Member Article

Elanders target UK growth with investment from Swedish parent

North Tyneside-based print services firm Elanders expects to grow with further investment from its Swedish parent group and a strategy to focus on supply chain management.

The firm’s UK headquarters is based at New York Business Park and a move to data-driven production for clients across a range of sectors now means the operation contributes 10% of the Elanders Group global turnover.

The growth is expected to lead to jobs at Elanders’ round-the-clock facility, which currently employs 190.

Recent acquisitions of Scottish whisky packaging specialists McNaughtans, and on a global scale, Singapore-based Mentor Media, are likely to be followed by further buy-ups, UK managing director Kevin Rogers told Bdaily.

Despite shrinking print budgets, Elanders have maintained and built on their market share by innovating with technology to make sure print is integrated with marketing strategies and driven by data-informed decisions.

Kevin explained: “The way people buy print products has fundamentally changed. Now, companies don’t want the hassle of administration. They have data feeds that know what they’re building, and we plug these into our systems.

“We’re doing this for major clients such as Jaguar Land Rover, Worcester Bosch and Bentley. For instance, we’re contracted to provide the owner manual kits that feature in the glove compartments of Land Rovers.

“The data tells us what we need to source to put these kits, how many and when they need them. A manufacturing operation like Jaguar Land Rover’s is demanding, and if we don’t have the right goods at the right time in their production cycle, we come in for hefty penalties.

“That’s why the role of systems in our business is so crucial, and it’s a format that we fully expect to grow.”

A diversification into complete supply chain management now leads the Elanders strategy.

Under the leadership of Kevin, who started out as an trainee at the firm, the ambition is to grow Elanders’ UK supply chain business, from its North East base, to contribute between 25%-30% of the group’s supply chain revenue.

Kevin added: “We’ve moved away from being a print-only supplier, to become and an integrated supplier of print and print related services.

“Our acquisition of Mentor Media was a really strategic move. It means we now have supply chain capabilities, and we’re having conversations with our clients at a point much higher up the food chain.

“We can offer much more in terms of packaging and distribution, and that’s whether its consumer electronics, pharmaceuticals or software. We’ll manage the production of packaging, print and the global delivery of the products to their customers.

“There’s a lot of UK-based companies with a need for this type of service.”

The strategy will require Elanders to build on its skills base in the North East.

Kevin added: “Getting the right people and investing in those people is crucial to me. We’re continually striving for innovation. With around 190 people in the business, that means 190 brains to tap into for ideas.

“We’ve got an aging workforce, and there’s a gap. That’s why we’re creating apprenticeships in strategic areas of the business. Succession planning is vital, and getting young people in to learn and contribute ideas has so far been a fantastic experience.”

Formerly Hindson Print, Elanders was based at what is now the Barker & Stonehouse showroom on Strawberry Place in Newcastle city centre.

The firm employs 190 people in the UK and has trebled turnover in the last ten years.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .