Orafol - Then and Now

Alex McClelland, recently-appointed MD at Orafol, looks back at the company’s history, its new team and new focus and shares exciting plans ahead for 2020.

I joined ORAFOL Australia in June of 2019 after 16 years as Managing Director and shareholder at Spandex Asia Pacific and a short period with Mulford Plastics.

 In my time with Spandex, the company was positioned as a major supplier to the market. It has been a very interesting change for me to transition from a multiple brands distributor to that of a major manufacturer with a direct sales channel to the graphics and sign customer base in the region.

ORAFOL Germany is one the world’s leading manufacturers of innovative self-adhesive graphics films, reflective materials and adhesive tape systems. The company serves and manages the increasing and demanding challenges of an international dynamic market. The company operates and is present across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle East. The company has more than 1800 employees worldwide. The 250,000 square meter and growing, plant in Oranienburg is the company headquarters.

Established in 1808, originally manufacturing postage stamp inks for the Kingdom of Prussia, certainly a far cry to supplying vehicle wrapping film to a sign company in Dandenong. The company has developed and grown by manufacturing and producing innovative market relevant and quality products for a wide range of industries and applications.

ORAFOL Australia has been involved in the Australian and market for many years through a series of distributors in every State in Australia and the brand and portfolio is well established as a quality and consistent product. These companies were acquired in 2017 and ORAFOL Australia was established.

Today, the team at ORAFOL Australia are focused on promoting the ORAFOL brand and portfolio, developing partnerships by working with sign and display companies to assist in growing their business and working to establish ORAFOL as the No1 product in the marketplace.

In the past few months a new team has been formed in most states with more to come over the next few months, we are currently recruiting in all areas of the business.

The vision of the company is quite simple and straightforward and that is to be the industry leading manufacturer direct sales organization providing the best practice customer service and the supply of innovative and relevant products to the graphics, display, signage, visual communications, industrial tapes and reflective markets.

Our plans for early next year will be to move our current NSW distribution Centre at Eastern Creek in Sydney to much larger premises to enable us to establish increased inventory and a training academy.

There are similar plans for other regions in early 2020.

The market in Australia is very dynamic and growing in the traditional arenas as well in the adjacent markets and this is where our sales and marketing teams will be very active.

There is and has been a great deal of consolidation from a supplier point of view and probably more to come. As a company with a national network of distribution centers and partners and a focus and commitment on a single brand I look forward to 2020 to provide the market with more choices and product consistency. Starting the new year with a new proactive team in sales, marketing and operations will help in us realize the opportunities present in the wide market.