Ed Arthur, managing director, LEFA Print
One thing that you can do, which is actually pretty obvious, but I don’t think people always think about, is to shop around when you are renewing things like gas, insurance and electricity. Usually, we would just renew our insurance, but this year we shopped around and did our homework and we saved thousands. It is never going to be cheap, but you might save something and that’s what it’s all about. The small things all add up to make considerable savings. The same principle applies when you are taking out clients – you don’t always have to take them to the most expensive restaurant, people will often appreciate a good pub meal.
Ed Arthur, managing director, LEFA Print
One thing that you can do, which is actually pretty obvious, but I don’t think people always think about, is to shop around when you are renewing things like gas, insurance and electricity. Usually, we would just renew our insurance, but this year we shopped around and did our homework and we saved thousands. It is never going to be cheap, but you might save something and that’s what it’s all about. The small things all add up to make considerable savings. The same principle applies when you are taking out clients – you don’t always have to take them to the most expensive restaurant, people will often appreciate a good pub meal.
Kirk Galloway, director, Buxton Press
We have achieved cost savings through the retrofitting of seven Weko PAS powder extraction systems to all our presses. Powder spray is an inherent problem in the press hall, especially with perfecting presses, but this kit allows us to significantly cut down on the quantities of powder purchased and then re-use 50% of that collected – a double saving as it were. In addition to the obvious press hall environmental benefits, we estimate we save around £1,800 per year on powder usage, affording us a three-year payback on the initial capital and operational outlays, so its a win–win situation all round.
Paul Warren, managing director, Digital Studio
A few initiatives that we’ve implemented to save some money include handing-out contract mobile phones to all staff for outgoing calls, which saves a fortune on landline calls, and doing research on industry pricing while monitoring our competitors. Another tip is to work on your pricing structure and review it on a quarterly basis. Also, bring as much as you can in-house; we put out very little, as we obtained good secondhand finishing gear, which we maintain on the go. Cash in your pocket is better than cash in someone else’s. Finally, I think the juggling of suppliers is vital – lay the cards on the table and pit them against each other. Our clients do it to us, so we need to do the same.
