The Nottingham-based print group was awarded the PrintWeek Printing Company of the Year 2005 at the PrintWeek Awards on Monday 17 October.

An "over the moon" chief executive Nick Dixon collected the award from PrintWeek editor Lauretta Roberts and the event's host Al Murray in front of 1,400 guests in the Great Room of the Grosvenor House.

"I'm really pleased to have won, but I'm especially pleased for everybody at Howitt as it's all about them," said Dixon.
Dixon led a team of ex-Colorgraphic directors, including finance director Rick Taylor and non-executive chairman Mike Hunter, who saved the business by buying it out of administrative receivership in January 2004.

The "new Howitt" posted its maiden figures in May this year, which showed EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) of 3.1m and pre-tax profits of 1.2m on sales of 32.6m in the 11 months to 31 December 2004.

Earlier this year it announced a 3.6m capex spend, which included a six-colour B1 Mitsubishi Diamond 3000LX, and last month it made its first acquisition buying 1.8m-turnover Eden Lithographic Reproduction.

See pp8-9 and separate Awards supplement.

Howitt timeline
- 1999 Waddingtons buys Howitt for 12m
- 2000 Communisis prepares Howitt for sale
- 2001 BIMBO deal completed - CEO James Elliot joins
- 2003 Elliot confirms plans for gravure superplant
- Jan 2004 Company placed into receivership