Aarque Group Ltd.

from Aarque’s point of view. Prior to that, sign writers used to use paint brushes and stencils and chalk and blackboards and all sorts of things. Aarque wasn’t involved at that early stage. We come more from an architectural engineering background. As architects we used to use pens and pencils and drawing machines and then the drawing machines were replaced by a computer that went to a pen or XY plotter. From there it became an ink-jet plotter that used pure black ink and then it became a CMYK colour inkjet plotter that was able to print colour drawings. As the ink evolved and developed, they came out with a durable based ink that gave the ability to print on self-adhesive media and that’s where the digital sign print industry started.” The biggest challenge right now is trying to get stock into New Zealand due to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. Vicky Winslow, Aarque Group Sales Account Manager, reports, “Like most of our competitors, we’re experiencing shipping and manufacturing delays. We’re actually selling brand owner, such as large restaurant brands or the large clothing brands, want a green aspect to their print,” says Bult. “They don’t want to see PVC banners in their shops, they want fabrics and paper and card – materials that are recyclable or compostable. That’s really what brand owners are asking the printers to supply. And what we’re trying to do is give our clients the ability to offer that to the brand owners.” A significant project Aarque is undertaking now is becoming FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified. That certification is proof that all their paper-based products are sourced from sustainable forests. It will enable the company to satisfy their customers with the knowledge that they’re buying a ‘green’ product with all the FSC credentials. Winslow notes, “Most paper-based materials we have are compostable anyway but people are taking it that next step and want to know that the paper was coming from managed forestry. It’s getting more and more asked for, so it’s something we’ve committed to doing.” Bult adds, “When it comes to inks, what we’re seeing from our printer partner manufacturers is that they’re all evolving into an eco-friendly durable ink. Fifteen years ago, we used to joke about the holy grail of ink – that if we could actually have a water-based ink that was durable, AARQUE GROUP LTD more than we normally do. Because we’re better equipped than the competition, we end up selling more because they’re out of stock, which puts Aarque’s name out there.” Bult confirms, “We’re in a good space. Being an innovator in New Zealand, we were quick to come to market with a program that our clients were looking for. We heavily invested into inventory and I wondered if we were doing the right thing at the time, but COVID came along and actually did us a favour. Because we had so much stock and our competitors didn’t, it gave us the ability to really get our brand in the marketplace and pick up a lot of opportunities.” Aarque Group is seriously committed to the environment, providing a wide range of products and services which are sourced from sustainable resources, are water and energy efficient, emit less carbon, produce less waste and are accredited or environmentally certified. “What we’re finding in the industry these days is the Jason Bult, Chief Executive Officer