BLUETREE GROUP
FROM PRINTING TO PPE
BLUETREE GROUP
WE LEARN HOW A SMALL PRINTING BUSINESS BECAME A LEADING PROVIDER OF PPE.
FROM PRINTING TO PPE PROJECT MANAGED BY: DAVID GARNER
instantprint was founded in 2009, by Adam & James, straight out of university. Their plan was simple - they had found a niche in the market, and they were going to make the most of it.
Adam Carnell Managing Director Bluetree Group
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
T
he main aim was to create an easier process to buy and commission print, especially for small businesses,” explains Adam Carnell, Managing Director of the company. “We saw some great growth figures for a startup business in the early years, and there came a point where we realised, we’d need bigger resources to push that.” Fortunately, this is when they were approached by Bluetree Group in 2012. From there, the company has grown to become the UK’s leading online printer, serving both smaller microbusinesses through instantprint while also drawing 50% of their business from their trade brand, Route 1 Print. This brand has built a name for itself through the use of cutting-edge technology, such as the first B1 Digital Embellishment Press
used by a printer in the UK, installed by Konica Minolta UK. “Through that merge, we were able to implement robust quality management processes into the business. By the back end of 2019, we were dispensing 20,000 to 25,000 jobs a week, with 100 million printed items a month,” Carnell recalls.
RISING TO THE CHALLENGE
It was at this point that the COVID-19 crisis hit, and the pandemic would have a fundamental and lasting effect on the direction of the company. “A lot of our business was focused on producing marketing materials for other businesses, so when COVID-19 hit it had a huge impact on the number of orders we had coming in,” Carnell tells us. “Early on in that process we had a look at ourselves and said, to
BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 3
A bespoke service tailored to reduce your costs Lumipaper is the only woodfree coated paper supplied from a dedicated UK production facility. We offer a range of woodfree coated papers, manufactured by Stora Enso at a single mill. Sheets are available in both standard and bespoke sizes to meet your needs. By specifying the ‘correct’ size rather than an off-the-shelf product, you not only save money, but will reduce your waste too. Work with us and you will make genuine savings on your paper. By buying sustainable paper from Stora Enso, you are making an environmentally responsible choice. Stora Enso UK - Lumipaper Ltd Phone 01449 765553 E-mail: lumipaper@storaenso.com www.storaenso.com/lumi
STORA ENSO STORA ENSO SUPPORTING THE FAST-MOVING BUSINESS OF THE BLUETREE GROUP Stora Enso keeps pace with Bluetree’s fast-moving business by being an agile and responsive paper supplier. The extensive paper offering, customer care and unique service offering Stora Enso can provide are a great fit for Bluetree’s needs. Stora Enso’s Lumi woodfree coated paper grade is a strategic high performing product range which includes digital printing technique The Lumi range combines excellent production values with ultimate versatility and flexibility in sheet-fed heat set offset printing. Excellent papers need to be complemented by efficient service. The key to keeping up with Bluetree’s fast moving business is the versatile service offering that Stora Enso can provide: reels from UK stock including load optimisation within 24 hours and sheets either in standard or bespoke pallets from Lumipaper Ltd in Mendlesham. With the bespoke sheet service, Lumipaper can help the customers reduce waste and cut down costs by placing their orders in the exact size needed for the job. Delivery can be achieved within 24 hours. Alongside the delivery service, Stora Enso customers are supported by a highly skilled local technical customer service team as well as have the option to use a recently launched remote technical service called Snap Support by Stora Enso. This is a mobile application through which customers can get easy
access to advice from over 30 technical experts from Stora Enso independent of location or time zone. Topics can cover whole customer processes from prepress to printing, converting & finishing. Being a strategic and committed supplier to Bluetree is very important for Stora Enso and we will continue to support Bluetree in their fast-moving business. Having one of the broadest selections of responsibly sourced papers made from recycled and virgin fiber as well as the company’s valuable industry experience, know-how and customer support, Stora Enso is a major print industry supplier. Part of the bioeconomy, Stora Enso is a leading global provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden construction and paper. Stora Enso is the second largest paper producer in Europe with an established customer base and a wide product portfolio for print media and office use. Customers benefit from Stora Enso’s broad selection of papers made from recycled and virgin fiber We employ some 25 000 people in more than 30 countries and our shares are listed on the Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Stockholm (STE A, STE R) stock exchanges. Our fiber-based materials are renewable, recyclable and fossil free. Our solutions offer low-carbon alternatives to products based on finite resources. We believe that everything that is made from fossil-based materials today can be made from a tree tomorrow.
www.storaenso.com
Adam Carnell with Mark Dempsey, discussing the install process of the first UK Landa S10p (behind).
