over 90 commonly used digital sign materials now representing even greater savings. Our Avery Dennison portfolio is also an excellent quality value proposition.
Please consult with your Spandex account manager for specific pricing on our products that you use.
At Spandex, we do believe we offer the best value for money and service for quality materials used in the production of digital printing, signage and display and this will continue, as does our long term commitment to Australian sign industry.
Thank you for your continued custom; if you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me or your Spandex account manager.
Yours faithfully,
Alex McClelland
Managing Director"
Spandex Asia Pacific
www.spandex.com.au
