A major milestone was reached in September, when Pro-Print turned 45. Asked about the form the celebrations took, Barry explained that the state of the economy and difficulties being experienced by many South Africans tempered any thoughts of making a costly fuss. However, while it might have been a relatively low-key occasion in the company’s proud history, there’s no doubt it had special meaning for the 170 staff members who all have a stake in this family-owned business.
Barry, his daughter, Yvette, who’s at the sharp end in her role as production director, and Barry’s sister, Sherryl, all speak enthusiastically about their achievements and progress in the past year, when Pro-Print received a number of prestigious awards from major customers in recognition of excellence as a supplier.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Cape Town celebrated its 2008 Supplier of the Year Awards in June this year underpinned by its ‘Next Level Now’ strategy which aims to improve supplier base robustness and enhance supply chain performance to deliver superior and sustainable results. Yvette Roberts was on hand to receive the Overall Winner: Supplier of the Year Award 2008 from site director, Robert McDavis.
But that wasn’t’ the end of the accolades. At a glittering supplier function held in Pretoria, Barry proudly received Sandoz’s 2008 Overall Supplier of the Year Award from CEO, Lynton Thomas.
Both GSK and Sandoz are multinational companies with high expectations of their suppliers and these awards are testimony to the pride and professionalism that’s so evident when interacting with Barry Roberts and the team at Pro-Print.
Caption: In June, Yvette Roberts received GlaxoSmithKline’s 2008 Supplier of the Year award from Robert McDavis, GSK’s Cape Town site director.
A third award received during the year was the PMR Africa Silver Arrow 2009, based on a national survey on packaging manufacturers in the category Paper: Folding Cartons for pharmaceuticals.
And for good measure, to show that Pro-Print has been spotted internationally, Printing Industries of America recognised the company with a Premium Print Certificate of Merit. An impressive bunch of awards in a single year!
An interesting challenge is finding space on the wall in Pro-Print’s reception area to hang these new awards, to join an already-formidable line-up of certificates gained over the past 45 years that recognise quality and superior supplier performance.
No doubt there will be more recognition coming the way of this proud company as it forges ahead with confidence.
