• MEET THE MILL: GARDA
• A VIEW FROM THE OUTSIDE: STATIONERS HALL
• UP CLOSE & PERSONAL: STACI TERRY
• INTRODUCTION TO EPR
• WHERE’S MIKE? CONTEST
• HUMOUR: THE PAPER CUP
...AND MORE
The Overview
SOME THOUGHTS FROM DENMAUR GROUP CEO, ANDY BUXTON
Hello Team,
As we enter the summer months, we are already seeing lower volumes in this period.
This is not unusual, because of holidays etc, and is despite the small print boom for the World Cup.
All mills, merchants and publishers are talking the same game.
That brings us to where we are.
Our volumes via stock are currently up on last year, which is a great effort by many in the wider team.
We are winning market share with film lamination, with Warren Curtis supported by our internal teams.
We are growing our conversion sales and volumes into new customers. Tony Hardy, Alex Bradburn and the converting team have been agile to accommodate new converting methods to win business.
This is why Denmaur acquired Middleton/Vision. It can be a real differentiator from any of our competition. mill or merchant.
We are starting to win new business in Northern Ireland with a paper agent (Sonny Vance), who has great knowledge of the customer base there.
More importantly, he is on the ground and talks the lingo!
There will continue to be much consolidation in the print and paper market.
Followed closely by speedier diversification into new markets with new products.
Again, all mills and merchants seek it.
Whilst we see these market conditions, there is always a prominent threat of customer bad debt. But our team have worked hard on minimising any such debt for Denmaur.
I would particularly like to highlight Mark Harsent’s diligence with not only caution with some customers but also rigour to gain new credit limit availability to support more opportunities and sales. Yes, you can teach an old dog new tricks! – well done and thank you sir!
Our teams remain stretched to the challenges in all departments, but in the main have hit them head on.
This new financial year, as others will continue to bring change as our customers and markets change.
The secret is to get ahead of it, not trying to catch the ball over your head.
Our message is simple... be supportive to colleagues, be agile, be resilient, and deliver best in class customer service externally and internally.
Thank you all for your hard work.
From The Editors note
In this edition of the mag we are doing something a bit different by providing more focus on some of our personnel. As you will notice, our cover features Alex Bradburn, Trade Conversion Manager at our Bescot conversion facility. Want to know what he is holding? Take a look inside.
Our Meet the Mill section features Lecta’s Garda mill in the Lake District of Italy. Garda has become a major supplier to Denmaur and this article will give some insight into the mill’s capabilities.
Our View From the Outside describes the history and lore of The Stationers’ Company as seen through the eyes of its CEO, Giles Fagin
Want to know about Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) from our Director of Marketing and Sustainability, Danny Doogan? That’s inside, too while our ever popular personnel profiles let you get to know Staci Terry in Sales Support and a Jill of all trades for other departments, Charlie Dunsmuir, Head of Development, and Brian Lawes, Inside Sales, Commercial Print.
In short, lots to read about People | Paper | Planet. Enjoy.
The Editors themag@denmaur.com
In this edition
THE OVERVIEW
FROM THE EDITORS MEET THE MILL: GARDA A VIEW FROM THE OUTSIDE: STATIONERS’ HALL DENMAUR’S WORLD UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: STACI TERRY RUNNING FOR CAUSE
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: GARDA
INTRODUCTION TO EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY (EPR) DEPARTMENT NEWS
DENMAUR FAMILY CORNER: CHARLIE DUNSMUIR / BRIAN LAWES DID YOU KNOW? / NEW JOINERS
HUMOUR: THE PAPER CUP LEADOO AND WEB CHAT
MUSIC IN OXFORD
WHERE’S MIKE? CONTEST
LOOK WHO’S HAVING A BIRTHDAY THE LONGEVITY LIST
Meet the Mill: Garda
Cartiere del Garda is a leading Italian manufacturer of coated woodfree paper, based in Riva del Garda, Trentino. Renowned for its premium Garda-branded papers, the mill serves the publishing, commercial print and packaging sectors, supplying customers throughout Europe and international markets.
As part of the Lecta Group, Cartiere del Garda combines a long-standing tradition of Italian papermaking excellence with advanced manufacturing technology.
The mill is recognised for its commitment to innovation, product quality and sustainability, while it continues to invest in environmentally responsible production processes.
Sustainability
The Alto Garda Power Project was developed to support the energy demands of the Garda mill. The project harnesses local hydroelectric resources to provide a sustainable power source for paper production, reducing the dependence on fossil fuels, lowering carbon emissions and improving operational efficiency at the mill.
In addition to strengthening the mill’s long-term energy security, the Alto Garda Power Project contributes to the region’s socio-economic development.
Facts & Figures: Garda in Numbers
UN
(tonnes per year)
Founded in Products Lecta Group
High quality coated papers for all modern printing technologies
(since 1997)
Flagship
Garda Silk & Garda Gloss
Luxury grades, known for their print fidelity, surface smoothness and brilliant colour reproduction.
Group Sustainable Development Goals
Lecta recognises the importance of the UN Group Sustainable Development Goals, and supports 11 of the 17, which have been identified as relevant where the group has significant impacts through its operations and products.
Paper Produced at Garda
Garda Silk Garda Digital Silk (Matt)
Garda Gloss Garda Digital Gloss
Garda Velvet
All exclusive through Denmaur in the UK
Lecta’s SBTi validated 2030 reduction targets*:
53.1% for Scope 1 and 2 emissions and 25% reduction for Scope 3 emissions.
