"As the company has changed, so have its needs," says managing director Steve Hallett. "The skills of our staff here have always matched that."
The company of today is one that has grown, with many original staff in tow, from its humble beginnings in 1975. Originally founded as a business to supply plan printing to the architectural, engineering and construction sectors, the company soon began to add smaller formats to its portfolio as demand for a wider range of print grew.
"We shared part of a butcher's shop located opposite the current Woking site, but we soon outgrew that and moved across the road," says Webb.
Set up in its new home, the company made in-roads into expanding its services far beyond its plan printing roots.
"While it still plays a part of what we do, I would say that it would now be no more than 10%," says Hallett.
Once established in litho print, Repropoint broke into the digital market with an investment in a pair of Xerox DocuTech mono engines, followed in 2001 by its first Indigo press.
Digital investments
Several years later, out went the DocuTechs to make way for newer, faster 120pp Xerox Nuvera mono printers signed for at Ipex, which complement a pair of HP 5000 Indigo digital colour presses. Such is the 76-staff company's embrace of digital print that it also sells a range of wide-format printers and plotters and is a 'Preferred Partner' of HP.
However, while digital print is undeniably a large part of what this company offers, it's only a small part of Webb and Hallett's broader, long-term ambitions.
By Webb's own admission, 2010 has been a tough year for the business, but the Nuvera investments and, most recently, the official launch of its Fotoboox Brochure service, have ensured the company has a secure footing.
The latter is an expansion of its existing Taopix-powered photobook service to incorporate template-driven brochure production for companies, including architects and landscape and interior designers. The Fotoboox Brochure Edition, which allows clients to upload their own photographs and images, as well as using bespoke text and layouts, is part of the company's drive to increase traffic through its web-to-print portal. Webb and Hallett expect its importance to soon equal the company's cross-media, design and marketing services.
"We are a marketing solutions provider now. Soon we will see print as being secondary to the broader marketing communications picture. It will still be part of what we do, but just that: part of the complete package," says Webb.
While the £6m-turnover company is expanding its service gamut to cater for the increased demands of its clients, broadening its sales through new revenue streams is helping it combat those selling print at unsustainable prices.
"Only the other day we offered to carry out a job we wouldn't normally do and offered a competitive price of £190. The person went away and had it done for £130," says Webb.
"There is just too much capacity in the industry," adds Hallett. "And for that reason, Repropoint no longer carries out litho printing in-house. It works for us. We have trusted, vetted partners that we use instead."
The remaining small-format work the company carries out in-house is FSC certified and the company has ISO 14001 accreditation. As a result, with the co-operation of its staff, the business has managed to dramatically cut the levels of waste it sends to landfill by more than half.
"Having these credentials has opened up many new doors and also cemented relationships with our existing clients, and our team is as enthusiastic as ever," says Webb.
And, with its experienced staff on board, both Hallett and Webb are optimistic that the Repropoint name can move forward with confidence.
"If you came into the production area today for the first time in 20 years, you probably wouldn't recognise any of the equipment," says Webb. "However, you would recognise many of the faces of our people who have developed their skills as the technology has changed. Technology moves on and the skills needed to keep things going develop too. And we have both of those here."
REPROPOINT FACTFILE
Managing director Steve Hallett
Chairman Mike Webb
Staff 76
Turnover £6m
Sites Woking, Guildford, Portsmouth, Southampton