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
get through this, we’ll have to change. A number of options were available to us, including offering a more flexible service in packaging. So, although that is still in this same sphere, custom packaging was very different from what we usually do internally. Then, by fluke, one of our suppliers looked at importing this mask-making equipment from a known supplier of wares, and that’s where we got the idea of moving into surgical masks.” However, for Bluetree Group, this wasn’t simply a stopgap measure until things “went back to normal”. “From the start, we decided if we were going to succeed in turning this from a short-term project into a long-term part of the business, we’d have to make sure we delivered the highest quality masks out there with the consistency of supply,” Carnell explains. “Everything on that side of the business, from the supply chain, machine parts to training programmes, has
BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 5
BLUETREE GROUP
been selected carefully.”
A LEARNING CURVE
As well as providing a way to help with the crisis and keep the business going, the move over to manufacturing face masks has been a huge confidence booster for Bluetree Group’s team. “For a lot of people, it’s been a very anxious time, especially as we’ve been very open about the numbers we’ve been putting out, including order intake,” Carnell acknowledges. “It means a lot of people in the business are encouraged just to know we’re coming out of this with a more diversified offering and a more resilient and robust response to this COVID challenge.” Of course, that doesn’t mean the shift over to making masks has been an easy one. “There’s been a huge amount of compliance to make sure we’re fully on top of it and we’ve
6 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
BLUETREE GROUP
the machine to understand and learn about them and develop our own training course. We’ve been trying to understand them and get the machines up to our level of safety requirements, so that’s been interesting. The masks we’re producing, nobody else has been producing in the UK for a while. All the skill sets, the understanding, we’ve had to pick up and learn in a very short timescale.”
really built our knowledge base in that area. We have several certifications and a good understanding of the processes in our existing business. It was just understanding the standard we had to build these masks to,” Carnell tells us. “Without a doubt, the biggest challenge has been making sure we had a clean and sterile environment to make the products in; from having positive air pressure in the building, all the way through to the cleaning regimes we need to have implemented.” Moving from printing to mask manufacturing has brought challenges for the staff as well. “It’s been a learning curve!” Carnell admits. “The machines have come directly from China, so even basic things like getting hold of English instruction manuals has been difficult. We put our engineering teams onto
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 7
GOULD INTERNATIONAL
WE LOVE THE PLANET AS MUCH AS WE LOVE PAPER
Specialising in the supply of print and paper management services.
A Division of
gouldpublicationpapers.co.uk mattp@gouldinternational.co.uk 07795 273517
35
YEARS
of business excellence
8 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
GOULD INTERNATIONAL UK Gould is a partner you can trust to advise on and supply your printing paper requirements on time and at the right price. We are the UK division of OVOL in Japan, one of the world’s largest paper distributors with 65 offices and distribution centres in 19 countries and sales annually in excess of $5 billion. Whatever your paper needs, web offset, sheetfed, laser or inkjet, we can provide a solution. WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT? We are a player in a global team and we can help across the entire lifecycle of the production process from the specification and selection right through to security shredding and waste collection. We have the knowledge and know how to help you make the right choice, keeping a close eye at all times on the requirements of the job, the environmental impact and the budget to be adhered to. Our relationships and volume with the paper mills we represent ensure the most competitive prices and we have the experience and skillset to guarantee delivery on time and in full. We love the planet as much as we love paper and we take the responsibility to our FSC and PEFC certificates very seriously and only work with manufacturers who care for the environment as much as we do. Please try us out. We’d love to hear from you and we’d love to help. Matt Pike – 07795 273517, mattp@gouldinternational.co.uk www.gouldinternational.co.uk
K Packaging Ltd Your Personalised Packaging Solutions • South Yorkshire’s largest independently-owned Packaging Company • • 10 years of year-on-year growth • • Over 30,000 sq. ft. of warehousing • • Friendly, efficient and effective • • Helpful, flexible, accommodating and competitive • • Next-day-deliveries available on all stock items • Unit 4D,E,G,H,J,K&L , Cornish Way, Barbot Hall Ind. Estate Rotherham S62 6EG United Kingdom Tel: 01709 377588 Email: info@kpackagingltd.co.uk
www.kpackagingltd.co.uk
CHAPELTON Chapelton have worked with Bluetree Group for a number of years and we have been very impressed with their creativity and forward thinking, which has led to significant growth during this period. With our large range of materials we have been able to offer Bluetree Group various options, allowing them to offer the best solution to their customers. Chapelton have been at the forefront of sustainability for many years, whether it is carbon reduction, forestry certified materials, recycled and recyclable substrates or plastic reduction in the print and packaging industry. We offer an unparalleled level of sustainable and innovative products.