Delivery Carbon Footprint
CO2 calculations based on recent Defra data
Road
Rail
Sea
Road
Total
Mill to Novara
Novara to Zeebrugge
CO2 per tonne of paper 3.504kgs CO2 per tonne of paper
Zeebrugge to Purfleet Purfleet to Denmaur Bardon 30.241kgs CO2 per tonne of paper
CO2 per tonne of paper 58.772kgs CO2 per tonne of paper
*2021 baseline
NOVARA
A View From Outside
The Livery Company for the Paper Trade - The Stationers’ Company
By Giles Fagin, CEO (Clerk)
Not many people know about livery companies. I certainly didn’t until I started working for one 15 years ago - the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers, based in the City of London. The breadth of expertise, the depth and level of engagement that the BPIF has across all aspects of UK print have meant that we’ve been able to play a vital role in supporting members and the wider sector.
Not to be confused with the liveries that care for horses, livery companies were set up as guilds hundreds of years ago to protect their trades through regulation and training.
The Stationers’ Company is the livery company for the paper, print and publishing industries and now covers a wide range of trades, which we call the ‘communications and content’ industries – this includes paper, print, publishing, packaging, newspapers, journalism, authorship, librarianship and conservation, book selling, office products, stationery… and digital industries like graphic design, websites and content creation is consistently strong, and our expertise ensures we’re able to ensure the sector has the skills for now and a pipeline for the future.
As the government reviews the UK skills landscape, our dual expertise as both industry association and training provider enables us to advocate effectively for sectorspecific needs.
Founded in 1403, the Company was given the name ‘Stationers’ because the trades they represented (text writing, book binding, paper manufacturing and illuminating) operated from fixed positions, or ‘stations’, mainly around places of worship like St Paul’s Cathedral. What they sold – parchment, quills, inks – became known as ‘stationery’.
When William Caxton came over to England with a printing press, the Stationers’ Company had to evolve to survive.
They embraced this new technology and became the guild representing printers. In 1557, Queen Mary Tudor gave the company a Royal Charter in return for regulating the printing and publishing trades. Printers had to have a licence with the Stationers’ Company in order to print anything. If manuscripts were deemed heretical or antimonarchy, the Stationers had the right to destroy these books.
The Stationers’ Company developed the concept of copyright in 1557. We still hold in our archives at Stationers’ Hall the Registers dating back to 1557, which list the publications and the people who owned the right to print them. One of the gems in the archive is from 1623, which notes the publication of Shakespeare’s First Folio – the first collection of Shakespeare’s plays, arguably the most important printed book.
Another jewel in the Stationers’ crown is Stationers’ Hall. A grade 1 listed building and scheduled monument, Stationers’ Hall was acquired by the Company in 1611. It burned down in the Great Fire of London in 1666, after a Baker left the oven on overnight and destroyed a whole City. Rebuilt by 1673, Stationers’ Hall survived the Blitz of London in the Second World War. It has the same use today as it has for 350 years, as a place to meet, exchange ideas, evolve and thrive.
There are over 1,000 members in today’s Stationers’ Company, who come from the paper, print, packaging, publishing and associated industries. Although steeped
in 600 years of history, the Company strives to remain modern and relevant in today’s ever evolving world. Each year we hold many industry related events where we discuss the issues of the day. A couple of years ago, Mark Cropper talked to us about ‘The world’s most remarkable material’.
Whilst delivering his lecture, Mark made a piece of paper from strands of old bed linen and finished it off by standing on it for the final 20 minutes of his talk. It was truly remarkable. This February, we discussed ‘Should young people be banned from social media?’ The Government must have been listening to us, given their recent announcement.
We are very proud that members of the Denmaur community are also members of the Stationers’ Company. Our members are the custodians of the Company and of Stationers’ Hall.
It is their enthusiasm and commitment that keep the Stationers’ relevance alive. It is not just individuals who can join, but businesses can too. To find out more about the livery company for the paper industry, visit www.stationers.org. The Denmaur community is always welcome.
DENMAUR’S WORLD
It’s all about sports in this edition.
Our cover star is Alex Bradburn holding the winner’s trophy for defeating Redditch 4-2 in the Midlands Cup Final in a football league consisting of teams from across the East and West Midlands. You can see him with the rest of his team in the photo.
Changing sports, Denmaur is proud to sponsor the Holcombe & Blue Hill CC, the cricket team of Brian Lawes’ son, Harry. Could there be another Ian Botham in this group? Time will tell.
Up Close and Personal: Staci Terry
Originally from a small village just south of the Humber Bridge, Staci came to Leicester in 2011, as a student at De Montfort University, before finding her way to Denmaur 5 years ago where she now jokingly refers to herself as the “Jill of all Trades” assisting many different departments in Denmaur with various tasks.
When she’s not working, Staci spends her time with friends and is an avid music fan. She is also fascinated by a good true crime documentary.
Getting to know Staci in 10 questions:
tm: What did you do before joining Denmaur?
ST: Before Denmaur I worked for a company that supplied call centre software & VoiP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phones. Before that I was a university student studying Forensic Computing at DMU here in Leicester so I’d like to think I’m qualified to tell you that turning your computer off and on again will fix your problems 99% of the time!
tm: Favourite thing about Denmaur?
ST: People will go out of their way to help you to the best of their capabilities if you ever need them.
tm: Favourite thing about your job?
ST: My day-to-day tasks are extremely varied as is the nature of my role, I enjoy being able to work in many different departments with different tasks.
tm: Who would play you in the film ‘Denmaur’?
