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Paarl Media is the most comprehensive commercial printer in South Africa

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Professional PErSOnaL PrintErS the Paarl media group is a true african company who has invested both time and money into their business research and development Writer Emily Jarvis Project Manager Ben Wigger

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COMPANY HALFPTY FREIGHTMORE PAGE LTDEDT

quam eaqui sum ciunto in reightmore Ptyium ltd fugitis was founded tenia vendaeperro il molorib 1986, starting with just two vehicles uscipsam que con niendesed expel and six staff members. After molum nobit, officimaxime velit decades of evolution and growth, today atquis eturios Freightmore operates a ﬂeet of 100 sitatibuluptatint, mo odiatus vehicles from depotscomnit in Johannesburg, autem fuga. nequiae viduciumand Cape town, Durban, PortsitElizabeth vollestibus ad quiatquo tectates East London aided by a staff compliment aperum quatem. num et explian of 300 dedicated employees. derit, consedit optam qui cus necea dolorepe lab inctus. Freightmore have been noted as market withintotaectatus the transport and Ecumleaders eni velicimo logistics industry, providing coritatur, ut et aut eveleniservices modios which freight, air freight mosinclude modio road beatatum consequi andblaceaqui cross border deliveries.

ith its roots going back to 1905, Paarl media has grown to become the most comprehensive commercial printing operation in africa, with an operational capacity of 500,000 tonnes of paper a year. what’s more is that the company has further extended their reach to include the international printing stage and are proud to be on par with international printing standards. this has only been possible thanks to a forward-thinking attitude and a quest to keep abreast of the latest technologies. “through the implementation of faster, more advanced technology and highly efficient, fully automated production processes, we ensure our position as a single source for all printing requirements,” says group CEo, Stephen Van Der walt.

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Through the implementation of faster, more advanced technology and highly efficient, fully automated production processes, we ensure our position as a single source for all printing requirements”

Freightmore’s current business model e con niBore niet et resed magnisqui include cross-border deliveries berion remquam volum fugitas via provide lluptamstrategy, eatibus que et an outsourcing withnon a long magnatibusam aspelitam que term goal to look beyond ipsant, its founding nonemquam, sed ut quiinto dolutem country and expanding bordering poriam intiam ant, omnis nations such asvoluptatemos namibia, Botswana, autemque and dolessim quo ipsapid ucietum Swaziland mozambique. fuga. Et eatem volupta ssimaximus audae venis ut its quam sam, mode in earum to accompany primary of et ut qui volorepta dolorfreight, maximthe illupta pliscip transport via road company saeprae mollore magnimust aut adi also offers air freight as an additional seque voluptur alit, ius, vera pro omnis benefit to make things as easy and est rem nimus, tem fugiant que occum accessible clients. asit et, cusfor ex et facerum re rem ium et dolum volentem es que omnimet aut e Freightmore has been hailed as the ‘preferred transporter’ for theinto printing alibust oremolum nosandam and packaging industry, providing a te cum lab illuptaspis soluptatur aut service invaluable to customers, elique odiandanim exits eos earum est, while building and maintaining tempernam enempere repre consed customer relationships. quatat harcius tionsequiat magnis aspicaectis dereria spicia plitatem quaese volupta tetur, voluptas quiam of its most notable relationships, the quatemedia nobis group se pro duntur? Paarl has been partnering with Freightmore in a relationship Feris doloover verotwo verspersped spanning decades. que culpa velit peratis et verumendelic te ipient eosmedia ut quatgroup alia conem hilleca the Paarl are pioneers tionsequiam re eiciisc in industry, focused oniumquos offeringex eatias voluptatibus adipsan tionsectem professional printing solutions for que reperovid quae core nusam publications distributed throughout que vendebis ipsam rem aut quodici africa. Freightmore takes great pride in doluptae dolorporpor aut expedic acknowledging aneum ongoing temporporis dem eatgent pra business partnership with the preped quatem elessuntur, susPaarl modi media group.non eum simolup tatque et quamenisqui estest, occus aut et mo eos aut Tel 0861 76 76 76 Tel +??info@freightmore.co.za ? ??? ??? Email Email +?? ? ??? ??? www.freightmore.co.za

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K&H FREIGHT k&H Freight, with their head office in the Western Cape, offer next day and economy road delivery services, with competitive pricing and excellent service. K&H also offer transportation alternatives via our airfreight service, and also have the capability to transport hazardous chemicals. k&H Freight have a fruitful partnership with Paarl media, and hope to continue this in the coming years.

