What's going on at Webmart?

Webmart Around the World?

We’re now opening discussions with our first potential licensees to spread the goodness of the Webmart business model and technology around the world.

Having spent 12 years developing the software and the expertise, we thought it’s about time we looked into franchising the business model & technology. However with potentially complex legal hurdles to overcome in the different territories – and, as always, looking at new and more efficient ways to solve problems – we decided that a much better way is to simply license out our tech instead. We reasoned that since our business model and processes are enshrined within our software, it’s actually much easier for all concerned to offer a simple licensing agreement. By licensing the software, licensors then effectively get an award-winning Print Management business-in-a-box.

And one of the great things about our software is that we were effectively 10 years ahead of the great Software as a Service (SaaS) revolution. All our software works through your browser, meaning you and your team get access anywhere there’s the internet. We take care of all that troublesome back-end systems nonsense that you really don’t want to be bothered with.

Of course, we still need to find licensors with the right stuff. We’re not willing to licence our software to just anyone. Licensors need to display the commitment to customer and supplier-care that we do, and be into greenprint and sustainability like we are. All this is great for business, great for building trusting relationships – and of course minimises the impact on the planet.

But once these boxes have been ticked – as Viz might put it – simply plug in people and watch the work flood in!

An Amazonian Auditing Adventure

Published December 17, 2009 Business , Charity , Print Management , Print Procurement , Print Purchasing , Printing , Procurement , Uncategorized Leave a Comment

Never being ones to throw money away (or indeed carefully spend money without ensuring we get what we pay for!) Webmart MD Simon Biltcliffe took a trip to the rainforests in Ecuador to make sure our carbon-offsetting is doing it’s job – and, let’s be honest, to make sure we are actually buying land with trees on it, not a car-park with a Starbucks! And so our intrepid Auditor took the last mule-train to Quito where he grabbed his rucksack and trekked for literally minutes to the nearest Land Cruiser before heading off into the jungle. And despite looking like a dreary afternoon stood by the Ouse, the photo is actually Simon conducting his audit by a tributary of the Amazon, with trusty computer at hand for when his fingers ran out!

On a more serious note, Webmart offsets it’s operational CO2 by buying land to protect and restore threatened rainforest and restore biologically important habitats in South America. Amazing how a bunch of Print Managers in the UK can really play direct part in protecting the rainforests.

EcoPrint Update

Published December 15, 2009 Business , Charity , Print Management , Print Procurement , Print Purchasing , Printing , Procurement Leave a Comment
Tags: Business Print, EcoPrint, Environmental, Print, Print Buying, Print Management, Print Procurement, Sustainable Printing, Webmart

Don’t you just love it when clients really ‘get it’?

We’ve put so much time and effort into making Webmart the greenest Print Manager in the land, that we were heartened when client Ball Colegrave challenged us to turn their print green. Ball Colegrave are a wholesale distributor of seeds and plants to commercial growers and Local Authorities. And since businesses don’t get much greener than theirs, they wanted to make sure their print matched their plants!

So Senior Print Consultant Mark ‘Robbo’ Robinson stepped up to the plate, knowing we’ve invested heavily in all the right areas: carbon-offsetting (for print process and transportation); FSC & PEFC accreditation (making sure the paper is from sustainable and Eco-sources); Inks (vegetable-oil based); Water-based varnish (rather than solvent-based) & biodegradable laminates (so the waste product will rot down more quickly). Mark got to work to make sure our print suppliers understood exactly what the client required and making sure the right printers were found – people who we know and trust to do a great job but never at the expense of quality.

And the end-result? Well, the client was delighted with the job and found that the Eco version was actually cheaper than their non-eco alternative! A fantastic result for all and surely a real taste of how we’ll all be buying print in the future? I mean, if it’s cheaper, sustainable and carbon-neutral AND gives great results – why wouldn’t you???

If you want to chat through how Webmart Print Management can make your life easier and your print Eco-tastic, Mark’s the man to call and will be delighted to tell you exactly how you can do it.

Print Management sans frontiers

Published November 26, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Business Print, Print, Print Buying, Print Management, Webmart

Webmart MD, Simon Biltcliffe, will be showing off his impressive trilingual skills (English, Yorkshire and GCSE French) at the inaugural Febelgra Lunch-Conference in Brussels on 11^th December. Febelgra represents the printing industry in Belgium and is presenting two case-studies to try and boost printing industry competitiveness in their region. Simon will be demonstrating how Webmart’s innovative print management business model has driven sector competitiveness and works sustainably with UK printers to foster win-win relationships.

Simon will be living the low-cost eco-dream by trundling over on the Eurostar and offsetting the carbon for his journey through our rainforest and oxygen-farm schemes.

Webmart Making a Difference… in Peru.

Published November 23, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Business Print, Charity, Print, Print Buying, Print Management, Print Procurement, Webmart

Another Webmart Charitable Trust update – this time from the “Building a Future for Peruvian Children” Charity. A mere £12 donation is enough to equip a child with all the clothing, books, bags and stationery they need for school for a whole year. It’s stunning to think that without this donation, a child simply wouldn’t have the opportunity to go to school and learn; but with it, they have the chance to make a real difference to themselves and their communities.

