In February last year Print Leeds acquired Huddersfield-based wet label firm S&C labels for £1m, offering all of the 25 staff members the opportunity to move across to the company’s Leeds facility.
Print Leeds initially also planned to transport S&C Labels’ seven-colour Heidelberg CD102 press the 15-mile journey to its own facility but after a funding bid for £500,000 from the government’s Regional Growth Fund initiative was successful the company was able to invest in a new seven-colour Speedmaster CX 102 plus coater and CTP system, at the end of 2012.
Managing director Rod Fisher said that the B1 press investment, which forms part of a £3m growth programme, including the expansion of its Leeds facility from 929sqm to 1,765sqm, would double the output that had been possible at the Huddersfield site.
The new press arrived in November with the first shift taking place on the machine last night (28 January).
Meanwhile 22 employees from Huddersfield made the move to Leeds on 2 January with the final three, who had been continuing to work the site’s press and repro departments, starting this week.
Fisher said: "It has been a real success, the fact that most staff live between the two sites was a real help.
"The Huddersfield press has been decommissioned and sold to a local dealer who is shipping it to the Far East next week," he added.
Fisher said that the company had also invested in a new pile turner and had taken on an extra salesman.
He added: "We have plans to grow further which is a three-to five-year plan but at the moment we will focus on getting everything running smoothly as one unit. Hopefully this year we’ll see the results from the S&C acquisition boosting our turnover to between £4m and £4.5m.
In 2011 the company turned over £1.5m.
Print Leeds completes S&C Labels consolidation
UV litho and plastic printer Print Leeds begins production on its new B1 press this week as it completes the transfer of all staff from recently acquired S&C Labels.
