COOK ISLANDS: Printing plus, plus, plus
Located in the bustling heart of Avarua, Cook Islands Printing Services (CIPS) is a stalwart of the business community. In operation now for over two decades, General Manager Abes Tuumaga states, “The business undertakes any and all printing, design and managed print services; no matter how big or small the job, the team at CIPS aim for excellence in their work to ensure customer satisfaction.” The needs of clients are diverse, from small business pamphlets or business card design and printing, to printing designs on t-shirts.
The fashion industry across the Pacific is an exciting and fast-growing sector but fabric printing has historically been done offshore. With the help of a Business Support Grant from Business Link Pacific, CIPS is now able to offer more services than they could before to the fashion industry.
BLP supports micro, small and medium-sized businesses to be the best they can be. This is done through a variety of initiatives, starting with free online tools, accessible by any small business owner.
These tools are a Business Health Check where you can identify areas in your business that need focus; Business Continuity Planner and Climate Action Sensor where you can check your business’s ability to respond to a crisis, natural disaster and climate change; and the in-person Diagnostic Report where you can meet with a BLP representative to talk about your business and receive a personalised report.
Through BLP’s Network of advisors and community-based business groups such as Chambers of Commerce and local business networks, support is always at hand in a wide variety of areas, whether that is access to finance or expert marketing or financial advice.
CIPS found out about BLP through the Facebook posts of their local Chamber of Commerce. Recognising the usefulness of the service to help their business expand into a new market, they set about applying for a Business Support Grant to fund their new equipment.
“The application process was very straightforward and hassle-free, and we encountered no difficulties applying. Our business required the grant funding to invest in a new garment printer to expand our t-shirt printing capabilities in our printing division.” Abes reports that,
“Acquiring the new garment printer through the grant has positively impacted our business operations. With enhanced t-shirt printing capabilities, we have been able to better cater to customer demand and explore new business opportunities in the garment printing space.”
BLP facilitates access to business advisory services and financial support. To start your journey with BLP, you can self-assess your needs by using the free online tools available to help small and medium-sized businesses diagnose areas in their businesses that an advisor could improve.
The first step can be the online Business Health Check. You can also check your business’s resilience to respond to crisis or climate change challenges on the Business Continuity Planner. If you prefer to meet a local BLP representative in person to discuss your business, get in touch with our local partners to arrange a face-to-face Diagnostic.