CWU mulls balloting members on Royal Mail strikes
The union is holding a two-day policy forum in London next week, and if a resolution for a strike ballot is passed by the 500 reps, and the union’s 115,000 Royal Mail members vote in favour, industrial action could begin as soon as the end of September. If the ballot does go ahead and is approved, which based on the results of the union’s consultative ballot last month seems likely, any strike action is likely to clash with the planned privatisation of the Royal Mail. CWU head of communications Kevin Slocombe said that a final decision on whether to ballot Royal Mail members would only be made if no agreement was reached or if the ongoing negotiations with Royal Mail were deemed unsuccessful. Talks with the Royal Mail began this week and are scheduled to run for three weeks. If no agreement is reached, a 21-day ballot could be launched in early September. However, Slocombe added that even if the current talks fail and a ballot is launched, this wouldn’t rule out further talks with Royal Mail. Billy Hayes, CWU general secretary, said: “UK postal services are facing unprecedented change and threats. We will always embrace innovation and changes in the industry, but only on terms which maintain decent jobs and protect quality services. “This policy forum is all about anticipating what may lie around the corner and how CWU can react to protect the interests of our members and customers they serve in the increasingly changing world of postal services.” Issues to be discussed at the policy forum will include securing job “protections” in Royal Mail, alternative business models to privatisation, changes to pensions and workplace pressure. Dave Ward, CWU deputy general secretary, said: “We want to secure the best possible protections for our members’ jobs and we will stop at nothing to ensure that their future, and that of the UK’s postal services, is protected. “The offer on job protection made by Royal Mail earlier this month wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. Patience is wearing thin and unless we can secure robust protections for jobs, pay and terms and conditions soon we are asking our reps to endorse a policy of holding a national industrial action ballot no later than September.”...
read moreGov’t to overhaul apprenticeship funding
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has launched a consultation that includes proposals for apprenticeship training to be funded directly through employers rather than through training providers. The proposed funding reforms for apprenticeships that are included in the consultation are among ten recommendations, published last November in the government-backed Richard Review of Apprenticeships. The report, commissioned by BIS, set out a series of reforms designed to modernise apprenticeships in England and give employers greater ownership of standard and curriculum selection for their individual apprenticeship programmes. The three funding options under consultation include a direct payment, a PAYE and a provider payment model. Under the direct payment model, businesses would register their apprentices and file claims for government funding through a new online system. State contributions would then be paid directly into the employers’ bank account. The direct PAYE model would also introduce the direct online registration and reporting system, but government contributions would be recovered through PAYE returns. The third model under consultation, provider payment, would continue to utilise training providers for processing government funds for placements, but the organisations would only be able to draw it down once they had received the employers’ contribution to training. Launching the consultation, business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Employers are the best people to judge what training is worth investing in. These reforms will mean just that. “It gives them the power to train their staff to make sure their skills are relevant to the company, while choosing from the wide range of courses available.” However BPIF chief executive Kathy Woodward said that the proposals would only suit larger employers and would not be effective for SMEs. “Larger employers already have their own systems so they could easily make use of these proposals, but they don’t really show an understanding of SMEs,” she added. Woodward said that as they stood, the proposals did not consider the cost effectiveness of delivery for industry specific programmes and that although in principal apprenticeship reform was positive, in practical terms the proposals hadn’t been thought through for specialist providers. “If an SME was given a chunk of money to develop its own apprenticeship scheme who is going to develop the standards, manage delivery or do the inspections? The infrastructure of costs would be a massive burden on an SME,” explained Woodward. She added: “If many of our college courses have gone out of business, it is unrealistic that an individual SME without such resources could deliver this on its own.” “I have spoken to Vince Cable about it this week and he has assured us that he has taken our concerns on board and is trying to work out a solution.” The consultation, which closes on 1 October, is part of a wider BIS review of the apprenticeship system in England, kicked off last year by Jason Holt’s review on making programmes more accessible to SMEs....
