Page 21 - BOSS Today Issue 25

course can be largely stock items.” electronic processes and there to stamp customer or
Currently, the OP stamp is a correlation between stamp member loyalty cards.
market mainly (c65-70%) demand and the use of paper n Teacher stamps: used by
comprises self-inking products, and filing products. However, teachers for motivation and
c10% pre-inked items and 15% new applications continually reward, but also for marking
traditional (hand) ‘stamp and emerge and grow.” and assessment.
pad’ stamps (mainly in larger In a sense, this is the key to n Pass in/pass out stamps: used
sizes). It is widely agreed that the understanding the OP rubber to stamp hands for event
trend in recent years has been stamps sector, as Eyre confirms: entry, often using a UV ink
very much towards self-inking “Some traditional applications, and UV inspection light. “Its almost
products, which ten years ago for example where stamps were n ‘Hand Made By’ stamps: a case of
accounted for only c40% of used for marking a retailer’s for stamping home made
the market, and have since name on a cheque, have and cards, invitations, and artisan scattering
grown not only because they are obviously disappearing, but food labels.
are an easier product to use there have been some new bread upon the
(since end-users do not have market opportunities. Stamps Other applications that have waters and
to keep both a stamp and ink have many applications and it’s sustained the market for the
pad to hand) and give a much almost a case of scattering bread longer term include accounting seeing what
improved quality and consistent upon the waters and seeing what stamps for the coding and
impression, but also because the applications users come up with, approval of invoices, QA stamps applications
retail price difference between taking advantage of those, then in industrial processes, date users come
traditional and self-inking items seeing what new applications stamps (especially at the turn
is now negligible, since all of come next. Quite often it’s the of the year) and – as Bradbeer up with.”
the major stamp manufacturers end-user that approaches us with shows – bank stamps: “Last year
are now producing and actively the potential application for a we had a fabulous order through
marketing them. rubber stamp, and on the back because of the Lloyds TSB Bank Nigel Eyre
of that we can sometimes find a rebranding. Banks still use stamps
Bread Casting new market for that application.” at the tills, or at least some of
As Ian Bradbeer, MD of Trodat In essence, an ideal application them do. Any company name
UK, explains, overall demand for for a rubber stamp is anything changes and restructures are
the OP rubber stamps market is that helps an end-user avoid good for our business!”
steady at best: “Recent years have repetitive tasks over time.
been tough for the OP rubber Currently, the key – and growing Secure Impressions
stamp market, due to digitisation. – applications include: However, one area for which
Traditional paper based office n Loyalty card stamps: used the rubber stamp is particularly
processes are being replaced by by retailers and organisations adept is security applications,
which currently account for a
small but fast-growing sector “New
of the market. As the Get Britain
Stamping website (www. applications
getbritainstamping.co.uk) points
out “There are approximately continually
65,000 cases of identity theft emerge
every year in the UK. The National
Fraud Authority estimates that and grow.”
every year in the UK, identity
fraud costs more than £2.7 billion
and serious breaches of the Data Ian Bradbeer
Protection Act can bring fines of
up to £500,000 to businesses.”
The rubber stamp industry’s
unique solution to this problem
is the ID protection stamp, which
obscures text and data with
a security pattern, making it
illegible from the front or back.

December 2014/January 2015 | BOSS TODAY 21

Stamping Special Report.indd 5 09/12/2014 11:50