The move could see the 350-strong workforce halved over the coming year and into 2014, although it is expected that the majority of jobs will be shed during 2013. A consultation is currently underway. The site supports and manufactures a range of products and consumables for OKI’s printer division in the EMEA region, and the restructure will see the site become a dedicated consumables manufacturing facility. The company said the changes were essential to enable its printer business to remain competitive and meet changing customer needs whilst remaining profitable. A spokesman said: “We are aware this will be a significant blow to our staff and to the local community in Cumbernauld and as we enter into a period of consultation, our priority is to support affected employees whilst we go through this difficult process therefore no further details can be provided at this time.” The news comes four months after OKI announced a raft of new appointments to its UK sales team and the relocation of its UK head office from Slough to Egham. The company declined to comment further stating: “As we are entering into a period of consultation, we are unable to engage in any media interviews. Our priority is to support affected employees.”...

The commercial litho printing firm in Attleborough, Norfolk, switched from using Fuji workflow and Pro-T plates to Agfa’s Apogee workflow and Azura chemistry-free plates for a host of high-profile clients. “We trialled Fuji’s chemistry-free Pro-T plates some time back but being in a hard water area meant we were better off with their processed Brillia plates,” said general manager David Medler, whose 55-staff company has a turnover of £5m. “However with customers such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth our environmental impact is constantly under the microscope, so it was imperative to find a suitable chemistry-free plate for our situation.” He added: “The decision was not a cost or plate-led thing; it was very much customer led in terms of environmental performance and also the Agfa portal, which we felt was best for our customers. Studio manager Nick Howarth said: “Agfa made the change over to their Azura TS chemistry-free plates easy. He added: “Being a sales-driven business, there has also been an increased demand for an online-proofing solution. “Virtual proofing will make a big difference because customers can browse online whereas before we were firing PDFs around the world between customers, pre-press and various studios. This will tidy up a big part of the operation.” “We felt Agfa’s portal was the best suited to our clients – hence the switch over to the whole Agfa front-end suite. Where appropriate this will also help defray the cost and time of transporting proofs to our widespread customer base.” Customers also include the Royal Horticultural Society and the Science Museum. Breckland Print, part of the Colchester Print Group, produces commercial print, from simple leaflets to complex catalogues, on Komori presses and offers design and finishing. It claims to be the first printer in East Anglia to be accredited with ISO 14001....

The 40-staff commercial printer spent around £50,000 on refurbishing an existing room in its Nottingham base and investing in an eight-colour Canon iPF8300S and a four-colour Epson SureColor SC-S30600, which are due to be installed on 13 May. The new printers join an existing Roland XC-540, which the company has had for around four years. The Epson SC-S30600 prints at speeds of up to 29.4sqm per hour while the Canon iPF8300S can output up to 63.5sqm per hour. Sales director Simon Lowe said the investment was driven by capacity and quality needs. “Volumes of large-format work have taken off hugely in the last 12 to 18 months and the Roland ran out of capacity. We wanted two dedicated machines that can run faster and offer superior quality,” he added. As well as wide-format, digital and personalisation work Hickling & Squires offers litho printing services with its suite of Heidelberg presses. The £5m-turnover company is also investing in a new Autobond 74 laminator and Lowe said that the business would also be focussing on developing its litho offer. “We are good in the markets we already serve but will do anything to service those markets better. We are offering a one-stop service to clients, many of them retailers,” he added....

The UK-based finishing manufacturer sold £220,000’s worth of kit to Peruvian firm Finishing SAC, including a Mini 76 TH laminator and a 76 RUV roller-coater. “We realised the market lacked a number of basic finishing services for printing and identified this as a growth area,” said Finishing SAC general manager Jose Trillo. “We needed equipment to increase production and contacted Autobond.” Autobond managing director John Gilmore said: “We are keen to make further progress in the fast-emerging South America market. Finishing SAC is showing just how profitable added-value work can be.” The sale is Autobond’s second in Peru and the manufacturer is also in talks with a Brazilian company. “When you see sheets running at 15,000 an hour – that’s what sells the machine, you don’t even need a voiceover,” he said of his company’s videos, which are posted on the Autobond website. “Some companies buy without a demo.” “Around 35 years ago, I’d hitch a trailer to my car, jump in the driving seat and shoot off to Dover or Aberdeen to do a demonstration and not get home until midnight. After a few years, I heard about video and had a film made.” Today Gilmore equips his installation engineers with high-definition cameras to record kit in operation, leading to sales in Moscow (a 105 TPHS) and Lagos (a 74 TPHS) each worth around £150,000. Autobond also sold a £35,000 Micro 52 TP in Guadeloupe in the Caribbean, and a £25,000 Mini 52 T to a company in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. Gilmore said: “It doesn’t matter if you run a shoe shop or a restaurant; if you make lovely things, customers will beat a path to your door.”...

The event, called the Creative Corner, runs throughout the London show, from 25 to 29 June. Keynote presentations will include talks from bosses at some of the biggest names in advertising and design such as McCann NY. “The aim of the Creative Corner is to introduce print to new markets,” said FESPA conference events executive Michela Marcantonio. “We are targeting the event at printers, print buyers, brand owners and agencies. “We are letting people know where print is important and how it can be used innovatively. The conference programme is on key topics for the creative community, showing what print can do and opening up the relationship through to end-users.” Seminars will look at providing tips on design for particular print applications including retail packaging and in-store POP, interior decoration, outdoor media and extra-large print. “On Thursday 27 June the Creative Corner will host a VIP day for advertising creatives and brand owners, where visitors can see examples of what print can offer when it’s used effectively,” she said. Highlights on day one will include a talk by Saskia Goeteyn, EU design innovator at Coca-Cola Services who will discuss how businesses can increase brand loyalty. The 90-year-old brand design will be showcased as a case study highlighting the value of good design. On day two Interiors Creative Corner will focus on interiors where Felipe Araujo and Daniel Perez from Catalonian interior design agency Eque y Seta, will explore how they are using print in the interior realm and the relevance it has within their industry. Day three is the VIP day dedicated to creative professionals and brand owners, looking at the effectiveness of print within today’s marketing mix. The sessions will address the future integration of print with digital technologies such as QR codes. Peter Souter, chairman and chief creative officer at TBWA, will discuss his experience within the industry with brands such as BT, Guinness, Sainsbury’s and Walkers in ha seminar titled Set up, expand, twist, resolve’ Other speakers include Sam Tomlinson, director at PwC, and Brad Mintz, print services director at Craft NY Brad Mintz and Brett Haylock, head of digital product at ClearChannel UK. Visit: http://www.fespa.com/london/ Tweet...