With print firms increasingly relying on trade suppliers and specialist partners to help absorb capacity, a solid supply chain can effectively act as an extension of your business. The best suppliers can boost your output, capabilities, and customer reach – but that dependency also raises the stakes. Rising material costs, lead‑time volatility, sustainability expectations, and tightening margins mean that even trusted suppliers must be managed as strategic allies, rather than back‑ups. In this feature, we examine a number of key suppliers in the industry to discover how print businesses can evolve with collaborative alliances, how the role of suppliers has evolved in recent years, and what advice they would give to those looking to choose a supplier in the future. A MAPP for Success Mark Andy Print Products (MAPP) offers a comprehensive portfolio of OEM and aftermarket equipment, parts, and consumables suitable for a range of equipment including all makes and models of flexographic presses. Its portfolio aims to enable label and packaging printers to maximise press uptime and deliver the high print quality that brands and retailers are seeking. This range includes a complete lineup of tesa plate mounting tapes. Andy Clarke, European operations director for MAPP, explains: “We are the world’s largest distributor of tesa tapes and have in-house slitting capabilities in Europe and the US, which means we can provide the right products, slit exactly to size, and deliver when and where needed.” When asked about the importance of suppliers, Clarke’s answer is clear: “Suppliers are critical to the print supply chain: they always have been and always will be.” What has changed in recent years, according to Clarke, is suppliers’ role as a collaborative and consultative partner who are able to facilitate long-term business success. “Printers today are under extreme pressure to provide sustainable products of the highest quality but at the lowest possible cost,” Clarke asserts. “Manufacturers and suppliers must be able to guide and advise printers through this complex landscape. For example, sustainability should not be viewed solely through the prism of recyclability. Maximising machine uptime, Jonathan Pert speaks to a range of suppliers within print, to get advice on choosing a trade supplier and how the role of suppliers has shifted in recent years A SHIFT IN THE ROLE OF TRADE SUPPLIERS When you’re evaluating a business, make sure that it can back up what it says it can do WORKING WITH SUPPLIERS | JONATHAN PERT 50 email: editor@printmonthly.co.uk Issue 357 - November | December 2025
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