Paragon acquires Horner Bros in pre-pack deal
Horner Brothers was placed into administration with Mazars on Monday (19 August) and sold to Paragon on the same day. The stationery printer and marketing firm will continue to operate at its Rotherham facility with all 90 staff transferring under Tupe regulations. In a statement given to PrintWeek, a Paragon Group spokeswoman confirmed the pre-pack deal adding: “The business is now operating as Horner Brothers – a trading division of Paragon Group UK.” Both companies declined requests for an interview, but in a general press statement, Horner Brothers managing director Judith Fox said: “We are delighted to be joining the Paragon Group. “Not only will this mean that we are now a part of a strong and diverse business but also our customers can access a much broader range of services, securing the future of the company in the months and years to come.” Founded in 1982, Horner Brothers Print Group was bought out in an MBO led by Fox in 2006. At the time the company employed around 170 staff and generated a turnover of around £14m. In its latest financials, recording the 12 months to September 2012, the company posted a net loss of £64,899 on a turnover of £7.8m. Paragon Group UK general manager Ann Harrington said the acquisition of Horner Brothers supported the strategy of the business, which was to increase its range of products and services. In 2009 and 2010, Paragon acquired a number of print firms out of administration including Ward Knowles, Bemrose Booth and Wright Printing Services, also based in Rotheram. Paragon Group employs 1,300 people throughout Europe, across 16 manufacturing sites, and has a turnover of around €160m (£137m)....
read moreParagon acquires Horner Bros in pre-pack deal
Horner Brothers was placed into administration with Mazars on Monday (19 August) and sold to Paragon on the same day. The stationery printer and marketing firm will continue to operate at its Rotherham facility with all 90 staff transferring under Tupe regulations. In a statement given to PrintWeek, a Paragon Group spokeswoman confirmed the pre-pack deal adding: “The business is now operating as Horner Brothers – a trading division of Paragon Group UK.” Both companies declined requests for an interview, but in a general press statement, Horner Brothers managing director Judith Fox said: “We are delighted to be joining the Paragon Group. “Not only will this mean that we are now a part of a strong and diverse business but also our customers can access a much broader range of services, securing the future of the company in the months and years to come.” Founded in 1982, Horner Brothers Print Group was bought out in an MBO led by Fox in 2006. At the time the company employed around 170 staff and generated a turnover of around £14m. In its latest financials, recording the 12 months to September 2012, the company posted a net loss of £64,899 on a turnover of £7.8m. Paragon Group UK general manager Ann Harrington said the acquisition of Horner Brothers supported the strategy of the business, which was to increase its range of products and services. In 2009 and 2010, Paragon acquired a number of print firms out of administration including Ward Knowles, Bemrose Booth and Wright Printing Services, also based in Rotheram. Paragon Group employs 1,300 people throughout Europe, across 16 manufacturing sites, and has a turnover of around €160m (£137m)....
read moreC&T Matrix launches Corrugate
Problems with traditional folding, such as knuckling and poor creasing, prompted the launch of Corrugate, according to creasing matrix product maker and supplier C&T Matrix. “Corrugate reduces knuckling by creating a holding form in which to crease,” said managing director Simon Shenton.”The result is a more accurate and better-defined crease, while overall appearance is improved.” Corrugate has a base that was much wider than traditional products, he said, giving stronger adhesion to the plate and reducing movement of the matrix, poor registration and even failure to crease. Shenton explained that Corrugate eliminated unsightly parallel ‘witness’ marks and cushioned the impact of the crease. UK sales manager Jeremy Saunders said: “The launch was customer-led: larger companies in packaging such as Smurfit and DS Smith came to us with various problems asking ‘can you help with this’? “Corrugate is only 15%-20% more expensive than narrow-base creasing matrixes but nobody does a wide product across a range like we do. A major manufacturer has placed a huge stock order, which is a good indication of how well it’s going.” Shenton added: “Corrugate, used in conjunction with the correct rubber solution, will reduce production problems, including cracking of the outer liner or the printed colour, and fishtailing misalignments. “This combination will improve productivity, performance and quality as well as avoid expensive additional makeready or machine downtime.”...
