Business

Although business lore is full of lone geniuses, sustained corporate success is rarely a one-person show. Here business consultant Walter Hale offers some guidance on the factors to consider when trying to build a strong team of leaders.

Stylo production director Simon Wheeler explains what the company is doing to attract youngsters, while keeping a tight reign on the recruitment budget.

“Recruitment agencies are my least favourite method of recruitment. It takes away the hassle but it’s expensive, and there’s always the danger that you’ll get career agency people – that is to say, those who go to a firm for a couple of years then go back to the agency to find them another job. We want to attract people who want to stay with us.” So says Simon Wheeler, production director at Stylo, who is very involved in the company’s recruitment strategy – and that means proactively seeking youngsters with a certain attitude and mindset. 

Nessan Cleary looks at how new inks developed for wide-format printers highlight the printer vendors’ growing interest in industrial printing and what that means for you.

Dr Paul Laidler, research fellow at the Centre for Fine Print Research at the University of the West of England, explains how the work undertaken by the centre and its student artists is pushing the boundaries of wide-format inkjet.

Why Simpson Group is targeting smaller retailers and businesses with its new retailers shop4pop online ordering service.

Perton Signs in Acton, London, is 150 years old this summer, and has been in the same family for all that time.

The company, which now has a staff of 25 and a turnover of around £2.8m, produces and installs event graphics and signage. The current MD is Mark Perton, great great grandson of the founder William Perton. 

I met him to ask about the firm’s longevity and his plans for moving it forward.

By Lesley SImpson

For those of you thinking of extending your workspace Phil Thompson, head of BPIF Business, gives you a down to earth take on the key considerations.  

Due to the challenging nature of the last four or five years, there will be very few companies that have got through them unaffected. Some will have adapted smoothly while others will have had to change business models and practices. As a result, the way that work flows through the production process and how this fits into the space available to the business may no longer be appropriate. So are you one of those looking to change your factory layout, extend your space, or even considering a complete move? 

Are you set-up to deal with more requests for flexible working now that the law has been amended? Jo Eccles from the Forum of Private Business advises on how to progress in the light of recent legal changes. 

Apprenticeships, short courses, tailor-made training - Learn2print offers the lot. Here’s how it’s attracting and training people for a career in print.

Daily phone calls, constant emails and late night text messages are a constant reminder to the staff at Learn2print that, thankfully, education in print still matters and is sought by those seeking a career path in the industry themselves, or by those wanting to improve the skill sets and credentials of those they employ and/or want to attract into their businesses.

Can you improve your financial management? Colin Thompson from Cavendish provides insight into areas that can help you achieve the greatest possible return on investment in your company.

The GPMA, which stands for the Graphics, Print and Media Alliance, was officially launched a year ago at Fespa 2013.

It was established by 7 UK print trade associations (Fespa UK, BAPC, British Coatings Federation, Independent Print Industries Association, Picon, the Process and Packaging Machinery Association, and the Rubicon Network), to provide the sector with one strong voice.  

Why Amari Plastics is searching for talent from outside the print sector, and seeking graduates in particular.

You have to be something of a sleuth to find the Amari HQ in Weybridge, Surrey. CEO Andy Carroll is rather proud that the building - Holmes House in Baker Street - is low key. The entrance is sandwiched between shops and easy to miss, but as Carroll points out, “We don’t believe in big HQs and bureaucracy; it all ends up being just a huge cost. What attracted me into this job was Amari’s healthy business model. Although it has around 400 people in total the HQ is really a service centre supporting 28 profit centres.” And now Carroll, who joined Amari less than two years ago, is hoping the company will attract other new talent as it continues with a fairly large-scale recruitment plan.

If only spending it was funny, but it’s a serious business, which is why Phil Thompson, head of BPIF Business, offers this investment business model.

With areas of the economy showing improvement, one area that still seems to be lagging behind is business investment. This has led those who study the markets to speculate that this is one of the reasons behind the lack of improved productivity and high employment levels. What is clear is that companies that get investment right will inevitably capture the most profitable opportunities, clients and markets. Companies that don’t will be left to compete on unfavourable terms and smaller returns.