What positives are you able to draw on from the experiences of 2022?
Winning the Printweek Company of the Year was certainly a highlight for the Micropress team in 2022!

In addition, Mark Mwebe our Trainee of the year winning press minder really set the scene for the direction of travel for the business. Skilled labour is still in short supply, and we have previously experienced some of the challenges this brings. This year we have worked hard in getting young people into the business by engaging with schools and attending career fairs. We currently have six apprenticeships ongoing with more in the pipeline. They are the future and we are now starting to see the benefits in getting young blood into the industry.

What trend do you think has been accelerated because of the impact of inflation?
The cost of print has risen significantly this year and on the back of this we have seen print runs drop. Print is a fantastic way to communicate, and it is certainly here to stay. However, buyers have naturally cut back on print runs to save money and marketing campaigns have become more targeted as opposed to the traditional ‘carpet-bomb’ approach. Print is now a more premium product due to the cost. The landscape has changed considerably but it doesn’t need to be a bad thing and we have seen this change in many cases generate work for us. I do not believe the market will go back to how it was and for us short to medium run, fast turnaround work is where the market is drifting towards.

What do you think will represent the single biggest opportunity for printers in 2023?
I think consolidation will be a big opportunity for the print community in 2023. There is still too much print capacity available which is driving prices down. If everyone played to their strengths as a business rather than just chase turnover, then I believe the opportunity is enormous and it will be a fantastic industry to be part of.

What are your hopes for 2023?
We have some exciting expansion plans for 2023. We hope to deliver on this and make them a success.

What piece of advice do you wish you had been given in December 2021 to prepare you for the year you’ve just had?
Sign up to a fixed price, long-term energy contract in January 2022!

What, if anything, will you do differently in 2023?
We will be broader in our offering to new and existing customers. We want them to see us as a partner that offers a solution and not just a print supplier.