It may have been terrible for some people, but certainly not for all, because 2016 was the year we saw the global print industry stand up and scream “See! We’re not dead”!
Yes, contrary to popular opinion, the UK print industry is actually much more robust as we wave good bye to 2016 than anyone could have predicted, so here’s our quick round-up of last year to give you a snapshot of how things are looking as we commence 2017.
UK Print in 2016
Driven by packaging demand and micro-marketing that has allowed greater customer personalisation, the print industry now has a new-found confidence not seen by experts since the mid-2000’s. In fact, the print sector is a case study on commercial transformation through diversified offers, adoption of new technologies and the creation of high value customer experiences.
If we look at it globally, the American market, in particular, experienced the biggest period of growth in 2016, fuelled partly by their country’s presidential election. But how did the UK fare in comparison?
Fortunately, despite the collapse this year of one the of the country’s biggest players, Polestar, the UK print industry remains optimistic, continuing to expand locally and globally, and on the whole is trading well. The demand for tangible, touchable and collectible objects (think vinyl, books and personalised keepsakes) has meant that the desire for words and designs that can be held and kept is still strong in the UK too.
Moreover, in terms of position, the UK is currently the fifth largest printed product producer worldwide, behind America, Japan, Germany and China. So, we’re not doing too badly in the grand scheme of things!
People Power
One of the first things anyone who takes an in-depth look at the UK print industry will notice, however, is the people. We’re very lucky in the UK to have some incredibly talented and influential people in the trade, who are constantly driving the sector forwards to bigger and better things.
So who are the people that have kept the UK print industry so strong and sustainable in 2016?
At the beginning of December 2016, PrintWeek published their annual ‘Power 100’ list, which highlighted the print industry’s biggest names and influencers; from merchandiser mavericks to printing kingpins, this list has them all.
Here are the top 5 that North West Digital believe will continue to make waves in 2017;
Our Pick of the Power 100
- New to the list at number 100 is a millennial upstart; Luke Hodson, from Awesome Merchandise, started as a badge maker in his university digs with 2 other staff. According to PrintWeek “Eight years on, Hodson has turned Awesome into a 60-staff fully functioning powerhouse, this year doubling the size of its factory and posting record sales”.
- Coming in at number 55 is Alison Kaye at CPI Colour, who also bagged a PrintWeek Award in October 2016, taking home Report & Accounts Printer of the Year. PrintWeek says that “Kaye also oversaw the installation of a raft of new kit this year, including an HP Indigo 10000 and the company’s second Heidelberg Speedmaster XL 106”.
- Sitting at number 36, Emma Zakka from TalkTalk ranks as the highest woman of the list. Managing the print demands of a giant billion-pound telecoms business is no mean feat, so it is understandable why Senior Print Exec Emma makes the list. PrintWeek’s print insider confirms that “Emma is very, very inspirational, full of ideas and fun to work with”.
- With steady hands, at number 10, is Miles Linney from the Linney Group, who navigated some tricky and complex contract renewals this last year. PrintWeek comments that “It’s testament to the firm’s renowned customer service – and indeed Linney being sure to have his lucky stone in his pocket – that all the deals were renewed”.
- Number 2 in the Power list is Robert Whiteside from Adare, who comes in as one of our ones to watch for 2017 after a massive year in 2016. Marking 20 years at Adare, this Scottish CEO had a huge year, full of acquisitions, contracts and investments for the British printing giant. PrintWeek say “Adare acquired Banner Managed Communication in a deal that propelled sales to around £230m, and then just 10 weeks later went on to buy Polestar Applied Solutions, which took the group closer to its stated aim of achieving sales of £400m by 2020. Adare also united its security printing operations under a single brand, invested £3.2m in Ricoh high-speed inkjet kit, and sold its non-core label business to Americk. Multimillion-pound contract wins included deals with Domestic & General and N Brown”.
It All Comes Back To You
So that’s it, your very quick round-up of the UK print industry’s big key forces and players over the course of 2016.
But of course – and forgive us if we go a little cheesy here – whilst it’s always useful to examine your business sector inside out, we feel that this big ol’ list is missing one of the biggest main influencers of all – you! Yes, that’s right, you; our loyal customers and suppliers.
Particularly for us local businesses, although the UK print industry at large is a significant driver, we never forget how important it is to remain focused on the people who make our day-to-day happen, and say a massive thank you to you for making it all possible. You’re always top of our list!
Get In Touch
If you’d like to find out more about anything we’ve discussed in this week’s blog, then please do get in touch with us and we’d be happy to discuss it with you further. You can contact us by giving us a bell on 0161 477 8950, by dropping us an email at info@, or by filling out the contact form and one of our lovely team will get in touch with you ASAP.