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Print group announce Spectrum deal and jobs boost for Taylor Bloxham staff

Print group announce Spectrum deal and jobs boost for Taylor Bloxham staff

Spectrum Printing Services has been bought by members of a consortium belonging to rival business Streamline Press and their sister company Baxters.

The three commercial printers will now share a customer-base and production resources, with growth expected to increase by around 25 per cent, leading to a combined annual turnover of £13m. Each business will retain its own trading name and identity.

Spectrum, whose turnover stands at £2.4m, will continue to trade as a separate entity with all twenty-two employees remaining at the company’s print works in Hamilton, north east Leicester.

Group Director and shareholder Mark Lockley said the acquisition of Spectrum, for an undisclosed fee, had come following months of talks and will bring increased production capacity, speed to market and innovative solutions to an ever-demanding industry.

He added:

“A great new brand has been brought into the fold. As a competitor, Spectrum always shared our values of putting the customer first and delivering great quality print, exceptional service and cost effective solutions.

“We are now going to drive a single business with three operating sites across Leicestershire that will form as the best commercial printers in the East Midlands.

“Our service offering to customers will grow over the coming years with increased production capacity, quicker turnaround times and economies of scale – meaning even more value for money for our customers.”

Lockley also revealed eleven employees from Taylor Bloxham had been taken on after the Leicester printing firm fell into administration earlier this month, two days before many staff were due to be paid.

Two of the leading Sales People have joined from the now defunct company, other roles recruited for include: Account Managers, Printers, Finishers, and Repro Operators. Simon Wood, who has left Taylor Bloxham after 23 years, is the new Business Development Director for the group of three printing firms.

He said:

“It was imperative for me to join a local business with ambition and a heart which puts people first. There is a definite family feel which translates into staff who care about the standard of work they produce.

“In an industry where there is over capacity and apathy, you need the best skills to produce high quality print, we have that in abundance across the three sites.”

Wood was pivotal in the recruitment of the former Taylor Bloxham employees and will bring a series of high profile clients such as Victoria and Albert Baths, Abode and Princess Motor Yacht Sales into the new printing group, he said:

“My clients from Taylor Bloxham have been incredibly supportive since the company closed. In the majority of cases, there’s a long-standing relationship in place built on trust so they are happy to move with me and will benefit from the expertise of all the great people at Streamline Press, Baxters and Spectrum.”

Further expansion to the printing group’s workforce of 99 employees is anticipated in the coming year to help keep pace with their growing customer base which is now close to 500 strong with new business brought by both Wood and Spectrum, the latter counts the likes of The National Space Centre among their customers.

Streamline Press, located in Beaumont Leys, supply a number of well-known brands including Everest Home Improvements, Royal Crown Derby and Chatsworth House. Their print works house the latest Heidelberg XL106 Litho Press which is capable of run speeds of up to 18,000 sheets per hour.  Hinckley based Baxters print for Leicestershire County Cricket Club and Triumph Motorcycles, like Spectrum they own the most recent Heidelberg XL75 Litho Press, which is capable of run speeds of up to 15,000 sheets per hour.

To maximise efficiency, day-to-day running of each business has been integrated meaning they will share some back-office support and make use of the same software for workflow, estimating, job bag creation and scheduling.

The group’s consolidation strategy has been devised by the consortium’s three shareholders Mr Lockley, Group Sales Director Richard Smith, Baxters’ Managing Director Alastair Higgins and former Spectrum owners Paul Clifton and Karl Nicholson. Both Clifton and Nicholson will remain at Spectrum as Operations Directors. All five executives will complete a senior management team.

Discussing the sale of Spectrum, Clifton said the chance to join up with a main competitor was too good an opportunity to turn down, he said:

“When Mark approached us, we recognised the need for consolidation with a main competitor in the Leicester area. The chance to share resources and knowledge with such a dynamic group, while still maintaining the Spectrum brand, made the decision quite easy.”

Group Sales Director Richard Smith, who first joined Streamline as a printer in 2001, said the trio of businesses and new recruits from Taylor Bloxham had already began to synergise well, adding:

“The sales team are keen to get the word out and strengthen relationships with new and existing clients. In the first couple of weeks together, we have made giant steps in integrating team members, sharing some really good ideas and spreading work around to balance daily production and delivery pressure, 2020 has started with a bang.

“Our commitment to invest in people and technology is bearing fruit with new customers coming on board on a daily basis. More broadly, it’s fair to say Leicestershire really is the print capital of the UK.”

Picture: Richard Smith and Mark Lockley Leicester Mercury


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