The Whirlwind Story

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    History

    

    Many moons ago a small graphic design agency was formed by the Cester family in Melbourne. The year was 1996. The goal was great design. Thus Whirlwind Design was created. Their passion for print was soon apparent. They wanted great service, quality products and a fast turnaround time and when they couldn’t find it, what else can you do, but build it yourself!

  • So Whirlwind Print was born. The company has gone from strength to strength, driven by a family passion for print and a commitment to deliver the best service and the best products in the print industry.

    Still owned and operated by the Cester family (bringing with them a whole host of print passionate people too!), we have the Whirlwind Print of today, fast moving, quality & service driven and providing complete print solutions.

    Onwards and upwards!

    Checkout our timeline for some yearly noteworthy achievements…

    • 1996 – The Cester family open a small graphic design business in Melbourne, Whirlwind Design
    • 1998 – Whirlwind begin gang printing and dealing directly with print manufacturers
    • 2000 – Whirlwind enters the digital colour copy and large format poster markets
    • 2001 – The Sydney office opens in Surry Hills
    • 2002 – The print manufacturing facility in Blackburn, Victoria opens increasing our print offerings further
    • 2003 – Melbourne office relocates to Camberwell to facilitate the ever expanding team
    • 2004 – Whirlwind Print is ranked 43rd fastest growing company in Australia by Business Review Weekly
    • 2005 – The print facility more than doubles its capacity and produces the majority of its products in-house
    • 2006 – Both Melbourne and Sydney offices relocate to larger offices to accommodate growth
    • 2007 – To accommodate escalating production demands manufacturing relocates to a 6000sqm manufacturing purpose developed facility in Knoxfield Victoria
    • 2008 – Whirlwind Print remains a privately owned and family run business, employing a staff of 151 people, continuing to grow and still reaching for the stars…
    • 2009 – Bringing together manufacturing with sales and support, the Hartwell offices merge with manufacturing at the Knoxfield facility.
    • 2010 – New stock selector available for customers to showcase in house stock options and finishes and is awarded Silver Medal at the Victorian Print Awards
    • 2011 – Launches new integrated online offering for clients for a great web experience
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    Print Experience

    

    We strive to ensure that you benefit, everyday, from our experience, commitment and successes, providing them with complete peace of mind and an accredited total print solution.

  • Our print culture

    We constantly deliver high quality print products, utilizing our comprehensive prepress solutions, industry leading offset and digital print technology. Coupled with our, in-house finishing services, fulfilment services, reliable warehousing and distribution channels, including overnight service to anywhere in Australia, Whirlwind is more than capable to provide you with a total print solution.

    We operate a comprehensive and fully integrated workflow management system from design to distribution. This system guarantees the production of first class products by enhancing automation, eliminating waste and reducing errors.

    We are committed to utilising leading edge technologies and equipment to guarantee a first class­ product and a first class service to our clients.

    Our product range

    Our core product range includes flyers, posters, point of sale, stationery, booklets and promotional items. Whirlwind has perfected offset printing to optimize paper usage, reduce environmental impact and improve productivity and thereby, maintain a value for money and competitive service. A large range of quality standard and environmental stocks are indented to further reduce the cost of paper and to provide maximum choice for you.

    Our equipment & technology

    Our presses are virtually new and incorporate state of the art technology.

    • A1 10 colour Komori Perfector
    • A1 5 colour Komori with an aqueous
    • A3 4 colour Komori

    We run one of the true real time electronic planning board systems that show available capacity at any one point on any one operation. It gives us the ability to give the most responsive answers to our clients on tight deadlines by understanding the consequences of taking on the unimaginable.

    This manufacturing capability is supported by a series of enterprise level software products that cover the gamut of production, from initial customer interaction, order entry via multiple service channels, through all facets of the production cycle and distribution.

    Our planning process

    At Whirlwind we provide the tools needed to help your planning process, from scheduled deadlines and turnaround times to upfront pricing and delivery schedules.

    Our staff will guide you through the planning stage in order for your print job to move seamlessly through the printing process.

    Our prepress process

    From the moment your files arrive with us the preprint team begin to run through an extensive check list of technical issues that may impact on our ability to produce a first class product for you.

    These checks include looking for those little problems such as bleed, ink densities, embedded fonts and image resolution.

    Then your files are double checked by the best ripping technology on the market – just to be safe.

    Our printing process

    Your artwork is transferred from our computer straight onto our plates (this is called computer to plate production) using the best thermal imaging technology available. Thermal imaging allows us to dramatically enhance details rendition and produce near photographic images – in short, it makes your job look great.

    We use state-of-the-art digital workflow systems to move your job around the production floor and create your finished print product.

    Computer integrated processing data remains one step ahead of your job at all times. It takes care of everything from telling our presses how to set their ink ducts through to setting the exact measurements for our guillotines to trim your job.

    Our finishing options

    Printing is only half the story. It is those finishing touches that make all the difference and Whirlwind offers a wide range of finishing options that will help bring print jobs to life.

    Sealing varnishes on all coated stocks, scoring wheels on our folding machines, and in-house finishing services are just a few examples of how we go that little bit further to provide our customers with the best possible results.

    At Whirlwind we offer the following finishing processes:

    • Guillotining
    • Binding
    • Folding
    • Laminating
    • Creasing
    • Formecutting
    • Perforating
    • Padding
    • Gluing
    • Gumming
    • Drilling
    • Round cornering
    • Embossing
    • Shrink wrapping
    • Collating
    • Mounting
    • Numbering
    • Saddle stitching

    Our distribution promise

    When it comes to the distribution of your finished print job, at Whirlwind we have the ability to store, collate, pack and distribute your products around Australia. We strive to deliver on time every time using our preferred partner network.
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    People & Employment

    

    People are the most important part of any business. Get that right and you’re half way there!

  • Our people are enthusiastic and dedicated bunch, all driven by a passion for print – from account management through to our production team and all support groups. Its about working together – we know that two heads are better than one.

    Whirlwind employs approximately 140 people throughout the multi state operations and through the provision of ongoing training, personal and professional development opportunities, we ensure all employees maintain a customer driven attitude and determination to improve their performance levels.

    Your dedicated team

    Once you work with us you will have a dedicated account manager who will be your central point of contact for all your print work. Our account management teams are trained and experienced professionals in all facets of print and are only too happy to assist with your printing requirements. But it doesn’t stop there. You can talk with any expert in our team to assist on your job requirements, from colour queries through to proofing – our people are always ready to help.

    Fancy joining us?

    If you’re interested in joining the team then please contact our HR department to find out more and what current positions are available. Email hr@whirlwindprint.com or simply use our Contact Us form!