read moreGov’t to overhaul apprenticeship funding
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has launched a consultation that includes proposals for apprenticeship training to be funded directly through employers rather than through training providers. The proposed funding reforms for apprenticeships that are included in the consultation are among ten recommendations, published last November in the government-backed Richard Review of Apprenticeships. The report, commissioned by BIS, set out a series of reforms designed to modernise apprenticeships in England and give employers greater ownership of standard and curriculum selection for their individual apprenticeship programmes. The three funding options under consultation include a direct payment, a PAYE and a provider payment model. Under the direct payment model, businesses would register their apprentices and file claims for government funding through a new online system. State contributions would then be paid directly into the employers’ bank account. The direct PAYE model would also introduce the direct online registration and reporting system, but government contributions would be recovered through PAYE returns. The third model under consultation, provider payment, would continue to utilise training providers for processing government funds for placements, but the organisations would only be able to draw it down once they had received the employers’ contribution to training. Launching the consultation, business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Employers are the best people to judge what training is worth investing in. These reforms will mean just that. “It gives them the power to train their staff to make sure their skills are relevant to the company, while choosing from the wide range of courses available.” However BPIF chief executive Kathy Woodward said that the proposals would only suit larger employers and would not be effective for SMEs. “Larger employers already have their own systems so they could easily make use of these proposals, but they don’t really show an understanding of SMEs,” she added. Woodward said that as they stood, the proposals did not consider the cost effectiveness of delivery for industry specific programmes and that although in principal apprenticeship reform was positive, in practical terms the proposals hadn’t been thought through for specialist providers. “If an SME was given a chunk of money to develop its own apprenticeship scheme who is going to develop the standards, manage delivery or do the inspections? The infrastructure of costs would be a massive burden on an SME,” explained Woodward. She added: “If many of our college courses have gone out of business, it is unrealistic that an individual SME without such resources could deliver this on its own.” “I have spoken to Vince Cable about it this week and he has assured us that he has taken our concerns on board and is trying to work out a solution.” The consultation, which closes on 1 October, is part of a wider BIS review of the apprenticeship system in England, kicked off last year by Jason Holt’s review on making programmes more accessible to SMEs....
read moreKBA buys German press manufacturer
KBA has bought the Bad Oeynhausen-based business, subject to “minor formal conditions”, from German private equity firm Perusa. Kammann’s two managing directors will retain 15% of the business. The deal is expected to be completed within two weeks. This latest deal follows KBA’s purchase of Italian flexo press manufacturer Flexotecnica in February and ties in with KBA chief executive Claus Bolza-Schünemann’s comments last month that KBA would look to make targeted acquisitions in “promising print segments”. “We want to expand our position in the growing and widespread packaging market and Kammann addresses a small but profitable niche in this printing segment,” said KBA director of marketing and corporate communications, Klaus Schmidt. Kammann manufactures offset and screen presses for directly decorating glass bottles, metal and plastic containers, CDs and DVDs, and flexible narrow-web materials. Its modular machines can also be configured with foiling, digital printing and embossing units. According to KBA, the company is the world leader in glass container printing for the cosmetics and drinks industries. Kammann, founded in 1955, employs 175 staff and generates sales of €30m (£26m) and, since being restructured by Perusa, has been profitable. KBA said premium glass packaging is a growing market across the globe and, due to the challenging nature of manufacturing presses to print directly onto containers, it’s a market that is relatively safe from oversupply. The company currently focuses on assembly and outsources the majority of its parts manufacturing. According to Schmidt, KBA has no plans to start manufacturing Kammann presses in its own facilities. “The design and assembly of Kammann machines will stay at the Kammann site in Bad Oeynhausen. Manufacturing of parts, but not engineering, assembly and service, is mostly outsourced today and this will be the case in the future since it’s less risky,” he said. “Some parts could also be manufactured in other KBA facilities but only if these facilities can compete price-wise with external sources. This is the rule in today’s business environment.”...
