Welshpool Printing Group acquires NRG Direct Mail

Mid-Wales commercial printer Welshpool Printing Group (WPG) has acquired NRG Direct Mail, an eight-staffed mailing house based across the border in Shrewsbury.

The deal adds mailing to WPG’s existing design, print and finishing capabilities, allowing it to offer a more efficient and integrated range of services to its customers.

Paul Jones, managing director of the 49-staff welsh printer, said that the two companies had been working together for a number of years and that coming together could accelerate both firms’ growth.

“The ultimate goal is to grow our joint turnover over the next five years, creating new employment opportunities along the way. We shall also continue to look out for acquisitions to grow the business.”

Jones said that acquiring NRG would enable WPG to offer an end-to-end service to both existing and new customers, whereas previously anything other than small mailing jobs would have to have been put out to other suppliers.

“Acquiring a mailing house is something we've toyed with over the years - we can do small mailing jobs in-house, but anything else we have to put out,” he said. “We've worked with NRG Direct Mail since they were founded and in the end we decided to take them on so that we can have that expertise in the group.

“We only completed the deal last month and we've already won one company we've been after for years as a result of our joint offering. The synergies between both companies are fantastic - we can print it, post it, pack it - we can do everything from design to delivery."

NRG Direct Mail, which provides printing, packing and posting services and manages DM marketing campaigns on behalf of clients, will continue to be run from its existing base by its existing management team. Founder Nick Chavasse has retired after selling the business.

WPG’s senior management team is chairman and co-founder Brian Jones, managing director Paul Jones, operations director Ian Jones, production director Derrick Greatorex and sales directors Gary Williams and Andrew Bebb.

The company has invested over £1 million in new equipment in recent years, including a refurbished Nexpress 2500, which was installed in January, a Vpress Core Print web-to-print system, installed 10 months ago, and 50kW Solar PV panels installed by iGreen Energy last week, which will give the company a projected saving of around 20% on our annual energy bill.

WPG runs a range of print and finishing equipment, including three Komori presses, a Konica Minolta 7000, Prinergy workflow, and finishing equipment from Muller Martini, MBO, Horizon, Morgana and Duplo.