In 1975, Albert Dass planted the roots of Springfield Solutions. He founded a trade plate making and proofing service after 15 years working in the print industry. The original business was located on Springfield Way, Anlaby. The name may have stuck, but a lot has changed since then!

Two years after Albert founded Springfield Solutions, it was on the move, having already outgrown its Springfield Way location. The move accommodated two new large clients, London publishers Mitchell Beazley and IPC Media.

The following year, Springfield was growing a reputation as a proofing house serving major, national clients. Albert noticed that relying on suppliers to create films and plates was not efficient, so he took it upon himself to bring it in house. This is where our now global brand management services were born, in the attic of Albert’s house!

1984 saw Springfield expand yet again, this time with a move to Thomas Street, a stones throw away from our current location. This expansion into 5 units was timed perfectly, as shortly after we established our relationship with one of our longest standing customers. Then known as Reckitt and Colman, global consumer household, healthcare and hygiene company Reckitt still trusts Springfield to this day to manage many of their international brands.

In 1990, Springfield invested in the latest computer technology from Purups. This enabled us to work with Asda to create labels for their own range of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pizza. Using Purups technology, combined with Du Pont-Howson’s laser sensitive metal litho plate, Springfield exposed the printing plates directly on the imagesetter, missing out the film production stage. Not only was this the first time it had ever been achieved, but it also enabled the labels to be with Asda within a week of receiving the artwork, meaning Asda won the race to get its Ninja Turtle pizzas on the shelves before other supermarkets!

In 1993, we tackled a problem with one of our paint clients. They were occupying large storage spaces with litho-printed metal cans, which created huge costs. Our industry experience led to a solution, labels. Instead of printing onto the can, it would be more efficient to use labels and order the cans as and when they were required. Allowing the company to save on money and storage space. This solution was not without its challenges, but it opened up a world of new possibilities for us in printing, including digital processes.

1996 was the year we first invested in digital print. This was not only a first for Springfield, but also a first for Europe. As our Indigo Omnius 50 was the first reel-fed digital printer in the entirety of Europe. Albert Dass recognised that the future would see big things for digital print, so Springfield became a very early investor which led us to where we are today.

In 1997, we became the first company in the UK to send a digital file via an ISDN connection through Kingston Communications network. It took around 8 hours for the printer in Wales to receive the file, which was almost double the time it would have taken to send it on a CD or floppy disc by courier! But it was another first for Springfield and set the tracks for the future of digital processes.

In 1999, we invested in our last ever analogue press, which marked the end of an era. A large client of ours in the paint industry switched from sheet-fed cans to self-adhesive labels, which meant we needed to invest to complete the contract. Digital printing was not yet advanced enough to be used for more than short runs and prototypes, so we bought a flexo and a litho press, both from Nilpeter, to ensure we could meet the client’s requirements.

In 2012, we discontinued our last analogue printing press and took the move to go 100% digital, we haven’t looked back since! Digital has afforded us and our customer’s many benefits, including providing a more cost-effective and efficient service when working with global brands.

In 2014, Springfield Solutions became the first company in the World to invest in a Screen Truepress Jet L350UV digital label press. This press was new to the market and perfectly suited our requirements. This investment enabled us to cope with a 26% increase in print turnover in 2013, providing additional operational capacity to facilitate further growth and allowing us to print more than 100 million labels in 2014.

In 2015, we celebrated 40 years of Springfield, along with the launch of some key innovations. This includes Mock>It, our packaging mock-up service, REVEALABEL, our award-winning ‘piggyback’ label and an investment into 3D Printing. This year of innovation saw us print over 140 million labels in 2015.

In 2018, we developed our Business Development team to drive future growth. This investment in our team led on from our PrintWorks expansion, in which we invested in a new building to double the size of our print factory and increase capacity by 30%.

In 2020, we launched our luxury print innovation, Digital Label Embellishments. Enabling our customers to explore the world of premium, luxury packaging with incredible ease and flexibility. These embellishments include digital foiling, spot varnish and embossing/debossing.

In 2021, we took the steps to invest in every area of our business with Project 21. Expanding our team, print capacity and warehouse space to facilitate future growth. This exciting investment allowed us to continue to provide innovative digital packaging solutions, for today and tomorrow.