The site offers account management, typesetting, artwork and proofing facilities, backed up by APS’ printing resources at its Cheshire headquarters. APS employs 240 staff and has sales of around £15m.
Purves was only on a month’s notice from Waddies, where he had worked for 37 years since leaving school aged 15.
He said that in the last week he had seriously considered two job offers, both from companies with low debt burdens and family ownership.
“I had some of the bigger boys putting offers to me but I decided to go back to basics in a smaller company reporting directly to the chief executive,” said Purves.
“I’ve been through the venture capital background,” he added, in reference to Waddies’ history of involvement with 3i. In 1997 he became the managing director of the firm, then based in Edinburgh, after leading an MBO. He was latterly in charge of sales with operations controlled by chief executive Iain Pittman.
APS Group managing director Nick Snelson said Purves brought “considerable expertise and valuable knowledge” to his firm.
APS offers marketing, graphic design and storage facilities as well as traditional print. In 2000 it took delivery of its second six-colour B1 MAN Roland 700 due to the increased volume of print generated from its facilities management services.
Story by Gordon Carson
