Celebrating 50 Years
GSM Graphic Arts employs more than 60 people in its manufacturing and supply operation providing labels, nameplates and graphic overlays to customers across the globe.
Founded in 1974 by Barry Dodd and Geoff Collier, GSM Graphic Arts was first located in Guisborough, but due to expansion was forced to move and took ownership of the site it currently occupies in Castlegarth, Thirsk.
Over its five decades in operation GSM Graphic Arts has developed its site into a modern factory, housing cutting edge machinery while not losing sight of its rural location.
The GSM Group has committed to the continual training and personal development of its employees, and as such has seen low turnover of staff, with a number of staff staying with the business for more than 42 years.
We believe that having a good team behind us is the reason for our 50 years success. We celebrate our staff on numerous occasions throughout the year and enjoy time spent together. In the summer we host barbeques and on our last working day of the year we enjoy a buffet with a raffle before we depart – making sure we see the year out right. As a team!
We are fortunate enough to have a talented and experienced workforce. We spend time continuously training our team. Traditionally, to train a brand-new screen printer takes approximately 2 years. We are grateful to our employees who continue to engage in training to ensure they are up to date with the latest technologies for manual screen printing. To ensure that we continue to be at the forefront of label printing we have also invested heavily into the digital printing of our labels, nameplate and facias. Further research and development has been done to be able to provide an array of metal and plastic substrates that we print onto.
Our metal preparation department have seen significant advances in technology. In this department GSM has installed an automated anodising plant, which has not only created a better quality product but also ensures better safety for our team. The stainless steel etching process has undergone an upgrade to ensure that this runs as effectively as possible whilst also maintaining upmost quality.
Originally, the finishing (cutting, stamping, pressing) of the label was completed by hand or foot. The move to the Thirsk site created the space for state-of-the-art equipment. GSM soon invested in computer run machinery to help with the finishing of the labels. 50 years later, we continue to hand and foot press our labels however, the computerised machinery we use and have further invested in has superseded all original expectations of the capabilities of cutting technology.
Over the years, we have ensured quality is at the heart of what we do. Being audited by industry regulators certifies that we have a consistent and effective quality procedure and policy. An example of our intense focus on the quality we provide is the consistent updating of our lighting to ensure we have an invariable lighting setting helps with the quality of our products throughout the factory.
In more recent years, we have begun our pledge to become a more sustainable company and our efforts have included; being a zero-landfill company, recycling all of our raw material and chemical waste and installing solar panels and on-site battery storage to capitalise on excess solar generation.
In 2018 we sadly lost our co founder and guiding light, Barry Dodd. We continue to work hard in his memory and are determined to carry on his legacy and do him proud.
After 50 years, we are forever grateful to all our suppliers and customers present and past!
We feel fortunate and optimistic at the future we are paving for GSM Graphic Arts!
Timeline History of GSM
1974 – GSM Graphic Arts founded.
1979 – Valtech Industries Labware acquired and incorporated into GSM Graphic Arts.
1982 – Our longest serving (not yet retired) employee began working at GSM aged 16. She continues to work in the Engineering and Finishing dept.
1984 – GSM Graphic Arts celebrates 10 years manufacturing labels.
1993 – PLS (Printer Label Systems) acquired.
1993 – Â Co founder Geoff Collier retired.
1993 – GSM GA invests in Proteus 192 – A CNC punch press to cut metal labels.
1994 – GSM Graphic Arts celebrates 20 years manufacturing labels.
1995 – GSM Barcoding founded.
1997 – GSM purchased the sheet metalwork department of Farnell Instruments and formed an addition to the Group using the old GSM Valtech Industries name. 
2002 – A new dryer was installed to cure UV inks more efficiently and with better reproductivity.
2004 – GSM Graphic Arts celebrates 30 years manufacturing labels with a day at Thirsk Racecourse for all employees.
2005 – GSM Graphic Arts invested in a laser cutting machine. There has been several machines that have now superseded this.
2006 – GSM invested in CRM which integrated seamlessly production and sales/quoting.
2007 – GSM became the first company in the UK to be able to digitally print into anodised aluminium successfully and durably.
2013 – We invested and were the leaders in using the ground breaking CTS or computer to screen technology.
2013 – We worked with our customer to implement the first Vendor Managed (VMI) Supply System.
2014 – The GSM Group was created to include; GSM Graphic Arts, GSM Valtech & GSM Barcoding including PLS.
2014 – GSM Graphic Arts celebrates 40 years manufacturing labels with an evening at Solberge Hall.
2015 – GSM Graphic Arts first exhibits @ Engineering Design show alongside GSM Valtech.
2017 – GSM Online Label Sales was launched where customers can purchase a selection of standardised labels online.
2017 – Growth of anodising where GSM updated to a new state of the art anodising plant making it fully automated & investment into further digital printers to print onto various plastics.
2018 – We sadly lost our remaining co founder Barry Dodd.
2020 – Our etching process was upgraded to ensure safe process methods were followed.
2021 – Another investment into our digital printing machines and new cutting technology enables us to complete smaller orders more efficiently.
2024 – GSM Graphic Arts celebrates 50 years manufacturing labels with an evening at Solberge Hall.
