Precision ProCo Group has launched the Print Out to Help Out scheme, offering to temporarily take on staff from other companies over the Christmas period.

The festive season is always a busy time of year for the group, with all of it sites working seven days a week, 24 hours a day from November to early January. The company is anticipating that 2020 will busier than ever before, with customers expected to demand personalised items in huge numbers.

Precision Proco is hoping its new plan will not only give it the manpower it needs at a number of sites, but will also help other printers by taking on their staff from 15 November to 15 January.

The company is looking to have a pool of up to 40 people who can be called on to work at its Dagenham, Sheffield and South Normanton sites and is now hoping that other printing businesses in those areas may have staff they can spare for the required period. The aim is to sub-contract skilled staff, who will receive their contracted rate including holiday contributions for the time they work, with the option for flexible shifts.

Specifically the group is looking for people with a variety of skills including HP Indigo S3 and S4 operators, guillotine operators, finishers with folding, saddle stitching and thermal laminating experience. At the same time there will also be vacancies for those with experience in casemaking and PUR binding along with goods in operatives.

‘Because families may not be able to be together at Christmas, we anticipate that there will be more orders than ever for personalised items such as photobooks and calendars,’ said Gary Peeling, CEO of Precision Proco. ‘We already run at full capacity at this time of year and with the possibility of staff falling victim of the track and trace system and perhaps having to isolate, we can’t afford to be without the people we need to keep everything going.

‘We would reassure everyone that we are not wanting to take their staff and will return them at the end of the contract under non-solicitation agreements,’ Mr Peeling added. ‘It just seems a solution that will have benefits for everyone – it will give us the additional people we need and at the same time would hopefully help out printing companies who specialise in B2B products and would normally be quiet during the run-up to Christmas.

‘We hope the Print Out to Help Out scheme will be a great solution which will be of mutual benefit to us and to other colleagues in the industry.’