Press on to the top

Manufacturers and suppliers are constantly telling the industry about how they need to expand their service offering if they are to survive in the modern market. Whether it is using technology to take on other types of work or diversifying into other industry sectors, the emphasis to not focus on just one sector seems more important than ever.

One company that has first-hand experience of the benefits of offering services to a range of different market sectors is Press On, a large-format digital printing and installation operation based in Chatham Kent. Founded in 2000 by business partners Andy Wilson and Nigel Webster, the company has gone from strength-to-strength in the industry, building up a reputation of not only offering quality large-format print work, but also providing services across a host of sectors.



Opening up about the firm’s ongoing success, director Wilson says Press On has never operated like a normal company in the industry, explaining that it takes a different approach than many of its competitors.

“We were never a signage or litho print company that decided to move into digital printing; we started out as digital printers and that is all we did,” explains Wilson, adding: “As all the markets were emerging, we were helping to create the digital print market, showing people the technology exists and demonstrating what they can do with it.


“For example, we started doing short-run billboards, and, soon after, a lot of people cottoned on to it and started offering similar services. We then moved into signage, working for a lot of big signage companies doing solvent printing for applications like wall graphics. But, as the technology moved on and the market grew, signage companies bought their own kit, so we had to move on to the next thing, which, for us, was retail graphics.

“This approach has continued over our lifetime; as markets begin to emerge, we like to look at what the next big thing will be. We’ve also done building wraps as well as vehicle wraps. We can take on as much as 30,000m a month of vehicle branding, such as taxi advertising or a fleet of vans. We’re also looking at wall coverings, which we see a good future in, in terms of bespoke wallpapers.”












Varied approach

Wilson explains that this approach to business has helped stand Press On in good stead over the last 16 years, with the company having built up a wide-ranging list of clients from various sectors. He says if companies are to survive in the modern world, they should consider adopting a similar strategy to ensure that they are not relying on a single market sector for work.

“The key to our success is having a varied client basis; a good mix of customers,” Wilson says, adding: “We see a lot of people that work in our industry that only specialise in a certain area, and this simply doesn’t work.


“You need to have a varied mix of clients so that when the harder times do come, you won’t be impacted by one sector—that is what helped us keep going through the recession. You need to look at your customer base and see if it will sustain you over the good and bad times.”

A team effort

Wilson also highlights the benefits of having a business partner with a different background in the industry. While Wilson spent more time in sales roles during his earlier career, business partner Webster came from more of a production background, which has in turn enabled the pair to develop a good understanding of the print industry.

Wilson went on to say he and Webster have been able to pass on this know-ledge to Press On staff, explaining that the company is keen to listen to its employees in order to come up with new ideas to push the business forward further.

He explains: “As time has gone on, we’ve delegated more roles out to staff. We’ve now got quite an extensive production department that manages itself and, although we don’t have a sales department, most of our work is generated through PR and social media.


 
“Me and Nigel are a successful partnership as we have respect for each other’s skillsets, but you also have to invest time into training your staff.

For example, we have two members of staff that joined us straight from schools and they started off sweeping the floors. Now, one of them now runs the print side of the business, while the other is in charge of the factor.

“It’s important to trust, delegate and allow people to develop within the business. It important that we find the right people, motivate them in the right way and listen to what they have to say if they think there is a better way of doing things.”


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