Leeds City College and German counterparts visited the site of the Alf Cooke Printworks in Leeds, which is now being redeveloped into the college’s newest campus. The college has around 35 print apprentices studying for City & Guilds and NVQs. The visit is the latest in a series of activities, as part of the exchange, looking at the heritage and changing face of the print industry in the two European countries. The Printworks grade II-listed building has recently been restored as part of a £25m redevelopment to turn it into a campus this September for catering and other courses, but not print, which shifted practical elements to the apprentices’ workplaces around a year ago. Print tutor Darren Stallan said the building had been an industrial landmark in the city for more than 100 years and at one point housed the largest printing works in the world and was the biggest supplier of playing cards. “Collaboration between the colleges has allowed young people in the industry to improve their skills and try different processes outside of their workplace,” he said. “By observing working practices they can identify ways to help their companies be more efficient.” Apprentice Kane Slater, who works at Parkside Flexibles, enjoyed seeing a building with strong links to his family history: his grandfather used to work in the old building. Meanwhile the latest figures from the National Apprenticeship Service show that almost 370,000 apprenticeship applications across all sectors were submitted online between February and April this year. representing growth of over 32% against last year. Apprenticeship vacancies also saw “significant growth”. More than 32,600 vacancies were advertised online in the three months – up almost 15% on the previous year. On the 26 April 17,700 live vacancies were available online, the highest number recorded. Publishing, arts, media and information communication technology were the most competitive sectors to apply for, with over 17 applications per vacancy. Most popular careers are in business and administration, IT and software. Skills minister Matthew Hancock said: “With more vacancies than ever before, apprenticeships are fast becoming the norm for young people who want to achieve their career goals through an alternative route to University. “We want more employers to take advantage of the advice and support available from the National Apprenticeship Service and consider how hiring an apprentice could benefit their business.” Two new guides to hiring an apprentice can be obtained from apprenticeships.org.uk, a small and medium sized employers guide to hiring an apprentice and a large employer...

According to the manufacturer, the revamped machines offer faster makereadies, are quicker to get back into production after a stop and reduce waste. Benson Group is to purchase two of the new units – one to be installed at its Bardon site in August and the other destined for its facility in Gateshead at the end of the year. The two new machines will join existing Expertcuts and replace other Bobst devices. Both sites specialise in the production of cartonboard packaging for food products. Benson managing director Mark Kerridge said: “Our existing Expertcut units have been performing extremely well.They are robust pieces of equipment that have proven very reliable and highly productive. “These latest additions, with the system enhancements that have been added by Bobst, will help to provide further post-press efficiencies.” Bobst business director Craig Moran said: “The modifications run throughout the machine, including new feeder technology, changes to the sheet transport system, faster makeready in the stripping and delivery sections and developments that reduce the wear, and consequently increase the life, of die-cutting tools.”...

New companies that will be represented on the committee for Drupa 2016 are EFI, HP, Technotrans, Manroland Web Systems, Bielomatic, Leonhard Kurz Stiftung and Baumann Maschinenbau bringing the total number of organisations on the committee to 26. The committee is made up of exhibitors from different print sectors, including equipment manufacturers, prepress developers and consumables suppliers, as well as a number of “media service providers’. In recent years Drupa organisers have come under increasing pressure from the industry to recognise the changing face of print and to include representatives from the digital arena as well as those from traditional platforms. Chief executive of Messe Dusseldorf Werner Matthias Dornscheidt said the decision reflected developments in the printing and media industry including “the growing significance of digital printing with the resulting demands on post-press operations, continually increasing automation across all process stages and the mega trends of value-added printing and packaging”. Worldwide marketing director for Hewlett-Packard Company Francois Martin, who will sit on the committee, said in 2008 it had become obvious to the Drupa committee that things needed to change and that digital had a significant place at the event. “2008 was the tipping point when they realised digital could not be ignored and its importance has been increased due to the economic crisis, which has pushed the decline of offset. But it took until 2012 for them to really accept digital as a member of the family.” Martin said that HP would work with the committee to look at approaching aspects of the event in new ways to enhance customer experience and make it more relevant. “We have a lot of ideas on the table, I don’t know what will come of them but I hope we will see things the same way,” he said. “We need to be asking who we should be targeting. Should it be print service providers only, as Drupa has always done, or should it be print buyers and brand owners as well? We also need to focus on what solutions to present and how to present them,” he added. Martin said that with the show attracting an increasingly international audience, another key discussion point needed to be how to build on that. “We need to decide how to work together to attract those from Latin America or Asia Pacific for example and we also need to keep our eye on the length of the show – we pushed hard for the reduction that was announced last year.” “People don’t have to come to Drupa. They can look at equipment online or go to manufacturers’ demo centres. So we really have to make it more relevant to the industry.” Meanwhile a spokesman for EFI,...

