Paper provider Antalis has confirmed a restructuring that will result in redundancies in its UK operations, saying the move was driven by its desire to ‘put customers front and centre of our decision making.’
Last week the company confirmed that changes were imminent and in a statement to Digital Printer said:
‘The structure that we currently have has served us well for many years, but our trading world is changing.
‘We have undertaken a strategic review of our organisation within the UK to make sure that we have a good fit with the changing markets and customer demands that we are facing.
‘Our objectives have been to create a leaner, more resilient organisation that is capable of making and implementing quality decisions at speed. Examples of what we are creating include a supply chain function replacing separate procurement and logistics functions and a commercial function combining sales, marketing and purchasing.
‘Central to our planning has been a desire to put customers front and centre of our decision making
‘Unfortunately this will result in some of our colleagues leaving Antlais (including Excom members and senior managers) as we implement a flatter, more efficient structure.
‘Consultations are being held throughout February. Where possible alternative roles are being sought within Antalis.
‘In total we expect this process to result in less than 50 employees leaving, which reflects less than 5% of our headcount’
Prior to last week’s announcement Antalis had made a busy start to 2020, extending its Xanita print range, moving to offer universal carbon offsetting and enhancing its online offering. In the UK and Ireland the company has an annual turnover of £520m, 16 branches, 1100 staff and sells 550,000 tonnes of paper every 12 months.
The group as a whole has an operational presence in 41 countries and boasted €2.3bn in sales in 2018. Its shares are currently valued at 43c, up from a low of 41c on 26 February. The shares had stood at 55c for most of this month.
