Famously described as the “brains and guts” of industrial Britain, Trafford Park remains home to pioneering, industrious & creative companies such as DCB Group which, in part, has operated there since 1973.
On 18th July the company, which is made up of print management company Print Search, creative and design agency Caspa and print on demand company Aspen, will celebrate its 10th anniversary located in what was the world’s first industrial estate.
The DCB Group was founded in 2008 after an MBO by David Beale who had previously worked in print management since 1996 and had been a director at various print companies including Astron and Office Depot. David announced ambitions to take the business from £3m to £10m and invested over £750k to improve technology and efficiency within Print Search who organise the printing of menus, corporate literature, promotional posters, flyers and other materials plus overseeing the logistics of the likes of the Lowry Theatre, A-plant, NUS, plus a number of Premier League Football Clubs and most recently adding Explore Learning to their key client list.
The acquisition of the creative and design agency Caspa in 2012 enabled the group to go a step further and offer an all-round communications service to allow DCB to offer on-site creative and marketing services to existing clients whilst also having Caspa’s own clients such as Carlsberg. DCB is referred to internally as a ‘Family of Businesses’ and this is how the sister companies relate to each other – the service offerings complement each of the businesses but equally are also capable of standing alone and servicing clients directly with services like leaflet distribution.
Managing Director, Victoria Hart, joined the business in 2000 after previously working at Co-operative Retail as a Supply Chain Project Manager and went on to look after in store digital marketing. Victoria rose steadily through the ranks at DCB Group from Account Manager to Account Director for pubs and restaurants to Client Services Director before being promoted to MD in 2015.
Victoria puts her success down to becoming an expert in her field, learning every day to understand her industry and its future enabling her to talk to clients and peers with facts and confidence. Being a woman in a male dominated sector did not hold Victoria back and she believes her tenacity and ambition was her recipe to success. Her advice to the next generation; “Ask questions – lots of questions. Respect those that have been in the industry for many years and try and learn as much from them as you can. I would also say to be authentic, believe in yourself and build a good support network around you.”
The DCB Group will celebrate 10 years In July, which is not only a great achievement in itself but a chance to look back and reflect on the last decade and there is a lot to celebrate, including the acquisition of Caspa Marketing and Aspen Manufacturing. Various award wins followed including, most recently, the Best in Small Business Award in 2017. Awards complemented our Quality, Environment and Health & Safety accreditations as part of our long running commitment to be a safe and happy place to work, which was further confirmed with a major refurbishment of the premises.
As July marks 10 years, the DCB Group looks forward and contemplates what the next 5 years will look like. MD Victoria Hart said: “Print will remain a vital industry! In a digital world, printing is as necessary as ever. You only have to look at theatre programmes, football programmes, billboards by the road, labels, posters etc. Print is a fundamental part of daily life and helps lots of other industries to conduct business.” Investments in systems such as the print on demand templating solution means more efficient processes and reduced transactional costs which ultimately leads to a future of happier clients.
Victoria adds “To be honest, I believe there will always be a demand and a place for printed media as people like to look, touch and feel it. Print brings a depth and permanence.”