read moreBritish-made printable cardboard furniture range launched
Bartlett studied at the Royal College of Art and is well-known for his paper and cardboard engineering creations. His high-profile designs include a hat for Lady Gaga and a collaboration with milliner Philip Treacy to create a luxe Christmas cracker for Aspreys. The Brand-it range encompasses 13 different items including chairs, plinths, tables, stools, graphic panels and brochure racks. The flat, die-cut blanks are produced for Brand-it by Diamond Packaging of Pontypool, south Wales, using a microflute board made in the UK by DS Smith. “It’s a very fine microflute board with a clay-coated surface that’s ready for high-quality print,” said Bartlett, who described the seats as “stylish and very comfortable.” The pieces can be folded down for re-use, or kept flat and used as promotional giveaways. Brand-it pitches the range as a lightweight, reusable and recyclable alternative to conventional options. “No more renting chairs and tables at vast expense.” In Europe, the Brand-it products will be sold via a franchise arrangement whereby printers can purchase blanks and then overprint the pieces. The franchise costs £1,000 and the price of the blanks depends on volume. Bartlett is also talking to exhibition organisers about including the products into exhibitor packs, and a major brand owner is looking at using Brand-it items for a large promotion. In other parts of the world Bartlett will license his original designs. The Brand-it range was inspired by a project for Habitat, when Bartlett created a paper table and chair for the retailer to mark the millennium. “At the time you couldn’t get this particular microflute board,” he explained. “When the board came out I made a chair for fun and people told me ‘you’ve got to do more of this’. The range as it is today is just the start.” For more information visit www.branditfurniture.com....
read moreBritish-made printable cardboard furniture range launched
Bartlett studied at the Royal College of Art and is well-known for his paper and cardboard engineering creations. His high-profile designs include a hat for Lady Gaga and a collaboration with milliner Philip Treacy to create a luxe Christmas cracker for Aspreys. The Brand-it range encompasses 13 different items including chairs, plinths, tables, stools, graphic panels and brochure racks. The flat, die-cut blanks are produced for Brand-it by Diamond Packaging of Pontypool, south Wales, using a microflute board made in the UK by DS Smith. “It’s a very fine microflute board with a clay-coated surface that’s ready for high-quality print,” said Bartlett, who described the seats as “stylish and very comfortable.” The pieces can be folded down for re-use, or kept flat and used as promotional giveaways. Brand-it pitches the range as a lightweight, reusable and recyclable alternative to conventional options. “No more renting chairs and tables at vast expense.” In Europe, the Brand-it products will be sold via a franchise arrangement whereby printers can purchase blanks and then overprint the pieces. The franchise costs £1,000 and the price of the blanks depends on volume. Bartlett is also talking to exhibition organisers about including the products into exhibitor packs, and a major brand owner is looking at using Brand-it items for a large promotion. In other parts of the world Bartlett will license his original designs. The Brand-it range was inspired by a project for Habitat, when Bartlett created a paper table and chair for the retailer to mark the millennium. “At the time you couldn’t get this particular microflute board,” he explained. “When the board came out I made a chair for fun and people told me ‘you’ve got to do more of this’. The range as it is today is just the start.” For more information visit www.branditfurniture.com....
read moreKBA buys German press manufacturer
KBA has bought the Bad Oeynhausen-based business, subject to “minor formal conditions”, from German private equity firm Perusa. Kammann’s two managing directors will retain 15% of the business. The deal is expected to be completed within two weeks. This latest deal follows KBA’s purchase of Italian flexo press manufacturer Flexotecnica in February and ties in with KBA chief executive Claus Bolza-Schünemann’s comments last month that KBA would look to make targeted acquisitions in “promising print segments”. “We want to expand our position in the growing and widespread packaging market and Kammann addresses a small but profitable niche in this printing segment,” said KBA director of marketing and corporate communications, Klaus Schmidt. Kammann manufactures offset and screen presses for directly decorating glass bottles, metal and plastic containers, CDs and DVDs, and flexible narrow-web materials. Its modular machines can also be configured with foiling, digital printing and embossing units. According to KBA, the company is the world leader in glass container printing for the cosmetics and drinks industries. Kammann, founded in 1955, employs 175 staff and generates sales of €30m (£26m) and, since being restructured by Perusa, has been profitable. KBA said premium glass packaging is a growing market across the globe and, due to the challenging nature of manufacturing presses to print directly onto containers, it’s a market that is relatively safe from oversupply. The company currently focuses on assembly and outsources the majority of its parts manufacturing. According to Schmidt, KBA has no plans to start manufacturing Kammann presses in its own facilities. “The design and assembly of Kammann machines will stay at the Kammann site in Bad Oeynhausen. Manufacturing of parts, but not engineering, assembly and service, is mostly outsourced today and this will be the case in the future since it’s less risky,” he said. “Some parts could also be manufactured in other KBA facilities but only if these facilities can compete price-wise with external sources. This is the rule in today’s business environment.”...
