Credentials…

History

• Founded in 1969 by the Billboard Company of America (to produce the weekly publication Record Retailer, now Music Week).
• Ownership changed a number of times.
• Tony Jones appointed as Chief Executive in March 2000.
• June 2003. Tony Jones completed a management buy-out of the business which by then was struggling and severely under-invested. Embarked on a significant investment programme.
• December 2004. Business makes its first annual profit for some years, and grows by 15%. Further major presshall investment.
• 2005-2008. Profitable growth and significant investment continues:
  • 2005. Further investment in Pre-Press and the Bindery. Business becomes a flag carrier of Agfa’s Apogee Portal web based proofing system delivering significant benefits to customers.
  • 2006. Installation of third 8 unit B1 perfecting press. Sales growth since the MBO of over 50%.
  • 2007. Installation of 5 colour B2 press with coating unit, specifically designed to deal with covers, together with a replacement polywrap mailing line incorporating the latest technology and added value options for publishers. Profits up by 50%.
  • 2008
    • Further Bindery investment with installation of a replacement Perfect Binder incorporating the latest technological enhancements.
    • Investor in People status awarded.
    • ISO14001 accreditation gained, together with chain of custody for FSC/PEFC accredited paper.
    • Launch of industry leading Digital Editions service.
    • Winner. Western Mail/University of Glamorgan awards: Welsh People Development Company of the Year.
    • Winner. Printing World/British Printing Industries Federation awards: Company of the Year (companies with more than 100 employees), and Improved Financial Performance.

Business

Based near Blackwood in South East Wales, Pensord operates out of 50,000 square feet of factory space, specifically designed around the short-run sheet-fed controlled circulation magazine market. The plant operates 24/7, employs over 130 people and turnover is in excess of £11m.

Specialist in the Magazine Sector

Pensord is orientated, from a production scheduling and workflow perspective, to provide a specialist service to magazine publishers. It provides a ‘one-stop-shop’ facility from pre-press digital and web-based processes, through material printing, binding and comprehensive finishing services, to product distribution via mail. In addition, the new Digital Editions service enables the creation of on line virtual multi-media publications. Pensord is registered to ISO 9001:2000.

Culture

Pensord’s enlightened culture is exemplified in the ‘Pensord Charter’ which was launched in December 2003. The Charter formalises the business ethics and teamwork on which the company operates, and places the customer (external and internal) at the focal point of the business. In addition, in February 2004 all staff were given a share of the business in the form of free share options; an industry leading scheme, this cements and aligns all employees’ motivation to provide best in class service. This culture of excellence, combined with ownership, progressive thinking and performance measurement, drives the business proactively to service current and future customer needs, and was recognised in 2006 when the business won the prestigious British Printing Industries Federation Excellence Award in the Turnaround category. This celebrates the success achieved by a significant positive turnaround in an organisation’s business – on financial performance, on its approach to solving problems, and the potential for lasting improvement.

Developing the skills and understanding of “Pensord people” is at the heart of everything the company does and this was recognised in February 2008 with the award of the Investors in People (IIP) standard. IIP assessor Julie Hobby said:

“I was impressed by the way the directors at Pensord had turned the business around into a highly effective organisation. The focus on developing a strong people culture is clearly adding value to the business. The IiP award is a worthy accolade for the hard work and achievements made by the whole team at Pensord.”

The outcomes of this culture are not just positive for customers and other stakeholders, but also for the local community through donations to good causes via the Pensord Charitable Trust. This was established in 2005 and raises funds in three ways: employees participate in fund-raising events, the company donates £1 for each print project on which it quotes, and also a share of profits. The current ‘adopted’ charity, chosen by employees, is the Hospice of the Valleys for which £35,000 has been raised so far.

Customer Service

Our customer service is derived from our culture – “Pensord People” are committed to excellence in all that they do. Our Customer Care Team lead and coordinate our service offering and this begins with the allocation of a dedicated Title Manager to each customer – to be the main contact and lead through the production process from file supply to mailing and despatch. In conjunction with our Title Managers, our estimating team work proactively with customers to identify the best value options.

Environment

Pensord takes its environmental and corporate social responsibilities very seriously. The site incorporates an area of special natural interest and the river Sirhowy flows near by. The company is accredited to ISO 14001 and FSC/PEFC chain of custody. The business utilises modern, energy efficient, machinery and vegetable based inks (soya and rape seed based). Waste process materials such as paper waste, used printing plates, cardboard and polythene are all recycled.

Operations – a genuine one-stop-shop

Pre-Press

Our pre-press suite comprises a fully digital end-to-end process encompassing Agfa’s state of the art Apogee Portal web-based file delivery and approval system. Plates are produced via our 40 B1 plate per hour Agfa XXT engine and our new Agfa Avelon 20 plate per hour machine, which also boasts chemistry-free production. Our pre-press team are all long-serving and experienced operators and our technical advice, enriched by our Adobe certified expert, is second to none.

Presshall

We deploy only the latest machinery with all three of our Heidelberg 8-unit B1 perfector presses having been acquired since 2003, and our latest investment in 2007 being a Heidelberg 5 colour B2 cover press incorporating a coating unit. These presses incorporate significant technological advances enhancing the printed image and maximising our efficiency and competitiveness.

Finishing and Binding

Our investment in the bindery is equally impressive, with a high speed saddlestitching line and two high speed folding machines having been acquired since 2003 and a new perfect binding line installed in January 2008. This complements our three MBO folders, two guillotines and back-up saddlestitching line, and ensures that we have the firepower to handle the ever increasing presshall output.

Mailing and Despatch

We have recently replaced one of our two in-line polywrapping mailing lines to increase our capacity. Much of our production is mailed direct to the end user and utilises our ink-jet addressing/messaging facilities. Bulk despatches are handled via our two local transport partners. In addition, our in-house handwork task force is available 24/7 to facilitate publishers’ high value added requirements such as cover mounts and specific page inserts.

Digital Editions

Our new service creates digital versions of publications. From simple page turning through to hyperlinks, and from the incorporation of multi-media through to collection of statistics on user activity, this facility can help publishers grow their offering, extend their brands, and potentially monetise their on-line presence.