PrintCore Solutions Business Plan › Section 9 › Operations & Production Plan

9.1 Facility & Layout

PrintCore will operate from a single integrated production facility
of 2,500–3,500 sqm in the Pretoria West / Rosslyn industrial corridor.
The site has been selected on the basis of three industrial-zone
shortlist evaluations against criteria including ceiling height (minimum
6m for crane and equipment access), floor loading (minimum 5 ton/sqm for
offset press installation), three-phase electrical supply with backup
capability, water reticulation suitable for press cooling, road access
for inbound substrate trucks and outbound delivery vehicles, and
proximity to the labour catchment.

Facility layout is structured around six functional zones: pre-press
(design, pre-flight, plate-making); print floor (offset, digital, and
large-format presses); finishing (cutting, folding, binding, foiling,
die-cutting); packaging line (folding-carton and label finishing);
warehouse and dispatch; and front-of-house (admin, sales, customer
service).

9.2 Production Equipment

Table 3: Indicative production equipment specification (final
selection subject to vendor negotiation)

9.3 Production Capacity

On the equipment specification above, PrintCore’s theoretical maximum
capacity (single shift, full uptime) is approximately 3.6 million B2
offset impressions per month, 1.4 million digital clicks per month, and
8,000 sqm of large-format output per month. Realistic effective capacity
(allowing for makeready, maintenance, and changeovers) is approximately
65–75% of theoretical capacity. The Year-1 production plan utilises
approximately 35% of effective single-shift capacity, scaling to
approximately 75% by Year 3 and triggering a second-shift activation in
late Year 3.

Figure 6

9.4 Workflow & Quality Management

All jobs flow through a single integrated MIS-driven workflow from
order entry to dispatch. Pre-press operators receive client artwork,
conduct pre-flight checks, generate digital proofs for client approval,
and create press-ready files. The MIS allocates jobs to the appropriate
press based on quantity, specification, and urgency. Press operators
receive electronic job tickets with automated press-setup parameters.
Finishing and dispatch are similarly automated, with handover points and
quality gates at each stage. ISO 9001:2015 quality management
certification is targeted within 18 months of launch, supported by FSC
chain-of-custody certification within 24 months.

9.5 Supply Chain & Procurement

Substrate procurement (paper and board) represents approximately 35%
of cost-of-goods-sold and is dominated by two domestic suppliers — Sappi
and Mondi — both of which produce a comprehensive range of commercial
and packaging substrates from local mills. PrintCore will operate a
dual-sourcing policy with these suppliers to manage supply continuity
and pricing leverage. Ink and consumables are sourced primarily from Sun
Chemical and DIC South Africa. PrintCore will hold approximately 30 days
of substrate inventory and 60 days of ink inventory, supported by
just-in-time replenishment schedules.

9.6 Energy & Sustainability

Energy consumption represents approximately 4–5% of revenue at full
production. Given the well-documented reliability concerns of the South
African electricity grid, PrintCore’s facility will be equipped with a
250 kWp rooftop solar PV system with battery storage providing
approximately 40% of daytime production energy, complemented by a diesel
generator capable of supporting 100% of single-shift production load
during grid outages. The combined hybrid configuration substantially
de-risks the operation against load-shedding while providing meaningful
annual energy cost savings (approximately ZAR 600,000 annually at
projected production volumes).

Beyond energy, PrintCore’s sustainability programme includes
FSC-certified substrate sourcing, vegetable-based ink procurement,
water-recycling press systems, and a structured waste-management
programme targeting zero waste-to-landfill by Year 4. Sustainability
KPIs are reported quarterly and form part of management performance
assessments.

Confidential — this business plan is provided to prospective investors and lenders for evaluation purposes only and may not be reproduced or distributed without the written consent of PrintCore Solutions (Pty) Ltd.