From print to progress: modernising FACER printers
for the future 

By adopting cross-functional working, FACER has tripled productivity

In 2008, Luke Wilson left a career in recruitment consultancy to join his father’s print business in Leeds. At the time, FACER was rooted in commercial print—flyers, posters, and other marketing materials. But as digital media surged and traditional print began to decline, Luke and his father made a bold move. 

‘We foresaw the death of commercial print,’ says Luke. ‘We didn’t want to wait around and get caught out. Packaging felt like the future.’  

Based on their early experience in the space, they decided to pivot into folding carton packaging, a niche that includes providing consumer product brands with everything from design to manufacturing. Over the next 15 years, Luke and his father steadily grew into a trusted packaging partner, working with brands such as Boots, Halfords, Tesco, and John Lewis. 

Preparing for the next chapter 

By 2021, succession planning was in full swing. Luke was preparing to take over the business from his father via a leveraged buyout (LBO) and knew he needed a sharper operational structure and leadership team if FACER was going to continue to innovate and grow. That’s when he enrolled himself and member of his senior leadership team on the Help to Grow: Management Course. 

‘It came at the perfect time,’ says Luke. ‘The course gave me space to step back and think more strategically. It helped me build a modern leadership team and get clarity on where we wanted to go.’ 

Tools like the Value Proposition Canvas and Sustainable Business Model Canvas proved particularly useful, providing the team with a structure to reassess how value was delivered across the business, and what would need to change in a post-succession era. 

The power of cross-functional teams 

One of the biggest shifts sparked by the course was a move away from siloed job roles. Previously, most team members had clearly defined, narrow tasks. But as Luke and the leadership team explored operational efficiency and productivity, it became clear that a more flexible, cross-functional model could unlock major gains. 

‘Some of the biggest takeaways were around working practices,’ Luke explains. ‘We realised that multi-disciplinary teams, not people stuck in one job, were far better for innovation and delivery.’ 

That realisation led to a major upskilling programme across the business. Staff were trained to operate across multiple functions, improving collaboration, and opening new possibilities for automation, process improvement, and productivity 

The impact has been profound. One quality control process that used to take 3.3 weeks for multiple people to complete can now be done by a single trained team member in 11 hours, thanks to a custom-built machine and the flexible working mindset that made it possible. 

‘We wouldn’t have landed on that solution if we hadn’t adopted cross-functional working,’ says Luke. ‘It was a domino effect.’ 

Modern marketing on a modest budget 

Luke, a self-described sales-led Managing Director, has also transformed the company’s approach to developing new business opportunities. Embracing the Sandler Sales methodology, the team now runs structured email campaigns, uses LinkedIn for lead generation, and attends trade shows like the UK Packaging Expo to meet prospective clients face-to-face. 

It’s what Luke calls a ‘gorilla marketing engine’, low-cost, high-impact tactics designed to build trust and visibility over time. ‘We don’t spend on paid social. It’s all about smart outreach and consistent messaging.’ 

Key takeaways 

For other SMEs thinking about adopting a cross-functional model, Luke is quick to highlight the benefits, but also the investment. 

‘It’s not a flick-the-switch change,’ he says. ‘Upskilling staff takes time. It takes money. And it takes belief in your people.’ 

But if you get it right, Luke says the payoffs are significant: 

• Improved productivity: cross-functional teams help remove bottlenecks and create space for innovation. 

• Greater flexibility: staff who understand multiple parts of the business can pivot quickly as priorities change. 

• Empowered workforce: people feel more invested when they’re trusted with broader responsibilities. 

‘Help to Grow: Management gave us the spark,’ Luke adds. ‘It gave us the mindset to question old ways of working and the tools to build something better.’  

With a modern leadership team, agile workforce, and clear vision for growth, FACER is no longer just surviving in a digital age, it’s thriving. 

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