Here are some of the questions that are being served up to us.

Why do you stress being independent?
What do you think Production Partners key difference is?
What if we’re happy with our current solution or provider?
How does Production Partners make money?
Are Production Partners able to help on one off projects?
Will quality be compromised?
How will we now if we are getting good value over time with Production Partners?
What about sustainability?
What kind of print can you provide?
Where the heck do I get...?

Why do you stress being independent?

Being independent means we have no vested interest in manufacturing and no financial commitment to any one solution provider. Our solutions or unbiased and totally customer centric. Our cost recovery methodology is transparent and agreed up front with you. We do not accept rebates or finders fees from suppliers. Our independence is paramount to our success without this independence we would not be able to provide the services we do. We need to be trusted by clients and welcomed by suppliers.

What do you think Production Partners key difference is?

“Semper Aliquid Novi” or always something new. Businesses are being faced with challenges on a daily basis, we manage change. Some of the challenges that businesses will be facing in the print communication are not even known to them yet. We’re a catalyst for change. We challenge the norm by delivering new ideas, new solutions, new suppliers, and unique products.

What if we’re happy with our current solution or provider?

We hope our clients are happy with us too but we know our key contacts are required to “prove it” to their bosses or shareholders every once in a while. We have benchmarking processes to do this. If you can’t “prove it” perhaps we can help to provide this certainty for you.

How does Production Partners make money?

• We know print management can be a complex spend to evaluate. We conduct print audits and print procurement reviews on behalf of clients for agreed fees.
• We want people to value us for our early involvement and experience. We build ongoing Production Partnerships with an agreed margin or fee.
• Businesses and people get slammed. We manage individual projects or campaigns (the uglier the better). We provide one off solutions for an agreed fee.
• Organisations are down sizing. We provide an outsource solution on a mark up or fee basis.
• We’ll serve up unique print solutions to our partners. For example paper engineering, unique packaging and clever point of sale on a project by project basis.

Are Production Partners able to help on one off projects?

Yes. Sometimes you just get slammed and with organisations running leaner and meaner this is going to happen all the more often. We’re here to manage one off campaigns or entire rebrands. No project is too small.

Will quality be compromised?

No. We’re not here to cheapen print or put your brand at risk. The savings we are delivering are through process improvement in many cases the quality of the output is improved. We’ll work with stakeholders to ensure the appropriate level of quality is applied to each and every project. By appropriate quality we mean we won’t over enginneer a form and we won’t underspec a promotional item.

How will we now if we are getting good value over time with Production Partners?

We’ll benchmark our behaviour and our costs. You’ll get regular feedback and communication from us and it will feel right. Your staff and creative partners will value us for our early involvement in projects.

What about sustainability?

It means we nominate papers that are sourced from sustainable sources: recycled and plantation forest papers. FSC, PEFC and ISO quality certification is supported. Where possible inks are vegetable based. It also means where at all possible we want to work with companies that are investing in New Zealand. The most sustainable thing we can do is to ensure we keep New Zealanders working and investing in the new technologies that will drive efficiency. Print and paper if used appropriately has a strong sustainable message to be promoted. We’re working to ensure the print we produce is fit for purpose and we’re asking people to recycle what they don’t use. Please have a look at our Print-Less Strategies page.

What kind of print can you provide?

Sheet-fed offset print – We understand what sheet-size press and configuration will produce your product economically.

Web-fed print – Larger long-run mailers, and catalogues need careful consideration. Run lengths are dropping subtle size changes can make cost differences. Perfecting sheet-fed is cutting into web market. We’ll work with you to optimise your buying decision.

Labels – We’ll need to know where the label is being used. Label printing is 90% about the substrate 10% about the printing press. We know this and we know who prints them well.

Digital print – For print-on-demand, print for fulfillment, personalisation, and short-run requirements. We know this but we also know that digital print is a key link in the merging of new communication channels and print. Web2print and PURLs how well placed is your business to take advantage of these new channels to market?

Screen print vs digital – Large and small format indoor outdoors or on your car door. Printed on fabric corrugated iron or paper. We understand the attributes required for each and the break points for economical production.

Point of sale – Don’t get us started - we love it. Check out our specialty products and services Paper Engineering and epaper Technologies. In-store or in-bar we have some very cool offerings.

Pull-up banners, posters, billboards, banners on vinyl, synthetic or even plastics.

Pop ups – For more information, see Paper Engineering site.

Posters – For posters with a flash point of difference, see epaper Technologies site.

Banners and signage – In-store or outdoor requirements, usually needing installation. (see epaper/electroluminescence for that point of difference).

Car graphics – Branding logo or imagery, including Contra Vision (over-window graphics).

T-shirt production – As well as the usual requirements in apparel, ask about Electroluminescent (EL), T-shirts at epaper Technologies site.

Off shore sourcing – We have contacts for those jobs that just have to be produced offshore.

Where the heck do I get...?

We receive a lot of unusual requests; our supply chain has some very interesting kinks in it.