Business - Knowledge

Roland DG has announced the appointment of a new dealer to its network. Based in Wokingham and with a nationwide reach, RGBuk is one of the UK’s leading large format and digital printing solutions providers, specialising in the photographic, fine art, production and CAD/GIS sectors.

Mat Drake, Business Manager, Commercial Print, Roland DG says: “We believe that appointing RBGuk - a company with such a well-respected and established reputation in the photographic and fine art sectors - will greatly accelerate our presence and reputation in these key markets. The company is driven by a complete focus on what the customer needs. It has a great team that really understands the technology, knows what it takes to run a small business and wants to work closely with customers to ensure they get the most out of each machine to maximise its revenue and potential.”

The appointment will see RGBuk initially taking responsibility for the selling and installation of Roland’s VersaCAMM VS-i wide format series, with both companies suggesting this could quickly expand to incorporate other machines from Roland’s portfolio over the course of 2015, once the market sees just how flexible these print and cut machines are.   

Part of the world’s best-selling print & cut range*, the VersaCAMM VS-i series is a perfect solution for the fine art and photographic sectors where quality and vivid colours are paramount. Available in three models - 64" (1.62m), 54" (1.37m) and 30” (0.76m) - and with a choice of five different ink configurations, the VS-i series uses Roland’s award-winning, high-opacity ECO-SOL MAX 2 inks. These inks have been engineered to deliver superb quality photo imagery, graphics and fine art prints with vibrant colours and sharp text.

Users can also add Metallic and White inks to add an eye-catching edge and added-value to any photograph or print. The series’ Light Black ink also improves grey scale gradations, natural skin tones and delivers the sharpest photographic images. The VersaCAMM VS-i wide format print and cut machines achieve stunning results across a world of applications, including; fine art,  large format photographic prints, banners, posters, stickers, vehicle wraps, window graphics, exhibition displays, floor graphics, point-of-sale displays, packaging prototypes and even heat transfers for garment decoration.

Ben Randall, Managing Director at RGBuk comments:  “Over many years we have built a successful business based on offering customers the highest quality service combined with some of the most comprehensive technical knowledge in the market. We constantly strive to provide our customers with unique and innovative products to help them make the most of their businesses. We’re very pleased to have been appointed by Roland DG. The company shares a similar ethos to us, putting the customer at the centre of everything they do and offering a comprehensive range of training and support services needed to ensure the customer succeeds. This is exactly what we do here with our Training, Education and Knowledge (TEK) centre and our on-site Demonstration Studio.”

Concludes Mr Drake: “The VersaCAMM VS-i gives photographers, galleries, and high street photo labs real flexibility, enabling them to both meet their current needs and diversify their businesses to add new revenue streams in the future. We’re looking forward to a long and successful relationship.”

*The Roland VersaCAMM is the best-selling wide-format inkjet printer for durable graphics. Source: InfoTrends, 2009 – 2013

Drytac has announced the appointment of ND Graphics as its exclusive national branded distributor for Canada. ND Graphics will be responsible for business growth in the sign and large format graphic markets.

As a result of its 2013 acquisition of a second manufacturing and coating operation in Toronto, Drytac has experienced greater demand for product distribution and the need for stronger brand awareness. Additionally, the company has become increasingly focused on expanding the markets to which it sells self-adhesive products, such as labels and tags used in packaging, automotive and industrial applications.

A top priority became the need for Drytac to partner with a market-leading distributor who could both support existing business and develop new business in the sign and imaging markets. ND Graphics has a longstanding presence in Canada and is well-known within these industries, making it an excellent choice for improving the overall experience for Drytac customers.

With 10 stocking locations across Canada and an outside sales staff of more than 30, ND Graphics is equipped to provide cost-effective solutions and technical support to customers seeking a one-stop shopping experience. It stocks approximately 4,000 industry-leading products, including equipment and print material, and has customer service and technical support teams to assist with customer inquiries.

According to Mike Wildbore, Vice President of Sales, “It is imperative that Drytac focus on manufacturing and custom coating in Canada. By partnering with ND Graphics, we will be able to shift our attention to industrial and non-graphic markets that offer untapped potential for our business.”

For further information regarding the new distribution agreement, please contact Mike Wildbore at mikewildbore@drytac.com (Canada inquiries) or Marc Oosterhuis at marcoosterhuis@drytac.com (U.S. inquiries).

European print and packaging businesses are “in for a nasty shock” according to Cambridgeshire, UK-based Industrial Inkjet Ltd (IIJ) when European Commission regulations come into force next month that are designed to help consumers understand more about the food they eat.

The strict new rules for food packaging cover a multitude of requirements ranging from details of ingredient lists, nutrition information and contact details, as well as the food source and font size.

Many printers and packers have been in the dark about the regulations that will have far-reaching impacts on brand owners, end users and supermarkets, and that will change the face of packaging across Europe. And for many, it will involve upgrading standard business procedures to cope with the Euro directives.

The relevant documentation comes under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, becoming applicable from 13 December 2014, which will replace the current requirements for the labelling of foodstuffs set out in Directive 2000/13/EC and the nutrition labelling requirements of Directive 90/496/EEC.

