Finishing & Screen Printing
Provincial re-equips following mid Atlantic acquisition
Wednesday 02. June 2010 - Cardiffs Provincial Printing & Publishing has the unusual claim of owning what must be a contender for the remotest printing works in the world. There is no airport on the island of St Helena so to reach the company, Printech, Provincials managing director Ian Fitzgerald and his wife and co-director Sue had to fly to Ascension Island and sail across to St Helena.
The acquisition took place this year, three years after Mr Fitzgerald fulfilled his ambition to visit the island. He met the German owner of the only printing works to serve the 3,800 population, printing everything including two local newspapers.
This was the background to Mr Fitzgeralds visit to Ipex with his wife Sue and production manager Huw Treharne where they snapped up off the stand the Stahlfolder KH66 automated combination machine and a Ti 52 folder along with a secondhand MO.
The folders are for the Welsh company, freeing up an older machine for St Helena which will be delivered along with the refurbished MO press.
“We are updating our Provincial Printing plant with what is a hugely automated machine which will give us significant time saving,” says Mr Fitgerald. “The speedy swap over between jobs and the ability to store jobs will be a great asset. We can even stop a job, handle an urgent contract, and then resume the previous job effortlessly.”
Provincial is a 12 employee operation handling a broad range of work, including a quantity of English-Welsh bilingual contracts. It has survived the downturn by being flexible and is confident that an upturn is taking place.
Printech employs seven staff. Mr Fitzgerald does not regard his international expansion as the start of a global empire. His St Helena operation is run by a CEO and commercial manager, both “Saints” (as St Helenians are known as) and he and his wife will continue to make annual visits to ensure all is well.