News

Wace in Swindon is facing closure after its owner, TPF Group, announced plans to move operations to its Northampton and Derby bases.

TPF Group said the "likely" closure of the Swindon site was part of a UK-wide restructure, which was a response to customer demands for one-to-one marketing and would involve almost £10m of investment in presses and finishing kit.

Wace's workforce, which numbers around 80, was told last week that the plant would close by the end of August unless a buyer was found.

According to sources at Wace, potential suitors were touring the site last week, although it is unclear whether any offer has yet been made for the company.

It is also understood that a number of jobs may be made available to Wace employees at other TPF plants, both in the press hall and the bindery.

Chief executive Steve Brundle said the changes were the result of growing demands for personalised print. He said: "We'll be announcing half a dozen big UK and global account wins over the next few months and the constant theme running through all these is massive importance the clients are placing on one-to-one customer communications.

"The changes we're making at TPF will ensure we can deliver at the very highest level in this area, while also ensuring that we maintain our competitive edge across the board, taking every opportunity to extract maximum efficiencies on behalf of clients."

TPF's investment will include a 12-colour Heidelberg Speedmaster SM 102 with Cutstar and two six-colour Speedmaster XL 105 presses with coaters.

For more, see Thursday's PrintWeek magazine.