14 February 2013
Datamail to invest in major business printing upgrade
Datamail will undertake a major upgrade of the equipment it uses to produce transactional and direct mail (e.g. bank
statements, invoices, direct mail flyers) for its business customers.
Datamail – the New Zealand Post business operation which specialises in the production of bulk business mail – currently
has a large fleet of black and white laser printers, most of which are now near the end of their productive lives.
The new state-of-the-art printers are capable of producing a wider range of printed materials in colour.
Datamail currently operates in three sites (Auckland, Petone in Lower Hutt and Christchurch). The new colour printers
will go into the existing sites in Auckland and Christchurch. After a lot of consideration the decision has been made to
exit the Datamail Lower Hutt site and focus resources in the other two locations.
Regrettably there will be an impact on jobs, with an estimated 100 positions going over the next 12-to-16 months. These
impacts will be partially offset by the creation of around 30 roles to support the new equipment at the Christchurch
site.
Every effort will be made to provide opportunities for staff redeployment or to manage the change through natural
attrition where this is practicable.
These changes will significantly reduce the total number of printers at Datamail. However, the new technology will have
a greater capacity than the current configuration. The business will work with customers to ensure the migration to the
new technology goes smoothly.
The reality of printing is that modern technology requires significantly less manual input and oversight. The investment
in this new technology meets the growing and evolving needs of customers.
Printed mail will continue to play an important role for New Zealand businesses, and in New Zealand Post’s future.
ENDS