New companies that will be represented on the committee for Drupa 2016 are EFI, HP, Technotrans, Manroland Web Systems, Bielomatic, Leonhard Kurz Stiftung and Baumann Maschinenbau bringing the total number of organisations on the committee to 26. The committee is made up of exhibitors from different print sectors, including equipment manufacturers, prepress developers and consumables suppliers, as well as a number of “media service providers’. In recent years Drupa organisers have come under increasing pressure from the industry to recognise the changing face of print and to include representatives from the digital arena as well as those from traditional platforms. Chief executive of Messe Dusseldorf Werner Matthias Dornscheidt said the decision reflected developments in the printing and media industry including “the growing significance of digital printing with the resulting demands on post-press operations, continually increasing automation across all process stages and the mega trends of value-added printing and packaging”. Worldwide marketing director for Hewlett-Packard Company Francois Martin, who will sit on the committee, said in 2008 it had become obvious to the Drupa committee that things needed to change and that digital had a significant place at the event. “2008 was the tipping point when they realised digital could not be ignored and its importance has been increased due to the economic crisis, which has pushed the decline of offset. But it took until 2012 for them to really accept digital as a member of the family.” Martin said that HP would work with the committee to look at approaching aspects of the event in new ways to enhance customer experience and make it more relevant. “We have a lot of ideas on the table, I don’t know what will come of them but I hope we will see things the same way,” he said. “We need to be asking who we should be targeting. Should it be print service providers only, as Drupa has always done, or should it be print buyers and brand owners as well? We also need to focus on what solutions to present and how to present them,” he added. Martin said that with the show attracting an increasingly international audience, another key discussion point needed to be how to build on that. “We need to decide how to work together to attract those from Latin America or Asia Pacific for example and we also need to keep our eye on the length of the show – we pushed hard for the reduction that was announced last year.” “People don’t have to come to Drupa. They can look at equipment online or go to manufacturers’ demo centres. So we really have to make it more relevant to the industry.” Meanwhile a spokesman for EFI,...

Consumer gift card and voucher sales in the first quarter of 2013 grew by 4.6% year-on-year, new figures from the UK Gift Card & Voucher Association (UKGCVA) reveal. “Over 4% growth across the industry is a very strong performance given the instability of the wider retail market,” said Andrew Johnson, director-general of the UKGCVA, the trade body that represents the £4.7bn gift voucher, cards and stored value solutions industry. “It’s encouraging to see evidence that consumer confidence in vouchers so far seems to be relatively unaffected by fall-out from high street administrations and issues around voucher redemption. Many consumers still turned to vouchers as a gift option in the run up to Easter.” The report, compiled independently by Ernst & Young, showed that strong growth was seen across a variety of consumer gift card sales. Traditional paper and e-vouchers enjoyed “staggering growth” of almost 20% whilst restricted loop gift cards showed the highest growth of 35%, according to the figures. Sherwood Press chief executive Jeremy Bacon said: “This is a growth market; there’s no doubt about it. It’s an important part of our business and we work with clients who supply most of the major retailers. “One of the drivers for retailers is the amount of gift cards that are not redeemed – it’s a very high-margin product for retailers. It’s surprising how few cards are redeemed. Retailers are giving them more space in store. Bacon said he believed the figures also reflected a huge amount of innovation. “Though online is a threat to all forms of print, if you are looking at traditional litho print on paper, there are so many value-added finishes such as foils and glitter, which make the product more attractive,” he explained. Windles Group senior manager Michelle Mills said: “Some of this increased growth will no doubt be on-line with e-vouchers. But gift cards are becoming more popular. Consumers have less to spend these days, so the concept of getting more for less through vouchers is huge. “We don’t foresee any decline in demand for printed gift cards and vouchers. On the contrary we’ve enjoyed manufacturing higher volumes. People like to touch and feel things, especially gifts. They enjoy receiving something physical and tactile. Mills said the company was using innovative finishing techniques such as foiling and deep textured varnish. She added: “This is an area we create more value on printed material at relatively low cost.” Johnson said the association did not currently collate data on digital sales but would be starting from the second quarter of this year. Members were reporting increases in digital, which was still very much in its infancy, he said. “Few high-street retailers have yet to incorporate digital...