23 October 2018

Print Data Solutions celebrate 20th anniversary with record turnover

A design and print management company set up with just a fax and a landline is on track to record a turnover of £10M as it celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. Print Data Solutions (PDS), founded in 1998 by Nick Shelton, started by producing simple business stationery and now manufactures sophisticated, state of the art video brochures as part of a wide range of design, print and fulfilment services.

Nick took his first order on 21 September 1998 for the sum of £540 – with which, Print Data Solutions was born. The business achieved a turnover of £240k in its first full year of trading. Since then, it has gone from strength to strength with revenue reaching £5M by 2011, and currently on track to achieve £10M this year. Starting with printed business stationery, Nick was asked by his clients to source many additional items which led to the expanded range of services now on offer from PDS.

The company now employs 40 staff and is rapidly expanding its Park Farm premises in Wellingborough with a new state-of-the-art design studio currently in development. Nick said, "We nurtured a small base of specialist print suppliers so that they always had a realistic chance of winning our business, providing them with the opportunity to build volume. From the start, I have worked on the principle that the best business relationships are based on fairness and trust.

"The business model was predicated on prompt payment of suppliers and that is how we work to this day. Any supply chain is only as good as its weakest link and I work on the basis that our business will benefit if everyone succeeds."

Print Data Solutions grew organically at first, offering its clients an ever-increasing portfolio of services. Starting with print brokerage, the business added the supply of merchandise, fulfilment and logistics services. The business really started to grow when Nick introduced a dedicated in-house design capability into the mix.

From its original base in Wollaston, Print Data Solutions moved into commercial premises, first at Bentley Court in Wellingborough in 2001 then eight years later, at Park Farm, where it has expanded across three units. Work is currently in progress on a major expansion of the design studio. The latest development of the PDS portfolio has taken Nick into the realm of manufacturing with the launch of its video in print product, Vue tv. The business has invested in new machinery to enable the business to embed video screens into printed collateral including brochures, business cards and point of sale materials.

Nick said, "If you had told me in 1998 that I would be offering clients the opportunity to showcase their services using high-definition video embedded within a printed brochure, I would not have believed it possible. I didn't even have an email address when I first started, not to mention a website and only acquired my first PC after two years of trading."

Nick is proud that Print Data Solutions was named by the London Stock Exchange as one of the ‘1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain' in 2016. The business supports several local and national charities from Wollaston Cricket Club and Museum to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.

The team at PDS has been involved with the BUPA 10k run for the last eight years, raising money for its client, I CAN, a national charity that supports children with speech and language difficulties. As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, PDS has chosen to support a different charity each month, something which Nick is committed to continuing as the business looks forward to its 21st year.

For further information please see: https://printdatasolutions.co.uk/