Tel +086 111 1084 Email enquiries@khfreightgroup.com

Consequently, the Paarl media group has seen steady growth per annum for the last decade, testament to their efforts to embrace the future.

Striking a Balance Between Old and New Tech whilst print media in Europe and the uS is now considered a somewhat dated technology, Van Der walt identified Africa as an emerging market for print media: “It is different here in African countries, our markets are driven by democracy and literacy rates. nigeria and DR Congo for example are relatively new to the democracy scene. with these new political processes comes an enormous requirement for print media to be prepared for elections, education, law libraries and so on. We find that a desire for literacy comes hand in hand with this. a lack of broadband and affordability

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A lack of broadband and affordability of luxury goods such as tablets and computers currently limits the growth of the digital space. However, digital is sure to remain a key growth area, which is definitely playing a big role in where Paarl Media is headed”

of luxury goods such as tablets and computers currently limits the growth of the digital space. However, digital is sure to remain a key growth area, which is definitely playing a big role in where Paarl media is headed.” alongside this however, comes the need to always diversify in the face of future technology trends and advances, which Paarl media see as key to retaining their top position. over the last five years, the company has made substantial investments in technology and development, in turn enhancing existing business with capex spending. “In the market conditions of 2014, it is simply not enough to focus on our core printing business; although print media is still an important part of african media, the number of printed magazines and newspapers continue to steadily decline, following the western trend

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of digitisation, and so we must continue to reinvent the business.” As such, Paarl Media’s geographical positioning opens itself up to the idea of amalgamating businesses that bear close relation to their core business. In other words, adopting what some may consider a vertical integration strategy, bringing all processes surrounding print media – such as distribution, logistics, management and even recycling materials – under the Paarl Media wing as Van Der Walt further explains: “I see this as a natural progression, particularly in terms of having our own logistics and a means to recycle our materials. Firstly, as most of our materials come from overseas and sometimes the final product is exported internationally, the Group heavily utilises freight logistics so this is a logical step for us. Some of our print materials go huge distances, to Rwanda for

In the market conditions of 2014, it is simply not enough to focus on our core printing business; although print media is still an important part of African media, the number of printed magazines and newspapers continue to steadily decline”

example. With the latest acquisition of Correll Tissue, this allows the Group to expand its manufacturing operations in the paper industry by harnessing the potential of waste paper – currently produced by the extensive printing operations of the Group – in the production of tissue paper. This vertical integration will result in significant value-add to the manufacturing processes by effective utilisation of waste paper generated by the printing operations.” Further to this, considerations into operational costs has put more pressure on South African companies to create one large organisation that encompasses all; these major amalgamations that Paarl Media have undertaken ensure safe structures in the company. “Plus, we will make significant contributions in the long term to continue our investments,” reasons Van Der Walt.

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other facets of the business have experienced a number of challenges centred around economic factors including pressures on South africa infrastructures, but Van Der walt says the group tries to be as transparent as possible in the face of arising issues: “there has been extreme pressure from the South african people on what is an expected wage increase. as with any large business, every year presents challenges to ensure that you cover your costs; and those costs tend to also increase each year. at our busiest, we can have up to 4000 people in employment including seasonal workers. we emphasise training and continuous development as an employer of choice and truly value our workforce. the group supports the creation of job opportunities, this is done in conjunction with our academy and the bursary trust which we have established.”

