Paarl Gravure back in action

Thanks to the prompt and courageous actions of the Paarl Gravure team, the damage from the fire that broke out on one of the Gravure printing presses on Saturday morning, 7 February 2009, and the subsequent water used to extinguish the fire, was isolated.

The dedication of the employees saw them working hard side by side through the nights to clean up the plant, resulting in the pre-press, the extensive bindery and two of the remaining three presses already up and running within 36 hours of the incident. The third press was restored for action by Tuesday afternoon, 11 February.

Backup procedures

According to a press statement, the immediate implementation of backup procedures and a comprehensive contingency plan has ensured that clients' work continued to be delivered through the capacity and capability of the other 10 printing plants throughout South Africa.

Stephen van der Walt, CEO of Paarl Media, comments: “Our substantial investment in international software in our digital pre-press departments certainly bore fruit as all the material of clients affected could be seamlessly transferred to our other plants to complete the work.”

“Our people are passionate about what they do and put in an exceptional effort to restore the factory as quickly as possible so that we can continue to give our clients the service they have come to enjoy with Paarl Gravure,” says Christoff Botha, MD of Paarl Gravure.

“We are exceptionally proud of their bravery and professionalism in this event. It is these qualities that ensure that Paarl Gravure stands out for the reliability of delivery.”

Acknowledges all assistance

Christoff also acknowledges all the assistance Paarl Gravure has received. “The support we have received from clients, suppliers and the rest of the Paarl Media Group has been phenomenal. We would like to thank all of them for their faith and backup efforts as well as the Cape Town Unicity emergency services and fire brigades for their quick response to help us bounce back so quickly through efficiently managing the event and the following recovery process.”