Plastic card manufacturer, Plastic Card Services, has picked up a national award for export success, after growing its sales to overseas markets to 10 per cent of annual turnover. The Macclesfield-based company, which provides plastic cards and associated services for a number of high profile retailers and FTSE 100 companies, was presented The Guardian newspaper’s Small Business Best Practice Exchange Exporting award earlier this month (October).
A panel of leading business figures selected PCS for the award in recognition of its partnership-led approach to export growth which has seen it establish strong business relationships across Europe. In particular, the company has formed a partnership with Logocard, a plastic card agent in Denmark, which led to PCS winning key accounts in the country including Coop Danmark, a nationwide grocery store, and Matas, a national pharmacy chain.
The judges also celebrated PCS’ positive approach to product innovation and creating solutions that meet specific market demands. For Scandinavia, which has a strong environmental focus, this was the creation of its ‘bioPVC’ card which is manufactured using a waterless print process and decomposes in around three years.
Commenting on the award win, Rob Nicholls, managing director at PCS, said: “Our business is a great example of how, despite challenging economic conditions, it is possible to build a successful business and break into new markets, and it’s fantastic to be recognised nationally for our accomplishments.
“Building overseas sales to 10 per cent has required a lot of hard work from the team at PCS, and at times, we’ve had to make some bold decisions, but this ambition has really paid off. As well as having a positive impact on our business, we hope that our growth in export has, even in a small way, brought greater income and jobs to the local area.”
The Guardian Small Business Best Practice Exchange Exporting award is the latest accolade for Plastic Card Services. In September this year, the company was also announced as the British Printing Industries Federation’s Company of the Year (up to £5 million).