ST: With obvious parallels to “The Office”, I’d think Jenna Fischer is an ideal actress to play me.
tm: What is your favourite piece of print?
ST: The scrapbook my good friend made for me of photos of me and my friends and their favourite memories with me, 2020 wasn’t the best year for me for obvious reasons and that really helped pull me out of a bad place. Always look after your mental health!
tm: Why should people continue to use paper and board?
ST: There is nothing like holding a piece of media rather than a digital copy, give me a physical copy of a book over a Kindle any day.
tm: If you were given £1000 to donate to charity, which one would it be?
ST: Well, they do say charity begins at home… I am joking of course; I would donate to Refuge.
tm: What would be your specialised subject in Mastermind?
ST: Not specifically Mastermind but at my local pub quiz there is a round called “1 second song” where the quizmaster plays 1 second of a song and you have to name the song title and artist from that 1 second. I’m yet to get one of those wrong so I’d think that would be a specialist subject for me.
tm: Favourite holiday destination?
ST: I have a few but if I had to narrow it down to two, I would have to say Centre Parcs (peace and quiet surrounded by wildlife, what’s not to like?!) or Download Festival (being a rock / metal / pop punk fan it’s right up my street!).
tm: Why should people buy from Denmaur?
ST: Each member of staff will go above and beyond to help our customers with their needs whether that be a specific delivery requirement or a specific paper / board requirement. It’s those personal touches that make Denmaur stand out amongst other paper merchants.
Running for Cause
It’s great to reveal some of the quirks, good causes and interests of our own employees but sometimes it is good to do that with our friends and people outside the company. Rob Slowe, MD at Arctic Paper is one of those friends.
Earlier this year he and his daughter, Imogen, ran the London Marathon on behalf of Imogen’s aunt and cousin, Christopher, by raising money for VICTA, a small national UK charity that empowers blind and partially sighted children and young adults to combat the isolation and loneliness that can come with vision impairment by encouraging them to push past limiting vision expectations and forge their own successful path forward.
Why this charity? Because Christopher has retinitis pigmentosa (RP). RP causes gradual vision loss and there is currently no cure. With VICTA’s help, using sport and activity based learning, they bring young people together in fun, supportive environments helping them build friendships, skills and confidence.
So, our hats are off to Rob and Imogen to show that 26.2 miles isn’t such a difficult challenge when you know that fundraising from it can help your extended family as well as children and young adults going forward.
Product Spotlight
DENMAUR X GARDA
March marked a significant milestone for Denmaur with the announcement that the company had been appointed the exclusive UK paper merchant for Garda Gloss and Garda Silk – one of Europe’s leading premium coated paper ranges.
Manufactured by Lecta at its mill close to the shores of Lake Garda in Northern Italy, Garda Gloss and Garda Silk have quickly become Denmaur’s flagship grades for gloss and silk papers. The premium triple coated woodfree range combines exceptional print performance with impressive environmental credentials, being both FSC® certified and Carbon Balanced at Source.
Through the Carbon Balanced at Source programme, the carbon balancing process is funded by Lecta, allowing Denmaur customers to use the Carbon Balanced Paper logo on Garda Gloss or Silk at no additional cost – adding further value to an already outstanding product.
The range has been selected not only for its sustainability credentials, but also for its exceptional quality. The Garda range offers excellent bulk, outstanding brightness and superb print reproduction, making it the ideal choice for high-impact commercial print where appearance and performance are paramount.
Behind the product is a manufacturing operation designed for reliability. The Garda mill operates two paper machines, providing valuable resilience and helping to ensure continuity of supply, even during planned maintenance or unexpected downtime. Combined with strong sheet stock availability and cutter reel capability, this gives customers added confidence in both service and supply.
To support the launch, Denmaur has invested heavily in stockholding. Standard sheet sizes are now available from the Bardon warehouse, with reel stock due to be introduced shortly at Bescot, ensuring nationwide availability across the UK.
The launch has also been accompanied by a striking new marketing campaign developed by the Denmaur marketing team.
Inspired by the elegance, luxury and premium performance of the Garda range, the campaign includes beautifully designed A5 swatches, finger swatches, A5 and A6 product cards, together with a limited-edition A3 print produced on both Garda Gloss and Garda Silk.
A full range of A4 samples and dummy sheets are available from Sittingbourne Samples department to support customer requests.
At a time when global consolidation and rationalisation continue to reshape paper manufacturing, securing exclusive UK distribution for such a prestigious grade represents far more than a new product launch.
It is a strategic investment in Denmaur’s future, strengthening our product portfolio, enhancing our competitive position and giving customers exclusive access to one of the market’s finest coated paper ranges.
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
DANNY DOOGAN ddoogan@denmaur.com
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is environmental legislation that makes producers responsible for the management of their products and packaging at the end of their useful life. Its purpose is to reduce waste, increase recycling rates and encourage businesses to consider the environmental impact of the products they place on the market.
In the UK, EPR represents a significant reform of the previous Packaging Waste Regulations. Under the scheme, companies that manufacture, import, distribute or sell products are required to contribute to the collection, recycling and disposal of the waste associated with those products and their packaging. This helps reduce the financial burden on local authorities and taxpayers while ensuring that producers take greater responsibility for the waste they generate.
