syndrome now”, she says. “I still expect someone to say ‘go and work on the tills somewhere, this isn’t for you.’” But this business clearly is for Janet Bowden, who has forged Woodbank into a company of continued growth alongside a dedicated team, weathering every financial storm of the last 35 years. The success of the company speaks for itself. As Bowden puts it: “Let success be your noise.” Continued Growth Bowden points to a range of company achievements that fill her with pride as much now as when she was getting those early contracts secured as a sole operative. These include Woodbank engineers achieving an average call-out time of under two hours in 2024. In the same year, the company accomplished a 92% first-time fix rate. These achievements are part of what has allowed the company to achieve major contracts in recent years. These include an upgrade to the print setup for transportation and logistics company, WS Transportation, across eight sites. WS, which was formed in 2014, is a subsidiary of the Eddie Stobart transport company. According to Woodbank, the Runcorn-based transport company faced a complex and fragmented print portfolio across its various sites after a period of growth and acquisitions in recent years. Woodbank was approached by WS to provide a simpler, more streamlined solution. Woodbank’s work included the installation of 15 new Konica Minolta printers, placed strategically across eight of WS’s sites. The printers are centrally managed by a dedicated account manager, alongside Woodbank’s in-house team of engineers. Speaking upon completion of the upgrade, James Evans, account manager at Woodbank, said: “It’s been fantastic working with the team at WS to get them the results they needed. We’re excited to continue supporting them and build on this success.” Representatives of WS were equally positive, with Stephen Hewertson, IT manager at WS, commenting: “With support from our new Woodbank account manager James, we were able to review data, absorb viable leases, and consolidate the rest. This solution is exactly what we were looking for. It’s already cut costs by 16% each quarter, and James keeps in regular contact to ensure everything is running smoothly.” Woodbank also recently implemented a print management solution for Blackhurst Budd, a major law firm in Blackpool. Woodbank streamlined Blackhurst Budd’s printing solution from seven machines down to four Konica Minolta devices, with a focus on providing a consistent fleet cost-per-copy. 35 More Years? After over 35 years in business, Woodbank’s plans remain simple. The company remains committed to securing growth, in people, customers, and technology. Bowden is clear on this, saying: “We’ll continue to bring in the advancements in technology and partner with those that enable us to support our customers as they grow and evolve. Our focus is and always will be on doing what we do well.” In a retrospective video with Gemma Lee, chief people officer at Konica Minolta, Bowden mentions that she still has moments of doubt, despite the company’s success. “I still think I’ve got imposter I wanted to be the Waitrose of the copier world ▲ The company is still based in its original Stockport headquarters 30 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk March / April 2025 - Issue 353 COMPANY SPOTLIGHT / WOODBANK OFFICE SOLUTIONS
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