Latest News

Slow speed ahead with JDF implementation

Some of you may know that Northend is the UK trial site for Shuttleworth’s (our MIS partner) first JDF implementation with Heidelberg (our printing partner).

JDF means Job Definition Format – effectively an electronic job-bag, and it allows all the information known about a job from the estimate stage, to be used by departments and machines downstream in production process. Many of the glitches in the software have now been overcome and building on our ‘lean’ status, benefits are now being seen in faster make-ready and smoother, more efficient production allowing more jobs to be manufactured in faster times. Next month we go live with JMF (job messaging format) where ‘real time’ information from the presses will automatically feed back into the MIS System.

So not only will Client Services know what the status of your job is... they will even know how many sheets have been printed!

New book award!!

Following our success with "The Inward Laugh", a 292 page biography of World War Two artist Edward Bawden, which carried off Best Book of the Year in 2006 BPIF (British Print Industry Federation) Book awards... another book we printed was short listed AND WON the 2007 awards!

The ceremony took place in London in December 2007 and the book "Edward Ardizzone" took first prize.

Right on Peter!

Peter Wright, Production Services Manager at Northend has successfully completed the Charted Institute of Purchase and Supply (CIPS) Diploma in Purchasing and Supply after two years hard graft outside the 'day-job'.

Peter reflects that the learning will help build sustainable partnerships with a number key suppliers. Well done Peter.

Go for Green

Here at Northend, we take our impact on the environment very seriously. We are currently working towards not one, but three important accreditations; ISO 14001, FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification) which we hope to gain in 2008.

Once of the outputs from this work has been to address the effective recycling of non-hazardous waste and we have already reduced our landfill waste by a staggering 40% thanks to the 'buy-in' by the whole of the Northend team.