EPR was introduced in response to growing concerns about environmental pollution, increasing waste volume and the unsustainable use of natural resources. By holding businesses accountable for the full lifecycle of their products and packaging, the legislation encourages the use of fewer materials, improved recyclability and a reduced environmental impact. This supports the transition to a circular economy, where resources are reused and recycled rather than discarded after a single use.
In the UK, EPR is primarily focused on packaging waste. Businesses that place packaging on the market may be required to collect and report packaging data and contribute towards the costs of waste collection, recycling and recovery.
The level of responsibility depends on factors such as the size of the business and the volume of packaging supplied.
At Denmaur, our EPR obligations relate to the packaging materials used in the supply of paper reams, pallets and reels. These materials include plastic shrink wrap, paper and board for wrapping and labels, and wooden pallets.
To meet our obligations, we use an approved industry methodology to calculate the quantity of packaging materials placed on the market through our sales activities. These figures are reported to our compliance scheme every six months to ensure regulatory compliance.
Based on the reported volumes, we contribute our proportionate share of the costs associated with the collection, recycling, and recovery of these materials, helping to support the UK’s packaging waste management and recycling infrastructure. In 2025, this cost amounted to £21,600.
While EPR does involve additional costs for businesses, it is an essential piece of legislation that promotes sustainable waste management, improves resource efficiency, and supports long-term environmental sustainability.
By ensuring that producers take responsibility for the environmental impact of their products and packaging, EPR plays an important role in creating a more circular and resource-efficient economy.
Department News
Carton Board and Reel Fast
BEN INGALL bingall@denmaur.com
Despite the recent changes in personnel and some challenging market conditions, we continue to increase our volumes within the carton board market. This is coming from both “traditional” carton converters and the commercial print sector, with increasing numbers of the latter expanding into packaging given the changing dynamics of the industry.
Our Reel Fast conversion volumes continue steady growth and now make up approx. 45% of our total carton board volumes. Kathryn Ryall and Andy Livesey have recently secured our largest single Reel Fast order – 60 tonnes followed by 30 tonnes of stock for the same job.
The Reel Fast product offering is wide ranging in terms of qualities, widths and most importantly service and is unique in
the UK merchant sector. Our sales, production and warehouse team have all worked very tightly together to ensure a complete carton board and conversion service offering – Thank you all. Many new indent opportunities have been realised across the business with Kris and Mark Lees kicking open some new doors as well as existing customers coming into the Denmaur carton board world on a larger scale.
We continue discussions with potential new lines of supply across a range of products for the business and will keep you updated of any developments.
If you need any support with regard to product, service or supply let me know. I’m here to support the whole of the business where I can.
ANDY FAITHFUL afaithful@denmaur.com
The Commercial Print Market is extremely volatile at present. An over production capacity of paper and board has not helped the need for price increases and volume at the same time.
It has been positive to see the heat set web market winning work previously lost overseas, back into the UK.
Equally, the web market is relatively buoyant at present, a category that Denmaur has realised real success.
Our “Web Team” of Andy Livesey and Kathryn Ryall have proven to be “The Dynamic Duo” of reel sales – Kathryn has been outstanding in her ability to create solutions for Denmaur with customers who traditionally buy direct with Andy making the deals happen.
As part of our succession planning, I am pleased to note that Cameron Faithful starts a probationary period in Field Sales for 8 weeks and one day a week.
Cameron will focus geographically in Kent, Surrey and Greater London – this provides him with an opportunity to see if it’s
something he wishes to pursue full-time without the pressure of full-time field sales.
Denmaur has also significantly bolstered its frontline team with Murray Colebrook who joins us from Ovenden. I have personally known Murray for many years and is without doubt one of the best operators in merchanting. Murray will focus on key accounts and new business development.
As part of our diversification, Denmaur is also working collaboratively with partners in the packaging and food sectors that can provide innovative first to market products. We are now actively talking to End Users about in the box solutions with compostable features to replace plastic.
One of our products offers “Crush Fit” and “Drop Safe “ benefits that can be game changers for large end clients that need such solutions with an environmental benefit. Denmaur leads the way in this sector.
Publication Paper
JULIAN TOWNSEND jtownsend@denmaur.com
Whilst EUDR demanded a significant element of 2025, this year is the year of the proposed joint venture between UPM and Sappi.
With binding/definitive agreements in place since May and Phase 2 of the European Commission underway, this is potentially the most significant consolidation I have witnessed in my 45-year involvement with European graphical paper.
Outside of any of the anticipated synergies, financial benefits and rationalisation achieved by the joint venture, the combined business has an implied enterprise value of around €1.4 billion.
There is clearly great concern regarding the potential reduced competition within the woodfree coated sector. However, the mechanical coated sector is our key focus and concern.
Potentially, Kirkniemi, Caledonian, Augsburg, Rauma etc. will serve the publication sector from within the JV and direct competition for virgin fibre mechanical coated papers to be consumed within the UK may prove to be a single Norske Skog paper machine.
Alternative European sources are committed to the supply of recycled content grades or are restricted by logistics, such as Burgo’s site in Italy.
Unlike the woodfree coated sheet sector, where significant volumes are available from the Far East, ‘deep water’ imports of mechanical coated grades are limited, particularly following the decline of US manufacturing capacity.
Although recent tariffs confuse the picture, the US has consistently imported far greater volumes of European paper than they export in return. Recent statistics suggest this can be as much as 3.5 to 1.
Precise details are still to be confirmed, but the market expectation is for operating synergies to save at least €100 million per annum across the 12 or so sites and the 20 plus paper machines.
