The Pick and Pack service allows brands to outsource all of their deliveries to The Finishing Company using an automated workflow that takes orders directly from client’s websites. It also cuts out waste by tailoring orders more accurately to customers’ needs.
The Finishing Company business development director Andy Fox said the new system would help companies that were using a scatter bomb approach, sending customers some products that were relevant and some that weren’t.
He said: "We saw that they were spending huge amounts of money on sending people things they didn’t need. So we asked companies what they wanted, thought hard about it and wrote a computer programme to deal with it."
The updated version of the Cygnus computer program uses customers’ data to sort them into much more specific groups than was previously possible. For example, they can now send appropriate products to expectant mothers according to how many months pregnant they are.
Managing director Ray Lesnik said: "With additional capabilities of variable data printing, wrapping, packing and mailing under one roof, we are well placed to provide a full service offering to brand owners."
The Finishing Company has a staff of 60 and a turnover of £2.8m. It has Kodak Nexpress printers and can print approximately 350 sample magazines on demand.
It has 60,000 sq ft of storage space, which is half the size of its previous warehouse. Fox said the changing market has made downsizing necessary but the company has tried to meet the needs of its customers by offering a more comprehensive service.
Roughly 70% of its business is still printed literature for mainly business and consumer magazines. But Fox said it can now offer products as diverse as children’s toys, packaged food and fishing bait.
