The family run, 140-year-old print firm will continue to print in-house, but has begun to manage the entire creative process for clients, including working with freelance creatives on their behalf.
Ruddocks said the move to being a production agency was a natural way of meeting clients’ increasingly broad creative needs, such as merchandising, photography and videography.
Ian Cant, Ruddocks’ creative director, said: “Creativity isn’t just about design, it’s about solving problems and developing solutions.
“Put simply, we bring in the right people with the right skills, at the right time, to ensure we deliver results for our clients, while taking the stress away from sourcing multiple suppliers.”
Ruddocks retains a “trusted network” of suppliers, according to Nikki Langwell, the company’s marketing executive.
She said: “Obviously, the client will always know that we’re outsourcing — but they are agencies that we work with very closely that know how we work.
“If a client comes to us with photography work, we can say: ‘For that particular type of photography, we know exactly the right person,’ and then we project manage it all.”
Ruddocks will continue to run its print work through its stable of litho and digital presses, including a Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 75 and two Canon imagePress 10,000VP digital presses.
Langwell added that the evolution to creative production agency had been about 10 years in the making, though had accelerated post-Covid.
“Obviously, having 140 years of heritage is a great position to work from, and gives us a good reputation — but it’s tricky because people are more likely to pigeonhole you.
“While we are still Ruddocks the printer at our core, there is now a lot more to it, so we made the decision [to reposition].”
Ruddocks managing director Paul Banton added: “Our evolution to a creative production agency better reflects who we are today and is a robust, sustainable platform from which to continue to grow.
“The Ruddocks story continues, and we are very excited about the chapters ahead.”
Ruddocks employs 37 at its Lincoln site.
