The Chicago-based company, which turned over nearly $800m last year, bought the Bradford packaging company as part of an ongoing strategy to expand its business portfolio and reach throughout Europe and the UK. Under the new arrangement, PPS, which provides high-end packaging for global clients including Harrods, Boots, Bollinger, Bacardi and Thorntons, will continue to operate in its current form but will be brought under the InnerWorkings umbrella. The US firm made its first foray into the UK in May 2008 when it acquired Solihull-based print management and marketing firm Etrinsic. The 100-staff company, which posted reveues of $44m in 2007, rebranded as InnerWorkings UK and went on to acquire online merchandise supplier Merchandise Mania in September last year. In 2011, before becoming part of InnerWorkings, the 34-staff firm posted an annual turnover of more than £6m. The latest acquisition is the company’s first move into the packaging manufacturing in the UK. PPS managing director Simon Bell said: “We are excited to join forces with InnerWorkings. I have no doubt that both companies will benefit greatly from each other’s expertise, global contacts and worldwide manufacturing network. “Although we will be operating under the InnerWorkings banner, I can assure clients it will be business as usual.” “PPS has a strong reputation for creating luxury packaging solutions,” said InnerWorkings UK managing director Simon Dipple. “We look forward to integrating them into the InnerWorkings family.”...

Speaking at a client event last night, where the group launched the upcoming revamp of its web offset facilities to more than 450 guests, Hibbert delivered a tour de force in praise of the power of print. He contrasted print’s proven effectiveness against the comparatively miniscule revenues from digital publishing and other online channels. “Of course we should embrace and encourage digital, but we shouldn’t do that at the expense of a sound business model that has stood the test of time,” he stated. “Without printing, none of you would have a digital stream to work with. “We want to encourage you to continue to invest in the golden nugget of printing.” Hibbert also said Polestar was likely to make an acquisition in the digital content space “when the time is right”. “We want to be a one-stop shop but the digital market is too fragmented at the moment, it’s like the VHS and Betamax scenario. When the time is right we will acquire.” Clients including major newspaper, publishing and retailing brands attended the event. Two months ago Polestar announced a £50m investment in new web presses from Goss International. It also plans to add two new high-speed perfect binding lines as part of the plan. The first two 96pp Sunday 5000 presses are due to be installed in the first half of next year, but Polestar is still assessing options for their location. Hibbert thanked customers for the long-term commitment of more than £900m of business over the next seven-to-eight years, which had made the spend possible. Group finance director Peter Johnston said the financial picture at the £280m turnover group had been “strengthened immeasurably” since 2011, when Polestar nearly collapsed prior to the pre-pack acquisition by Sun European Partners. “Despite the fact that we are operating in a very difficult economic climate we grew our earnings by 13% to £34m in 2012, and we expect to make a profit of £37m in 2013,” he said. “The printing industry in the UK is robust but the players in it are fragile, with weak balance sheets in the hands of private owners with limited access to funds. Polestar is the exception to that,” Johnston stated. Chief operating officer Peter Andreou said the new presses would result in Polestar becoming “one of the most technologically advanced web offset business in Europe, if not the world”, with the capacity to produce 11bn 32pp sections per annum. When installed, the new presses will provide “a 500% productivity increase over our current capabilities,” said Andreou. Goss International chief executive Rick Nichols, who made a flying visit to the UK in order to attend the event, said: “I’ve racked up more than 500,000 air...