Energy will be a key area, as achieving a low CO2 footprint is essential within sustainable paper production. A recent article suggested one tonne of CO2 per tonne of production may equate to the equivalent of €100 per tonne of additional production costs and this is critical for an industry where margins are so low.
In 2025, UPM set ambitious targets to reduce their Scope 1 & 2 carbon footprint for their European mills by more than 70% over the next 5 years. This will provide an average CO2 per tonne of paper produced to just 100kgs CO2.
Conversion Services
TONY HARDY thardy@denmaur.com
Our Walsall conversion site in the West Midlands was purpose built to deliver.
With three Pasaban sheeters, a Pasaban rewinder, plus guillotining, rewrapping and refurbishing capabilities, we cover the full spectrum of reel and sheet conversion to the highest standards and with proven processes and controls.
But we would say that, wouldn’t we?
Luckily, however, our customers agree. Recently we have hosted a number of successful site audits, giving customers full visibility of our operations and procedures.
These audits also give us the opportunity to showcase how we work, emphasising our attention to detail, quality consistency, and commitment to maintaining the highest standards across every stage of the process.
But behind all of this is our people, production staff and others to whom we give our greatest thanks.
Lamination
WARREN CURTIS wcurtis@denmaur.com
For more than two decades, Temptation laminate, also known as “Soft to Touch laminate”, has been one of the most sought after premium finishing laminates in the commercial print industry. Renowned for its distinctive tactile feel and elegant appearance, it has enhanced everything from books and folders to menus and high end marketing materials.
Until now, however, the food packaging sector has been unable to benefit from this premium finish, as no global manufacturer has successfully brought a fully certified food safe version to market.
That is about to change thanks to TroFilms, our speciality partner.
Denmaur Print Lamination Division is proud to introduce “Temptation PAC”, a fully certificated, food safe, soft to touch laminate designed specifically for food packaging applications.
Temptation PAC combines the luxurious look and feel of the original Temptation laminate with the compliance standards required for food contact packaging, opening up new opportunities for brands seeking to create a premium shelf presence.
In an increasingly competitive retail environment, packaging plays a crucial role in influencing purchasing decisions. Temptation PAC enables food manufacturers and brand owners to differentiate their products through a sophisticated tactile finish that immediately communicates quality and exclusivity.
Beyond its exceptional sensory appeal, Temptation PAC is fully compatible with a wide range of decorative and value added finishing applications, including:
• Spot UV
• Hot foil stamping
• Embossing
• Other specialist decorative effects
With Temptation PAC, Denmaur Print Lamination Division is bringing a new dimension of luxury to the food packaging market, enabling brands to combine outstanding aesthetics, tactile excellence and food safe certification in a single innovative solution.
Sustainability
DOOGAN ddoogan@denmaur.com
It appears the implementation for the long awaited EUDR is 30 December 2026.
The most significant change for the print industry is that finished printed products classified under Chapter 49including books, newspapers, magazines and other products of the printing industry, have been removed from the scope of the EUDR as part of the simplification package agreed in late 2025.
The decision followed concerns from EU member states and industry stakeholders about the administrative complexity of the regulation and the readiness of supporting IT systems.
The EU Council concluded these products present a limited deforestation risk, making their exclusion an effective way to reduce compliance burdens.
For UK printers exporting to the EU, this represents a welcome reduction in regulatory obligations for finished Chapter 49 products. However, businesses should remain alert to products classified under HS Code 48.19, which covers cartons, boxes, bags and other paper or paperboard packaging exempting packaging used solely to transport or protect another product.
Printers should now review the HS classifications of all exported products, confirm whether they fall within scope, and understand their role in the supply chain.
They should also obtain traceability and legality evidence from suppliers, ensure Due Diligence Statement (DDS) references are available where required, and equip customer-facing teams with clear guidance to answer compliance queries confidently and accurately.
DANNY
The Denmaur Family Corner
Meet Charlie Dunsmuir, Head of Development
Charlie is Mr Dev-Ops at Denmaur and well suited for it.
Starting with maintenance tending to 1,500 robots at a manufacturing firm, he then went into IT at BMW before coming to Denmaur last year after an interim job with a software vendor.
Getting to know Charlie in 10 questions...
How does your role at Denmaur differ from your other jobs?
Who would play Charlie Dunsmuir in “Denmaur-The Movie”?
What is the best darts score you have ever had and how did you do it?
What is the most interesting thing about development-operations and how do you approach it?
Beach, mountains or other locale for a holiday?
What did you buy with your first paycheck?
If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you do?
What three people, living or dead, would you invite to have dinner with you?
What would be your specialty on a pub quiz team?
What is your favourite aspect in working at Denmaur?
Charlie has a partner of 17 years, who is a financial assistant at a school outside Oxford, and four young children, 1 boy and 3 girls ranging in age from 3 to 9.
Charlie played football until age 24 when an injury ended that pastime for him. Now he is a master of darts at pub level.
It’s a lot slower paced than what I’m used to but it is refreshing with lots of room for growth.
This is a hard one for me so I did an AI search for bald male actors and settled for Bruce Willis although much older. Could I play him in “Die Hard”? I don’t know but he’s one of my favourite actors.
I’ve had many 180’s in games, but the least darts I’ve finished a leg in is 11 and the highest checkout in a competitive match is 150.
I love the ability to effectively start with a blank canvas, write lots of text and have a fully useable system at the end of it. Right back to my Engineering days I’ve always enjoyed being able to produce a finished product from almost nothing.
