Innovation is key to success at Augustus Martin as it shrugs off recession blues

The large-format presses at south east London-based Augustus Martin were running at full capacity last month, despite eight inches of snow, a transport system that had ground to a halt and newspaper headlines declaring the worst trading conditions in 100 years.

This reliability, according to sales director Daniel Pattison, has led detractors to label the company boring and stable, when actually, Pattison argues, it is dynamic, cutting edge and forward facing. Ultimately, this argument is redundant, as the £44m-turnover company has managed to stay buoyant in a market that has recently undergone a spate of high-profile administrations – a feat that says more than any jealous words from competitors ever could.

But despite its success, Augustus is not getting complacent. Pattison says: Being big is no guarantee that you will stay in business. We’re a stable business because all of our kit and even our factory is fully paid for. The recent spate of large-format companies that have gone under tended to have relied on new business, while shelling out vast amounts on expensive machinery. The end result is that these hefty repayments are secured against your company’s future.
That does not mean Augustus shies away from investing in new kit. It was the first UK company to purchase a £2.5m KBA Rapida 205 super-large-format offset press and among the first to buy an Inca Onset digital press. It also houses screen printing kit and boasts an on-site finishing plant.

One-stop shop
Unlike other so called large-format printers, we print everything we design on site and nothing is outsourced, says Pattison. As such, our kit is second to none and staying up to date is a continuous task for us. The quality of the Inca has been out of this world and we’re running it flat out. The KBA was purchased because there is no other machine that can handle the sizes it can.

Due to the markets it operates in, it is rare to see this kit running. Augustus deals almost exclusively in runs of 500-1,000, meaning print runs are over in minutes. The real time is taken in platemaking, with a fully automated PDF workflow and Lüscher platesetters producing around 3,000 plates per week across all machines.

To single it out from the competition, Augustus built its own ink manufacturing plant on site. The facility was set up 22 years ago, employs 20 staff and is the only one of its kind in the UK, according to Pattison. This expertise allows it to create bespoke products for clients from raw pigment.

Lascelle Barrow, who co-founded Augustus with fellow director Barrie Dix, says: This is a unique selling point for us. We can provide inks that are simply not available anywhere else and customers come to us with challenges to suit their particular campaign.

Past projects at the ink plant include producing an ink that mimics the texture of a basketball and one that rubs off when it is moistened, as well as scratch-and-sniff, heat-reactive and ‘liquid silver’ ink. Barrow says the company produces a handful of these bespoke promotions per month. He adds that the most successful product to come from the factory is a metallic ink designed to allow point-of-purchase print to stick to a magnetic surface.

Augustus also innovates in other areas. It produced Hang-Lite and Eco-Lite, a range of environmental lightweight boards designed for hanging displays. The product is rigid, but lightweight, and is used at some 9,000 sites across the UK. Such products helped Augustus win Innovative Printer of the Year in 2006 and 2007 at the PrintWeek Awards.

Change for success
Pattison says: This is not innovation for innovation’s sake. Hang-Lite was a no-brainer because it is cheaper, more environmentally friendly and does the same job as foam board. The products we produce must have real value. Our ultimate goal is to produce a fully recyclable alternative to polypropylene. That would be a lucrative product for anyone.

Augustus is now preparing to meet the future needs of the retail sector, which Pattison says will require more bespoke work, with campaigns tailored to suit local markets.

Point-of-sale is in the same position that direct mail was in 10 years ago. The market is becoming more focused and tailored towards localised campaigns.

There will be localised marketing on a national scale. For example, a different poster may appear in every store. It will require a big logistical change and no doubt more use of digital printers. We’re ready for the change, our clients are ready too. When the country recovers from the recession, it will take off.

This culture of foresight has paid dividends at Augustus and its resilience during the recession suggests that it will emerge from the economic gloom even stronger than it was before.

Augustus Martin factfile
Founders Lascelle Barrow and Barrie Dix
Sales director
Daniel Pattison
Turnover £44m
Location Bromley, south east London
Kit Includes a KBA Rapida 205 and an Inca Onset
Environmental credentials ISO 14001, FSC, PEFC