read moreLast former Scorpio firm Alpha Media Solutions closes
Adrian Allen and Lindsey Cooper of Baker Tilly Restructuring and Recovery were appointed to the Bradford-based business yesterday (24 July). Following their appointment, AMS’s workforce was made redundant, although a handful of staff are understood to still be on site assisting the administrators. PrintWeek understands that the loss of a major client, thought to be Z-Card, was one of the prime factors in the collapse of the business. As a result of AMS and Z-Card deciding not to renew their partnership at the end of 2012, AMS launched its own product, Alpha Cards, and invested a “six-figure sum” in two folder lines to produce the cards. In its most recent accounts to 31 March 2012, prior to the loss of the Z-Card contract, AMS generated a pre-tax profit of £175,000 on sales of just over £6m. In a statement, Allen said: “Along with many firms in this sector, Alpha Media Solutions has experienced difficult trading conditions and in recent months has been loss making.” “The directors have taken steps to attempt to restructure the company’s cost base, but difficulties in obtaining credit lines with suppliers has meant that the business, in its current format, is no longer viable.” Part of the plan to replace the lost Z-Card business centered on AMS’s purchase of Keighley-based commercial print business Steffprint via a pre-packaged administration in late March. AMS paid £45,000 for the business and took on all staff, paying around £20,000 in salaries owed to staff by Steffprint. As a result of the purchase, AMS also took on significant TUPE liabilities in respect of Steffprint’s 27 staff. Speaking at the time, AMS managing director Ian Whitfield said: “We’ve maintained continuity for the staff and the customers, but if the clients all walked away we’d be left with a significant six-figure bill.” According to Allen the company was closed upon appointment because “regrettably, there is very little in the way of work in progress to complete and given the business is currently loss making we have taken the decision to cease trading and make the employees redundant. “The joint administrators and their staff will be assisting employees with regard to making claims to the government redundancy fund.” A Baker Tilly spokesman added that a creditors report would be circulated in around eight weeks’ time outlining the administrators’ plans on how the company could exit administration, which could include liquidation. The collapse of AMS brings to an end the final chapter of Scorpio Print Finishing, which was founded in 1987 by David Richmond. Whitfield and then sales director Daniel Graham led an MBO at the £10m-turnover business in 2003, adding Senator Print Finishers in Leicester a year later, targeting combined sales of £15m. However, in 2006 the company fell into administration and was split into two unconnected companies, with Whitfield buying the smaller “speciality” business, which included the Z-Card contract and became Alpha Media Solutions, and a larger trade finishing arm, Scorpio Print Finishers bought by Darren Walker. Senator was not part of the administration and remained under Whitfield’s charge until its closure in 2010. Trade operation Scorpio never really recovered from its initial fall into administration and after a number of false starts, it finally closed its doors in late 2007. However, AMS appeared to be making regular, modest profits until the...
