Print Business Discussion Panel on "Building a Sustainable Business"

Back in November one of our directors Seymour was asked to be a guest speaker at a Print Business Magazine  Event. This was a panel discussion led by Print Business Magazine Editor Gareth Ward and included several other industry experts. The title of the discussion was "Building a sustainable Business" and it proved very interesting and insightful.

Seymour reflected on the panel discussion, "My approach to questions at the forum were to get across the point that all our team are involved in the process and that we completely understand how we make something sustainable and not just tick all the boxes."

He continued "Many people think that just because they have signed up to the idea, that’s all they need to do, whereas in reality you really have to buy into the process and work on it each week."

"From the work with schools to educate year 9 and 10 kids, there is a real sense of how a business can plan to make print the lowest carbon footprint possible. It is taught that this is achieved through good habits and generates a better feeling about how we buy and sell products."

The following bullet points outline some of what we're doing in this area as a company:

• We are currently developing our strategy for our environmental management systems, with an objective of achieving ISO 14001 by the end of 2014.

• We already work closely with Workplace law, looking at our objectives for the next 12 months and our roadmap to reach them.

• Including looking at our main procurement streams, as well as product life cycles and our relationships with suppliers. It’s important that we all have the same outlook and ethic. It’s especially important for us to understand what we are using, how it can be broken down and recycled to minimise the waste going to landfill.

• We are looking at the influences Ltd Ltd have on the environmental performances of it’s suppliers and customers. We are starting to think about the relationship we have with our suppliers as a more collaborative venture when it comes to products which reduce fuel/material consumption 

• Staff welfare is very important to us, a  full training programme has been developed for all staff. Including courses to attend, in-housetraining and department presentations talking about the products that we use and the issues each area encounters. Staff are encouraged to put forward their ideas as part of our ongoing business standards improvement and teams are invited to suggest new methods of production, reducing waste consumption and helping to develop innovative business procedures. This has proved very successful so far and small but relevant changes are taking place, meaning more to the individual people that it effects.

• Our Directors understand that the staff are the company’s biggest asset and truly help to sustain a healthy thriving business. So there is a lot of investment in bonuses, performances reviews, social events.

• Implementing our sustainable program worked well with simple goals to engage staff and help them to buy in. Each Department sets their objectives, making them more relevant and easier to measure. There is a more deliberate approach with a clear goal to work towards and a worthwhile result at the end of it.

• We also took part in the 'Print IT Twinning Scheme' - We have been in the scheme since 2012 and initially twinned with Newstead Wood girls school in Kent. In our first year we won the award for Best Twinner. After the first successful year we have now twinned with two more schools. Norlington School for Boys in Leyton and Haverstock School in Camden.
  We believe this has not only helped us build bonds with the local community, but contributed to the development of young people.

• In addition to these schemes we have also worked with YMCA, Enfield Truth a Basketball after school club, Sound School an Independent music charity. Plus we've donated images to local schools and hospices, and we're especially proud of our installation at the Great Ormond Street Hospital. 

• We have off-set our carbon footprint via MyClimate and have certification to show that we have assessed our carbon emissions and offset our carbon dioxide emissions as well as planting trees in the UK and around the world. 

• We also seek to find companies using greener processes in manufacturing, preferring if they're located in the UK or at least in Europe.
  
• As a company we're aiming to move away from PVC and looking at Polyester or paper based products, plus water based inks ensuring a more efficient and economical recycling process.
  
• We also collaborate with printer manufacturers for research and development.

Ltd Limited and Mind Candy Collaboration

Mind Candy is an entertainment company that creates extraordinary brands with digital games at their heart. In the world of children 6-12 years old there is scarcely a bigger name than their Moshi Monsters brand, with 80 million registered users for their online game alone. Not to mention books, comics and films - as well as mobile, music, video content and much more. It is fair to say Moshi Monster is a global phenomenon.

Ltd Limited and Mind Candy have collaborated before, early in 2011 we mounted the Moshi characters to board, wallpaper, cut outs and floor graphics at the Moshi Monsters pop-up store in Whiteleys Shopping Centre London (Right).

At the end of last month we collaborated again with Mind Candy for a unique project. As part of Hackney Council's Christmas celebrations, several creative and engaging projects have been undertaken. Including local designers creating bespoke Christmas trees that have been dotted around the borough and interactive lampposts controlled by mobile phone and Ltd Limited were called in to help Mind Candy give several lampposts in the area a Moshi makeover

Working closely with Mind Candy, we transferred some of the top Moshi characters to lampposts near the designer trees. You can see some of the results of our efforts below...

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The Spotlight Project - London Leading Creative Youth Space

One of Ltd Limited's recent projects has seen Craig and his team working on a new creative space for young people called Spotlight. The team are in the process of producing and installing all the manifestations, wallpapers and signage throughout the building.

Spotlight isn't just a youth club, or a youth centre - it’s a multi-million pound creative youth space designed to inspire. It has been created by young people, with young people in mind. Offering free, state of the art sound, film, design, art and broadcasting facilities, alongside performance, dance, boxing, fashion, styling and chill areas. 

Spotlight is partnered with illustrious organisations like the National Theatre, London College of Fashion, Barbican, IMD Legion, Whitechapel Gallery, CM Sounds and the BFI. 

We believe that Spotlight will be an amazing resource for young people. Providing opportunities for discovery, growth and innovation. Inspiring the all important next generation of talent in a safe, empowering and enjoyable environment.

“We wanted to create a place where young people could think creatively, gain confidence and pursue opportunities they may not have thought possible.” 

Babu Bhattacherjee (Poplar HARCA Director of Communities & Neighbourhoods) 

Craig and the team have been working hard to produce something that inspires for this project, we will be sure to update you later on with pictures of the finished results. If you would like to find out more about Spotlight follow the link below.

http://syclondon.org.uk/

Rolls Royce Aerospace Head Office Project

Ltd Limited Rolls Royce from LtdLimited on Vimeo.

Ltd Ltd was recently approached by TP Bennett the architects working on the new Rolls Royce Aerospace Division head office, they tasked us with innovating in the design and production of their new office spaces.

Our technical director Seymour Reeves said, "They wanted to see what could be achieved and to make the project extra special. We felt we could bring to their customer base the feeling that they were in an environment specific to Rolls Royce... Its about creating exactly what our client has asked us to no compromises and they were absolutely blown away with the results"

Using metallic and silver paints we created gradients and colour schemes that you couldn't get before on these types of display or surfaces. Some of the panels we applied continuous graphics to were as large as 15 metres and we had have a meticulous eye for detail on every manifestation we have hung.

James Everett Digital Manager said "We try to do whatever we can with different materials to make things that other people can't make. We are on the cutting edge of experimental media."

Watch the video above to see the results of the project which will finish this week. We are really proud of this work with a British company known the world over, as well as the innovations we have used within the project.

The Adidas 2014 World Cup Launch Zone

A couple of weeks back we went along to the flagship Adidas store in London and installed a new display unit. The brightly coloured unit is part of their 2014 World Cup Football boot campaign, which is less than a year away in the spiritual home of football. We built the box from scratch, with the brief requiring us to use our walk on floor graphics, coloured plinths and acrylic risers. 

We  took a couple of photos during the install, below shows our installer (and contortionist) Phil bending and flexing his way through the inside of the box. Phil was sent inside to fix the large colour plinths to the front of the box, the bottom picture was taken whilst he was inside working his magic.

Display design by the Intermarketing Agency.