Roach Bridge Tissues, a wrapping paper printing and converting company, serves the retail and e-commerce point-of-sale markets with a diverse range of customers including designer apparel, footwear, cut glass, pottery, wine bottle wrapping, sheet metal interlining, optical lenses, packaging and home transportation.
About 70% of the company’s sales are custom printed tissues, with the remainder consisting of white or colored rolls and reams. Roach Bridge Tissues prides itself on being a design-driven company, transforming clients’ design concepts into tangible products that enhance a brand’s offering. Their expertise lies in providing design support and technical assistance to clients who have a vision but lack the knowledge to realize it.
As a small to medium sized manufacturer based in the picturesque countryside of Lancashire, Roach Bridge Tissues’ team of ten have over 120 years combined experience in the tissue paper industry. Our printed and finished tissue paper adds the perfect finishing touch, providing luxury and brand awareness to customers’ unboxing experiences.
For the past eight years, Roach Bridge Tissues has been a proud member of Made in Britain, using the official registered trademark on all of its paper wrappers. This trademark symbolises low product mileage, quality, fast production, support for the UK economy and workforce, and excellence in British manufacturing.
Since its founding 25 years ago, Roach Bridge Tissues has been committed to ethical and environmental responsibility. One of the company’s ongoing goals is to reduce the environmental impact of its operations. The pursuit of net zero requires integrating impact reduction into decision-making, ensuring that economic viability and environmental considerations drive its outcomes.
What is the main problem you solve for your customers?
Variety. As the majority of our work is bespoke, each order comes with a unique set of requirements. Our extensive knowledge, built up over the years, allows us to support our clients from the initial design stage. We hold a large stock of paper in a range of weights and sizes, enabling us to meet most design requirements. As a UK manufacturer, we can respond quickly, delivering from brief to finished product in as little as two weeks for minimum order quantities.
What inspired you to start your business – was your goal to change the status quo, or was it a gap in the market that you sought to fill?
Toilet paper is in my blood; my grandfather owned the Roach Bridge Paper Mill, which produced toilet paper until he passed away in the late 1970s. When my husband and I learned that some of the mill’s machinery was for sale, we saw an opportunity to fill a gap in the market for custom toilet paper.
In the early 2000s, printed tissues weren’t very popular, but with the shift in plastic bag laws and the boom in e-commerce, branded tissues are in high demand.
What are your brand values?
Service and quality are at the core of Roach Bridge’s values. Our entire team is dedicated to ensuring that every package of toilet paper we send exceeds expectations.
Although the Roach Bridge Tissues brand may not be well known, our business is focused on enhancing our customers’ perception of the brand. Our values are an integral part of how we run our business and produce our products.
Do your values influence your decision making?
Absolutely. Our values guide everything we do, from sourcing the best raw materials and maintaining our machines to planning production schedules efficiently and valuing our team and environment.
Is team culture essential to your business?
Yes, team culture is vital. As a small team, collaboration is essential. We ensure that all team members are cross-trained on different devices and rotate through different processes. This approach not only provides holiday and sick leave coverage, but also promotes wellbeing and problem solving through a shared pool of expertise. I understand the importance of flexibility, especially when unexpected personal issues arise, and we all work together to support each other.
How do you show your team that you value them?
Although we do not have team building days or rewards programs, we value and respect each other’s opinions. I actively participate in all aspects of the process, and maintain an open-door policy for questions, ideas, and issues. When bidding for non-traditional jobs, we make decisions as a group, drawing on the specific expertise of team members.
Seven years ago, we moved to a four-day work week for economic reasons, and when business picked up, the team preferred this arrangement. We now have a condensed work week with the option of adding four extra hours on Fridays during peak seasons.
Do you communicate directly and clearly with your customers?
Yes, clear communication with clients is crucial. I always provide honest feedback on what is possible within our capabilities and find solutions to deliver what our clients need. Transparency avoids hidden costs and disappointments, ensuring client satisfaction.
How do you deal with inflation and interest rates – do you pass the costs on to customers or absorb them?
The paper industry faced significant price increases at the start of the Ukraine war due to its high energy consumption. We experienced a period of price increases, but customers rarely questioned the increases. Now, most prices have stabilized, and we can mostly afford them. Interest rates have not affected us because we operate on a pay-as-you-go basis. To support my team through the cost of living crisis, I decided to give them a significant pay rise, prioritizing their well-being over profitability.
How do you evaluate your data and KPIs?
Our core data comes from satisfied customers, with KPIs being returning customers and new customers. While monitoring the numbers is important, I focus on the bigger picture: providing excellent service at competitive prices, keeping the team motivated, and achieving year-over-year sales growth. As long as these goals are met, I’m not overly concerned with monthly targets.
Is technology playing a bigger role in your company’s operations?
Our printing machines are traditional, as tissue paper is too sensitive for digital printing. Our team’s skills, such as colour matching between hand-mixed inks, set us apart. However, the office embraces modern technology, although we are unlikely to ever go paperless.
What is your position towards your competitors?
As long as our competitors maintain their standards, I am satisfied while we strive to be the best.
What advice do you have for aspiring entrepreneurs?
Always do your best, value your team and customers, and focus on long-term results rather than immediate gains. Consider the environmental impact of all decisions; it may cost more up front but it will be worth it in the long run.
How do you relax and recharge?
I excel at leaving work at the end of the day. Keeping bees and working as a judge and referee in artistic swimming keep me busy and focused on the weekends, providing a great way to unwind. Family, while wonderful, does not fall into the comfort category!
Do you follow the 12-week method or longer planning strategies?
I don’t stick to a specific planning method. Most customer orders are just-in-time, so while I keep a six-week overview, the production schedule is planned weekly and subject to change. We prioritize urgent orders, ensuring that other customers are not impacted. Stocked paper takes about 12 weeks to manufacture, while other consumables are ordered as needed. Maintenance is planned, with our team of engineers, including my husband, on hand to help when needed.
What is your company’s environmental strategy?
We strive to reduce our environmental impact and provide the best possible working environment. Many certification standards are expensive for small and medium-sized businesses, so we adopt their standards without auditing. We are FSC registered, and most of our paper stock is 100% recycled.
Our factory is powered by on-site hydroelectric turbines, and we plan to install solar panels. We use natural light, LED lighting and efficient heating systems. Our team lives locally, minimising the impact of travel. We have a de-inking plant to manage waste, and all manufacturing waste is recycled. Our rural location, with free-range chickens and beehives, also enhances our environment.
What are your goals for the next 12 months?
Our primary goal is to install a new, better insulated roof using solar panels, furthering our sustainability efforts.