The firm welcomed Rogerson to its premises on 30 January to discuss the environmental sustainability of print and the creation of new jobs. Rogerson is parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and is the minister responsible for water, resource and environmental management and forestry.
KCS has recently invested in inkjet technology from Domino UK, which will be used to print barcodes on the integrated label forms the business manufactures for the web retail market.
Managing director Terrye Teverson, a member of the BPIF’s Government and Industry Committee, discussed the sustainability of paper and print with Rogerson during his visit.
Teverson said: “It is a myth that paper has a bad environmental impact. 90% of deforestation in the world is caused by unsustainable agricultural practices. There are also thousands of jobs in the print and related industries, from print management companies to the paper and equipment manufacturers – it’s not just the printers themselves that provide the jobs.
“Print is vital. It is trusted as a way to communicate and it can be kept to one side to look at. Computers do use energy and we also know that around 7m people in the UK have never been online.
“Print and paper are not bad for the environment, you have to look at the whole supply chain from manufacture of hardware to the disposal of electronic waste, which is increasing year on year.”
KCS has continued to grow since moving into its custom-built factory in 2005. It currently has three apprentices in training under the BPIF apprenticeship scheme, which the company said illustrated its commitment to providing long-term jobs in the local community.
“There are no zero-hour contracts here. We believe in offering our staff long-term commitment, training and security. This gives our company great stability and that can only be good for our customers and the quality of the goods we supply,” said Teverson.
Rogerson added: “It’s great to see KCS’s continued success and further investment in inkjet heads for developing their product. I am pleased see the apprentices developing skills in my constituency with this forward–thinking company.”
KCS Print, which has 26 staff, also produces a wide variety of general print including stationery, business cards, brochures, posters, calendars, tickets and banners to clients throughout the UK.
The business operates Didde Glaser and Morgan web presses, Tamarack labelling equipment, Xerox digital printers, Mimaki and Epson large-format kit and a range of finishing machinery.
