The Printed Group Expands Operations with Third Canon Press
(L-R) Kev Hutchison, head of production and Nicola Carney, operations director at The Printed Group. Credit: Printed.com
The Printed Group has installed a third Canon press at its Cramlington site in response to growing customer demand.
It marks the latest step in an operational expansion as the company aims to consolidate its small-format operations and respond to increasing demand across its brands which include Printed.com, Printed Direct and Ravensworth.
Training is due to take place on site at its headquarters in Cramlington, Northumberland while the installation takes place, with the new press expected to be fully operational by August, in line with the company's growth trajectory.
Its latest Canon VarioPrint iX3200 will be used for a wide range of products such as leaflets, flyers, business cards, wedding invitations, books, and postcards and will allow the company to produce up to 200,000 SRA3 sheets per day across the three presses.
As Printed.com's product range expands, this model was particularly important for its ability to handle a wide range of materials as it will help address varied client requests.
Nicola Carney, The Printed Group's operations director, said: "Our diverse product mix demands a level of consistency and flexibility that Canon has continuously delivered. By bringing in the third VarioPrint iX3200 press, we've further streamlined operations, ensuring we can respond swiftly to customer needs while upholding the impeccable quality standards our clients expect."
Acquiring another Canon "made sense" Carney told Printweek as "we had tried and tested the other two and it was fit for our growth".
Last February, Printed.com took on a second production site as part of an expansion strategy to meet growing customer demand. Then in May 2024, the company invested £1m into its printing operations to bolster its production capabilities, which included the purchase of its second Canon press, with the first installed in 2022.
To boost its capabilities even further, the company expanded again in June this year with the acquisition of a third factory site in Cramlington, a short walk from the two main sites, to expand its large-format printing. According to the company its total operational space now exceeds 4,600sqm.
To accommodate the installation, Carney told Printweek the company had to do some technology projects while structural adjustments have been made to reconfigure the space.
"The site we took on is next door to our previously moved into second site, so we've taken a neighbouring wall down and created one larger site," she explained.
Stuart Rising, head of graphic arts at Canon UK and Ireland, said The Printed Group's purchase of a third Canon means the company is one of the leading single site users in Europe. He added that it was, "a testament to the strength of our partnership and the performance of the iX3200 in high-demand, high-quality production environments".
Turnover for The Printed Group, established in 1989, is set to exceed £27m this year, with employee numbers rising to over 200.
Carney told Printweek the company is continuing to explore future investment, with a focus on the finishing side going forward.
She said: "We're primed for growth this financial year and having the capacity this (investment) will bring will allow us to continue with this growth and allow to diversify the business."
Printed.com founder Nick Green left the business in April this year, shortly after its parent company The Printed Group appointed Rob Haycock as CEO.