Background Information

The EPA funded Greenbusiness Initiative carried out several Resource Efficiency Assessments over the past few years in the Print and Packaging sector, in which significant savings were identified. The sector’s Print and Packaging Forum will progress with a sector specific resource efficiency programme.

Forum Promotes Companies to Join the Programme

Five businesses have been recruited to the programme to date.

Programme offering:

1.     Resource Efficiency Assessments

The Resource Efficiency Assessments will generally take one day on site, during which one or two site assessors will visit the operations, accompanied by a site or process manager.  Following the site visit a confidential, detailed resource efficiency report will be issued within 4 weeks to the company (this time period allows us to follow up any outstanding information requests). The report will set out any suggestions on how savings can be made to operational overheads, focussing on waste prevention, water and energy savings, possibly through process or operational changes, improved waste minimisation and materials handling.  Businesses will receive ‘how to’ information and the cost-benefit basis for a business case, which are critical factors in making things actually happen.  In effect each company will get up to 4 days free consulting time, to help save company costs.

2.     Procurement / Supply Chain Greening

We encourage companies to also look at resource efficiency in their supply chain, over and above their own in-house operations.

We aim to support the most committed businesses on the programme with a small element of green procurement work. This will look at how procurement choices can be made that minimise waste, packaging, or reduce the overall energy needed in supply and goods delivery.  We would aim to send a questionnaire on resource efficiency practices to your suppliers, and development of procedures to embed green procurement into company operations.

3.     Benchmarking Survey

We will compile data from the Print & Pack industries, and existing data available in the literature and held directly by our company, to start establishing a basis for benchmarking resource use (materials, waste, water and energy) by production type and normalised against throughput. We will increase the reliability of this data, to make it most useful to the Print & Pack Forum, by undertaking  e-mail / web surveys  of the 200 forum members.  By participating in the survey, members will assist in establishing statistically sound information of sector wide importance for benchmark data, broken down by printing type.

4.     Good Practice Guide

The funded programme also aims to develop a Print and Packaging good practice guide.  To achieve this, it would be good if a wider cross section of print & pack companies participate, to inform the guidance development.   Best Practice Guides are an important mechanism in encouraging businesses to engage with the resource efficiency agenda.

The best practice guide will contain relevant short case studies and photographs and would be based on the good practice identified from our existing sector knowledge and the current programme participants.  Summary benchmark data (from the survey work) will be incorporated into the relevant sections with further data available in the spreadsheet online.

The information will be kept aggregated and/or otherwise anonymised and will not include any commercial or confidential information unless this is approved by the companies in question, e.g. for the case studies.

The intention is that the best practice guide would be web published on the greenbusiness website www.greenbusiness.ie with the approval of the Print and Pack Forum, to assist and inspire members and other Irish printers.

5.     Training Workshop

A resource efficiency/ cost savings training workshop for interested Forum members will be organised to disseminate the good practice findings and benchmarking data.

This will be an interactive half day workshop with exercises and case studies. Preferably there will be presentations from site managers who have already benefitted from our resource efficiency advice, and who can relate their own experiences in improving their resource efficiency and making cost savings due to a wide range of improvement measures undertaken. The workshop will be advertised in Spring 2012 through the Print & Pack Forum.

Contact:

The Print and Packaging Forum is the main stakeholder of this programme, and should be your first port of call if you are interested in participating, and receiving a free assessment, or have any other questions about the programme.

The Resource Efficiency Assessments and other elements of the programme will be carried out by an experienced team from greenbusiness.ie.

We encourage non-EI firms to consider  registering on tenders.ie. This will allow the opportunity for all to be notified of any appropriate tenders that are posted to tenders.ie.

Examples of recent tenders are available by clicking on the links below.

http://www.e-tenders.gov.ie/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=OCT276875

http://www.etenders.gov.ie/search/show/Search_View.aspx?id=NOV290275

http://www.etenders.gov.ie/search/show/Search_View.aspx?id=NOV291455

http://www.e-tenders.gov.ie/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=DEC293797

http://www.etenders.gov.ie/search/show/Search_View.aspx?id=DEC294555

In the mean time the Forum are continuing their work on day-t0-day matters and addressing issues as they arise. We will be launching our new website shortly which will be used as a promotion tool for the Forum as well as advertising our Print Irish Brand Members.

The meeting which was a follow up by the Print and Packaging Forum to their Red Cow event was attended by Forum members. At the Red Cow event launching the industries latest report Minister Perry signaled that he would like to visit firms to get a sense for the sector.

On presentation of the award Minister Perry acknowledged the cutting edge approach in both people and process employed at Cherry Orchard and congratulated the management team as well as the Print and Packaging Forum for its great efforts to support the sector. The Cherry Orchard site is the first facility worldwide to be accredited to the standard that was only launched on 14th September 2011. At the event Mr. Maurice Buckley, Chief Executive of the NSAI professed their support for not only accreditation but for support for standard achievement within the print and packaging sector. Mr. Buckley signaled an invitation to all firms in the sector wishing to achieve certification to contact the NSAI.

The Print and Packaging Forum congratulates the management team as well as the general staff on the achievement of this highly prestigious certificate.

Print Irish Licensing Agreement and Rates are as follows:

A Licensee is an individual firm and a license period is 12 months.

Licensees will ensure that all printed matter carrying the logo, is printed in the Republic of Ireland.

Licensees should encourage their Customer to permit the use of the logo on their printed matter.