Beach is the destination for me but I’m not much of a sun bather I’d rather be in the sea itself. Also having 4 young kids we can spend hours building sandcastles, crabbing or just messing around.
My first decent enough paycheck went towards my first car and insurance to get me on the road. Nothing too fancy a 15 year old Vauxhall Astra which was meant to be red but was definitely a sun faded Orange.
Pay my mortgage off immediately! That would be step 1 at least followed by a nice family holiday and a fancy car.
Steven Gerrard as my Liverpool hero growing up, George RR Martin as the author of Game of Thrones and finally Robin Williams, one of my favourite actors growing up and an amazing sense of humour.
Sports but specifically football.
So far, the people. Everyone has been incredibly welcoming and supportive since my start.
The Denmaur Family Corner
Meet Brian Lawes, Sales For Commercial Print
Brian is a 15 year veteran at Denmaur.
Before getting into the paper industry Brian went to Westminster College in London and studied Sports & Recreation / Leisure Management after which he worked in Sports Centres coaching kids in a wide range of sports which totally agreed with him.
Getting to know Brian in 10 questions...
Which do you think is the better sport, cricket or table tennis?
If you hadn’t gone into the paper business, what else might you have done?
What is the best part of your job at Denmaur?
What was Denmaur like 15 years ago when you joined?
Beach, mountains or other locale for a holiday?
If you were able to make a substantial donation to a charity, which one would it be and why?
What did strangers think when you were all hairy as a ‘Wookiee’?
Who would play you in ‘DenmaurThe Movie’?
I’m told you like 80’s & 90’s music. What songs would make your Desert Island playlist?
Without naming names, what has been your most difficult episode, the one that sticks in your mind ?
His career first took him to the sample department at Robert Horne followed by a stint at James McNaughton Paper which was subsequently acquired by Antalis from where he came to Denmaur.
He is married to spouse, Emma, since June 2001 and they have a 13 year old son, Harry (mentioned elsewhere in this issue)
I have to say cricket as I spend so much time watching my son play and spend so much time at the cricket club (and its bar which is a bonus)
I think I would have continued being a sports coach or a property developer as I love the TV programme ‘Homes Under the Hammer’
I know most people say it but it is the people I work with. The paper trade isn’t the easiest at times, but we still have fun in the office which is very important for our sanity.
The job was a lot easier 15 years ago but Denmaur has always been a friendly company to work for.
Definitely mountains. You can’t beat a skiing holiday high in the mountains in the fresh air, I love it, especially the Apres-ski part.
Childrens cancer charity – one of my son’s friends passed away at a very young age. It was so sad.
I had to keep telling people I was being sponsored to look so scruffy. It was all worth it in the end though as I raised £3400 for my son’s cricket club.
Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff – I think we have a similar sense of humour.
To be honest this list could be endless but a few would be – Purple Rain (Prince), It must be love (Madness), Radio Ga Ga (Queen), Summertime (DJ Jazzy Jeff & the fresh prince), I still haven’t found what I’m looking for (U2) & Walk this way (Run DMC & Aerosmith).
After 3 months of being born my son went back down to his birth weight so was taken to hospital and kept in for over week. It’s all good now but it was the most scary thing we’ve been through.
Ben Lee
Duane Percival
Did you know? Who is Talon Reis?
Samples Manager at Sittingbourne, became a father for the fourth (!) time on Christmas Eve welcoming daughter, Sawyer into the world.
Now for something completely different. Talon Reis is the nom de plume of one of our employees who desires to remain nameless because, well, that is how nom de plumes work. What we can tell you is that Talon is a specialist in creating near future science fiction worlds as books.
Is reducing to 3 days a week with Denmaur from May 1st in order to allow him to spend more time where he is needed in a family supportive role.
Ian Michael
With several books already completed, Talon spends very early mornings at dawn before work - and sometimes again in the evenings - building a fictional universe one page at a time.
Neil Coleman
Sales Manager-Graphical at Denmaur supplier Arctic Paper got married to Jane Michael on 27 December.
Want to know more about Talon? Visit https://echoarchivepress.com
Former Denmaur employee, has been named as UK Sales Director at Denmaur supplier Burgo.
hand-heart
New Joiners
Rod James
Murray Colebrook
Murray joins us after being CoSales Director at Ovenden. His territory will be mainly dealing with accounts in Southern England but with some legacy accounts all the way up to Norfolk.
Fond Farewells
Welcome to the Denmaur family
Formerly Warehouse Supervisor at Bardon whose heart attack story featured in our last issue, has taken up a new position with Denmaur customer Sterling Press.
Steve White
Rainers Karlsbergs
Rainers as our new Transport Manager brings a wealth of logistics experience to the Bardon operation.
Cheyanne Ennis
Formerly in Commercial Print Outside Sales-South, retired at the end
When not immersed in paper sales, at one time Murray played for Shefford Rugby club. What better training for the rough and tumble of the paper industry?
David Gee
Prior to joining Denmaur, Rainers worked with Chiltern Distribution, Buffaload Logistics and Knights of Old. Before his logistics career, Rainers was a professional goalkeeper with Peterborough United.
Former Transport Manager-Bardon, has left the company for a new opportunity.
Is leaving Denmaur at the end of March after 17 years in Inside Sales at Sittingbourne, to seek a new challenge outside the paper industry.
Interesting Fact:
62% of the energy used to produce paper and paper packaging in Europe comes from renewable sources.
