ICG 2024 Round-Up

As we near the end of 2024, the team at Integrity Communications Group reflect on a busy year that has seen the Group deliver impressive financial results against a challenging backdrop across the industry.

Overall, the Group has posted an excellent set of results, with all companies within the group showing year-on-year improvements. Although not finalised, the Group’s overall performance will exceed the financial targets that were set last year.

This is particularly remarkable given the challenges that the industry is facing with a high level of insolvencies across the sector. The overall strategy adopted by the Group is working well as we continue to invest in new technologies and develop new market sectors.

Success & Investments

The year has finished on a particularly high note with Integrity Connect winning the Inkjet in Direct Mail award at the prestigious Digital Printer Awards in November for their work with Hospiscare.

Investment has continued across the Group’s manufacturing sites with a £1m investment in an eight-colour press at A1Security Print, a Fujifilm EC110 digital press at Orion Print and a Bowe Fusion Cross enclosing line at Integrity Connect. Membership Plus strengthened its in-house operations with a Fujifilm Pro C650 digital press and a TwoFold encloser.

There has also been continued investment in people with two key hires being made to the senior management team. Will Duggins joined Orion Print as Managing Director in February, bringing the expertise and experience of a lifelong career in security printing.

Mike O’Sullivan joined the Group as Procurement Director in May, having worked for both Next and Clarks, he brings extra discipline and corporate governance to the management of our supply chain.

The increasing significance of technology-led solutions across the Group has seen Mark Barton join TriPartum and Yvette Allen join Integrity Connect to strengthen our development and programming resources.

Group Milestones in 2024

Integrity Connect launched Clarity Connect, our new, improved, hybrid mail service which has been incredibly well received by both new and existing clients.

TriPartum and Membership Plus collaborated to develop a leading-edge digital card solution for the mobile wallet that has been tailored to the specific demands of membership organisations.

A1 Security Print completed the acquisition of Denote Print, a specialist provider in the education sector and added intaglio print capabilities to meet the unique demands of visa printing.

Orion launched a new service to provide banking passbooks and has added silk screen printing to their service portfolio.

The marketing team were also busy supporting several new website launches in 2024 for Labels Plus, A1 Security Print and LabelsZoo. The team also developed and launched the Integrity Communications Group website in January, allowing clients to see the full range of the Group’s capabilities in one place for the first time.  

Industry Advancements

Collectively the Group is seeing some major changes to our core marketplace of printed communications. A key conversation we are having with many clients is the need to support the development of their Customer Experience strategy, against a backdrop of increasing regulation, rising delivery costs and the trend to digital transformation.

The Group’s development team have launched the Clarity Portal and ICG Smart Vault to support the shift to digital channels, enabling clients to control their data and ensure a seamless customer experience in an agile and secure environment.

The ability to respond to changing customer needs is at the heart of the ICG business philosophy and our results in 2024 have reflected the fact that our clients recognise and value the services we provide. 

Client Success

Across the Group there has been a focus on retaining accounts, with contract renewals at Membership Plus for the prestigious Kew Gardens contract while Integrity Connect retained key clients Aster Housing and Curo Albion on long-term contracts and GPS retained Clarion Housing Group.

The Group’s capabilities have also attracted several new clients that demonstrated the diversity and geographic reach of the business. Integrity Print secured a £1m contract with Tesco for in-store materials across the UK, whilst A1 Security Print continued to develop overseas markets with a contract for Somaliland electoral materials. Orion Print was able to step in at short notice to supply thermal pouches for the Paris Olympics.

Accreditations 

New clients are impressed by the Group’s robust approach to Corporate Governance. Operating in heavily regulated environments ICG continues to ensure that we achieve and maintain the highest standards of accreditation. 

This has been reflected in Integrity Labels’ attainment of a BRC AA rating for Food Hygiene, A1 Security Print achieved Environmental Standard 14001, and Integrity Connect retained Cyber Essentials Plus and ISO27001. Parking and Secure Documents, TriPartum and A1 Security Print all attained the Investors in Diversity Award, with Parking and Secure Documents being recognised by the National Centre for Diversity as being in the Top 50 most inclusive employers in the UK.

Company Initiatives & Community Support

ICG continues to encourage companies within the Group to support local community initiatives as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. Some of the highlights of the year have included Charity Resource’s Easter Egg and Advent Calendar events that attracted fantastic donations from suppliers and staff to support the Southside Project. A team from ICG also attended the Norton Hill School careers fair to promote the opportunities available in the industry.

Several sports teams also benefited from financial support with Orion Print sponsoring Ilkeston Town Robins U12, A1 Security Print supporting Crowell Searchers U13 and West Midlands Police FC, and ICG were the main shirt sponsors for Westfield FC.

The Group also continues to work hard on Environmental issues with the aim of achieving Carbon Net Zero by 2035. Comprehensive measuring and analysis of Scope 1,2 and 3 emissions has continued through the year and a Carbon Reduction plan is in place. There is significant activity planned in 2025 to reduce dependency on gas and continue with 100% renewable electricity. The switch from mechanical production methodology to increasing digital channels will also make significant positive impacts.

Future Outlook 

In summary, 2024 has been an excellent year for ICG with a strong financial performance allowing continued investment in people, processes and equipment. The strategy is to continue diversifying the Group’s capabilities and market reach.  

Utilising our technology expertise, we will expand our offering across both existing and new sectors. 2024 has seen exciting growth in financial services, membership, events, education and social housing as customers increasingly look to the Group to provide innovative solutions that bring resilience to their supply chains and enhance their customer engagement strategies.

Through the Security division, we will continue to develop our export markets by providing high-quality products with market-leading security features for elections, visas, events and banking.

We are dedicated to strengthening our relationships with both existing and new clients. Confident in our ability to adapt to the constant changes impacting the Group, we remain focused on delivering the innovative solutions that drive our growth. The success of 2024 has demonstrated the effectiveness of our strategy, allowing our people to thrive in a culture rooted in our values of Trust, Passion and Excellence.