Features

Are you ploughing big sums of money into developing end-to-end management information systems in-house because you can’t find anything off-the-shelf that works for your business? If so, you’re not alone. 

When it comes to installing management information systems, all sorts of horror stories circulate in the large-format print space. Print company chiefs talk at length about the lack of sector-specific systems/modules, wasted time and money. So what’s being done to lay these concerns to rest?

Fespa Global and SDUK may not have taken place this spring – but fear not, Simon Creasy brings you up to speed on KEY technical developments that would have been showcased.

Training is a bugbear to many a large-format print provider - many companies citing issues such as irrelevant apprenticeship schemes as problematic for the sector. So, with the BPIF the largest supplier of apprenticeships to the UK printing industry, I went to talk with Karly Lattimore, the federation’s managing director of training, on how this sector can be better served. 

Or does it? If you use contractors you need to be aware of changes taking place from 6 April regarding IR35. Luke Menzies, director of Menzies Law, explains.

‘Skills shortage’ is something we’re hearing a lot about – the blame frequently blamed on Brexit. But with this shortage applying to mainstream job roles - such as electricians and mechanics - where does that leave an industry that requires a more niche skillset? Paula Thirkell of Ambitions personnel steers you in the right direction.

What’s having the greatest impact on your business at the moment?

Is the French revolution against billboard advertising gaining momentum – and will you be impacted by the uprising?

Want a 100% recyclable large-format board that is FSC certified, as little as 1mm thick, and that doesn’t crack in any direction when bent? Could new Swedboard products be the answer?

Are technology bundles all they’re made out to be? Here’s what a number of the sector’s suppliers had to say on the topic.

Dye-sub is having a catwalk moment. If you’re going to any of this year’s print shows you can expect these printers to be in the spotlight as manufacturers seek to benefit from the rise in fast fashion. Simon Creasy brings you up to speed on developments.

We hear plenty from manufacturers on where large-format inkjet technology is going. But are they putting R&D spend in the areas where you want to see development? Are there irritants that still need eradicating?