We are proud to be a supplier to SUPPLYING THE INDUSTRY’S LEADING BRANDS
With a 10 strong team Chapelton selling 50,000 tonnes per year with a turnover in the region of £10 million, we have all the required accreditations and a state of the art computer system allowing us to provide quick and accurate answers to your questions. Now into our 35th year we have a significant amount of experience in finding and offering the right solution for the needs of our customers, whether that be in substrate requirement, storage management or logistic support we help to find the material that is most suitable and at the right cost for end use demands. Committed to providing the best quality products Chapelton have become a one stop shop for all your paper and packaging needs. Please contact us to discuss your print and packaging requirements. We will be delighted to show you how we provide you with the right material to save you money and help move you towards your sustainability goals. Contact 01622 882280 sales@chapeltonboard.com www.chapeltonboard.com
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
NORTH WEST MANCHESTER T: 0161 872 5666
YORKSHIRE CASTLEFORD T: 0113 887 2199
NORTH EAST & SCOTLAND GATESHEAD T: 0191 487 7130 MIDLANDS BIRMINGHAM T: 0121 333 5947
www.pyramid-display.co.uk E: sales@pyramid-display.co.uk
BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 9
KONICA MINOLTA - RETHINK EMBELISHMENT ROUTE 1 PRINT INVESTS IN KONICA MINOLTA’S MGI B1 JETVARNISH 3D EVO 75 “We were incredibly impressed with the capabilities of this machine and the opportunities it offers. With the MGI JETvarnish 3D Evo, we can introduce spot UV on a wider range of products, the option for low and high-build spot UV and foiling. It’s also highly automated, meaning we can set up multiple jobs one after the other, moving from long-run booklets to short-run business cards with ease. We needed equipment that would speed up production times without sacrificing quality. In fact, the MGI will improve our spot UV quality due to the AIS registration and inline corona treatment. “Working with Konica Minolta has been fantastic. They have given us unrivalled support throughout the entire journey, and we would not hesitate to work with the team in the future.” Adam Carnell, Managing Director, Route 1 Print WHY KONICA MINOLTA? • Automation was the key to the success, as thousands of orders are processed weekly. • Various jobs of different sizes could be processed from a single stack of prints, without the need for operator interaction. • Identification of the printed sheet is done with a unique barcode, inline scanning then matches the embellishment file to the pre-printed sheet. • The Artificial Intelligent Scanner scans the sheet to be printed and making live print adjustments ensuring for perfect re-registration. • From order to installation within 6 weeks, allowing for existing capacity issues to be resolved Get In Touch Industrial.Print@konicaminolta.co.uk www.konicaminolta.co.uk/print-embellishment
10 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
BLUETREE GROUP
However, while obviously there has been necessary adaption, there have been surprising synergies at the same time. “From our operators’ point of view, the fundamentals are similar to the print side of the business,” Carnell points out. “On the print side, we have a lot of machines set up to run a continuous reel of paper. The mask machines run a continuous reel of fabric so there are lots of similarities and the cutting mechanisms are virtually identical.”
“FROM OUR OPERATORS’ POINT OF VIEW, THE FUNDAMENTALS ARE SIMILAR TO THE PRINT SIDE OF THE BUSINESS. ON THE PRINT SIDE, WE HAVE A LOT OF MACHINES SET UP TO RUN A CONTINUOUS REEL OF PAPER. THE MASK MACHINES RUN A CONTINUOUS REEL OF FABRIC SO THERE ARE LOTS OF SIMILARITIES AND THE CUTTING MECHANISMS ARE VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 11
BLUETREE GROUP
FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES
Looking forward, Carnell sees a wide number of opportunities for this new side of the business, even as the print side picks up again. “To start with, the idea of us moving into the surgical masks space was because we felt we had huge opportunities to sell retail-ready kits throughout our customer base,” he says. “You can imagine a free-standing display unit, which we can produce inhouse, loaded with masks to go into a retail environment. We thought we’d also be supplying small retailers, a lot who already buy directly from us on the print side. Plans, however, have evolved and we are proud to say that we are now supplying the NHS with our face masks.” Bluetree Group is already seeing impressive levels of demand. “If I’m honest, as soon as we
12 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE
“FOR THE LONG-TERM, WE SEE THAT THE GOVERNMENT WANT DOMESTIC SUPPLIERS OF THESE PRODUCTS IN SOME CAPACITY, AND A LOT OF BUSINESSES REQUIRE THESE PRODUCTS TO OPERATE. WE WILL HAVE TO MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A REALLY ROBUST SUPPLY CHAIN, WITH A LONG-TERM VISION.” started, we’ve had to rehash and grow and expand our plans every week to meet the level of demand we’re seeing,” says Carnell. “For the long-term, we see that the government want domestic suppliers of these products in some capacity, and a lot of businesses require these products to operate. We will have to make sure they have a really robust supply chain, with a long-term vision.”
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
BLUETREE GROUP
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 13
BLUETREE GROUP
WWW.BLUETREEGROUP.CO.UK