Browns Print, one of the country’s largest commercial printers, specialises in delivering high quality print for a wide customer base throughout the UK. Established in 2001, it has been a long-standing customer of Compass Business Finance.
Crucial to the success has been regular investment in technology over the years, which has continued since Tim Guest, purchased the company though his investment business, Guest Investments Limited. It was Compass that first introduced Tim to the company founder Andrew Brown.
One of Tim’s first big steps was merging two factories located on opposite sides of Manchester into one larger premises in 2018, bringing together their print operations and creating space for future growth.
Much of the funding was provided from Tim’s own capital. However, CBILS-supported finance, provided through Compass was also used for an investment in a new press to replace older equipment and to create a bindery department in the company’s new state-of-the-art 30,000 sq ft premises in Middleton, Manchester.
With the ravages of Covid long gone, Browns further evaluated manufacturing processes and systems to improve efficiency with more investments.
One environmental initiative involved changing the high bay warehouse lighting and reducing the number of light fittings, as well as using 200w bulbs instead of 400w. The factory was made brighter and now requires almost no costly cleaning and maintenance. A total of 444 solar panels have also been introduced without any major factory infrastructure changes required.
Other updates include replacing older compressor lines that are likely to contribute to significant savings, and general good housekeeping.
The latest investment has been the installation of a new Heidelberg Speedmaster XL106 offset B1 press to replace an ageing machine – which produced over 300 million printing impressions – at its factory. It improves the reliability and efficiency of the business.
“We always look to buy new machinery to ensure we get the longest life possible out of the investment,” said Tim. “It’s vital to have the right funding partner to work with, one that not only understands your vision, but also provides continued support for your business strategy. Compass Business Finance provides a professional, all-round service.”
The investment cycle is continuing. Browns Print is seeking planning permission for a 450 square metre extension to the building, again to relieve pressure on production. This will include a solid mezzanine floor to provide office accommodation and again ease pressure on the ground floor.
“The relationship with Compass has always been an extremely good one,” said Tim. “It’s one of trust. We have trusted them with our requirements, financially, and they have always delivered. We get beneficial interest rates, as they will either lend their own money or if there’s a better option in the market, they will also directly utilise other funders on our behalf.
The rapport with David is excellent; he always looks after me and he has become a personal friend. David is always there when we need him, and the friendship has developed over several years. In fact, he attended my wedding, which speaks for itself.”
He added: “Compass introduced me to Andrew Brown – because of David, I am sat in the Browns building at this time. And I have never looked back.”
