Contact Originators (‘Contact’) is celebrating after retaining Supplier and Repro Company of the Year status for the fourth consecutive year at the 2023 FIA^UK Print Awards.

On Thursday night (June 15) at the Rum Warehouse at Liverpool’s Hotel Titanic, the company was awarded Repro Company of the Year and account handler Kate Slomiany was named Student of the Year by a judging panel made up of independent experts representing the complete flexographic supply chain. The company then went on to win gold in the Supplier of the Year category – voted for by printers and customer partners.

This year’s hat-trick of golds follows double gold success in 2020 and 2021 and in 2022 Contact won Repro Company of the Year, Supplier of the Year and Technical Innovation Supplier to complete a first remarkable treble.

Commenting on Contact’s continued success, CEO Steve Mulcahy said: “I speak on behalf of everyone at Contact when I say how honoured we feel by this recognition from the industry. To be named as Supplier of the Year and Repro Company of the Year – not just once, twice, or three times but for the fourth year running – is a tremendous show of confidence in Contact and a testament to the hard work of all our team.

“These were highly competitive categories with some of the best in flexographic printing in attendance, so this success will not go unappreciated. We’re not content to rest on our laurels and will continue to build on the high standards we have set.”

Meanwhile, judges praised Kate Slomiany’s immense dedication to training and professional development. Kate’s win in the Student of the Year category follows more than four years working at Contact, during which she has become the first employee to complete the FIA^UK Academy Diploma.

With a career spanning over seven years in print, Kate initially began training for the FIA^UK Academy Certification, but after scoring highly in her modules it became clear that she could pass the Diploma with flying colours. Achieving this qualification saw her undertake three Continuous Professional Development projects including a six-month in-house training programme on High Quality Post-Print.

Steve Mulcahy said: “Kate wholeheartedly embraced her training with the FIA^UK Academy and thoroughly deserves this award for the effort she put in. She is a highly valued member of the team, and we can’t wait to see what’s next in her development journey.

“Although Kate may be the first Contact employee to pass the FIA^UK Academy Diploma, she won’t be the last! Contact is dedicated to providing continued growth opportunities through upskilling and professional development, and we currently have four more employees undertaking FIA^UK Academy training, each aiming for success like Kate.”

To find out more about Contact Originators and its range of products and services to packaging printers and brand owners, please visit contact-group.co.uk.