Industry supplier Starleaton has entered voluntary administration.
The Australian-based parent company runs operations out of six locations across Australia, including Auckland. It has not yet made a public statement about the situation.
Peter and Lea Eaton established Starleaton in 1978. Siblings Ben, Josh, and Melissa share involvement in the company with managing director Ben the most familiar face to New Zealand customers, alongside New Zealand general manager Ashton Lines-Sherwood.
Supplying technology and consumables to the graphic imaging market, the company has expanded its portfolio to include outdoor and indoor signage, display, point of purchase, window and floor-mounted graphics, packaging, commercial printing, photographic, fine art, CAD/GIS, high-end colour management, and soft proofing.
Mitch Mulligan, acting president of the Australian suppliers’ association Visual Connections has issued the following statement:
“Although we had no prior knowledge of the situation, our colleague Ben Eaton, CEO of Starleaton, had resigned from the Board this year to focus on business challenges. The Board will meet in February for a strategic planning session, and will reassign roles at that time.
“Starleaton has been a strong and dynamic force in the Australian print and sign supply industry, with a product range and expertise spanning everything from wide-format print and signage, to display and graphics products. They have always been a strong supporter of Visual Connections, and a loyal exhibitor in the PacPrint, PrintEx and Visual Impact exhibitions.
“More than that, Ben Eaton has made an enormous and positive contribution to the Visual Connections Board over many years, alongside his involvement with many other industry initiatives. We thank him most sincerely for his ongoing commitment to the industry and his willingness to give back to our sector in such a generous way.
“The challenges for businesses over the past few years cannot be overstated, and we are still seeing the flow-on impacts from that today. Visual Connections will always stand with its members and assist in any way possible to ensure that our industry remains strong, vibrant and well-served by innovative and committed suppliers.
“We send our best wishes to the Eaton family and to all Starleaton staff, and stand ready to support them in any way possible as they navigate this challenging chapter.”
