Penfield set up Product Manufacturing Solutions (PMS) last year after a storied career in the printing ink industry spanning more than 30 years at Stehlin Hostag, Hubergroup, Druckfarben and Flint Group.

PMS has its own manufacturing facility in Leeds, where it makes spot and special colours via its confidential, fast turnaround Ink Logic service.

It also has a warehousing and logistics operation.

“We can help people who need to bring products into the UK. Everyone is carrying less and less stock, meaning lead times have gone out,” Penfield explained.

He said that one major ink manufacturer had told its customers they needed to have placed orders this week in order to guarantee delivery in January. 

“Q1 of 2021 is going to be chaotic, so it’s about having the money to put into stock. Printers can’t wait two weeks when they want a specific ink.”

The Ink Logic service is targeted at manufacturers and distributors as an outsourced service.

“My focus has always been on service ever since I set up Stehlin Hostag. PMS is based on all the things I built my other businesses on, but via distributors. We carry a lot of stock to be able to say the answer is ‘yes’,” Penfield added.

The firm also recently started making its own hand sanitiser and supplying PPE products after Penfield was outraged by the price gouging in the market after demand surged because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The price of hand sanitiser was absolutely criminal. We are able to price it competitively and it’s an additional product that we can manufacture in our facility,” he said.

PMS employs expert ink technicians and has a fully digitised ink lab at its 280sqm Leeds operation, which can mix batches up to 250kg, while also handling average order sizes of as little as 3kg.

The Ink Logic service includes conventional, UV, and LED UV inks in Pantones and spot colours, as well as metallics.

Regarding the firm’s distribution offering, via some 1,500sqm of warehouse space in Leeds and Corby, Penfield commented: “We know the products and how to handle them. People want the right quantity, of the right product, and not damaged.

“I must be mad but I love this industry and I know what’s needed!” he quipped.