60 seconds with Swallowtail Print

Swallowtail is the result of a merger between Norwich Colour Print and F Crowe & Sons in 2011.

NCP ran five-colour B1 presses and Crowes had B2 and digital so it was a good fit to bring the two businesses together, according to commercial director Mike Dawson, who adds that the name Swallowtail was a clean break with past names and has strong Norfolk associations.

Where are you based? 

Swallowtail is in Drayton, on the edge of the fine city of Norwich. Back in the Premier League where we belong

How many staff do you have?

Fifty people split across three shifts

What does your firm do? 

High quality commercial printing and binding producing books, leaflets, greeting cards, advent calendars and business stationery 

What’s your typical customer?

Delightful

Which geographic areas do you serve, local, national international?

Mainly East Anglia, but a UK-wide spread, from the Isles of Scilly to Orkney, Fair Isle and Shetland

Which markets do you serve?

Heritage and wildlife publishing, galleries, charities, greeting card manufacturers – but we try not to limit ourselves

What’s your USP?

We are quite good at giving people what they want when they want it

What equipment do you run?

A Heidelberg Speedmaster XL106, Konica Minolta digital presses plus cutting and creasing, folding, saddle-stitching, perfect binding, sewing and laminating all under one large roof.

What’s been your proudest achievement in the past few years?

Continual investment in new equipment and getting two new apprentices qualified and into the business

Where do you see your business in five years’ time?

Still giving people what they want to totally unreasonable deadlines

What’s your team’s favourite biscuit?

Jam filled doughnut! Paper companies please note