Mailroom and bindery equipment vendor Müller Martini Australia is moving closer to its largest newspaper customer as a new country manager takes over.

With the appointment of Ian Sampson to the role, NSW offices will move to 26 Hume Highway, Chullora – home of News Corp Australia’s Sydney print centre – from its present accommodation in Millennium Court, Silverwater.

Sampson succeeds Roman Beeler (right), who is stepping down after 25 years with the company, the last ten as country manager. Beeler is however staying on part-time to assist with technical and special projects.

Despite its size, News is not the Swiss bindery equipment maker’s biggest newspaper mailroom customer, its systems more favoured by regional publishers locally – and of course, commercial printers – while News has tapped rival Ferag for newspaper mailroom and inserting. Paradoxically however, MM’s biggest newspaper installation was once in Chullora, when Fairfax Printers’ site was nearby until it was shut in 2014 and the plant scrapped. The flagship Sydney Morning Herald – now owned by Nine Entertainment – is now printed by News.

Müller Martini Asia Pacific regional managing director Sven Olsen says the business and organisation in Australia was “in good shape”, making it a good time for the handover.

The move to Main Building, 26 Hume Highway, Chullora, NSW 2190 is effective from November 1; contact numbers are unchanged.