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March 28, 2004--With the acquisition of the next-door factory, Greenman Group plc has doubled the floor area of the parent factory in Epsom to nearly 25,000 sq ft. Taken together with its operations in Camberley and Rochester and a fifth factory under construction this brings the total area to 55,000 sq ft (5,100 sq metres).

Rob Bishop, Greenman Operations Director, has been under pressure for more space for sometime. He explained the challenge; "with products and sales expanding by 50% this year and planned growth at nearly 30% over the next two years I needed space to pack and ship 50,000 toner cartridges per month."

Greenman have occupied a prestigious modern 12,000 sq ft unit in Epsom, Surrey since 1996. When a similar factory next-door became vacant it enabled Rob to acquire it and weld the two factories into one large unit.

Greenman has been manufacturing compatible toner cartridges in Epsom since 1991 and has built itself into one of the leading players in the industry. With over 50% of sales outside the United Kingdom they have become a truly Pan-European supplier.

We asked Mark Dawson, Sales Director, how he accounted for the continuing dramatic growth in Greenman sales, "I wouldn't describe it as dramatic" he thought "It is more the result of many years dedication to service, to quality and to innovation in product development" he continued.

"Our customers are E.O.S. dealers in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe. They are fighting for market share in a market where fast service is a must and the demand for latest products to market is challenging". "Greenman helps them meet that challenge. We have developed a large R&D section, bringing new quality products to market as fast as supplies allow. This, together with fast service, competitive pricing and strong technical back-up enables us to provide dealers with the support they need to compete effectively".

"New products are important to our dealers and therefore important to us," Mark concluded, "In 2003 we introduced 29 new products which accounted for 7% of our sales and 8% of our gross margin. That's the way forward for our dealers and for us".

Greenman currently employs 220 persons of which 4 are focussed on quality control and quality assurance with another 4 focussed on developing new products. In addition to quality assurance the QC department maintains standards to ensure continuing approval for the various quality awards, which the Group has been awarded and held for many years:
    ISO 9001:2000        since 1994
    Nordic Swan:        since 1998
    ISO 11798:        since 1999
    ISO 14001:        since 2001

In addition to the above, Greenman has also been recognised as an Investor in People in 2000. This prestigious UK standard reflects the Greenman commitment to training and development of staff. Rob Bishop's philosophy is "we're only as good as our people." Given the outstanding success of the Group, the Green men and women must be pretty good!





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