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Exposing Staﬀ to New Skills

As most of our materials come from overseas and sometimes the final product is exported internationally, the Group heavily utilises freight logistics so this is a logical step for us”

These different amalgamations are just a taste of the new technologies that Paarl media are developing. “Indeed, it must be noted that we view ourselves as a technologically advanced manufacturing company, which is always looking at improving internal skills to explore new methodologies that will allow us to decrease our longterm reliance on printed publications.” Van Der walt further divulged into the challenges centred around ensuring that the group has enough skilled workers in order to contend in the global market: “this is a challenge felt throughout africa; not only to have the number of staff required, but also to retain skills and continuously enhance alongside the changing technologies we are implementing.” advantageously, Paarl media have established their own academy which boasts both a local and international qualification, the latter from the

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From seed to paper We’re involved every step of the way.

Paarl Media Academy

The Group supports the creation of job opportunities, this is done in conjunction with our Academy and the bursary trust which we have established”

Forests

Mondi Richards Bay Pulp Mill

Mondi Merebank Paper Mill

Mondi’s South African business includes forestry operations in KwaZulu-Natal, a pulp and containerboard mill in Richards Bay and a paper mill in Merebank, Durban. Mondi’s Rotatrim, the Better Performance Paper, is South Africa’s leading brand of office paper and carries the Forest Stewardship Council certification.

Mondi is committed to proactively contributing to a sustainable future, and is involved in a number of critical projects that seek to ensure environmental integrity, and address the socio-economic needs of surrounding communities. PM sponsorhip at National Teaching Awards; Aaron Ganesh, Jane Motlatsi and Linda Chisolm

You can find out more about Mondi’s sustainability efforts by visiting sd-report.mondigroup.com

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prestigious City of guilds london, uk. “we employ people with the sole purpose of writing the curriculum, which has changed our business and the industry significantly in ways we did not imagine. not only did we use this to up-skill our present staff, we expose them to other skills in order to multi-skill them as well. our courses drew the attention of external companies, and as a result our academy has become outwardfocused. our time was clearly well spent!” Van Der walt emphasises.

International and SA Clientele In the wake of their academy success, it is evident that Paarl media is a true african company who has invested both time and money into their business’ research and development. a true testament to this is their printed product retail leaﬂets client base, which includes the likes of international giant Massmart (Walmart) and South africa’s largest retailer, Checkers. Van Der walt also highlighted the textbook sector, newspapers and the magazine market as three other key areas for business: “newspapers are a big market, but perhaps the fastest diminishing sector, with around 6-7% decrease year-on-year in terms of both pages and circulation numbers. the magazine market has remained buoyant throughout other economic factors over the years.”

Supplying the Education Sector

keen to highlight the important role that Paarl media play in the education sector, Van Der walt explained how lucky the group were to be involved in a South africa-wide project to supply work books to all children: “with huge support from the South african government, we have been able to supply 26,000 schools with over 50 million workbooks per annum which we have distributed around the country. Children have to get to grips with the ten official languages

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Stephen Van Der Walt, Group CEO

(including Braille) taught in South Africa, which is a difficult task for anyone no matter the age.” This project has been a major accomplishment as Paarl Media witnesses the continued successful delivery of education to every child in South Africa, which the company are incredibly humbled to have been a part of. “Schools in different economic areas have varied access to education and the delivery of workbooks really means a great deal to us,” affirms Van Der Walt.

Where Printing is Personal

Van Der Walt concluded his interview with us stating that the furtherance of people is a key value running throughout Paarl Media and its practices: “The education of both our own staff and the children of South Africa share a link - we want everyone to have a chance to get educated and further their skills. Plus, we will make significant investments in the long term to continue our growth.” In future projects, Paarl Media wishes to decrease their core reliance on printing and look towards other ways of enhancing both their core business and staff. With strong investment in research and development, the company will continue to remain focussed on technology, and enhancing the skills of staff alongside these new adventures.

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E n q u iries Tel (UK): +44 (0) 1603 559 151 Tel (SA): +27 (0) 21 527 0053

PAARL MEDIA GROUP

ben.weaver@outlookpublishing.com

10 Freedom Way, Milnerton, 7441

S U B S C R I P T I ON S

Tel: +27 21 550 2500

Tel (UK): +44 (0) 1603 559 152 matthew.bone@outlookpublishing.com

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PO Box 37014, Chempet, 7442 Email: info@paarlmedia.co.za