Hyndburn design and print agency to create four jobs

A Hyndburn based design and print agency will create four new jobs, after buying new equipment with support from a government grant.

Academy Print & Design in Altham has provided marketing services to clients for over 20 years, including graphic design, photography and the printing of promotional literature and signage.

Managing director Nick Oakley spotted an opportunity to grow the business by investing in new machinery, including a new digital press and a wide format latex printer that will give the company a more competitive edge and enable the company to develop further services in textile printing. The company has also invested in a new electronic workflow management system to increase efficiency and improve customer service.

As a result, Academy will be able to take on additional work and create four new jobs to meet demand. The company was able to source a non-repayable grant of £34,000 from Regenerate Pennine Lancashire to contribute towards the cost of the project. The grant was supported by the government’s Regional Growth Fund.

Nick Oakley said: “The project will help us capitalise on new emerging markets brought about by the transition from lithographic to digital printing, as well as the use of printed textile as an emerging new material for point of sale display items. Without the grant from Regenerate, the project would have taken a lot longer to complete and we would have missed out on a lot of opportunities to grow.” Councillor Miles Parkinson, leader at Hyndburn Borough Council said: “Academy have been able to create their new jobs faster by investing in a grant from Regenerate. We encourage all businesses in the area with ambitions to grow to see if they can benefit from additional funding to achieve this.”