Antony Taylor, National Sales Specialist at Production Print Direct (PPD), shares his insights on industry growth, evolving customer needs, and the future of production print with Innovation in Print, Media and Marketing.
With over 35 years in the print industry — 13 of them with Konica Minolta — Antony Taylor knows the production print market inside out. Now, in his new role at Production Print Direct (PPD), he’s helping to lead the business into a new phase of growth: one built not on aggressive sales tactics, but on responsiveness, trust, and genuine care for the customer.
Antony comments: “I joined the business earlier this year. I’ve known the guys for years because they were one of my customers. They’re great people, you get what you see. They understand how to deliver good support and build the right infrastructure around customers. It was an easy choice to join.”
Founded in 2013, Production Print Direct was created to draw a clear distinction between the photocopier supply-and-service model many competitors offer and the specialist needs of the production print sector. Its growth has been entirely organic — fuelled by reputation, results, and word-of-mouth.
Antony expands: “They started off as a small team. Over the past 10 years they’ve recruited more service engineers and salespeople. And now we’re evolving into more of a national company, which is important for our growth strategy.”
Today, PPD supports more than 100 commercial print companies and is especially well known for its strong regional presence along the M62 corridor — but that is beginning to change.
“Mike Ashforth [PPD Director] is keen to raise our profile. Historically, it’s been very much word-of-mouth, but now we’re looking to step it up — be more visible, speak to more customers, and be seen by bigger users,” says Antony.
“We’re about people, not pressure”
Why clients choose PPD
Antony continues: “We’re solely focused on Konica Minolta for cut-sheet, and they make fantastic products. We’re flexible and we tailor solutions, offering different support packages, and even service legacy machines others won’t touch.
“We also offer refurbished equipment. That’s a great entry point for a customer, if they want to upgrade but can’t afford brand-new kit, we might have a machine that’s been taken in part exchange or from finance, which we can bring back to near-new standard.”
It is this adaptability that makes PPD a trusted partner for independent printers — businesses looking for reliability without corporate red tape says Antony, adding: “We’re very direct. You can speak to us, and we’ll say: yes, we can do that, no, we can’t, or we’ll take a look. There’s not the bureaucracy you get with a corporate.”
PPD also takes a deliberately light-touch approach to new business. Antony explains: “We’re not a hard-sell business. We don’t do much telemarketing. We send out mailers and updates about equipment coming up for refurb — that often sparks interest and leads to a conversation.
“I’ve been doing it a bit old-school — literally turning up at companies. And I’ve been quite surprised at the welcome I’ve had. People say, ‘It’s nice to see somebody again.’ You can’t always get that with an email or phone call.
“It’s about giving good advice. I’ll say to a customer: this machine’s not right for you. Maybe you need to consolidate or get your online store sorted first. And they remember that when they’re ready to invest.”
Keeping pace with a shifting market
While staying up to speed with the latest technology is vital, PPD’s approach always starts with listening. Antony explains: “We like to keep abreast of what’s new, but more importantly, we ask: what do our customers actually want? It’s no good just being told by manufacturers that something is amazing. Will it actually add value for the client and their customers?
“Some of the new embellishment technology is amazing, but printers are a bit unsure about it. They don’t know how to sell it, or whether it’ll pay off. We need better stories and ROI arguments from the manufacturers to make that more accessible.
“We want to be more visible, talking to more people, and introducing inkjet technologies like the KM1. We’ve already got a great and loyal customer base, which continues to evolve.”
Antony highlights that growth will never come at the expense of what makes PPD different, emphasising: “What customers love is that they can pick up the phone and get straight through. Our service director will personally call and say: don’t worry, your part’s arriving. The kind of personal touch that matters.”
Antony also explains that joining PPD was not just a career move — it was a values-driven decision. He concludes: “I wouldn’t have left a good job after all these years to work for just anyone, this team cares. We’ve all worked in this industry a long time, and we want to help it continue to grow, however it evolves.”
