Featured Business – ACI Group
We’re back on deck with our Global Featured Businesses! We’re now pleased to announce our latest Featured Business who hails from sunny Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. Introducing ACI Group.
Contact name: David Andrews/Wayne Gannon
Contact details: Ph.1300 488 696 or [email protected]
Established: January 2000
Location: Springwood, Queensland (located between Brisbane city and Gold Coast)
Number of staff: 4
Tell us a little about ACI and the team
ACI commenced laser engraving 6 years ago as an add on to the business as we were up until then selling printer cartridges, printers, multifunction units as well as repairing these machines This part of the operation is still going and for the past 15 years we have repaired printers at the Gold Coast hospitals.. We purchased an Epilog Co2. We then purchased 2 more CO2’s and a fibre machine. Our goal has always been to give the best possible customer service and the ability to laser engrave most surfaces. We decided a couple of months ago that we should purchase a Trotec Speedy 400 Flexx as we were turning jobs away that required a bigger base. This could hopefully expand our ability to do more, bigger jobs. Our customer service would improve again due to the quicker times.
As we are a small operation all the staff have been cross trained so we work very closely as a team. We have arranged our laser engraving area to allow for future expansion.
What do you like to do in your down time away from the business?
David-photography, shooting, archery
Wayne- golf, horse racing and following Brisbane Broncos in the NRL competition.
How did you get into the laser engraving industry and what do you enjoy the most about it?
Mike Williamson was an ex employee of our company. We were looking for an alternative part of the business as the printer side was getting less and less turnover as more of our bigger customers were looking to go to photocopiers. Mike was selling laser engraving machines for Epilog and he assisted us greatly in the early days. We purchased 3 of the 4 Epilogue machines off Michael. Recently we purchased the Trotec flexx 400 off Michael.
What do we enjoy? Would have to be doing jobs we weren’t sure would engrave and then our persistence we found that these jobs could be done. We are always trying to do new surfaces and learn more about what our engraving machines can do.
What machines do you currently have?
We are trading in one CO2 and the fibre machine. This will then leave us with a two CO2 machines and the Trotec Speedy 400 flexx machine.
What type of jobs/work do you do?
We will try most type of jobs. What we can’t do we try to outsource so we can look after our customers.
Work we do- Solar label kits for commercial, residential, solar battery
Stainless steel tags, stainless steel engraving, plaques-brass and stainless steel, Clipsal gang plates, Block Plans, safety signs, elevator signage, signage for electrical, mining, industrial and engineering
QR codes on plastic and stainless steel, Barcoding on plastic and stainless steel.
What was your favourite job to date?
The first time we did the barcoding because we had no idea it would scan when we finished the engraving. We were more than pleased when we realised it had worked!
What would be your ultimate job and client to work with and why?
The ultimate job would be large jobs with nice profit margins to enable us to pay back the new laser. Over the years we have dealt with a large variety of customers and the majority has been good. Easy going customers who send through easy to read files without the complications are great.
We would love to be able to get into the construction, mining, sign companies to name a few.
Below is a selection of ACI Group’s projects to date. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us!