read moreC&T Matrix launches Corrugate
Problems with traditional folding, such as knuckling and poor creasing, prompted the launch of Corrugate, according to creasing matrix product maker and supplier C&T Matrix. “Corrugate reduces knuckling by creating a holding form in which to crease,” said managing director Simon Shenton.”The result is a more accurate and better-defined crease, while overall appearance is improved.” Corrugate has a base that was much wider than traditional products, he said, giving stronger adhesion to the plate and reducing movement of the matrix, poor registration and even failure to crease. Shenton explained that Corrugate eliminated unsightly parallel ‘witness’ marks and cushioned the impact of the crease. UK sales manager Jeremy Saunders said: “The launch was customer-led: larger companies in packaging such as Smurfit and DS Smith came to us with various problems asking ‘can you help with this’? “Corrugate is only 15%-20% more expensive than narrow-base creasing matrixes but nobody does a wide product across a range like we do. A major manufacturer has placed a huge stock order, which is a good indication of how well it’s going.” Shenton added: “Corrugate, used in conjunction with the correct rubber solution, will reduce production problems, including cracking of the outer liner or the printed colour, and fishtailing misalignments. “This combination will improve productivity, performance and quality as well as avoid expensive additional makeready or machine downtime.”...
read moreBizhub gizmos win over Pepper Communications
The mono and colour digital printing company in Plymouth said the press printed at up to 80ppm and could easily handle monthly volumes of 500,000 prints. It was one of three new purchases, totaling £125,000, made this year and runs alongside two Konica Minolta 1250 mono production machines producing 125 A4 ppm or 70 A3 ppm. Pepper Communications also considered kit from Canon and Ricoh but was sold on the bizhub’s reliability, quality and “solid stability”, according to production director Jake Whitford. The new machines replaced a Konica Minolta 6500 and two 1050 machines at the 35-staff, £4.5m-turnover business. The printer also runs two Heidelberg Speedmasters: an XL 105 and an SM 52. “Our new digital suite produces unbelievable, high-quality digital printing on stock up to a premium heavyweight grade of 350gsm. Back-up and service are really good,” said Whitford. “Quality is paramount and most of our customers would find it hard to tell the difference between the work produced on our new digital colour engine and that from the litho presses. “Pretty fancy gizmos, such as an inline spectrophotometer, suction feed and updated registration system using Fogra, mean print jobs are guaranteed to look great,” he added. Personalisation, customisation and integration capabilities are handled by Darwin software, which also enables his team to link directly to external databases for mailing campaigns. Whitford said return on investment was good thanks to kit that was solidly built and produced consistent high quality....
read moreBizhub gizmos win over Pepper Communications
The mono and colour digital printing company in Plymouth said the press printed at up to 80ppm and could easily handle monthly volumes of 500,000 prints. It was one of three new purchases, totaling £125,000, made this year and runs alongside two Konica Minolta 1250 mono production machines producing 125 A4 ppm or 70 A3 ppm. Pepper Communications also considered kit from Canon and Ricoh but was sold on the bizhub’s reliability, quality and “solid stability”, according to production director Jake Whitford. The new machines replaced a Konica Minolta 6500 and two 1050 machines at the 35-staff, £4.5m-turnover business. The printer also runs two Heidelberg Speedmasters: an XL 105 and an SM 52. “Our new digital suite produces unbelievable, high-quality digital printing on stock up to a premium heavyweight grade of 350gsm. Back-up and service are really good,” said Whitford. “Quality is paramount and most of our customers would find it hard to tell the difference between the work produced on our new digital colour engine and that from the litho presses. “Pretty fancy gizmos, such as an inline spectrophotometer, suction feed and updated registration system using Fogra, mean print jobs are guaranteed to look great,” he added. Personalisation, customisation and integration capabilities are handled by Darwin software, which also enables his team to link directly to external databases for mailing campaigns. Whitford said return on investment was good thanks to kit that was solidly built and produced consistent high quality....