Translated down to the printer, run lengths are likely to become a fraction of what they were and set-up costs for traditional flexo or litho printing will go through the roof. Suddenly, digital print looks attractive and will become a “must have” investment for thousands of printers across Europe.

John Corrall is a world expert and managing director at IIJ that develops tailored industrial inkjet systems to customer requirements across the world – including for labels and general packaging – and is the official sales and technical support centre for Konica Minolta industrial inkjet.

He explains: “Five years ago we were engaged by one of the world’s foremost chocolate manufacturers that was concerned by the impact of these new regulations. It knew it needed to increase font sizes on its packaging. This meant it was no longer possible to squeeze the text for more than one language on each package. One language per package means more variation – shorter runs of different artwork. It meant that run lengths would halve or quarter so they realised the economic solution would be new digital production systems in house.

“Even though this global brand purchased trial equipment it didn’t really progress beyond that, which I take to mean that when the new regulations come in from December the problem falls on the shoulders of the current external print suppliers.  My feeling is that food companies regard it as somebody else’s problem, so printers and packers and others in the supply chain are going to be in for a nasty shock.

“The regulations apply to the food producer, but, to me, it seems as if the right people don’t know enough yet about the regulations and their widespread impact. Do they care? Have they thought about the impact on the poor packaging suppliers?”

John Bambery, Chairman of the BPIF’s (British Printing Industries Federation) Labels Group, adds: “Countless artwork has to be changed to meet the deadline in December. Morrison’s is one supermarket chain that went on record more than a year ago to confirm that it will need to change 10,000 details on product labels alone. My take is that the only way of doing it cost effectively is digitally, which creates a massive business opportunity for those with digital equipment.

“While many printers will be supplied artwork by their customers, some will be asked to produce designs, and their designers need to be aware of what is acceptable and what is not. I’ve raised questions relating to the liability printers faced and it has been confirmed that the name and address of the producer of the product has the legal responsibility for ensuring that the information on the label or packaging is correct.

“As I understand it, the UK has a voluntary code that complies with the EC rules. So if they don’t comply they are not actually breaking the regulations as they haven’t been enshrined into UK law.”

[Photo caption: John Corrall with an IIJ print sample system used to help printers, packaging businesses and end users cope with the new regulations from Brussels]

North America-based Orbus Exhibit & Display Group has announced that it added 85 new staff to its headcount between January to October 2014. Talented new hires have filled positions across all facets of Orbus’ manufacturing and production capabilities in its Illinois- and Nevada-based operations, including Graphics, Project Management, Sewing, Client Services, Shipping, Production, Marketing, Information Technology and Global Sourcing. Orbus employs over 350 persons across the two facilities in Woodridge, IL and Las Vegas, NV. 

New employees have had a critical part in assisting with Orbus’ continuous improvement in manufacturing, graphic and customer service capabilities. As the company settled into its new 350,000 square foot corporate and manufacturing headquarters in Woodridge, new hires were added to accommodate and plan for growth. As the company strives to be an industry leader in the manufacturing and production of exhibit and display solutions, new hires help to benefit clients through superior customer service and expediting fast turnaround times.

As 2015 approaches, further new hires are anticipated to maintain Orbus’ continuous focus on quality, improvement, customer service, innovation and growth.

In association with Aequitas, LFR brings you the latest in a series of features offering insight and opinion on current business and finance news and how it relates to small and medium sized businesses...

It has been a month of party political conferences and pre-election tax pledges, with more significant announcements expected in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement in early December. 

In the meantime, here's our round-up of the latest key tax and business stories:

Social investment tax relief - for you and your community

The social investment tax relief (SITR) offers investors upfront tax breaks and capital gains tax exemptions, similar to those given for buying shares in Enterprise Investment Schemes. Potentially you could reclaim one or more of the following, subject to various conditions:

• Income tax relief: This is available at 30% of the amount you invest. There is no minimum investment limit but the maximum annual limit is £1 million.
• Capital gains hold-over relief: You can defer payment of tax on a capital gain if the gain is reinvested in shares or debt investments that would also qualify for SITR income tax relief.
• Capital gains disposal relief: If you've had income tax relief on the cost of your investment, and you dispose of your investment after you've held it for at least three years, any gain you make on your investment is free from capital gains tax.

SITR will be in place for investments made, or capital gains arising, in the period from 6 April 2014 to 5 April 2019.

It is available for investments by individuals (but not companies or partnerships) in 'Social Enterprises'. In essence, the company or organisation in which the investment is made must provide services for the 'benefit of society', such as housing, community transport, youth organisations, sporting facilities or healthcare, so typically they will be charities or community benefit companies.

The Social Enterprise need not necessarily be in the UK, and there is no defined list of what qualifies, however there is a list of activities that do not qualify. The good news is that if you are an investor you will not need to worry about judging whether the recipient of your investment meets the conditions, because any organisation offering SITR qualifying investments to the public should have already gone through an HMRC clearance process in order to be able to do so.