Humour: The Paper Cup face-smile-wink
By the time you read this the World Cup will have come and gone. Did Football Come Home? I don’t know as I write but it got me thinking. What if the paper industry were organised more like the World Cup? Instead of the cut and thrust of mills v merchants v end users where it is all about price, exclusivity and dissing your competitors (with or without reason) - did I mention price? - where the result is a discombobulated and unorganised industry, how about we try to bring some order to the chaos by following the format of the WC?
Herewith, The Paper Cup.
First of all, we know there are too many companies in an industry of declining demand. So we need a qualifying round to determine who gets to stay in the industry and who goes into administration. It would be organised according to regions in the UK with, for example, Scottish merchants and printers contesting with each other for best volume of orders, 3 points for the most orders in the pipeline, 1 point for more or less equal orders and no points for an order book that is simply too scary to contemplate. The same would be done in the south of Engalnd, the north of England, East Anglia, etc. with special emphasis on companies within the M25. That would winnow down what successful companies are left in the industry pretty quickly.
Mills would have their own qualifying areas in Europe, Scandinavia and Asia. Notice that I haven’t mentioned UK mills because, well, there just aren’t any anymore.
Then we would move on to the Group Stage where the qualifying mills, merchants, printers and other end users would face off against each other where customer complaints now come into play. Who competes against who would be determined by a celebrity draw pulling random company names on reels or sheets out of a
warehouse or plant using a fork lift. The whole thing would take place in Finland and be televised.
After competing in their groups, the top two companies with the best order book and fewest customer complaints would go through to the Knock-Out Stage. In this stage, the draw will determine who competes against what opponent and anything goes, kind of like a White House UFC contest.
Stealing sales personnel from competitors, mills pulling product lines from merchants without notice, printers using one end user’s paper for a different end user job and most of all, low balling price - did I mention price before? - leading all mills and merchants in a race to the bottom. Yes, it is brutal but so is the paper industry.
The end result comes down to the final, between the two most solvent companies in the industry (assuming there are two). Administration and maybe a pre-pack or two is the fate for everyone else. The outcome is determined by just one factor: who has wined and dined customers and potential customers the most. In the unlikely event of a tie, a shoot-out will occur by dermining who is the biggest tipper.
The winner gets carte blanche to win orders from every customer in the industry and the unfettered ability to tell suppliers what products they want an exclusive on and at what price. (I think I mentioned price already.)
Wait a minute I hear you saying, only one company left in the paper industry? How can that be better? My answer: That is probably what it will come down to anyway and this tournament to determine the survivor of the species will be a lot more fun.
Oh, and one more thing. This contest will only take place once every 30 years because it will take that long for the industry to recover.
May the best mill/merchant/printer win!
Invests in AI-Powered Chatbots
June saw the launch of a series of AI-powered chatbots across the Denmaur website, marking another step forward in enhancing the digital experience for our customers.
Developed by Leadoo, an award-winning European software company, in partnership with Denmaur’s Marketing team, the new chatbots are designed to help visitors navigate the website more easily, answer common questions and connect them with the right members of the Denmaur team. By providing instant support around the clock, the chatbots help bridge the gap between our Marketing, Sales and Customer Support teams, ensuring customers can access the information they need, whenever they need it.
The chatbots are fully GDPR compliant and, in the coming months, will be enhanced with a live chat function. This will enable visitors to engage directly with our Sales team to discuss products, services, pricing and tailored solutions in real time.
This project is one of many initiatives demonstrating Denmaur’s ongoing commitment to improving the customer experience through innovation and digital technology. As customer needs continue to evolve, so too will our website, ensuring we remain responsive, accessible and focused on delivering the highest levels of service.
Music in Oxford music
Not so much known in the UK print industry but our Chairman, Harry Gould, is quite an afficianado of The American Songbook, as the US composer tunes of the ‘30s, ‘40s, ‘50s and ‘60s is known, many of which became standards around the world and to this day.
Harry is not a musician himself (although he claims to have played a mean trumpet in his youth) but he puts on an annual concert in memory of his late wife and daughter at Lincoln Center in NYC.
It features top musicians and a wonderful singer from that area and an orchestra led by a now thoroughly Americanised Yorkshireman, James Langton.
However, this year in addition to the New York concert and because he has a connection with St Hilda’s College at Oxford, Harry did a concert there this June in St Hilda’s newly refurbished auditorium.
Bringing over the pond Langton plus three of the key New York musicians along with the singer while hiring additional top British sidemen and women to round out
Where’s Mike Competition
the sixteen piece orchestra, it was magical evening for a two-hour concert that St Hilda students, local Oxford residents and a small contingent of Denmaur personnel thoroughly enjoyed.
Will Harry make this an annual event in the UK? Time will tell.
Our last competition featuring Andy Buxton’s visage was so popular that we are doing it again but this time with an august portrayal of our founder and Vice-Chairman, Mike Gee.
Since it is the summer holiday season, we’re asking you to bring Mike along with you, not with you to talk paper but to take a video or photo of you as Mike at whatever summer locale you will be in. To make it even more authentic, holding a glass of wine or a bottle and wine label is encouraged.
Why should I bother, you ask? Because there is moolah involved and your work of art featured in the next edition of the mag.. The best three videos or photos, as judged by experts who know absolutely nothing about videography or photography, will win an Amazon gift card. What could be more fun?
Rules for Entries
• The deadline for all entries is 31.10.26 (so not necessarily a summer shot)
• In general, anything that is print worthy goes (we’ll use a still from a video)
That’s it. Let the games begin.
