The BPIF is to reshape following the sale of BPIF Training to encourage greater participation from members in its activities at both regional and national levels, spreading the word about the organisation and and attracting new members.
The Members Day event in London last week celebrated the 125th anniversary of the organisation but warned that to remain relevant it needed to appeal to more than the 10% of the UK’s printers that are currently members.
Speaking on a panel, regional board member and CEO of Meliora Ian Conetta said: “There are only 10% of the industry that are ,members of the trade association and I can’t understand why. To have just 10% is unforgivable, we should be 50%, so we need to figure what it is the federation is offering that’s not enticing for the other 90% to be part of it.”
Membership of the federation has dropped to fewer than 800 businesses across print and packaging as the industry has consolidated and shifted, especially after Covid.
“We need to grow outside the traditional sectors of print,” added Jonathan Dul, also a national board member as well as managing director of MiRiCal Emblems.
“The regional boards provide a forum for local businesses in that area to come together and discuss things that matter. It’s a brilliant way to get involved with the BPIF.”
The sale of BPIF Training will give that organisation the scope to grow as well as providing the impetus for the federation to find a new purpose. Training and other business support services have been the focus in the years since the end of the National Agreement which set pay levels for the industry.
“Our role is to free up printers to do what they do best – listening to customers, anticipating market changes and investing for the future,” chief executive Charles Jarrold told the 40 members companies in the room.
The federation had been formed in 1901 to represent the interests of the printing industry and that role remains. Frequent and regular meetings with government, the compilation of data and trends, and participation in Intergraf to press print’s case in Brussels, continue this role the meeting was told.
It seems that this is not enough for the majority of the industry to be aware of the federation’s work or its relevance to their businesses.
One way out of the conundrum is to strengthen the regional and national board. The old National Council was eliminated in a previous reorganisation now the national board is to revived as a means of connecting back to the membership. It becomes too easy for members in any area to attend meetings sporadically rather than having the same people going to three meetings a year according to Conetta.
This have had a reputation of being a staid set of reports, not unlike a council meeting where opportunities for informal networking were squeezed. “That networking took place in the pub afterwards,” said one member.
Precision Proco CEO Jon Bailey sitting on a panel considering the current challenges the industry faces. “The BPIF could help with what networking will look like,” he says. As chairman of DScoop, Bailey has plenty of experience of what a networking event can be and what participants gain from it.
“As printers we are now competing all different channels, so we have to stop thinking about how to produce the cheapest sheet and have to think what is the best solution for the customers. Collaboration is the key to growing the market and to growing the business. It’s about the power of that communication moving forwards.”
The biggest issues that the federation needs to help with include the impact of AI, automation and spreading
Looking back on the year, Jarrold reminded members that through the last few years “print has not just survived, it changes, adapts and finds a way through”. The BPIF had evolved into “a modern progressive trade association that it is today”.
Over the last 12 months there had been 6,401 interactions with the HR support team and 2,636 on health and safety issues while the legal team had engaged on 385 interactions. It provided support on ten employment tribunal cases.
While BPIF Training has been sold, the federation continues to offer training around HR and health and safety and other compliance issues.
On the financial side the year ended in March saw a 2.4% decline in turnover to £4.48 million (£4.59 million), explained by the separation of Boss into its own company on 1 January this year. A reduction in costs was more than offset by increasing costs at BPIF Training to cover investment in tools for its future. The sale of BPIF Training took place after year end in May, so is not reflected in figures.
Turnover for BPIF Training increased to £1.688 million (£1.665 million).
