North Tyneside-based international print, packaging and supply chain solutions provider, Elanders UK, is celebrating being retained as print partner for a fifth consecutive year by White Rose Education – a partnership that has seen the educational resources provider produce over 24 million books and turn print into its primary revenue stream.
White Rose Education, based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, has a team of teaching experts who create maths and science resources for over 140 countries, 40% of UK secondary schools, and 80% of UK primary schools.
The company – originally called White Rose Maths – was established in 2017 to support the national agenda of improving maths outcomes across England. White Rose Education has gone on to develop popular learning schemes, evidenced-based digital teaching resources and professional development programmes.
A significant lift in demand as a result of the pandemic saw the firm reach out to Elanders UK to pursue printing its resources for the first time.
Since creating the partnership with Elanders in 2020, White Rose has printed 24.1 million workbooks – taking it from a zero revenue on print to £6m in four years which is set to grow further with the imminent launch of White Rose Science and an expansion of some of its international products.
There has been a 100% growth year-on-year for its printed workbooks which are targeted at schools and parents. The price point at which White Rose Education can offer workbooks to schools and parents means it is cheaper to buy books than to print out worksheets on printers.
Adam Phillips, site manager at White Rose Education, said: “Our expansion into printed products has surpassed all our expectations. We’ve gone from printing a few hundred workbooks to printing 60,000 to 80,000 of each title, each year and we couldn’t have done it without Elanders. We’re experts in education and have relied heavily on Elanders’ expertise in physical publishing. From paper quality, to stapling versus glueing, to ink – they’ve really helped shape what we produce – they understand the quality we require.
“Every year we re-tender for the printing contract and Elanders always come up top on price, but beyond the numbers and, more importantly, we greatly value the time they make for us – it’s a true partnership because they listen and understand our business. They’re also very responsive and troubleshoot any issues in real time.”
As well as a printing service, Elanders provides storage capacity for around 350 pallets of workbooks. Elanders UK handled logistics in the early days of the contract but since its rapid expansion, White Rose Education has acquired its own 8,500 sq. ft. warehouse which now employs eight full-time staff.
A spokesperson at Elanders UK said: “We are looking forward to continuing our work to support White Rose on their ambitious trajectory.”
May, June and July are the busiest trading months in the calendar year for White Rose Education where it turns over 60% of its stock in readiness for the new school year beginning in September.
Elanders UK, which has its headquarters in North Tyneside, is part of the Swedish-owned Elanders Group.
