With a combination of increased work from existing clients and an influx of new business, the Huddersfield-based operation is now on track for £10m turnover.
In response, it installed a Xerox Iridesse, which arrived in six-colour configuration in May to replace an ageing iGen, while boosting its headcount to 68 staff. The new arrivals joined the team across June, spanning departments from data processing to account management.
Managing director Jason Clough said: “I think that by better publicising our business, we have been able to strengthen our reputation in the sector. We have seen instances of clients preferring to work with us over some of the bigger direct mail companies – they enjoy our good quality of service and the flexibility of our approach.
“Our Iridesse adds special inks like silver, gold, clear and white which our clients have been screaming out for, while also allowing us to move into new markets such as packaging – which is doable because we already had die-cutting facilities onsite.
“The new team further strengthens what we have as our workload was getting to a point where our team as it was would have to compromise on quality to accommodate demand from clients. We have our sights on being market-leading.”
Propack has been able to add new services to its portfolio with its new hires, such as the provision of creative artwork through campaign manager Carl Stafford. The firm is now able to tweak existing artwork or create its own proposals for clients wanting to forgo agencies.
Millie Brown, a new client services account executive, was brought onboard to accommodate a new web-to-print account, while the raft of new faces is rounded out by data programmer Liam Garford, commercial manager Jodean Carter-Brown, distribution and production support Millie Ramsden and trainee account manager Molly Turner.
Taking a maximum sheet size of 330x488mm, the Xerox Iridesse can print at up to 120 A4 ppm and take stock weighing anywhere between 52 and 400gsm. It offers “ultra HD resolution” of 2,400dpi.
Further recent additions at Propack included three new mono printers from Ricoh at the start of May, while the West Yorkshire outfit opened a satellite office in London at the start of the year and adopted two Riso ComColor GD9630 cutsheet inkjet printers last October which Clough said had been “incredibly successful” so far.
He signalled that next on his game plan was an initiative to move away from offering polywrap in a bid to become “as green as possible”.