Licensees will display the logo at a prominent point/s in their facility and will promote and encourage printing in the Republic of Ireland with others.

Licensees are encouraged to incorporate the use of the Print Irish logo on their corporate literature, marketing material and stationary.

Licensees will endeavour as far as is possible, to source materials and supplies from the Republic of Ireland.

Licensees will at all times transact business in an ethical and legal manner, as this reflects on the Print Irish Brand.

Licensees will strive to recruit and employ people with appropriate skill levels, provide fair remuneration and be committed to continuous training and development.

Licensees will strive to ensure customer satisfaction, dealing with their customers in a fair and reasonable manner.

Licensees are prohibited from producing Print Irish branded goods or merchandise unless requested by the brand owners.

Annual License Fees:

• Firms that employ in excess of 30 people €750 per annum ex VAT
• Firms that employ between 11 – 29 people €450 per annum ex VAT
• Firms that employ up to10 people €150 per annum ex VAT
• Reception Plaque including 2 Car Window Stickers €99 ex VAT
• Additional Stickers €1 ex VAT

What is the difference between this apprenticeship and the old system?
The new apprentice receives a full training in all aspects of print media. The key difference is flexibility and rounded learning. The print media technician is qualified to work in all areas of production and as such can move with production requirements. This flexibility does not prohibit a decision by the employer that the apprentice should specialise in one part of print media to suit the employer needs.

My firm only does some elements of print media –am I eligible to recruit?
Yes, where an employer has had difficulty with some on-the-job elements of training the Print Forum and FAS have assisted in the temporary placement with an alternative firm to cover off on the deficit.

When should I recruit and how do I register an apprentice?
Ideally we suggest that search and selection should commence at the latest in September or October. Your local FAS services to business advisor will assist with the registration process. The Print Forum or DIT can also advise you on this matter.

When do I formally employ the apprentice?
You should employ and pay the apprentice for the minimum of Phase 1 prior to the off the job elements of training.

Why should I employ an apprentice?
Apprenticeship training is key to the competitive efficiency for any firm.
The 36 weeks of off-the-job training at no cost to the employer is of huge advantage. At the end of this period you receive a rounded capable individual who can eliminate demarcation within your organisation and who can legitimately and competently move with your production.
For further information contact Contact Dr. Kevin Byrne, Director Print Forum on 085 228 8098 or director@printpackforum.com

Draft Guidelines for use of Print Irish Logo which are to encourage the use and promotion of Irish suppliers  are as follows:

1. A Licensee is an individual legal personality.
2. Licensee will ensure that all printed matter carrying the logo is printed in the Republic of Ireland.
3. Licensee will at all encourage clients to allow the use of the logo on printed matter.
4. Licensee will display the logo at a prominent point/s in their facility and will promote and encourage printing in the Republic of Ireland with others.
5. Licensee will endeavour as far as is possible to source all materials and suppliers in the Republic of Ireland.
6. Licensee will at all times transact business in an ethical manner.
7. Licensee will strive to recruit and employ people with appropriate skill levels, provide fair remuneration and be committed to continuous training and development.
8. Licensee will strive to ensure customer satisfaction by dealing with their customers in a fair and reasonable manner by fulfilling their contractual obligations at all times.
9. Licensee is encouraged to incorporate the use of the Print Irish logo on their corporate literature and stationery.
10. Licensees are prohibited from producing Print Irish branded goods or merchandise unless requested by the brand owners

For more information on the Print Irish Brand or to subscribe see http://printpackforum.wordpress.com/print-irish-campaign/

Speaking at the launch, Minister Perry said: “The publication of this Report provides the Print and Packaging industry a road map for the way ahead. I would like to acknowledge and commend the many achievements and initiatives of the Print and Packaging Forum, including the development of a broad range of training and education initiatives, from apprenticeships to programmes pitched at Masters Level.

“The development of the ‘Print Irish’ brand identity by the Forum, to demonstrate the quality and capabilities of our indigenous Irish printing industry, is another encouraging development. This is exactly the kind of initiative that we in Government like to work with and I would like to assure you that we will provide any assistance we can.

“Unprecedented challenges were created for Irish companies by the domestic and international economic crises. In spite of these challenges the Print and Packaging industry still employs over 10,000 people.

This is most encouraging because Government does not create jobs – that is the role of enterprise. Government has a crucial role in facilitating the type of environment where enterprise can grow and create the jobs that are so badly needed in Ireland today. Our Programme for Government focuses strongly on enabling growth in the domestic economy, while continuing to maintain a strategic focus on exports and investment.

“Whether the goal is to expand into new markets, innovate and produce new products, increase market share or harness the potential of new technologies, each individual company, large or small, has its role to play in Ireland’s economic recovery. It is by succeeding in these aspirations that we will achieve increased employment and strengthen our businesses and industries.”

Speaking on the close association the Forum has developed with Enterprise Ireland Minister Perry said: “I was pleased to learn that over 200 of your member companies, with an export focus and competitive niche offering, are currently clients of Enterprise Ireland.

I am strongly of the view that this relationship will continue to be of great benefit to those companies trying to re-focus to face the disruptive change and market challenges facing your industry.”

In addition to this there will be a series of presentations on training and development for the sector. The Print Irish initiative and brand created by the Forum will also be relaunched on the day.

For further details contact Dr. Kevin Byrne, Director, Print and Packaging Forum. director@printpackforum.com or telephone 085 228 8098