The TJ International site in Padstow
It was in 1973 that TJ International started operating in Padstow, Cornwall. Hundreds of millions of books later, it is still investing in its people and technology.
The bright lights of the city lure so many, but TJ International has moved in the opposite direction. Celebrating its 40th anniversary of setting up in picturesque Padstow in Cornwall, the business actually had its origins four years earlier in London as TJ Press (Camberwell) Ltd, named after its founder Tom Jacques. Back then, it had two printing presses – one for posters, one for comics – and six staff. Nowadays, the company employs more than 120 people and produces in excess of six million books per year.
Sales director Andy Vosper has been with TJ since the early days. He said: ‘From humble beginnings in 1973 as one small book printer from dozens in the UK, based in a town hundreds of miles from mainstream publishers, through successive cutting edge technologies and the emergence of global competition, to becoming an award winning, nationally recognised manufacturer of choice for quality book manufacture; the TJ International team have taken a significant and rewarding 40 year journey we can all be immensely proud of.’
The re-location to Cornwall came about predominantly through a need for business growth. TJ was using The Dorstel Press in Harlow to bind its books. The binding company was sold, however, and the owner, Robert Hartnoll, moved to Cornwall, where he bought the house he had honeymooned in. Shortly after his move, the Cornwall & Devon Light Infantry was disbanded and the barracks at Victoria Square in Bodmin came up for sale as industrial units. He bought one and started up a bindery there, which TJ also started to work with.
Growth was severely restricted on the Camberwell site so TJ decided to relocate to Cornwall (Padstow) in 1973 to be nearer to its Bodmin binder. In 1980, TJ built its own bindery and for the first time had a totally integrated book manufacturing company. In 1995 a new purpose built factory was built to allow for TJ’s further growth.
The original client base included a few poster clients, a comic publisher, and a large print publisher from Leicester called FA Thorpe. Large print books have remained an important part of the business, but TJ International now has relationships with publishers across the UK and internationally, producing books for the consumer, academic and professional markets. More than 150 million books have left its Padstow plant, including such titles as You, Me and Jesus, A Little History of the World, and Just My Type.
On the technological side, things have also greatly evolved. TJ has always been committed to staying at the forefront of technology. It has gone from large format Crabtree presses to Heidelberg B1 format, and back to large format KBA presses;it has introduced flow lines for hard cover and soft cover books; it started printing books digitally in 1998 and introduced print on demand in 2011.
In addition to this reputation for technological excellence, the company has been founded on a number of core beliefs, explains Angus Clark, TJ International’s chief executive: ‘TJ has always been focused on five key business drivers: Health & Safety, Training and Development, Quality, Environment and Business Performance. Our core values of empathy, integrity and excellent work performance have enabled us to provide a consistent world-class service to all our customers, developing sustainable and mutually profitable partnerships.’
The book production line
Those customers are now publishers from across the world. TJ International exports to Europe and produces books globally with partners in the USA, Asia and Australasia as a part of a print-tomarket arrangement. Market requirements are everchanging, but Mr Clark stressed that the company has a grounded view on its own expertise as a print service provider.
‘We realise we’re working in an increasingly digital world. However, we feel that our strength is quality book manufacturing, so we will focus on what we do best, and that’s printing and binding the best quality books. Saying that, TJ has always been, and continues to be, committed to being at the forefront of technology and in order to deliver on that promise we are devoted to working closely with all our customers to understand and respond quickly to changing needs.
‘We strive to support and educate our customers about the latest solutions to achieve the best possible results, by being flexible and accommodating in our service offering with things such as digital print, and print on demand, and forming partnerships that are beneficial to TJ and our customers.’
TJ has long been conscious of its impact on the environment, and its practice has been recognised on both national and local levels. Recent accolades have included qualifying as a finalist at the Green Business Awards (Waste & Resources, 2012), the BPIF Seal of Excellence for Environment (2011) and the Cornwall Sustainability Award for Continuous Commitment to Sustainability in Cornwall (2010). Such a track record prompted Gitty Ankers, senior environment officer at the Environment Agency to say: ‘Our work would be a lot easier if more industries looked to TJ as an example of best practice.’
Angus Clark, TJ International’s chief executive
Mr Clark believes that the keys to TJ’s business success so far have been sound investment in great people and innovative technology, quality products, world-class service, and consistent reliability. ‘We’ve found these to be instrumental to TJ’s success, and we will continue to focus on these elements in the future, to maintain the level of service and quality that TJ has always been known for,’ he said.
Of the 40-year milestone, he said it was a significant moment in the company’s history, adding: ‘We realise that all this couldn’t have been achieved if it wasn’t for the great people we’ve worked with over the past 40 years. Some of them have been with the company for over 30 years.’
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of TJ’s arrival in Cornwall, it is to hold a special family fun day event for all staff and their families, which will take place on TJ’s premises on July 6. Mr Clark said: ‘We have planned a range of activities and entertainment for both kids and adults to enjoy and take part in. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for the weather!’
