The web-to-print and mass customisation giant has advertised for a raft of new positions.
It is looking for a ‘principal lean specialist’ for a location described as being in the midlands. Other roles specifically refer to Burton-upon-Trent in Staffordshire.
One job advert stated: “This is a great opportunity to join a successful global company and be part a new start up production site in the UK Midlands. Cimpress is establishing a new production facility in the UK Midlands to support our growth and better serve customers in the UK market.”
Other roles citing a Burton-upon-Trent location include factory buyer/demand planner, maintenance and engineering manager, senior manufacturing IT technician, production manager for large format print, print production operator, and forklift operator/materials handling.
The lean specialist will be required to “contribute to all aspects of establishing and sustaining a Lean production and management system”, and the specification says the person must have at least five years’ experience of leading and implement lean projects, and be a Six Sigma or Lean Six Sigma black belt.
A local source pointed to a likely site for a start-up operation at the new Burton Locks development off the A38. The location is central to the country, sits between the M1 and M6 and is close to the airports at East Midlands and Coventry. It will include a 50-acre industrial park. Infrastructure works to support the development including road improvements began in June 2016 and are expected to be complete by late summer this year.
And a source in the highly-competitive UK web-to-print space said: “It’s interesting, because I’d heard they were buying somebody. If they’re setting up in the midlands it makes sense because they can probably get connections into the delivery network up to 1am or 2am in the morning.”
Cimpress currently has a single UK manufacturing facility, the Tradeprint site in Dundee acquired in 2015. It is also currently advertising for new roles in Dundee and London.
The $1.8bn (£1.5bn) turnover group, which is headquartered in the Netherlands and listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the US, has also just united the teams at its Exaprint and Tradeprint brands in the UK.
Recent expansion at Cimpress has included a string of acquisitions, most recently National Pen Company. But it is still investing in new production facilities of its own. In November 2016 the firm announced it would be setting up its first production site in the US, a 150-staff facility located in Reno in Western Nevada. The group produced 46m customised items last year.
Cimpress had not commented at the time of writing.
