What positives are you able to draw on from the experiences of 2023?
2023 has been an excellent year for PCS, and was marked by the acquisition by Woodberry Packaging Group in July. We’ve enjoyed record turnover and have seen productivity increase by around 10%. As a result, we have made significant investments in new kit and increased staffing levels by 15% which we’re clearly very pleased with.

What trend do you think has been accelerated because of the impact of inflation?
At a consumer level, we have seen an increase in gift card sales as shoppers have had become savvier in the way they shop, often choosing to put money on gift cards as a method of controlling spending. Equally, we have witnessed an increase from employers issuing gift cards to their employees as a tax efficient method of paying incentives.

What do you think will represent the single biggest opportunity for printers in 2024 and why?
A crystal ball would be helpful given the turbulent nature of the last three years or so. On a positive note, it seems inflation and price rises are slowing, which affords obvious opportunities across the industry.

What are your hopes for 2024?
We hope to see material and energy prices stabilize, but irrespectively, we have exciting plans for this coming year, forecasting further growth and the creation of more job opportunities, combined with ambitious investment in new equipment.

What piece of advice do you wish you had been given in December 2022 to prepare you for the year you’ve just had?
Consider supporting a new football team, Manchester United are on the slide!!!

What was your word or phrase of the year in 2023?
SME of the Year!

What, if anything, will you do differently in 2024?
We are very pleased with the way things have panned out this year, but it’s important not to stand still and are always looking to improve. An area of focus will be to expand on our range of environmentally friendly materials, specifically cards made from board – we have just commissioned a new KBA press which can handle substrates up to 800mic, and we are predicting this will be a massive area of growth for us.

Will you be going to Drupa 2024?
Yes, we are very much looking forward to it… it’s been a while since we’ve been to a trade show in all honesty, so it will be great to see what’s out there.

Sprouts, yes or no?
I had sprout soup at a Christmas Dinner last week, it was amazing which took me by surprise… so, yes.

Are you making any New Year's resolutions? If so, what?
Planning a ‘dry January’… did I just say that out loud?!