The constant focus on the narrative, the strategy and best practice mean that companies really don't want to worry about process and practical implementation once the reporting cycle has begun. So, how can companies ensure smooth process systems don't distract from the essential task at hand? Marianne Young, UK head of work flow solutions firm, CTRLPrint, uncovers the best practice dynamics in this area.

1. There is now a better way to create annual reports
TO WHOM
SHOULD
YOU
LISTEN?

2. To whom should you listen? 1
Gabri Krog Beazley 3
Simon Brown Conran Design Group 7
Marina Thomas Meggit 11
Leif Skogstad Addison 14
Our other clients 18
Contact details 20

3. The inevitable. Some don’t want to see it, even
when it stares them in the face. Some are too
afraid. Some just don’t have the vision. That
doesn’t stop them voicing an opinion on it.
Should you listen to these people?
Others see things more clearly. They see
progress making life better. They see the benefit
of change. And they know that once it’s proven
to work, there’s no way back.
In the world of big annual and financial
reports, that leap towards a better future is
CtrlPrint. Leaders in both the field of design
and communications and in big FTSE 100
companies across Europe have switched to our
workflow service to make their lives easier and
their reports better. CtrlPrint saves them time,
stress and money.
Should you listen to these people?
We’ll leave that up to you. Here’s what some of
them have to say.
1

4. There will
never be a
bigger plane
built.”
A Boeing engineer
after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane
that holds 10 people.
“
2

5. UNIQUE IN THE MARKET
Gabri Krog Beazley
Beazley is a specialist global insurance
underwriter which has established several
A-rated Lloyds syndicates. In 2011,
Beazley underwrote gross premiums of
$1,712.5 million.
How were things before?
It was too manual and labour intensive
using Word. We produced numbers from
the accounting ledger and had to manually
input them, and then communicate the
Word document to the design team who
put it into Adobe Indesign, then we wrote
on pdfs to make changes. We wanted to
improve that.
3

6. What’s changed with CtrlPrint?
There were less errors, better version control,
tighter internal controls, more freedom,
more ownership. Different teams with
applicable knowledge could work
independently working on the different
sections – this improves the messaging.
Before the comments on design all come at
the end, when the executives saw it – that
caused problems. This way they see the
design and can comment on that from
the start.
Overall?
The turnaround time with CtrlPrint is much
quicker. The online version went live on the
day of announcement, that’s very rare, if not
unique in the market.
4

7. The turnaround time
with CtrlPrint is much
quicker. The online version
went live on the day of
announcement – that’s
very rare if not unique in
the market.”
The change was justified, then?
The proof was in the pudding!
“
5

8. When the
Paris exhibition
closes, electric
light will close
with it and no
more will be
heard of it.”
Erasmus Wilson
Oxford professor
“
6

9. WE TAKE ON MORE BUSINESS
Simon Brown Conran Design Group
Conran Design Group has a global
reputation for producing high-quality
branding and stakeholder communications
such as annual reports, advising many high-
profile multinational businesses, including
Rolls Royce, Tesco and the National Grid.
Why CtrlPrint?
I find competitors confusing, you can’t see
the wood for the trees. With CtrlPrint I was
very confident in a very short space of time
– “that easy???” It just gave our clients
more independence and more freedom, they
don’t have to go through five stages to get
one little change done.
7

10. Do you use it as part of your pitch?
Yes – it’s a positive selling point going into
a pitch – if we didn’t include it I think you
could lose favour. It makes my life easier.
It eliminates a lot of grey
areas… and a lot of grey
hairs!”
What’s the benefit to you as a creative
agency?
The bottom line is we can take on more
business. It frees up our time, it simplifies
things for us, because CtrlPrint gives the
client the independence they want. So
there’s no calling us up to, say, change one
figure on page 26… then you mishear, send
back something wrong and you have to go
through the whole thing again at a later
date. Some annual reports have got 10,12
contributors – often they’re not collated,
“
8

11. you get three different proofs, sometimes
these contradict – none of this can happen
on CtrlPrint. It eliminates a lot of grey
areas… and a lot of grey hairs!
Anything else?
It gives you more time to focus on things
that would normally catch you out, you can
focus better on the project as a whole. It
enhances your client relationship. Everyone
we’ve used it with has always wanted to use
it again. It’s got a very simple interface, it’s
very simple to use, even if you’re not very
computer literate. Tesco loved it for their
annual report, for example.
Anything more?
It’s better for the environment, there’s less
paper, less couriers being used.
Last word?
I’d highly recommend it.
9

12. The Americans
have need of the
telephone, but
we do not. We
have plenty of
messenger boys.”
Sir William Preece
Chief Engineer, British Post Office, 1878.
“
10

