As part of our Meet The Member series, we asked
G.F Smith to tell us a bit about their story.
What is the name of your company?
G.F Smith
When did you first start the company?
1st July 1885
Where is your business based?
Hull and London
What is the Unique Selling Point of your business? What makes your products particularly special?
G.F Smith sell the most excellent papers, tailored to the needs of card publishers, backed up with specialist knowledge and dedicated service. Our team understands the needs of greetings publishers and printers, from small start-ups to large, established card companies.
How can people find you?
www.gfsmith.com/greetings – greetings@gfsmith.com
Hot Topic Additional Question: The GCA is committed to ensuring that our industry is environmentally friendly and we’re keen to hear more about your business does to help the environment.
G.F Smith have worked hard to ensure that our range includes papers with the highest standards of sustainabilty and excellent environmental credentials, even developing our own papers that contain 100% post-consumer recycled fibre, or are made in part with reclaimed coffee cup fibre. Aside from our products, we are constantly looking for ways to lessen the impact of our business in the environment:
1 All our internal paper wastage (‘off-cuts’) are colour segregated and go off for recycling back into paper.
2 All suitable roof space across all our buildings in Hull is covered with some 875 solar panels. For the Green Lane warehouse this supplies all of our daylight electricity requirements with the surplus returned to the national grid.
3 The entirety of our premises are lit by ultra-low wattage LED lighting, with the largest areas on automatic occupancy sensing and lux level switching (lighting automatically adjusted to such a level to provide the necessary lighting and no more).
4 We have low emission fleet policy with CO2 limits applied to car choices offered and a number of BEV (zero emission) and PHEV’s on the fleet .
All areas are constantly under review and we have a dedicated sustainability group to further this both internally and on the products we carry.
Hot Topic Additional Question: Diversity and Inclusion are key values to the GCA and we’d love to know more about what your company does to support Diversity and Inclusion?
At G . F Smith we pride ourselves greatly on our people and doing the right thing. We have never tolerated racism or discrimination of any kind.
Is there anything else that you would like to add/highlight?
We offer sheets for digital and offset litho printing, cut and creased cards, envelopes, duplexing, embossings and bespoke makings, as well as our sample service. In addition we have a team of specialist paper consultants across the country who offer complimentary expertise and inspiration, dedicated to helping you realise your creative ambition.
Please get in touch and speak to us in person about your next project.
Are you a member of the GCA? Would you like to be featured in a Meet The Member article? If so, get in touch with the GCA.