The Editors
Look who’s having a birthday cake
July
Neil Cobley
Ian Fry
Brian Lawes
Sarah Marshall
Sean Jackson
Parmjit Singh
Kathryn Ryall
Marcin Sowinski
August
Sarah Erswell
Ben Lee
Jason Darby
Mark Ashcroft
Glynn Bunce
Stephen Rathbone
Keith Hedges
Gregory Topliss
Terry Brookes
Murray Colebrook
Luca Cifaldi
Jamie Parker
Jeanette Gray-Mitchell
September
Matt Groom
Andy Moore
Alistair Nash
Julian Townsend
Jake Watson
Adrian Beckett
John Russell
Daryl Bird
Phillip Ferguson
Alex Bradburn
Lee McSweeney
Woj Trojanowski
October
Anne Attwater
Julie Crayford
Martin Travis
Gabriel Harbuz
Alan Bailey
Jonathan Austen
November
Andrew Buxton
Danny Doogan
Michael Keating
Sam Mills
Nigel Poole
Andrzej Plawski
Ian Williams
David Richards
December
Ricky Hirshfield
Robert Thraves
Staci Terry
Miriam Larkins
Henryk Dlugosz
Mathew Tobin
Daniel Thompson
Steven Evans
George Tarta
Kris Freer
Anna Patrascanu
Nathan Hayward
The Longevity List
44 YEARS
Stephen Rathbone
42 YEARS
Mike Gee
36 YEARS
Kevin Walls
34 YEARS
Ricky Hirshfield
29 YEARS
Julian Townsend
27 YEARS
Martin Travis
Julie Crayford
25 YEARS
Paul Cooper
Adrian Beckett
Martin Best
Stephen Hampson
23 YEARS
Anne Attwater
Sarah Marshall
Mark Ashcroft
Andy Faithful
Glynn Bunce
22 YEARS
Warren Jones
21 YEARS
Sarah Reed
David Richards
20 YEARS
Steven Evans
19 YEARS
Andy Moore
John Russell
Henryk Dlugosz
18 YEARS
Andrew Livesey
17 YEARS
Simon Cartwright Lee McSweeny 16 YEARS
Mathew Tobin
Ian Fry
15 YEARS
Mark Harsent
Joshua Kilby
Sean Jackson
Sarah Erswell
Parmjit Singh
Christopher Green 14 YEARS
Brian Lawes
Andrew Farmer
Graeme Richardson
Daryl Bird
12 YEARS
Jeanette Gray-Mitchell
Garreth Donnelly
Ben Lee
11 YEARS
Andrew Buxton
Zach Gargan
Duane Percival
Sam Mills
Jake Watson
Andrew Briars
Daniel Thompson
Neil Cobley
10 YEARS
Andrzej Plawski
Anna Berrisford
Jonathan Thompson
David Hensman
9 YEARS
Malcolm Costelow
Jordan Richardson
Inderjit Malhi
Michael Keating
8 YEARS
Andrew Evans
Robert Thraves
Ruth Moore
Alistair Nash
7 YEARS
Ian Williams
Jason Darby
Nimesh Amrat
Daniel Butler
Piotr Klimczak
Leon Griffiths
Harry Gould
Robert Gould
Stephen Bedworth
Vitalijs Vitkovskis
Alan Wilkins
6 YEARS
Matt Groom
5 YEARS
Ben Ingall
Jon Cooper
4 YEARS
Staci Terry
Abdulhamid Aghe
Karlene Rolls
Anthony Hardy
Miriam Larkins
Joe Barker
Nigel Poole
Helena Prusakevica
David Plummer
Bradley Taylor
Keith Hedges
3 YEARS
Phillip Ferguson
Anthony Bennett
Warren Curtis
Simon Bishop
Ross Hampson
2 YEARS
Gregory Topliss
George Tarta
Ashok Tandel
Ram Tamang
1 YEAR
Craig Bentham
Derrick Danquah
Terry Brookes
Gabriel Harbuz
Jamie Roberts
Mark Lees
Cameron Faithful
RECENT JOINERS
Kris Freer
Javd Abrar
Anne Bussey
Kathryn Ryall
Charlie Dunsmuir
Brad Goldsmith
Marcin Sowinski
Luca Cifaldi
Alan Bailey
Dave Birch
Jamie Parker
Peter Chinyere
Murray Colebrook
Paula McGrorty
Anna Patrascanu
Woj Trojanowski
Kishor Brahmbhatt
Ian George Plant
Rainers Karlsbergs
Nathan Hayward
Jonathan Austen
Like the swallows to Capistrano, the mag will return in February with more must read articles:
• Department News
• Up Close and Personal
• Meet the Mill
• Sustainability Centre
• Humour
... and much, much more
How To Contact Us
BARDON OFFICE: 01530 275500
BARDON WAREHOUSE: 01530 447068
BESCOT OFFICE: 01922 633333
BESCOT WAREHOUSE: 01922 929547
BRISTOL OFFICE: 01173 320863
SITTINGBOURNE OFFICE: 01795 432100
SITTINGBOURNE HEAD OFFICE Bonham Drive, Bourncrete House Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 3RY
MARKETING: 01795 502144
SAMPLES: 01795 432160
This is your magazine and can only be as good as the newsworthy items we know about. So please don’t be shy. All, and we mean, all news items, comments and suggestions are welcome. Just drop a line to themag@denmaur.com.
Published by Denmaur Independent Papers Limited, Bourncrete House, Bonham Drive, Sittingbourne, Kent ME10 3RY / © 2026 All Rights Reserved