Full Spectrum Print Media in Basildon turned over £3m in its first year and a further £1m per year since it was formed by Heronsgate production manager Kevin Walker and works manager Lee Hammond.

The new company bought Heronsgate, which had a turnover of £7.2m prior to its administration in March 2009, taking on 26 of the 50 staff and three of its five buildings.

It has nearly doubled its staff to 43 in four years and is employing two apprentices in August and September. It now occupies uses two former Heronsgate buildings for stock mailing and fulfilment and online stock storage and has moved production to a new six-unit site.

Hammond and Walker say the secret of their success is diversifying, working hard and continually investing in equipment, people and training.

Walker said: "We’ve had a massive growth. I probably wouldn’t have thought at the time that it would haven grown as well as we have. But we don’t shy away from hard work.

"To others considering starting their own business I say just work hard and never say never."

The duo went to see their bank managers, using their homes as collateral. They bought Heronsgate’s Heidelberg Speedmaster 74 five colour with coater and 102 Speedmaster six colour litho sheet fed presses and associated repro kit.  

At first they worked with some former Heronsgate suppliers and clients but by the end of the first year had brought in 75% of new business.

Hammond said: "The suppliers were all quite nervous of us but some like paper merchant Ovenden supported us well. And then as people got confident with us their credit terms started to increase."

Now the company is running another two secondhand Heidelberg Speedmaster 102 eight colour long perfectors, having sold its original six colour machine.

Walker and Hammond also grew a digital business, buying a Konica Minolta Bizhub Pro B6000 and an HP Indigo 7600 liquid ink machine, as well as adding two polar EM115 guillotines and two Muller Martini stitching lines.

It has not all been plain sailing - the was hit with £72,000 of bad debts by Christmas 2009 – but Full Spectrum’s motto is to take on anything and the current client base is diverse. In the past year the company has won three-year tenders from Chelmsford City Council, NHS Kent and Medway and The University of London.

Walker and Hammond are joint and complete owners of the business.