This year, Springfield Solutions celebrates its 50^th year business! However, this is not the only milestone we are celebrating this year…

In fact – we have 5 more milestones to celebrate in 2025!

This year, we welcome 4 members of staff into our 25 Year Club – Ian Chapman, Dennis Ebeltoft, Steve Nix and Dave Medcalf.

As well as celebrating another incredible employee milestone, as John Stephenson becomes our second member of staff to reach 40 years with the company!

These milestones are a clear example of the dedication, hard work, and loyalty of the people who’ve helped shape Springfield into what it is today. Every member of our team represents the passion, progress, and commitment to excellence over the years.

We spoke to Steve, Dennis, Ian, Dave and John to relive some of their memories spanning across the decades!

Steve Nix – Print Operations Manager

Do you have any early memories of starting at Springfield?

In 1999, I visited Springfield to see if it was for me and did not think the big presses coming in would work and decided not to join. But I then saw the first digital press, and this was something I was very keen on, and Albert joined me and that talk changed my mind! Leading to me starting at Springfield 2^nd of January 2000.

How has your role developed over the years?

The move from conventional to digital has been a big challenge as well as the ever-changing digital development. Take a step back and look at what we have achieved over the last 25 years, and it makes you very proud.

First in Europe for the Omnius, the transfer to HP and the first in the world to go inline finishing on the HP. The ideas and development of ABG solutions to offer superb finishing for digital printing. First in the world to embrace Ink Jet with SCREEN, first in the world to put SCREEN presses inline. We are now writing the next chapter with faster ink jet solutions and high-quality print.

Any highlights across your 25 years at Springfield?

A highlight for me is being able to offer our customers a 5-day turnaround consistently and educating customers what the power of digital print is and helping them embrace this.

Other highlights include developing our SCREEN presses, ABG success after our BETA testing and development work, creating the print team with some of the best people I have ever worked with, innovations and being allowed to experiment and develop some great products and solutions for our customers.

Dennis Ebeltoft – Operations Director

Do you have any early memories of starting at Springfield?

Coming from America into the UK in 2000, I felt very welcome and that was down to the people, everyone within the business were very professional, friendly and happy to assist or provide guidance right from the beginning.

When we were in a different building, the company was running off an old Windows NT server that crashed several times per week! Which was a bit challenging as the Repro side of the business were servicing a number of large companies including Reckitt and Coleman – now Reckitt, ICI – which was acquired by Akzo Nobel in 2008, Crown Paints and Scotts Miracle-Gro.

We replaced it with a Sun Microsystems Unix based system that was much more reliable, and I believe we ran for over a year soon after the installation without a single restart which I why I don’t like rebooting my laptop!

How has your role developed over the years?

My first role at Springfield (or Fort Dearborn UK as it was then known) was IT Manager. We had a young Team of 5 with Julie Fields and Simon Houston part of that team. I moved back to the States for approximately 18 months in 2003 but due to family health issues I approached Albert about returning to the UK. Albert was open to my return and said I could work alongside other managers to oversee production.

Five years after is when Albert and Steve asked me to join the board of Directors as Operations Director.  It was my pleasure to work with such an innovative and professional Team.

Moving into my current role, we continued to look at new print technology. In 2010 we made the decision to go completely digital due to customer run lengths and requirements for faster turnaround.  We upgraded our HP technology and integrated more with the deployment of Esko and CERM and sold our last conventional press in early 2011. We soon established inkjet printing was continuously improving in quality, and the speed was already faster than our current technology, so Albert and I started the journey to evaluate four or five key manufacturers. We partnered with SCREEN and still have the original press from 2014 in production today. 

Any highlights across your 25 years at Springfield?

Every day brings challenges. But working closely with such a professional Senior Management Team, I feel we can tackle and overcome anything that comes our way.  Now as part of All4Labels Global Packaging Group, I believe the company is in a great place to continue to grow and flourish in both the digital print arena and our Brand Management area of the business.  Every new technology we deploy is a big highlight for me!

Ian Chapman – Print Team

How has your role developed over the years?

I’ve seen a lot of change in technology in the last 25 years, from starting on conventional litho and flexo presses to the gradual climb into digital print.

Having to finish digital print on conventional presses constantly turning a cutter to register the label by hand ending up with arms like marrows! Hard days indeed. When I first started, we worked 12 hours shifts 7 days a week for about 3 months including nights to meet the demand of our customers as there was only 5 of us working on the shop floor back then.

Dave Medcalf – Enabling Services Manager

Do you have any early memories of starting at Springfield?

Thinking back to when I first started working at Springfield, I was excited to be involved in the reel fed label print being set up and introducing relevant Quality Systems.

How has your role developed over the years?

Starting with managing just the QA department, I have gained a number of added responsibilities as the years have progressed as Enabling Services Manager.

Any highlights across your 25 years at Springfield?

Working with customer-focussed, good people who go the extra mile and continually keep the company at the cutting edge of label print technology. Each certification and award we have gained over the years are regular highlights!

John Stephenson – Print Team

Do you have any early memories of starting at Springfield?

I was taken on as Springfield’s first Apprentice in 1985. My role was lithographic proofer on a Screen Dainippon Press. This was an old-fashioned apprenticeship where you had to be ‘sworn in’ to the union and trained to achieve and receive your “indentures” for successful achievement.

I was under the watchful eye of many colourful characters in a suit and tie dressed era in a smoke-filled room!

How has your role developed over the years?

My journey at Springfield has taken me through many roles.

From lithographic proofing to learning platemaking and Cromalin proofing, step and repeat machine. Then the Apple Mac era emerged where I learnt reprographic skills which led to my first venture into digital printing with the HP Indigo press – which evolved into the digital world we are living in today.

Any highlights across your 40 years at Springfield?

The opportunity to learn and grow with the business while discovering different parts of the world and the changing technologies. I have had the pleasure of working with many different people who have made my journey memorable.

A huge thank you to Steve, Dennis, Ian, Dave and John for their dedication to Springfield over the last 25 and 40 years!