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Nuprint for Success
Over the last 30 years, Nuprint might have made their mark as specialists in intelligent
label printing, but it’s their dedication to, and investment in innovation that positions
them at the head of the Irish design and print industry.
Design firms, manufacturers, international organisations,
whoever Nuprint is talking to, you can be sure they’re
not just printing a label, they’re working out how to
have a positive impact on their business. Nuprint
currently operates across a range of sectors including
the food, drink, clothing and pharmaceutical industries.
They work with customers across the world, offering
new concepts and ideas in image creation, design
and brand enhancement. But, thanks to an impressive
investment programme of around £1.4million,
the company is on the verge of doubling its business
thanks to an enhanced capability that at last matches
the company’s ambitions. With the capacity to print
new forms of packaging including laminations, pouches
and the most technically advanced shrink sleeves in the
market today, Nuprint is about to become one of the
most diverse and determined companies in Ireland.
Underpinning the company’s reputation as an innovator is
a determination to get things right for its many clients and
their various requirements. High standards are the order
of the day and over the years the company has printed
millions of labels, working in close collaboration with
each and every customer to achieve a best-fit solution.
The experience and insight of the NuPrint team, combined
with the latest technologies, helps clients develop smarter
labels that not only work harder visually, but also make
their businesses better.
NuPrint was formed in 1984 by Alan and Helen McClure,
and was originally set up as a niche operation, supplying
printed fabric labels for the clothing industry, at the
time when this industry was thriving in Northern Ireland
(and specifically in the North West of the Province), with
the likes of Desmonds, Fruit of the Loom, Coates Viyella,
DaintiFit, Dewhirst, and a number of other suppliers.
During the late 1980s and throughout the next decade,
NuPrint enjoyed significant growth and became a
recognised supplier of labels for the clothing industry in
UK and Ireland, with major blue chip customers such as
Marks & Spencer and Dunnes Stores. The company was
Nuprint
Technologies Ltd
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subsequently sold to International Trimmings PLC in July
2000, which re-launched it as NuPrint Trimmings Ltd.
Gavin Killeen had joined NuPrint as General Manager
in 1997 and, by 2001, he had grown the business
and transformed it into a global player through the
implementation of a Management Information System,
developed under a Knowledge Transfer Partnership
(KTP) with the University of Ulster, Magee, which won
a national award in 2002. However, Gavin recognised
a growing threat presented by low-cost competition based
in markets such as China and Bangladesh, and in 2004,
he and Alan McClure, the original founder of NuPrint,
decided to purchase the company, with a view to taking
it in a completely new direction, focusing on self-adhesive
labelling for the food, drink and beverage sectors. In order
to break into these sectors, major investment was made in
both people and equipment and the business moved to its
current location at Springtown Industrial Estate.
The challenge of changing markets
‘We took the business over in 2004 with a fairly small
order book, and one that was only going to decline
as the clothing industry continued to move offshore,’
explained Gavin, who is now Managing Director of the
company. ‘Our challenge was to establish ourselves as
a supplier to the food and drinks sector, but, with no
previous track record within either of those two sectors,
it was a fairly daunting task. We knew there was a
need for substantial investment and continued training,
so the next couple of years were really a case of
re-training and developing our staff and raising the
profile of NuPrint. In 2006 we decided the time
was right for us to make a major investment and we
purchased our first eight-colour press. We spent roughly
around £400,000 on that, and by the end of 2006/7
our investment was around £1.2 million.”
NuPrint reached another important milestone in 2006
when it secured BRC Global Standard for High Hygiene
Risk Packaging and Packaging Materials accreditation,
effectively removing one of the central obstacles that
had previously prevented the company from successfully
targeting the multiples, supermarket chains and major
food processing companies.
‘After that we quickly began to develop relationships
with some of the major players within the market and
started to get some really good traction within the drinks
sector,’ said Gavin. ‘In 2007 we gained accreditation
from C&C, and produced about 96 million labels for
Magner’s during a massive growth in the cider sector.
