THERE’S little doubt that you’ve seen and used Mosaic Board Printer’s products many times – but probably never realised it.
Some 100 million beer and drinks mats are produced every year by Kettering firm which has built itself into the leading specialist beer mat printing firm in the UK.
The Pytchley Lodge Road Industrial Estate company works for most of the major breweries, as well as other commercial organisations and campaign groups that use beer mats as a means of promotion.
Mosaic Board was formed 21 years ago when the beer mat printing company that Gary Pearce and Steve Paull worked for went out of business. Seeing opportunities within the market, the pair found premises in Kettering and called upon their reputation and experience within the beer mat market to start again from scratch.
Today, Gary and Steve are very much at the helm of the growing company, as likely to be found on the factory floor as they are in the boardroom, overseeing an experience team that works to fulfill orders for not just beer mats, but also cartons and packaging for the likes of Marks & Spencer and Boots.
“It has been very satisfying to see the company grow the way it has, particularly when it started with Steve and I losing our jobs and taking the opportunity to start our own company,” said Gary Pearce.
“We held on to the contracts from the big brewing companies because we offer them an excellent service, and that is the foundation of the company. At the same time, not all of our customers want massive print runs. We do beer mats for companies that want to use them to promote their products and from campaign groups or the police who want to promote safe driving, health campaigns or charity activities.
“We also do short runs of 500 standard beer mats for celebrations or special events like business awards dinners or product launches, anniversary parties, birthdays or weddings – for which we can design and print the mats for the customer.
“Research shows that beer mats get noticed. You might walk into a bar and not notice the poster on the wall but you look down every time you pick your drink up and see the mat it’s sitting on.
“They’re good for corporate events, or as a promotional item that you send out and someone keeps on their desk for their coffee cup.
Mosaic Board Printers Ltd
Pytchley Lodge Road Industrial Estate
Kettering NN15 6QJ
Website: www.mosaic-boardprint.com
BEER mats haven’t changed much over the decades, but the methods used to created them are vastly different – and Mosaic Board Printers has stayed at the forefront of new technology.
The company’s success and expansion led to investment in new technology, including the installation of a new KBA Rapida 105 printer last year. That, along with the new CTP Studio print preparation software, means that the whole process is quicker, easier and cleaner than ever before.
The printer sits alongside the five-colour Planteta printer, which comes into action during busy periods, and they both feed into a busy production and packaging line, and creasing and glueing equipment for the increasing amount of carton and packaging produced by the firm.
Gary Pearce said: “When I look back to 21 years ago, when it was a noisy, inky print process and we were outsourcing platemaking, it’s amazing how far we’ve come.
“The process is quicker – which is of great benefit to our customers – and it’s quieter and cleaner, which means a much more pleasant working environment for our team.”
The team at Mosaic Board works with customers’ own artwork, or can design a mat or packaging where required. It boasts clients across the UK and Europe, mainly picking up new work through word of mouth and the reputation it has built up, particularly within the drinks sector.
“Because we’re a privately run, relatively small company, we don’t have shareholders to keep happy or massive profit targets,” said Gary. “We have a workforce that is happy and enthusiastic and we try to make sure it’s a good place to come to work. I firmly believe that we’ve been successful, because there are very few competitors who can touch us on quality, price and lead time.
“Our slogan is Class Under A Glass – and we deliver that every time.”