read moreBizhub gizmos win over Pepper Communications
The mono and colour digital printing company in Plymouth said the press printed at up to 80ppm and could easily handle monthly volumes of 500,000 prints. It was one of three new purchases, totaling £125,000, made this year and runs alongside two Konica Minolta 1250 mono production machines producing 125 A4 ppm or 70 A3 ppm. Pepper Communications also considered kit from Canon and Ricoh but was sold on the bizhub’s reliability, quality and “solid stability”, according to production director Jake Whitford. The new machines replaced a Konica Minolta 6500 and two 1050 machines at the 35-staff, £4.5m-turnover business. The printer also runs two Heidelberg Speedmasters: an XL 105 and an SM 52. “Our new digital suite produces unbelievable, high-quality digital printing on stock up to a premium heavyweight grade of 350gsm. Back-up and service are really good,” said Whitford. “Quality is paramount and most of our customers would find it hard to tell the difference between the work produced on our new digital colour engine and that from the litho presses. “Pretty fancy gizmos, such as an inline spectrophotometer, suction feed and updated registration system using Fogra, mean print jobs are guaranteed to look great,” he added. Personalisation, customisation and integration capabilities are handled by Darwin software, which also enables his team to link directly to external databases for mailing campaigns. Whitford said return on investment was good thanks to kit that was solidly built and produced consistent high quality....
read moreIpex marketing director heads abroad
Craig Waller is set to leave Informa Group on 6 September to take up his new role working on DWTC’s consumer boat and motor shows from 17 September. “I will miss the industry immensely. This has been a very hard decision to make but this is an incredible opportunity for both myself and my family that I would have been crazy to turn down,” Craig Waller told PrintWeek. “I originally asked if I could leave after Ipex 2014 as I would really like to see it, but DWTC couldn’t give me that degree of flexibility, which I totally understand,” he added. “I’ve completed the strategy for the show, it’s now just about the execution, which is where other people take over.” Craig Waller, who is also event director for Cross Media, said that having worked in trade shows for 15 years, he was looking forward to the new experience of working on the consumer side. He added that moving abroad was “part of my DNA” having lived in Singapore when he was younger. “So although the role will be something new, moving abroad really is just a natural thing for me to do,” he added. Following Craig Waller’s departure, Informa marketing manager Angelina Stojsavljevic will step up to head marketing for Ipex, which is set to take place in London in March 2014. Meanwhile commercial activity for Cross Media will be headed by Tim Edwards with Andy Thornhill as marketing manager for the event. “I’m really proud of the legacy I’ve been able to produce in terms of the number of print shows I have worked on and helped develop. I’ve had an amazing experience,” said Craig Waller....
read moreIpex marketing director heads abroad
Craig Waller is set to leave Informa Group on 6 September to take up his new role working on DWTC’s consumer boat and motor shows from 17 September. “I will miss the industry immensely. This has been a very hard decision to make but this is an incredible opportunity for both myself and my family that I would have been crazy to turn down,” Craig Waller told PrintWeek. “I originally asked if I could leave after Ipex 2014 as I would really like to see it, but DWTC couldn’t give me that degree of flexibility, which I totally understand,” he added. “I’ve completed the strategy for the show, it’s now just about the execution, which is where other people take over.” Craig Waller, who is also event director for Cross Media, said that having worked in trade shows for 15 years, he was looking forward to the new experience of working on the consumer side. He added that moving abroad was “part of my DNA” having lived in Singapore when he was younger. “So although the role will be something new, moving abroad really is just a natural thing for me to do,” he added. Following Craig Waller’s departure, Informa marketing manager Angelina Stojsavljevic will step up to head marketing for Ipex, which is set to take place in London in March 2014. Meanwhile commercial activity for Cross Media will be headed by Tim Edwards with Andy Thornhill as marketing manager for the event. “I’m really proud of the legacy I’ve been able to produce in terms of the number of print shows I have worked on and helped develop. I’ve had an amazing experience,” said Craig Waller....
read moreEasibind and KBA to show off their Genius
The event on 4 September at Easibind’s production facility at Heanor near Derby, will be used to demonstrate the capabilities of the waterless and keyless device. The day is targeted at print buyers, brand managers and blue-chip print companies interested in lenticular print, 3D work, specialist substrates and areas such as tactile packaging, labels and POS. KBA marketing consultant Victor Fletcher said: “This kit offers a photogravure level of print; it can print white and lay other colours on clear substrates for high impact in areas such as cosmetics where skin tones are very important.” The event was “symbiotic”, said Fletcher: KBA got to show off its kit; Easibind its printing prowess. “There is a growing tendency for large blue-chip printers to take more work in-house to improve costs and control. Successful printers tend to be cash rich and it makes sense to increase their in-house offering than have money in the bank earning nothing.” Easibind installed the machine a few years ago and had continually honed its performance, he said. The business also runs HP Indigo 5600 and S2000 presses and Screen equipment. Telephone KBA (UK) on 01923 810384 or email: enquiries@kba-uk.com....
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