News
Printing to recommence at newly launched Butler, Tanner & Dennis
Butler and Tanner today reopens for business as Butler, Tanner & Dennis (BT&D), following the last-minute buyout by media entrepreneur Felix Dennis.
Around 80 staff are expected to begin work this morning under the leadership of Kevin Sarney, who was appointed managing director of the new business.
The deal to save the company came just minutes before the end of an auction that would have seen the business liquidated following its closure by former parent Media and Print Investments (MPI) on 26 April.
Sarney told PrintWeek last week that, while he expected more staff to be taken on in due course, the immediate priority was to get the company back up and operational.
"We're not going to put ourselves in an unnecessary situation by expanding too quickly," he said.
"We are getting many of the company's existing clients back on board. They've always provided us with tremendous levels of support and in return, we'll aim to give them the highest levels of service."
Were you part of the staff that started work at BT&D today? If so, let us know your impressions of first day at the reopened site by adding your comments below.
Kevin Sarney (far right) with his management team gear up for day one at the new BT&D
Comments
robert wyatt - 04 August 2008
Good luck Butler and Tanner and Dennis, although i did not start back today i would like to wish all on board every success for the future, B&Ts always were a great company to work for and i am sure it will be again under the new flagship name of BT&D.
All the Best. Bob.W.
Mike Prior - 05 August 2008
Of course it is good news that BT& D are up and running and the pictures on the local news last night showed a very depleted factory.
The third paragraph in this report we believe is slightly misleading, as the auction was completed on the Wednesday and two days after the hammer came down, the 300 customers who had bought lots in the online auction were told all deals were off, even the auctioneers said it was an unprecedented move.
Let us hope that Kevin and Co, can revitalise the UK book printing market, perhaps the timing is good as the Chinese currently are more involved in having a successful Olympics rather than capitalising on their stranglehold on book production.
Clive Keeble - 05 August 2008
There was a very pertinent recent news story about China printing dictats which failed to get aired on PrintWeek
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,24111133-12377,00.html
"THE Chinese government is stopping the production of Australian books which refer to subjects like the Dalai Lama and the China-Tibet border.Melbourne publisher Hardie Grant and academic publisher UNSW Press were both advised to remove content from their books being printed in China, Fairfax newspapers report.
A printing company in Guangdong in southern China told the UNSW Press a reference to the "China-Tibet border", included in a biography by Felicity Jack about her great-grandfather Robert Logan Jack, needed to be removed.
After the book was printed the printer sent an email to UNSW Press which said: "Chinese authorities have found sentences within the text which infringe their sovereignty and have refused to grant an export authorisation".
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