Beehive Industries taps print to help those in need

Beehive Industries, a Sydney-based social enterprise which operates a commercial printing, fulfilment and mail-house business to fund
the support of over 200 socially isolated senior citizens has been boosted by the installation of a Konica Minolta AccurioPress C3080.

The new press has already been put to good use producing a new cookbook ‘Share a Meal, Share a Conversation’ that not only provides easy
recipes, but also gives readers step-by-step instructions on how to connect with video calls to stay connected during COVID-19.

The enterprise has operated in Darlinghurst for nearly 50 years and now with its beefed up print capabilities is open to working with printers
that may be interested in partnering with the not-for-profit, which is also registered with the NDIS.

Beehive Industries CEO Brendan Lonergan says around 225 people – many with disabilities including mental illness – are supported by the operation with many helping pack jobs and fulfil mail-order campaigns.

In return they benefit from social interaction, regular meals, day trips on Sydney Harbour, playing Bingo and doing craft activities
with each other.

“We only get funded for about 14 per cent of the folks we look after so we need to find 86 percent of the funding through our commercial
business which does packaging, commercial printing and mail house services,” Lonergan told ProPrint.

Beehive already supplies print and mailorder for large organisations including Telstra, the NRMA, Racing NSW, Legacy and NSW government departments including the Department of Primary Industries and Environment.

But it has been slammed by COVID with the facility having to close its doors for 11 weeks while also losing $200,000 in government funding.

Now, Lonergan is looking to gain some extra work to keep his team busy and engaged.

Yohei Konaka has now taken over the reins as managing director at Konica Minolta Australia after COVID-19 forced a delay to the start of his
official appointment.

Yohei replaces outgoing managing director, Dr David Cooke, who announced his resignation in February this year.

Yohei was due to start in April but pandemicrelated travel restrictions meant he was unable to fly out from Japan.

For the last six months, Yohei has been working remotely with Dr Cooke and the executive team at Konica Minolta Australia.

He has used this time to gain a more complete understanding of the Australian market. Konica Minolta said this experience has
given Yohei a “valuable head start as he sets “The print work we do also includes assembling material and mailing it out for customers,” Lonergan said.

“We like to keep the people we support actively engaged as the bulk of them are seniors living alone in housing commission, boarding
houses and homeless shelters.”

Beehive Industries also has large amounts of space for mail order campaigns and kitting work.

This can be attractive for printers that want to offer a full-service solution, but lack the physical space or staff to ensure the job can be done.

Lonergan said investing in the new Accurio has moved the business into a new league.

“Having the AccurioPress C3080 has gotten us into a new class of work because the print quality is fantastic,” he said.

It was this investment that meant it could produce the new cook book with Sydney’s Twin Loop Binding assisting with the binding.

The book was recently launched with the team from Konica Minolta, including outgoing managing director Dr David Cooke and production
and industrial print general manager Sue Threlfo, in attendance.

“We are proud to be associated with their commercial printing program which offers both an excellent printing, assembly and fulfilment
process, and also an opportunity for their members to learn the skill of digital printing,” Threlfo told ProPrint.

“The Share a Meal, Share a Conversation book is a great example of an excellent digital print job, and also a great story about bringing people
together.”

Lonergan says partnering with Beehive Industries gives printers increased opportunity to secure government contracts as many tenders now require suppliers to prove how they are generating a positive social impact with the work they do.

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