Webmarteers Lee & G with a preposterously large cheque.

Last year we donated £5000 which Carole, the charity manager, managed to stretch to helping around 420 children into school. This year, we’re delighted to announce we’ve upped that figure to £7500 – a stunning testament to our charitable trust and, once again, showing it’s possible to create a business that’s innovative and successful while taking the time to care for others. Long may it continue.

Webmart Award Update…

Published November 23, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Business Print, Print, Print Buying, Print Management, Print Procurement, Webmart

Well, we’ve won a few ourselves this year, so we thought it’s about time we gave some out. Pictured is Webmarteer Tracey giving out Webmart-sponsored awards for Achievement to Year 11 Students at our local college – Bicester Community College. Well done kids.

Webmart Charitable Trust update – Matt Hampson visit

Published November 19, 2009 Business , Charity , Print Management , Print Procurement , Print Purchasing , Printing , Procurement , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Business Print, Charity, Print, Print Buying, Print Procurement, Webmart

We were all delighted to welcome former U21 England rugby player Matt Hampson to the yellow shed on behalf of the charity, Special Effect.

Four years ago, Matt was paralysed from the neck down after a rugby accident and needs a ventilator to help him breathe. Special Effect is a charity that’s dedicated to providing help for young people, like Matt, through computer games – and the sense of inclusion and improvement in quality of life they can provide. They use a technology called ‘eye-gaze’ which allows people to control computers solely through the use of eye movements. But it’s not cheap. Each system costs £12k – which, though expensive, is a small price to pay if it gives people a real sense of hope and achievement.

Cheque this out Matt

So the Webmart Charitable Trust were more than happy to buy one for Special Effect. As the picture shows, they came in to show us how the system works, and plan to lend the system out to bring relief and independence to several young disabled people. Fantastic news that we can help – and humbling to think that the work we do at Webmart can have a direct impact on those less fortunate.

New Festival Flyer Trundles into the Shed

Published November 12, 2009 Business , Print Management , Print Procurement , Print Purchasing , Printing , Procurement , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: busines print, Print, Print Buying, Print Management, Print Procurement, Webmart

Well the good old festival flyer died on it’s little rubber rims after Jake K brought it back from Glastonbury last June. Maybe it was just telling us it didn’t want to leave the festival, or maybe it had cheap cider in it’s carbs, but whatever it was, the silly old sausage wouldn’t turn off when it got back to Bicester. We booted it, tweaked it, pulled stuff off it, but in the end we had to call out the local mechanic who pronounced it DOA. And ruling out the possibility that he was trying to pull an antiques-roadshow-style fast one (see hundreds of em missis, I’ll give you a tenner) we quickly flogged it on ebay and bought another. We were a little upset to see the back of the faithful old gal – but it’s probably true to say within about .4 miliseconds of the arrival of the new one, we’d forgotten about the old Merc and FF MkII was booked out for Glasters 2010. We have our sentimental moments at Webmart but this wasn’t one of them!

Webmart Point of Sale update

Published November 11, 2009 Business , Print Management , Printing , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: busines print, Print, Print Buying, Print Management, Print Procurement, Webmart

Jake checking out his packet

We’re always up for a challenge from our customers at Webmart, and it looks like The Point of Sale team are putting on a great show for one of our leading retail clients. They challenged us to kit out 11 stores for the launch of their latest war-based videogame, gave us a budget and an outline brief and let our imaginations run riot. So being print managers, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’d get busy with Photoshop and make a stack of 8-foot tall cardboard standees. But you’d be wrong. As you can see in the photo, we waived some nylons and chocolate at a passing Chinook and got ourselves kitted out with cammo nets, helmets, webbing, jerry cans, bivvy bags, and lots of other odd-sounding stuff that’s very green and rough and tough. We came in under-budget and are looking forward to getting them in-store for launch where they should look awesome. And as soon as we have shots, we’ll post them here. Reports that Jake F spent the weekend dug-in and bivouacked in the Webmart car park are as yet unconfirmed (though probably true).

THE GREAT YELLOW SHED REFURB – DONE!

Published November 10, 2009 Business , Print Management , Printing , Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: busines print, Print, Print Buying, Print Management, Webmart

...and it's even brighter yellow on the inside!

Woohoo – no longer is the big Yellow Shed a dull old 80’s-tastic warehouse. After a refit which has cost literally pounds (mostly of it on yellow paint) our refurb is complete. We’re walking the walk with virtuous value vortex graphics adorning the walls (inside and out!) a small gym to keep bodies as fit as minds – and a couple of refitted showers and kitchen meaning Webmarteers now only need bring sleeping bags and pot noodles and they need never leave their desks again. Customers and Suppliers are welcome to pop round for a fresh coffee and gawp any time they like.