etrinsic gets to the heart of housing association's print management needs

Solihull-based print management firm, etrinsic is working closely with Midland Heart on its print procurement and production including residents' newsletters and communications, stationery and mailings.

Midland Heart is one of the top ten housing and regeneration groups in the country and the largest based in the Midlands. With £140 million annual turnover, it manages 32,000 homes providing services including care and support to more than 50,000 customers.

Employing the services of a print management specialist like etrinsic - which holds the contract to supply these services to PfH Members - can save time, money and significantly boost the efficiency of document and literature production. Highly experienced in the housing sector, etrinsic can supply a bespoke service that enables Members to achieve quality and budget objectives across both their creative design and print production.

Midland Heart is benefiting, for example, from the creation of document templates for items like business cards and other marketing collateral such as residents' information literature and general leaflets. etrinsic also advises on the most effective format of items as well as managing the production of handbooks, newsletters and mailings.

Although the contract is still in its infancy, savings have already been identified and etrinsic aims to continue to deliver further substantial efficiencies as the partnership progresses through its first year.

Sarah Clee, Head of Marketing and Communications for Midland Heart comments: "The delivery of the best possible return on our spend was a key requirement for our print management partner. We wanted a company which could see ahead and alter their working practices to get even better value for money for us. We opted for etrinsic because we felt that they were best able to provide for our existing needs and, more importantly, to support the processes we wanted to adopt in the future."

etrinsic takes care of all aspects of print production and distribution - from commissioning and creating original artwork to selecting the right printers as well as managing the logistics of storage and delivery. The company is responsible for all progress-chasing and print project management to ensure publication deadlines are met. "Even small changes to printed output can make make a big difference to the bottom line," says Paul Howie of etrinsic. "We can help Members boost their environmental credentials too through the specification of recycled paper, stock from sustainable sources and intelligent design right from the outset."