read moreLast former Scorpio firm Alpha Media Solutions closes
Adrian Allen and Lindsey Cooper of Baker Tilly Restructuring and Recovery were appointed to the Bradford-based business yesterday (24 July). Following their appointment, AMS’s workforce was made redundant, although a handful of staff are understood to still be on site assisting the administrators. PrintWeek understands that the loss of a major client, thought to be Z-Card, was one of the prime factors in the collapse of the business. As a result of AMS and Z-Card deciding not to renew their partnership at the end of 2012, AMS launched its own product, Alpha Cards, and invested a “six-figure sum” in two folder lines to produce the cards. In its most recent accounts to 31 March 2012, prior to the loss of the Z-Card contract, AMS generated a pre-tax profit of £175,000 on sales of just over £6m. In a statement, Allen said: “Along with many firms in this sector, Alpha Media Solutions has experienced difficult trading conditions and in recent months has been loss making.” “The directors have taken steps to attempt to restructure the company’s cost base, but difficulties in obtaining credit lines with suppliers has meant that the business, in its current format, is no longer viable.” Part of the plan to replace the lost Z-Card business centered on AMS’s purchase of Keighley-based commercial print business Steffprint via a pre-packaged administration in late March. AMS paid £45,000 for the business and took on all staff, paying around £20,000 in salaries owed to staff by Steffprint. As a result of the purchase, AMS also took on significant TUPE liabilities in respect of Steffprint’s 27 staff. Speaking at the time, AMS managing director Ian Whitfield said: “We’ve maintained continuity for the staff and the customers, but if the clients all walked away we’d be left with a significant six-figure bill.” According to Allen the company was closed upon appointment because “regrettably, there is very little in the way of work in progress to complete and given the business is currently loss making we have taken the decision to cease trading and make the employees redundant. “The joint administrators and their staff will be assisting employees with regard to making claims to the government redundancy fund.” A Baker Tilly spokesman added that a creditors report would be circulated in around eight weeks’ time outlining the administrators’ plans on how the company could exit administration, which could include liquidation. The collapse of AMS brings to an end the final chapter of Scorpio Print Finishing, which was founded in 1987 by David Richmond. Whitfield and then sales director Daniel Graham led an MBO at the £10m-turnover business in 2003, adding Senator Print Finishers in Leicester a year later, targeting combined sales of £15m. However, in 2006 the company fell into administration and was split into two unconnected companies, with Whitfield buying the smaller “speciality” business, which included the Z-Card contract and became Alpha Media Solutions, and a larger trade finishing arm, Scorpio Print Finishers bought by Darren Walker. Senator was not part of the administration and remained under Whitfield’s charge until its closure in 2010. Trade operation Scorpio never really recovered from its initial fall into administration and after a number of false starts, it finally closed its doors in late 2007. However, AMS appeared to be making regular, modest profits until the...
read moreHH Global secures multimillion-pound Siemens contract
The contract, worth “many tens of millions of pounds per year”, according to HH Global chief marketing officer Tony Massey, encompasses all marketing, corporate and operational print and builds on an existing relationship, with the German firm already using HH Global’s asset management services. He added: “We will work downstream of their creative agencies around the world to manage their print supply chain, which incorporates technical print advice, print sourcing and print consumption guidance.” According to Massey, Siemens’ print management was previously managed on an ad-hoc basis by a range of agencies around the world. “We are seeing a trend at the moment, with some of the bigger organisations, to take a more global view. Obviously they have more leverage if they have all services under one agreement,” he explained. Under the terms of the contract, HH Global is responsible for tracking Siemens’ carbon usage as part of a strategy by the German firm to become carbon neutral. Massey said: “We will calculate the CO2 on every single estimate and regularly advise the firm on their footprint to enable them to move to carbon neutral status.” To fulfill the contract HH Global will expand its global team by around 20 people, Massey said, with new local representatives being appointed to North and South America, the EMEA region and Asia Pacific. “Siemens covers 50 or 60 key markets so this really is probably the most global contract that we have embarked on. It presents an opportunity and a challenge because the logistics in some markets can be tricky, so it needs serious planning,” Massey said. “It certainly is an interesting time because we are exporting a concept that was founded in the UK almost 20 years ago, as of course are some of the other players in the market. “It is definitely a UK success story.”...
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