Graph-Pak Laminating has opened a warehouse in Derrimut, Victoria to satisfy the local customer demand for consumables which were previously being shipped from the company’s Sydney office.

Managing director Tom Ralph explains the driving force behind the new facility. “Customers for the last decade have been ordering consumables from us, and we’ve been shipping them out of Sydney. But the rising costs of petrol and freight has hurt everybody.

‘We did the maths and it made sense to look after our good customers who have been putting up with high prices on transport. It will also help us open the door to local customers who can’t afford to spend money on freight – nor should they have to, if we can provide a better solution for them,” he said, pleased that containers bound for Victorian customers can now be shipped straight to the Derrimut warehouse, which provides an ideal locality and is not far from the airport.

Ralph says the plan to expand to Melbourne has been on the radar for over 12 months.

“We’ve been talking internally about it extensively as it involves more staff and overheads. As there’s a low margin gain in laminating film, we plan to bring other products such as glues, tapes and adhesives onto the warehouse in the future,” he explained.

Not one to rest on his laurels, Ralph is already planning his next move, and is looking to venture into Brisbane sometime next year.