13. EASIER TO JUDGE
Marina Thomas Meggit
Meggitt PLC is a FTSE-100 global
engineering group specialising in extreme
environment components and sub-systems
for aerospace, defence and energy markets.
It employs over 10,000 people worldwide.
What prompted the change to CtrlPrint?
We retendered the annual report and one
of those pitching presented it to us. We
realised that instead of racking up costs
using typesetters to do every single minor
amend we could use CtrlPrint and control it
ourselves. So we went with them.
11

14. It’s perfect for us, we’re all
control freaks!”
How has it worked out?
It’s perfect for us, we’re all control freaks! We
like to have control of the documents and
that’s what it’s given us. It’s certainly saved
us time. Before it could get really stressful,
people wanted changes made and wanted to
see them in their new form asap, but when
you send it to typesetters you’re beholden
to their timescales and other companies’
timescales and that caused us pain and
stress… you were waiting nervously for it to
come back. Now we can do it ourselves and
print it out immediately. This way everyone
else can focus on what they’re really there
for, including the designers regarding the
creative stuff and how it looks. For us this
system is great!
“
12

15. Has it improved the final product?
I would say it has in the sense that before
there were so many minor amends that
it was difficult to cover all of them –
typesetters sometimes even made amends
we didn’t ask for, and that can’t happen with
CtrlPrint.
Does it help communication internally?
Now the process is easier – we’ll debate
content and just put it in, test it, which
makes it easier to judge. We wouldn’t do
that before because it was such a hassle.
Can you imagine life without it?
If you took it away I imagine Richard and I
would probably cry. I would never ever want
to go back to how we did it before.
13

16. Everything
that can be
invented has
been invented.”
Charles Duell
Commissioner, US Patent Office, 1899.
“
14

17. TIME SAVED, GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY
Leif Skogstad Addison
Addison is one of the UK’s leading
communications agencies, with a
prestigious heritage in producing annual
reports for the likes of Unilever, Heineken
and BG Group.
What are the big issues with annual
reports?
It’s a labour-intensive and time-consuming
process. It will never be an easy task: annual
reports go to investors and analysts, and
are full of crucial detail. Errors or even mis-
steps can severely damage a company’s
reputation and therefore its bottom line.
These reports are 250 pages, and they
take three or four months to produce, with
as many as 19 people needing to edit the
15

18. document, people whose main occupation is
not the efficient production of a document –
nor should it be.
CtrlPrint helps with that?
Using this system definitely makes the
client’s life easier. Before you would agree on
a number of proof cycles, which was labour
intensive. I’ve seen account managers on
the phone to clients for four hours at a
time going through a document section.
Previously, reports were marked up, often
by hand, then scanned or delivered back
to us. Now, CtrlPrint allows team members
access to edit the specific sections relatable
to their function, then upload the edited
versions back up to the system. The first
benefit is that you’re not tied to a cycle of
proofs, so certain sections can go through 15
or 16 rounds of amendments if needed. The
amendments can be made and approved
within an hour, rather than waiting for the
next proof cycle – so it consolidates the
16

19. process. The second benefit is in the time
saved. The new system also allows for
greater accountability. It gives improved
control over the document itself, because all
changes are tracked and the version history
shows who’s made which changes when.
This in itself helps to apply internal rigour.
Cost benefits?
Addison assumes the cost of installing
CtrlPrint and its InDesign and InCopy
plug-ins on its clients’ systems, because
the benefits to the overall management of
workflow far outweigh the expenditure.
And the response from your clients?
Not a single business, having used CtrlPrint,
has then reverted to traditional methods.
“The benefits to the overall
management of workflow far
outweigh the expenditure.”
17

20. SOME OF OUR OTHER CLIENTS
BG Group ASSA ABLOY
Burberry AstraZeneca
Debenhams Atlas Copco
Experian Electrolux
Gemalto Ericsson
Heineken Ministry of Finance
Henderson Global Nordea Bank
ING Oriflame
Ladbrokes Rezidor
Lloyds SCA
Man Group SEB
MC Saatchi Skanska
National Grid SKF
Rolls-Royce Swedbank
Tesco Swedish Match
Unilever SJ (Swedish Railways)
18

21. Go back to
not using
CtrlPrint?
I think I’d
rather die!!!”
Mari Edberg
Atrium Ljungberg
Atrium Ljungberg is one of Sweden’s largest property companies,
with a portfolio valued at 23.7 billion SEKs.
“
19

22. TO LEARN MORE PLEASE CONTACT:
CtrlPrint
T 0203 651 2868
marianne.young@ctrlprint.net
www.ctrlprint.net
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