Business Investment is Top Trump

A Cornish printing company has expanded its capacity and gained new contracts following support from the Business Investment for Growth 2 programme.

St Austell Printing Company required investment into new machinery and equipment to enable effective and efficient finishing of playing cards, allowing the business to take on a major new contract with the producers of Top Trump cards, Winning Moves.

The new equipment consists of four different processes that allows the business to finish playing cards in-house. The cards can be cut, finished with round corners, collated into order and cellophane packed. The machinery can handle any size of card and St Austell Printing expects to be printing up to 2 million packs of playing cards a year. The investment has also allowed the business to take on new staff with a new addition to the bindery department, raising the experience level of the team.

Operations Manager, Beth Mayman managed the project and application to the BIG2 programme. She said: “Winning Moves are a British company but they were outsourcing their print and finish work on Top Trumps cards to Poland, Italy and China which meant their turnaround time could be anything from 6 weeks to 2 months.

“The new machinery means we can print, finish, collate and package Top Trump cards on site providing Winning Moves with a faster and more flexible route to market.

“Without the investment from BIG2 we wouldn’t have been able to take on the contract so this funding has made a significant difference to our business.”

The investment from BIG2, which represents about 17% of the project cost has enabled St Austell Printing Company to enter into a market sector in which they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to compete.

BIG2 business advisor Rachel Roach said: “This is a great example of how BIG 2 can enhance and fast-track a business plan for growth. The fund can be a crucial part of the puzzle to enable a project to go ahead.

“We are interested in talking to businesses who have projects that will create jobs and deliver growth, with the hope that we can invest in their future success.”

About Business Investment for Growth 2

BIG2 is delivered by Cornwall Development Company and funded by ERDF Convergence as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014 – 2020. It aims to support 200 businesses in Cornwall with growth projects, and create 360 jobs.  Investments range from £2,500 to a maximum of £75,000 with the average investment typically being £17,000. The programme currently runs until December 2018.

The process starts by registering your interest and completing an application. This should take about one hour, and from this the experienced team can assess the suitability of your business and project for this fund.

Find out more about BIG2 and whether your business is eligible at: www.businessinvestmentforgrowth.co.uk/