This process has only been available to social investment organisations since July 2014, so the options for investment are currently limited, but the numbers are expected to grow.

When you make an investment, the Social Enterprise will give you a Compliance Certificate in respect of your investment in it, confirming they have met the conditions. You won't be able to claim for any of the tax reliefs without such a certificate.

None of the reliefs is available if you have had relief for the investment under the Enterprise Investment Scheme, the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme or Community Investment Tax Relief.

An HMRC guide for investors can be found here. There are numerous qualification conditions and complications, so professional advice is essential.

HMRC criticised as 'tax gap' widens

The 'tax gap' - the difference between tax that should have been collected and what was actually collected - was £34 billion in the year to April 2013, an increase of £1bn from the year before, according to a new report by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

This represents 6.8% of total tax liabilities, which HMRC insists is part of a downward trend, falling from an 8.5% high in 2005/6.

A breakdown of the total sum shows that most of the gap (£15.1 billion) was attributable to SMEs, with large business close behind (£9.3 billion).

When grouped by tax type, the figures show that income tax, national insurance and capital gains tax accounted for £14.2 billion of the gap - while the amount of uncollected VAT was £12.4 billion.

HMRC blamed the rise on criminal fraud, and people making mistakes on their tax returns. 'Aggressive' tax avoidance schemes are not included in the figures.

The rise comes despite HMRC being given extra resources to collect more in tax. Shabana Mahmood, Labour's shadow exchequer secretary to the Treasury, said: 'These damning figures show that this government is totally failing to tackle tax avoidance and evasion.'

David Gauke, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, said: 'Since 2010/11 the percentage tax gap has stayed lower than at any point under the previous government, saving the country £4 billion.

'The UK has one of the lowest tax gaps in the world but HMRC will continue to deploy its resources and skills to maintain the downward pressure that has proved so effective in recent years'.

ESSENTIAL TAX DATES FOR NOVEMBER:

• 1 November - £100 penalty if 2014 paper Tax Return not yet filed. Additional penalties may apply for further delay. No penalties will apply if online return filed by 31 January 2015.
• 2 November - Submission date of P46 (Car) for quarter to 5 October.

 

ON THE AEQUITAS WEBSITE:

Your Business - Our excellent tips and guides can be an excellent first step and point of reference. Visit the Your Business section of our website today.

Tax Information - Everything you need to know from the Budget to Tax Rates, our Tax Information page can help you on a daily basis.

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New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that unemployment in August this year dropped to 6%, the lowest level since 2008.
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With details to be set out in parliament, the Treasury is offering savers more freedom over their pension pots.
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Fake HMRC scam email warning for taxpayers
Yet another fake HMRC phishing scam email targeting taxpayers has been circulating, so recipients are warned not to click on the link it contains.
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To find out more about how Aequitas can help you to streamline the finances of your business, please visit the Services for Business page on their website.

 

Here at LFR we've long grumbed about how slow the UK market has been - certainly when compared to our continental cousins elsewhere in Europe - to jump on to the digital textile printing bandwagon.

So hopefully, when highly regarded industry analyst, Infotrends, start projecting digitally printed textile volumes growing from 600 million square metres in 2013 up to 3 billion square metres in 2018, it's probably a good time to take notice and consider if your finger ought to be stuck firmly into that particular pie.

InfoTrends has announced its 2013-2018 Digital Textile Forecast - a forecast that analyses the textile market to establish application, ink usage, material splits, and trends as seen by technologist, manufacturing, and distribution, and digital printing system user stakeholders.

Digital printed textiles worldwide in 2013 accounted for about 600 Million square metres of printed fabrics that are estimated to grow at 39% GAGR by 2018 to about 3 billion square metres. While the global market will see growth, EMEA will remain strongest in overall print volume and production textile printing during this time frame. InfoTrends has also found that garment is the largest market, but décor is also growing rapidly. Industrial applications are fragmented and require specific technical developments, but are also growing.

Key areas that are developing rapidly are industry capacity in printing on fibres such as cotton using reactive inks, however growth in use of manmade materials such as polyester based fabrics is driving growth in the use of sublimation and direct disperse inks. Pigments inks are emerging but primarily used in Décor application where these inks support simplification of production processes and the durability of pigments.

InfoTrends has also identified several key growth drivers in this market. These include significant improvement to the environmental impact of textile printing due to migration to digital print technology, democratisation of design by allowing short run printing, new business opportunities for small and large volume producers as digital printers are available in a range of capabilities as well as prices, and lastly improvements in operational efficiencies for fabric finishers by reducing tooling, make ready, and enabling just in time manufacturing. Thus reducing waste, inventory and overhead and improving profitability.

Moreover, brand owners and retailers are becoming sensitive to their product impact on the environment, as well as addressing consumer needs for creativity and customisation are looking to digital producers as thought leaders that are fundamentally changing the supply chain and helping them become sustainable and profitable.

For more information on InfoTrends’ 2013-2018 Digital Textile Forecast, visit the Infotrends online report store or contact Scott Phinney on email scott.phinney@infotrends.com