Dean Wright’s Bright Idea

With so much focus currently on the cost and availability of energy,  Digital Image Magazine speaks with ADS Australia, Managing Director Dean Wright about the return on investment of going solar.

ADS Australia began as a boutique screen printing business about twenty years ago; around 2010 they ventured into wide-format and digital print. Managing Director Dean Wright said that everyone was saying there was no way the digital frame will ever outdo screen printing! ‘Little did we know that ten years later today’s printing presses can print just as fast, if not faster than any screenprint machine – so it was a perfect choice to follow the digital path.’ That decision set ADS Australia on a path of business expansion. Seven months ago, they made another sound business decision – they went solar.

In the early days, ADS Australia was located in a rented factory in Thomastown. Over the past decade, Wright had been approached about solar installation but he was discouraged from investing in a place he knew he would eventually leave. After many discussions over several years with a mate in the solar business – Leeson Solar – and intrinsically knowing it was a good thing to do for the environment and saving dollars at the same time, Dean knew that when ADS Australia moved into their new factory in Somerton that it was the right time.

The large-format printing business is power-driven – big machines running all day – Dean said that the decision to go solar was a no brainer. ‘I had researched it with Leeson Solar and was given a ton of information and graphs. I compared my then-current power bills and determined the savings over a certain period. It was providence that I engaged with them before I bought the factory. We were able to organise the multi-core applications that solar requires.’

The difference in the power bills is significant, although his figures are somewhat limited, as they are based on a short period of about seven months. However, Dean’s previous factory with the same machinery (and at almost half the size) had a power bill of around $9,000 a quarter. Since September 2021, when they moved into their new solar equipped factory, their first bill was about $1,000 for the quarter. Dean can also check daily usage from an app on his phone. Eventually, it will come in at zero for the quarter – that is, his power bill will be in the negative.

Digital Image Magazine asked Dean about the return on investment. ‘The new system was up and running in September/October last year during quite a wet spring, and we had missed the winter months, which made it difficult to work out. The new factory uses a lot more power. We have a 450 square metre fully air-conditioned enclosed print room and office space with three air conditioning units. So, I would think my power bill would probably be 25% more here than what it was in the last place. Therefore, if you’re comparing apples to apples, you would reckon my power bill would have been more expensive here – but it isn’t. Our system is an 81-kilowatt solar system. It has three inverters and 190 panels on the roof, which generate a lot of solar. The set up cost was around $109,000 with government grants of $35,000 so the business investment was about $60,000 to $70,000. I believe that in three years, the return on my investment will be realised.’