Thursday, 05 Jun 2014 12:26 GMT

Frank Moran

Harriet Gordon talks to Frank Moran, managing director of PaperlinX Visual Technology Solutions, about the changing shape of the company and surprises to be unveiled at SDUK


A radical evolution

With new CEO Andrew Price, Robert Horne has now taken the title of parent company PaperlinX; is that the only change?

I think it’s fair to say that change has been constant, certainly over the past 18 months or so. We have radically simplified our structure and reshaped our operations group-wide, to better meet customers’ changing needs and we will continue to evolve, to ensure that the business remains fit for the future.

It made strong commercial sense to promote our entire offering that includes paper, packaging, graphics, digital printing equipment, print consumables, and plastics for industry products, under one unified brand. Trading as PaperlinX, we now have a clear, consistent identity across all our operations in the UK and Ireland.

As technology and fashions change, sign-makers are having to adapt and evolve: what should they be doing to succeed in this?

In this climate, diversification is key to continued success, and just as sign-makers are adapting and evolving, as a merchant, so are we.
 
With many customers looking to diversify and broaden their service offering to meet the demands of today’s marketplace, as a business partner, our role is much more than simply supplying materials. It’s about being able to offer guidance on applications and provide expert advice on selecting the right materials for the job in hand.

The key thing for any sign-maker looking to diversify or offer new services is that they should research new technologies and techniques that support their goals and seek independent advice. So for example, if they’re looking to invest in new technology that will help them enter new markets, or that will make them more efficient, they can visit one of our Application Centres, and road-test the latest digital printing equipment from leading brands for themselves. And as we’re vendor-neutral, we’ll recommend the best solution that fits their business needs and budget.


Altuglas by Arkema is one of the products PaperlinX supply; lighter and stronger than glass with a constant light transmission as standard, it offers vast creative opportunities for modern displays and signage particularly



It’s also important to keep abreast with fashions and trends, and again we can help open up new opportunities for sign-makers by demonstrating applications that can extend the range of services they can offer, whether it’s interior fit-out, photographic-quality graphics, posters, banners, exhibition graphics, signage, wallpapers, stickers, labels, or vehicle wraps.

In the lead up to Sign and Digital UK you have been promising to unveil some big news; can you reveal it yet?

Yes. We can now! The new HP Latex Printer range is making its debut at Sign and Digital UK and we’re delighted to have the new HP Latex 360 on our stand.

This new release has been kept tightly under wraps. In fact, when planning our presence at the show, we placed an order with HP without knowing exactly what it was we were ordering. But the embargo was lifted on April 23rd and this new offer is set to be a real game changer. With these three new models, HP is offering printers a solution that will boost production capacity. Automatic, reliable, low-maintenance printing will enable operators to increase production time and reduce time spent monitoring the printer.

This new release has been kept tightly under wraps, in fact, when planning our presence at the show; we placed an order with HP without knowing exactly what it was we were ordering”


This new range will enable sign-makers and printers to offer more to their customers, whether it’s traditional signs or low-cost uncoated, point-of-purchase, backlits, canvas, and wall décor graphics.

Supplying sign-makers and print-service-providers is getting ever-more competitive; what is your growth strategy?

Our turnaround strategy is delivering improvements; the interim results reported for the six months to December 31st 2013 showed a 52 percent improvement on the prior corresponding period.

We are focusing on innovation and identifying complementary business opportunities to drive PaperlinX forward. VTS is a key growth area for the group and we have redesigned the business, particularly in our European region, unifying our approach to maximise efficiencies in areas such as procurement, for example.

In the UK and Ireland we’re enjoying steady growth across digital media and hardware, and in our Plastics for Industry operation. We’re also seeing steady growth in Europe and are actively exploring opportunities to expand this business further, analysing 3D printing, architectural applications, and digital signage for example.

Ensuring we buy right is essential to supporting growth and last year we opened an Asian sourcing and procurement base for the group’s operations worldwide. This presence in Shanghai has provided us with the opportunity to improve our procurement power globally, while leveraging the power of one brand has also helped us maximise our buying power.

As a group, our mantra is to provide our customers with solutions for the issues they face; so in addition to supplying them with the materials they need, we’re also striving to introduce new initiatives that will help create business for our customers.

 As a group, our mantra is to provide our customers with solutions for the issues they
face; so in addition to supplying them with the materials they need, we’re also striving to introduce new initiatives that will help create business for our customers”


One powerful example of this is the Car Wrap Club; this consumer facing website promotes the exciting new trend that’s completely revolutionising the way we think about changing the look of our vehicles. It features an easy to complete enquiry form and we forward all leads to our customers.

In addition, we’re also running training courses in conjunction with UK Sign Boards (UKSB), via a classroom in a personalised PaperlinX 40ft trailer, for screen and digital printers who want to learn how to apply wrapping to vehicles as a new revenue opportunity. The key thing about this is that those who attend the courses receive independent accreditation and that provides them with a real competitive edge.

What are some of the key trends in kit development that you are embracing?

We offer a wide range of digital hardware suited to all applications, backed by independent advice and support, and we’re continually reviewing our offer to ensure we’re at the forefront of new opportunities.

The latest addition to our offer is the Mimaki JFX200. This is a cost-effective entry-level flatbed, which provides a great stepping stone for sign-makers wishing to make the transition from roll-to-roll and who aren’t yet in the market for a fully featured flatbed.

The new generation of Jetrix, the KX7 Series will also make its UK debut at Sign and Digital UK and we will be promoting that at the show. This flatbed is twice the size of the KX5 and twice as fast, and we’re very excited about the potential it offers to customers wishing to invest for growth. And there’s HP’s latest Latex printer range of course, which will undoubtedly be a highlight of the show.

Key company stats

  • PaperlinX Company Divisions: 4
  • PaperlinX Group employees: 4,000
  • Turnover for 2013: £1.56bn
  • PaperlinX UK Warehouse space: 1,000,000sq ft
  • PaperlinX visual technologies wing (Formerly Robert Horne) founded: 1925

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