4 December 2019

KJS Print to Mail celebrates 21st birthday

Peterborough based direct mail specialists reflect on why they're still going strong after all this time.

The company was set up in October 1998 by Chairman Kevin Brown and Managing Director Stuart Speechley, who are both still actively involved in the business today.

"When we set the business up, it seemed a natural partnership, with my background in print and Kevin's background in fulfilment. We recognised a gap in the market for offering complete print to mail services, all from under one roof" reflects Stuart.

It's on these foundations that the company has grown, and continues to go from strength to strength, becoming market leaders in providing direct mail services.

Stuart continues, "Over the years we've seen massive changes in the industry, with technology, legislation and customer habits and trends. But we've always taken the approach we must keep moving forward to remain ahead of the game. We've never been afraid to invest in new technology and equipment to ensure we're offering our clients the very best service we can.

"Investing in a SRA2 Sakurai LED UV press almost three years ago, has been game changing. It's given us a great advantage in being able to turn work around quickly, without compromise on quality. As direct mail experts, much of what is printed at KJS is mailed out. With instant drying, sheets are ready for finishing, including laser personalising, as soon as they're taken off the press. It's not unusual we print and mail on the same day, which would have been unheard of in the early days."

"We now have two poly wrap and two envelope enclosing lines, as well as manual fulfilment for short runs or jobs which are non machineable."

The business is still operating out of the same premises in Fengate, Peterborough although over the years it has grown to occupy four units from just one initially. With everything under one roof, there's a streamlined production process.

It's not just the premises that have grown. The company now employs 25 people, working across print, fulfilment, data processing, warehousing and account management.

"It's a fully skilled workforce, with a lot of experience between us. There isn't much we haven't seen, or mailed, in the past 21 years and we're always happy to pass our experience on to our clients.

"We like to think our success has been down to level of service we provide. Our customers have always been our number one priority and we've always gone out of our way to ensure every single job is delivered with care and attention. It's testament that we've been working with some of our clients since the day the company was formed."

"Hitting 21 years is a good time to sit back and reflect how far we've come of the years."

"It's hard to believe how we could once operate without email and the internet, let alone digital print or Downstream Access. There have been challenges over the years yet, but, in this industry it's important we embrace change and keep looking forward."

"The latest customer concern is sustainability, something we take very seriously, and an area we've already invested. This includes: the Sakurai press, with its LED UV technology it has very low energy consumption, it eliminates the need for sealant and other coatings and doesn't use starch powder sprays which can contaminate the air in the work place; all the stock papers we use are FSC or PEFC certified; we carbon offset all our paper purchases; and we're running potato starch wrap. Furthermore, we've got some exciting plans for the near future that will allow us to offer another dimension to the growing demand for sustainable fulfilment."

"Yet, through all of these changes, we're still here and we're still as passionate about print and direct mail since Day One. We want to thank everyone we've worked with over the years in helping us to reach this milestone."

"We're excited to see what the next 21 years will bring!"