Fujifilm extends Reach partnership

Poulett: Fujifilm had the most to offer
Poulett: Fujifilm had the most to offer

Reach has signed a new five-year plate deal with incumbent supplier Fujifilm as the newspaper group looks to drive pre-press innovation.

The £600m turnover group runs production sites at Cardonald near Glasgow, Oldham, Teesside and Watford after announcing the closure of two sites earlier this year.

Fujifilm has been supplying Reach Printing Services with plates for more than a decade, but when that deal ended Reach launched a competitive tender process for a new five-year deal.

As well as the usual the criteria, in terms of value, product quality, service support and “guaranteed supply”, the process also covered technological innovation, environmental accreditations and workflow.

“We’ve been delighted with Fujifilm’s service, and with the quality of their products over many years,” said Reach Printing Services managing director Graham Poulett.

“But we needed them to prove that they were still the best partner to continue to help to drive our business forward. We invited a number of companies to pitch, and ultimately felt that Fujifilm had the most to offer us.”

He added that “Fujifilm’s record of technological innovation” was a big draw as “having a technology partner able to innovate with the pace of change is vital”.

Fujifilm Graphic Systems UK divisional manager Andy Kent said it had been a privilege work with such an “iconic name in the industry” and he was “delighted” that Fujifilm had proved itself as ideal partner for the next five years.