Firpress Invests in MIS with Grant Support
Firpress secured a £20,000 Made Smarter grant to support a £40,000 investment in PrintIQ MIS
Firpress Printers has modernised its systems after receiving support from a government-backed programme that helped it to invest in skills training and a new MIS.
Workington, Cumbria-based Firpress had identified inefficiencies in how it operated that were preventing growth. A detailed review found it was being held back by outdated processes and disconnected systems across quoting, production, and customer management, including spreadsheets and legacy processes.
Staff were spending up to 20 hours per week on manual tasks, while errors and rework increased costs and waste.
Made Smarter technology advisor Sarah Woodhams and organisational workforce development advisor Jacqui Anderson visited the business and, through a Digital Transformation Workshop, helped define a package of skills development and technology investment.
Firpress ultimately secured a £20,000 Made Smarter North West grant to support a £40,000 investment in PrintIQ, a cloud-based MIS that offers quoting, production, scheduling, inventory, and customer communication in a single platform.
Made Smarter North West is a government-backed programme that helps SME manufacturing invest in new technology and digital skills.
With installation of the MIS completed in the last few weeks, the system will automate workflows, standardise pricing, reduce manual data entry, and provide real-time visibility across the business, improving coordination and decision-making.
To support implementation, Firpress co-owner Kerri Black took part in the Leading Digital Transformation programme, developing the project alongside the course. In parallel, team members across the business completed the Leading Change for Digital Champions programme.
The investment will reduce quoting times from three hours to 30 minutes, while administrative time will fall by around 40%, freeing up to 20 hours per week.
Improved scheduling will increase production capacity by up to 25% without additional headcount, while real-time tracking will deliver up to 95% visibility and reduce errors and rework by up to 10%.
Commercially, faster and more accurate quoting is expected to increase conversion rates by 20%.
Black said: “Made Smarter gave us the confidence to take a step we simply wouldn’t have taken on our own. This was a major investment for the business, and we needed to know we were making the right decisions.
“The combination of expert guidance, practical support and the skills programmes meant we weren’t just investing in new technology, we were building the knowledge and confidence across the team to make it work. That’s what’s made the real difference.”
Firpress plans to upskill 10 staff and also hopes to take on three new people.
With PrintIQ in place the company now has a foundation for future integration with CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, and other digital tools.
Co-owners Black and Paul Williamson took over the business in 2003. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it diversified into large-format printing to support its offering that also includes digital and litho printing, graphic design and promotional materials.
The business serves customers ranging from schools and councils to major organisations such as Sellafield, CeX, and the Houses of Parliament.
It is currently targeting growth in new markets, including healthcare, food and drink, and education, alongside larger B2B and export opportunities.