The Chicago-based company, which turned over nearly $800m last year, bought the Bradford packaging company as part of an ongoing strategy to expand its business portfolio and reach throughout Europe and the UK. Under the new arrangement, PPS, which provides high-end packaging for global clients including Harrods, Boots, Bollinger, Bacardi and Thorntons, will continue to operate in its current form but will be brought under the InnerWorkings umbrella. The US firm made its first foray into the UK in May 2008 when it acquired Solihull-based print management and marketing firm Etrinsic. The 100-staff company, which posted reveues of $44m in 2007, rebranded as InnerWorkings UK and went on to acquire online merchandise supplier Merchandise Mania in September last year. In 2011, before becoming part of InnerWorkings, the 34-staff firm posted an annual turnover of more than £6m. The latest acquisition is the company’s first move into the packaging manufacturing in the UK. PPS managing director Simon Bell said: “We are excited to join forces with InnerWorkings. I have no doubt that both companies will benefit greatly from each other’s expertise, global contacts and worldwide manufacturing network. “Although we will be operating under the InnerWorkings banner, I can assure clients it will be business as usual.” “PPS has a strong reputation for creating luxury packaging solutions,” said InnerWorkings UK managing director Simon Dipple. “We look forward to integrating them into the InnerWorkings family.”...

Speaking at a client event last night, where the group launched the upcoming revamp of its web offset facilities to more than 450 guests, Hibbert delivered a tour de force in praise of the power of print. He contrasted print’s proven effectiveness against the comparatively miniscule revenues from digital publishing and other online channels. “Of course we should embrace and encourage digital, but we shouldn’t do that at the expense of a sound business model that has stood the test of time,” he stated. “Without printing, none of you would have a digital stream to work with. “We want to encourage you to continue to invest in the golden nugget of printing.” Hibbert also said Polestar was likely to make an acquisition in the digital content space “when the time is right”. “We want to be a one-stop shop but the digital market is too fragmented at the moment, it’s like the VHS and Betamax scenario. When the time is right we will acquire.” Clients including major newspaper, publishing and retailing brands attended the event. Two months ago Polestar announced a £50m investment in new web presses from Goss International. It also plans to add two new high-speed perfect binding lines as part of the plan. The first two 96pp Sunday 5000 presses are due to be installed in the first half of next year, but Polestar is still assessing options for their location. Hibbert thanked customers for the long-term commitment of more than £900m of business over the next seven-to-eight years, which had made the spend possible. Group finance director Peter Johnston said the financial picture at the £280m turnover group had been “strengthened immeasurably” since 2011, when Polestar nearly collapsed prior to the pre-pack acquisition by Sun European Partners. “Despite the fact that we are operating in a very difficult economic climate we grew our earnings by 13% to £34m in 2012, and we expect to make a profit of £37m in 2013,” he said. “The printing industry in the UK is robust but the players in it are fragile, with weak balance sheets in the hands of private owners with limited access to funds. Polestar is the exception to that,” Johnston stated. Chief operating officer Peter Andreou said the new presses would result in Polestar becoming “one of the most technologically advanced web offset business in Europe, if not the world”, with the capacity to produce 11bn 32pp sections per annum. When installed, the new presses will provide “a 500% productivity increase over our current capabilities,” said Andreou. Goss International chief executive Rick Nichols, who made a flying visit to the UK in order to attend the event, said: “I’ve racked up more than 500,000 air...

Sheetfed service director Andrew Pang will take on Knapp’s mantle following his promotion to managing director. “I’m really pleased that Andrew will be my successor. It was important that we appointed someone internally who has a lot of experience of KBA UK. He’s been with us six years and has done a great job,” said Knapp. Pang joined KBA UK in 2007 as sheetfed service director. He launched KBA’s approved consumables division PressConsum in 2010 before returning to the service director role in January this year. Prior to joining KBA he was print director at Butler & Tanner. “It’s very exciting. I’ve got lots of plans, but nothing I can really talk about just yet,” said Pang. “The market is tough, but we’ve got good people and strategies in place and I’m very much looking forward to the new role and its associated challenges.” Knapp joined KBA UK in January 2001 from what was then MAN Roland. While the 49-year old said he wouldn’t officially leave until the middle of July, he added that Pang would in effect take charge immediately. “I’ll miss the people and the camaraderie of UK print. But I’ve been at KBA for 12 years. Last year we returned KBA UK to profitability and we moved up to number two in the UK, so it’s the perfect time for me to take a break and look for a new challenge,” he said. He’s hoping to take a six-month sabbatical in the US to undertake a motorbike tour of the country before weighing up whether to return to the UK. He didn’t rule out a return to print....