News
Second administration case sparks fears for South Wales print community
Two companies in South Wales have gone into administration fuelling concern about the future for printers in the region.
South Wales-based Printall has gone into administration after a planned merger failed to come to fruition, only a short time after Pembrokeshire's largest printer Haven Colourprint closed its doors.
The Bridgend company, managed by John Sheppard, was home to six staff. Administrators were called in on 20 June this year.
Harris Printers, a business based in Mid Glamorgan, is said to be interested in some of the company's kit, which includes litho and digital equipment. There have been no bids to buy the company as a going concern.
The extent of Printall's losses is £235,000, although this figure includes the cost of redundancies and other "unusual costs".
Frank Nicol, insolvency administrator for Houghton Stone Business Recovery, said: "The directors said that a planned merger didn't go through and the firms failed to meet its projected turnover."
The news comes on the back of news that Haven Colourprint was closing, just months after merging with sister company Colourprint UK.
Fellow Pembrokeshire printer Trevor Collins, managing director of Modern Print, said: "Things are difficult at the moment and it is getting slower, there is just not enough business to go round. It is a very tough trading environment here at the moment and it is going to get tougher."
Haven Colourprint closed last month
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Comments
Colin Thompson - 15 July 2008
CHALLENGES FOR THE PRINTING INDUSTRY
Proactive maintenance of an existing customer base to improve your `bottom-line`. This is the future strategy for all to be successful in a global trading environment. Read on and find out how you will be successful by taking on board the facts that you need to master for 2008 and beyond.
Marketing to existing customers and prospects, with the goal of retaining their business while stimulating the marketers` sales. Also, the important of the retention of employees in this task.
Building and Communicating Value will be the single most valuable investment your organisation makes on the road to delivering sustainable shareholder value.
The creation of shareholder value is the primary objective of any organisation, be it a plc or privately funded company - and research indicates that the pressure senior managers already face to deliver value will intensify significantly into the future with a global economy.
Today, it is vital that all senior management builds and delivers superior long-term value to meet and exceed the expectations of all its organisations shareholders.
Open your mind up to the `Challenges` we face in a global trading environment to be successful.
While customer retention and its goals have not changed, the entire customer retention business is busy reinventing itself from what it was just a few short years ago. Whether new technologies drove new thinking or vice versa, it's hard to say. But, one think is for sure, what retention is - is really different. New reporting and tracking methods reveal how customers interact with content, not just, where they go and what they open. Smaller, but highly qualified audience segments based on customer intelligence are replacing broad, shallow pools derived solely from basic demographic information. Moreover, customers are no longer sitting back and waiting for the next brand experience - they are finally having some say in developing it.
Despite all the doom and gloom and despondency that Printers are complaining about, the market is an opportunity and challenging. We are in `business`, so act and perform as business people do! Printing is a by product/service of the business, so business methods are the most important - what is required are skilled and experience people in all areas of `the business`. Plus, business models to help the business perform to global standards.
So go forward and be successful.
Colin Thompson
Cavendiish
www.cavendish-mr.org.uk
David Brent - 15 July 2008
I notice that Colin Thompson’s past posts are no longer available to view, it just says…….”The user you have selected to view or contact has been deactivated by the administrator”…….This is a shame. Colin could just type “Please view my past diatribes and please please buy something from my web site”. It would save us all a lot of time.
Matthew Parker - 16 July 2008
Why the focus on Wales? Sadly, I believe that we will see printers struggling in many geographical areas. Potentially some of the less central locations may find it more difficult to be competitive with added transport costs, but is this a major issue with the development of overnight pallet trunking? I'd be interested to hear thoughts and experiences connected with this.
Matthew Parker
www.printandprocurement.com
Andrew Wassall - 16 July 2008
Concerning the recent administration of Printall, the timing seems very coincidental to Mr Sheppard's recent loss for unfair dismissal & non payment of outstanding wages amounting to £84,000 at Cardiff Tribunal. [edited for legal reasons] Not really a comparison to Colourprint/Haven.
Dominic Hartley - 16 July 2008
Its not all doom & gloom here in Wales. I'm not sure what happened with Colourprint UK but Printall shouldn't be commented on under the same banner heading and I don't think that general trading conditions could be blamed for their demise. [edited for legal reasons] The 'unusual costs' mentioned possibly relate to compensation costs for breaking TUPE rules. It will be interesting to see if any ex employees leave feedback?
Lorraine Collins - 17 July 2008
I am so glad that the truth is starting to come out. Karma has a way of slapping some people in the face and rightly so!
David Wassall - 17 July 2008
Can I suggest if Harris Printers or anyone else is interested in buying kit from Printall they check proof of owership.Some of the kit belonged to Scanagraphics & D4 digital just be careful.
Andrew Wassall - 17 July 2008
John Sheppard/ Chris Coles......Printall Ltd, Wellbeck Consulting Ltd, Evolve Print Management Ltd, Prolondon Ltd, Golden Finishes Ltd, D4 Print Ltd, Scanagraphics Ltd, Harbinger, Fraser MacKintosh Ltd, Meridian, Arem.....Any more?
Rob Blacker - 17 July 2008
Ever since the wholly expected and justified judgement against the 'directors' of Printall was known by myself, I have been counting the days until the anouncement of the closure of Printall. It is a sad fact that the amount awarded to the three employees made redundant by Sheppard at D4 never saw a penny from Printall [edited for legal reasons].
Trevor Collins - 18 July 2008
It really seems unfair that a company can go into recevership, have its debts wiped out and then start trading again because it was sold on to someone else.
wwww.modernprint.co.uk
David Wassall - 21 July 2008
Hi Julie,I must apologize for not answering your question last week,however it seems other people have.
Matt Whipp - 23 July 2008
I just wanted to let you know that we have removed a number of comments by request of the author and had to edit others on legal grounds. We attempt to keep these forums as open as possible but do have to act where we are alerted to instances where comments transgress legal or policy boundaries.
David Wassall - 24 July 2008
Hi Matt, I understand your concern & only hope that like most journalist you research and finally print the truth - DO NOT let any sabre rattling by those concerned stop you doing this.
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