Prinovis

The Prinovis Liverpool state-of-art gravure printing facility is one of the largest inward investments in the region in recent years.

It is part of a joint venture between media services provider arvato AG and two of Germany's largest publishing companies, Gruner + Jahr and Axel Springer. The joint venture comprises five other printing plants in Germany that currently employ over 4,300 people.

Located at Liverpool International Business Park in Speke, Prinovis Liverpool will create up to 400 jobs when running at full capacity by 2008.

Serving a nationwide customer-base, the facility could have been located anywhere in the UK. Prinovis undertook an extensive review process which assessed several potential locations, including Cardiff and Sheffield, as well as Liverpool.

One of its primary considerations was the availability of space on which to build such a large facility. At 500,000 sq ft, on completion it will be one of the largest printing plants in the UK, with the potential for further expansion in the future.

A second key consideration was the availability of suitably skilled labour. Rotogravure is a specialised form of printing, but much of the technical and practical expertise involved is transferable from other types of printing.

The transport infrastructure of the chosen site was also crucial. Prinovis Liverpool will be able produce 160,000 tonnes of paper each year when running at full capacity, in the form of high-quality, high-volume colour publications, including magazines, printed mailings and home shopping catalogues. These will be distributed to customers across the whole of the UK, including around 40% to depots in London.

The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) met representatives from Prinovis to discuss its specific requirements in more detail. It coordinated the efforts of several local agencies, including Liverpool City Council and the Merseyside Learning and Skills Council, to demonstrate the business benefits of Liverpool as a location for the facility.

The 154-acre Liverpool International Business Park was identified as an ideal location. It offers ample space for the development, including room for growth, is less than a mile from Liverpool John Lennon Airport and close to major road and rail links.

"The site offered us considerable benefits," says Bob Robinson, managing director of Prinovis Liverpool. "There was more than enough room for the facility and the infrastructure is very good. Liverpool John Lennon Airport is virtually next door and the road infrastructure is excellent. We can truck materials anywhere in the country in just a few hours," he says.

The third and decisive element was the issue of skilled labour. Around 98% of the workforce is being recruited locally. The challenge for the NWDA and its partners was to demonstrate that the local labour pool matched Prinovis Liverpool's needs. Working with the Learning and Skills Council and other local bodies such as The Mersey Partnership, the NWDA collated in-depth research on the size and type of labour available, including the skills of the workers, training and education and wage levels.

"The research demonstrated that the skills we needed were readily available locally. Overall, NWDA support was instrumental in guiding us to our decision. They have a high degree of knowledge and contacts that are invaluable when you are making this sort of invesment," says Robinson.

Other factors contributing to the decision included the region's future strength as a major business centre, with £3 billion to be invested in Merseyside and its infrastructure by 2008.

Construction of Prinovis Liverpool began in early 2005. As well as Prinovis's £120 million investment, a further £7 million of funding has been provided by the Department of Trade and Industry, with additional funding provided by Liverpool City Council and Merseyside Learning and Skills Council. Production at the facility will begin on a limited basis in the summer of 2006, rising to full capacity by the project's completion date in 2008.

"Liverpool has the perfect ingredients for success, including access to talented and educated people and a strong national and international transport network."

"The rate and scale of regeneration here makes south Liverpool an exciting investment location. A strong transportation strategy with good national and international air links, plus the region's excellent demographics, were all key considerations."