Oriel and Bootyman plan expansion after joining forces
(L-R) Simms and Green, whose businesses have formed a partnership
Bootyman has acquired Oriel as the two print companies join forces to share abilities, with plans for an expansion.
Richard Simms, managing director at Oriel, told Printweek the acquisition made sense for everyone.
"We've got more of an offering now and can share on costs and share all our capabilities," Simms said. "Oriel had space while Bootyman were full. It made sense for making cost savings and looking for more stability."
Planning permission has been submitted to extend their shared facility by 325sqm to accommodate the partnership, after Bootyman relocated to the Oriel site in March.
Both Hull based, the two companies initially came into contact due to locality, as well as both being AA-grade BRCGS audited which influenced working together in the past. Simms added they had good synergy and a similar culture too.
After taking a couple of months to move into the 3,250sqm facility, Bootyman was up and running by May, with a total of 48 staff between the two companies.
Bootyman operations director Gavin Green said joining forces with Oriel meant "we've significantly expanded our print and finishing options".
"From FMCG to luxury drinks and cosmetics, we now cover the full spectrum," he added.
Oriel is a trade printing company with a primary focus on premium packaging, marketing collateral and POS markets. Bootyman is a packaging printer specialising in labels and cartons with a strong focus on the food sector.
To accommodate extra equipment in the factory, power infrastructure had to be installed. Having its own substation made this easier, however, "it was expensive", added Simms.
Coinciding with the March relocation, Bootyman invested in a new Komori Lithrone GL637. The SRA1 six-colour plus coater replaced two Komori B2 machines. It will be used to produce wet glue labels on jars of sauces and other supermarket products.
Given Komori had been a supplier to Bootyman for nearly a decade and its printers already had the necessary skills, alternative machines were not considered. Four weeks' training was provided, and the old machines were taken on by West Park Graphic Equipment.
Green said the machine was "an ideal fit" for the fast-paced food packaging market, offering faster makereadies and greater colour control.
The upgrade has helped with efficiency due to the larger sheet size of the press; "we can now get at least 20% more labels on larger sheets," said Green.
"The result is improved sheet numbers on the floor, and the jobs are certainly more consistent," he added.
Between them the companies make £6.5m a year, with the expectation this will grow with the partnership.
Both companies hope the collaboration will help futureproof them amid fast-changing market demands and allow them to adapt with speed.