6 Issue 250 - December 2023 / January 2024 www.signlink.co.uk INDUSTRY / NEWS signlink signlink signlinkmagazine Signmaster latest PFI Group subsidiary to fall Kelso-based Signmaster ED, a subsidiary of Rymack Sign Solutions (trading as PFI Group) has entered administration after months of uncertainty for employees around the future of the company. This news tells of the tumultuous year it’s been for the Group following a series of administrations and an unfair dismissal tribunal having taken place in recent months. Dating as far back as 2017, the Group has been building its portfolio within signage and wide-format print including retail and manufacturing with a number of acquisitions over the years. Despite this, at the time of writing, Futurama, Mardan Products, Sign Plus (comprising of Jasmine and Lofthus), Gardners, and now Signmaster ED have all entered administration. Cestrian Imaging has been purchased by Service Graphics and Kesslers London and Proportion London have been aquired in an MBO. Issues at the Group began surfacing in May this year, as reported by Printweek, when PFI Group chief executive officer Darren McMurray came under fire for the dismissal of five former employees of PFI Group subsidiary Futurama. Following this, Marc Edwards, chief executive officer; William Evans, finance director; David Hurley, operations and installation director; David Sharp, commercial director; and Terence Elrick, acting managing director launched an unfair dismissal appeal. This was heard on October 10th at Leeds Employment Tribunal with the hearing finding no evidence of gross misconduct. The future of Signmaster had been in question months before it entered administration with reports of staff not being paid and threats of eviction due to unpaid rent. Sadly, the issues weren’t resolved and FRP Advisory has now been appointed. A source at the company has told SignLink that the administration comes as a huge relief due to “the uncertainty around jobs and wages and the future of what was a very successful business”. The source has described the stress this has caused to employees, particularly in the run-up to Christmas with staff, many of whom have families and young children, not having received wages for over four weeks and with no communication from PFI or Signmaster’s director Darren McMurray. The source said: “Many long-standing employees are now without wages or jobs. No one is taking responsibility for the loss of a great and long-established sign manufacturer. It’s a great loss to the industry, the local rural community in the Scottish Borders, but mostly to the talented and experienced employees who are now jobless.” At the time of writing, PFI Group has not responded to our request for comment. Kelso-based Signmaster is the latest PFI Group subsidiary to enter administration Opportunities, Revealed at FESPA 2024 Taking place on the earlier dates of March 19th to 22nd in the RAI Exhibition Centre, Amsterdam next year, the strapline of FESPA Global Print Expo 2024 is ‘Opportunities, Revealed’. The strapline for the co-located European Sign Expo is ‘Opportunities, Illuminated’, the strapline for the inaugural Sportswear Pro is ‘Opportunities, Created’, and finally the strapline for the Personalisation Experience is ‘Opportunities, Reimagined’. These co-located events promise to showcase a range of solutions for specialty print, sign-making, personalisation, and sports and leisure garment production. “This year, we’re introducing a set of new event straplines which represent a natural progression from the 2023 events where we encouraged visitors to discover ‘New Perspectives’,” says Michael Ryan, head of FESPA Global Print Expo. Exhibitors at the 2024 event will include AGFA, Antalis, DGI/d.gen, EFI, Elitron, Kongsberg, LIYU, Mimaki, swissQprint, and more. Textile suppliers will include MHM, Monti Antonio, and MS printing/JK Group, with two new embroidery suppliers, Tajima and Ricoma, confirmed for the first time. Alongside the exhibitor halls, the events will play host to a full educational conference, a Personalise Make Wear feature as part of Personalisation Experience and Sportswear Pro, the popular Sustainability Spotlight, and the World Wrap Masters competition. FESPA Global Print Expo and its colocated events will take place from March 19th to 22nd in Amsterdam The Advertising Association (AA), which represents agencies, media owners, and tech companies, has formed a new AI (Artificial Intelligence) Taskforce in order to establish ethical safeguards, develop industry guidelines, and ensure transparency and legality in the use of AI in advertising. The Taskforce will work with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) where necessary to ensure that the use of AI in advertising is transparent, decent, honest, legal, and truthful. Stephen Woodford, chief executive officer for the AA, says this new Taskforce comes at a critical time for AI globally. The association has brought together representatives from across its membership to create a coordinated policy approach due to the rapid changes AI is bringing to the world. VCCP London, which offers a range of services including retail experiences, out-of-home (OOH) advertising, and branding/design services has become part of the latest Taskforce in order to help guide the changes happening in the industry. Alex Dalman, managing partner and head of Social & Innovation at VCCP, comments: “We believe that AI can unlock tremendous potential in advertising and marketing, and that generative AI in particular will be an accelerator of human creativity and innovation, but we also believe that it must be used responsibly.” Print and signage might soon be affected more and more by AI By Carys Evans By Carys Evans By David Osgar AI Taskforce created by AA
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