Washington Direct Mail to compete with bigger firms after £250k investment

Mailing house Washington Direct Mail has announced a six-figure investment at its Gateshead operation.

The company, based on Team Valley Trading Estate, ploughed £250k into its digital printing and envelope enclosing technology and processes.

Washington Direct Mail said the move helped it secure ISO27001 certification for data privacy and protection, which allows it to compete with larger print management and direct mail companies.

Founded in 1983, the firm is targeting a turnover above £3m for its current financial year.

Its print and mailing services include personalised direct mail, litho and variable digital printing, data cleansing, fulfilment, dispatch and response handling.

Lynn Beasley, managing director, said: “We’re a small, agile SME with a very strong team culture.

“By gaining ISO27001 […] we can now compete against major UK print and mail companies.”

She added: “We believe we can clearly differentiate ourselves in this new arena, in that, as an SME, we are fleet-of-foot, highly responsive and offer flexible pricing structures.”

In 2016, Washington Direct Mail acquired the print production arm of marketing agency IGNIFI.