59 FINANCING AND FUNDING January / February 2024 - Issue 346 www.printmonthly.co.uk Walking the aisles of The Print Show just a couple of months ago, one thing was abundantly clear: people are buying new kit. Whether this is a new wide-format printer to support their expansion into a new market or taking on additional finishing technology to offer new effects to customers, new machines are being snapped up across all areas. This can only be good news for a sector that was hit hard during the pandemic as demand for certain work dried up, with many manufacturers and suppliers supporting companies with their investments by offering certain funding and financing arrangements. Add in third-party options from specialist financing businesses and this can help open doors to new purchases for print companies of all kinds. Here, we highlight recent examples of funding and financing in practice and present some of the options available to those in the UK industry. A Tough Market Compass Business Finance is an independent finance company specialising in asset-based lending to the print and packaging sector. Director Jamie Nelson explains that with asset-based finance having increased 6% in October, this reflects an overall rise in confidence across the UK market. However, he says the situation is not quite the same in the print sector. “For the print market, investment has slowed, perhaps in part because we have Drupa on the horizon,” Nelson says, adding: “However, the market is tough. We’ve been working with customers on various projects, including debt restructuring, MBOs and acquisitions, as well as direct investments. “During the past year, we’ve seen a lot more investment decisions being driven by potential energy savings and workflow efficiencies. Sustainability is high on the agenda for many businesses, especially where it has the ability to help them win more contracts. The majority of investment we’ve seen has been in sustainable large-format and packaging applications.” So, what can Compass offer to help print companies overcome the financial stumbling block with new investment? Regardless of whether times are buoyant or tough, Compass is able to support customers through a range of funding solutions, whether they are making investments or looking to improve their own cash position. “We take a relational rather than transactional approach to doing business, valuing our team, our customers, and our LOOK AFTER THE PENNIES Often a major stumbling block for print companies looking to make new kit purchases, what financing and funding options are available to businesses to help them push ahead with investment?
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