We also became approved by Diageo, producing
labels for big brands such as Guinness, Caliber and
Harp, and by Molson Coors, the fifth biggest brewer in
the world. As a result of all this, we now had credibility,
and within a five-year period between 2008 and 2013,
we doubled our turnover again, establishing ourselves
firmly in the Northern Ireland market with many major
food and drink producers. We also started to penetrate
into the Republic of Ireland.’
The company developed further in 2013 with the launch of
Soapbox, a graphic design and print unit which provides
the facility to do large format printing for the production of
banners, pop-up stands, backdrops, building wraps and
vehicle liveries etc.
Adding value
‘A key thing about NuPrint is that we’ve never wanted
to see ourselves as a “me too” company - we don’t
just do the same as the guy down the road,’ explained
Gavin. ‘Also, a product on the shelf may be fantastic but
if it is not packaged and presented to best advantage,
then it won’t sell. We try to educate our customers on this,
and because we work with some major organisations,
both locally and internationally, we can bring the
knowledge and understanding that we have from working
with them to smaller organisations.
‘I like to think that any company that does business with
NuPrint will be able to grow their own business, because
we add value. The companies that we have engaged
with have seen growth of between 25 and 40% in their
turnover as a result of packaging. At NuPrint we work
together with our customers and have developed close
relationships with some of the top design agencies in
Belfast, Dublin and London. They tend to come to us
if they’ve got opportunities with new customers of their
own because they know we bring fresh ideas and
fresh thinking, and we’re able to show them the latest
technology with regard to printing or materials.’
People power
Believing that every individual has capabilities and
talents, NuPrint puts a strong emphasis on job training
and personal development. ‘Our success is down to the
people that we employ - and we employ really good
people, many of whom have grown and developed along
with the company,” said Gavin. ‘When measured against
the European Model of Excellence EFQM, NuPrint scored
450 points on our first assessment and we were awarded
a Mark of Excellence at the 2006 NI Quality Awards.
“Underpinning the company’s reputation as an innovator is a
determination to get things right.”
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Only the top 20% of all European companies assessed
score 400+ points in a first assessment!
‘I believe it’s our responsibility to ensure that we get the
best out of all our staff, and that concerns our future
employees too. A few years ago I made the decision to
open our doors to schools, inviting them to come in for
tours. At the start I gave those tours, but nowadays they
are taken by the members of staff - not only the managers
and team leaders, but also the guy who’s working on the
factory floor. We also go out and help with interview days
and careers days. We worked out that, in 2011, NuPrint
presented to several thousand students – that was quite a
number of kids who heard the Nuprint story.’
In recognition of this work, NuPrint won Business
In The Community’s Regional Impact Award for “Most
Responsible Small Business”.
A vision for the future
‘When I joined the business in 1997 we had about
16 or 17 employees. We currently employ 34 people,
and over the next three or four years we hope to create
enough positions to bring our workforce up to 50 people.
We will continue to work with our material suppliers
and our machine manufacturers, looking at how we can
bring new products to market, and we are constantly
challenging what we do. We have a programme with the
University of Ulster and the North West Regional College
to develop management and leadership skills, along
with technical capabilities, and we recently employed
a specialist to develop new products and processes.
Over the next few years we will be advancing a new
concept, the NuPrint Academy, in which employees will
progress through the business in all the different areas,
so that in two or three years’ time we’ll have people
who will be multi-skilled. We also see the importance of
an apprenticeship programme, and are involved in work
to expand this in Northern Ireland.
‘NuPrint is a very progressive and ambitious company,’
continued Gavin. ‘We work very hard to nurture the skills
and talents of our workforce, and that allows us to provide
excellent service and top quality work to our customers.
Our aim is to continue to grow new product development,
innovation and R&D, building on our relationships with
customers in Northern Ireland as well as our export
market into the Republic of Ireland, the UK and further
afield. Fostering the talents of the people that we already
have and giving young people an opportunity to shine
is something that we’ve been proud to do over the years
and we have some really good staff. Our intention is to
continue to let them come to the fore, to help develop the
business and take it forward into the future.’
“I like to think that any company that does business with NuPrint will
be able to grow their own business, because we add value.”
5. 8
Over the last 30 years, Nuprint
might have made their mark as
specialists in intelligent label
printing, but it’s their dedication to,
and investment in innovation that
positions them at the head of the
Irish design and print industry.
