FULL STORY
2009 may have been the printing sector’s ‘annus horribilis’ but Alderson Print Group MD Peter Alderson remains as committed to the cause as the day he and brother Ron set out on their business odyssey fifty years ago. And, with specialist divisions dedicated to commercial web, sheetfed litho, digital printing, specialist finishing and, most recently, large-format Point of Sale, the Surrey-based operation is the closest thing we have to a weather-vane for our industry.
‘This recession has been different to others we’ve seen,’ said Alderson. ‘High street demand has held up and that’s meant our commercial web division, which concentrates on promotional and direct mail work rather than sections, has been kept busy. And, because The City is our prime market for digital print, we’ve seen that fall from the strongest, to one of our weaker performers.’
With the already considerable challenges of the sheetfed litho sector exacerbated by over capacity, diminishing demand and phoenix competitors, it is the group’s most recent venture that offers another bright prospect for the coming year. In July Alderson Point of Sale commissioned a 4-colour KBA Rapida 205 superlarge-format press to join a large format 5-colour Rapida 162 installed at the beginning of the year; together the two machines offer a comprehensive variety of products, including conventional and UV inks and a broad substrate range, for a buoyant market boosted by consumer demand.
Alderson continued, ‘We had high expectations of the 205 but the quality of print has genuinely surprised me. We can control the dot gain at prepress and there are no repeat marks with the massive ink roll. We’ve matched the plates to the conventional 162 and I defy anyone to say they can print better UV than us – it’s an incredible press for tight fits on the extremes… I didn’t believe it was possible!’
Efficiency on short runs is another strong suit that augurs well for the long-established group’s POS start-up, ‘Makeready on the Rapida 205 is another big plus in our favour,’ added Alderson. ‘Some of our competitors may be losing more than an hour but we’re loading the stock, plating up and getting fit and colour in less time than on our B1 presses. It’s remarkable.’
The bold vision that inspired the new venture is already beginning to pay dividends. With work building for leading brands such as GAME – won on quality and service rather than just price – the division has reached the tipping point that the Alderson brothers consider the moment of truth:
‘We have put together a formidable unit – the latest systems offering the best quality and service in the perfect location and, with the speeds of these machines, we still have plenty of capacity to fill. It’s a very exciting prospect.’
And, even with the adverse economic conditions of 2009, a nightmare with services to the new building that delayed commissioning of the new press by many months and the challenge of acquiring new skills and breaking new markets, Alderson is still able to say they’d ‘do it all again’.
‘We’ve been through recessions before and we’ve never let it disrupt our investment plans, on the contrary, it has given us the opportunity to reinforce our position by introducing the latest innovations to redefine the excellence of our service,’ he added.
This latest venture in the face of the worst recession ever, and with a price tag (including the new site) exceeding the annual turnover of many of its main competitors, is certainly the boldest step yet for Alderson Print Group. But with consumer demand holding good, the gloomy mood lifting and healthy prospect for POS with elections, World Cups and Olympics in the offing, who’s to say the barometer isn’t set fair for the 50-year-young upstarts!
Pictured above: Peter Alderson with the KBA Rapida 205.
© Graphic Repro On-line, 8 March 2010.
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