A
Canadian Success Story and a Quarter Century Milestone
It was November 1976 when, with a $5,000 loan and 500 square feet of leased
space, Sam Hirji began to turn a childhood dream into reality. A quarter
century later, the bustling atmosphere, in what has become Vancouver's
best-known downtown commercial print company, bears witness to the philosophy
that "performance attracts customers, but consistent performance
keeps them coming back."
The digital and connected Samco of today is a world away from the day
when Sam first ventured out to serve the print buyers of British Columbia.
His dedication to, and passion for first class service has endured to
the benefit of every Samco customer and the success of every job.
The
Early Days
Uprooted from his home country of Uganda, East Africa, by the political
crisis of 1972, Sam spent a month with his family in a refugee camp in
Italy before immigrating to Canada.
Training started for Sam as a child in Uganda where he worked in the well-established
family print shop started by his grandfather. Family expertise in the
print industry can be traced back to the 1880's when his pioneering great
grandfather ran the family's first print shop under the British Raj in
India. In Canada, Sam now proudly continues a tradition that spans three
continents and four generations.
Once settled in Vancouver, a graphic arts course refined his knowledge
of costing, estimating, typesetting, press work and camera techniques.
After a 3-month apprenticeship with a Vancouver printer, and with his
keen entrepreneurial spirit, he was ready to go into business on his own.
Delivering
Quality Work on Time is Key to Success
Today Samco Printers is testament to the diligence and relentless energy
Sam has applied personally in collaboration with a small group of dedicated
staff. He believes on a winning business formula that is his committed
self-discipline (he worked 14 hours per day, seven days per week for the
first two years) and an allegiance to deadlines. He remembers a certain
trust company executive who needed a high gloss, 40-page, 2-colour prospectus
ready for distribution in 15 hours. "That was at least a 30-hour
job", Sam notes with content, "involving a lot of typesetting,
camera work, proofreading, layout and design, before we could even go
to press. The staff worked straight through the night and delivered the
job well on time." Dedication such as this to the Company's clientele
has been repeated thousands of times since 1976.
From
Concept to Finished Product
In the beginning, Sam acted primarily as a printing broker - accepting
work from clients, rushing all over town to find "the super deal",
and juggling deadlines to meet his own commitments with clients.
Today, all jobs are completed in-house. The Company employs 35 permanent
professionals in design, typesetting, bindery and press work, producing
large jobs for national organizations and personalized jobs for individuals
from concept to finished product all under one roof.
Printing knowledge and hard-earned expertise, together with basic business
and accounting principles learned from his father, helped in the early
years, with the operational and financial aspects of his rapidly expanding
venture. The advent of digital technology in administration, prepress
and printing has only enhanced an already encyclopedic knowledge of the
printing process.
Attention
to Details and Deadlines
Sam Hirji feels the major contributor to his company's success is service
and quality. "When we say we'll do a job, we always do it right,
even a small copying job. Errors detected in the customer's copy are pointed
out and corrected. Our clients know they can rely on us to do the job
on time and right and that's what keeps them coming back", says Sam.
"We are not a low-cost, budget print shop. That is not the market
we are after. With the quality of service we guarantee that our clients
do get industry-standard prices along with the bonus of the best customer
service available in Vancouver or anywhere else."
The Company is in a continual state of self-improvement and development,
and in step with technological advances in the industry. Samco Printers
Ltd. has never failed to adapt to change. The Company has acquired and
upgraded to the latest state-of-the-art equipment to meet the demand for
innovative quality work.
Sam's personal involvement continues despite having introduced automated
production processes. With his attention to details and deadlines, his
demand for product excellence and a keen desire to please his clients,
he has created one of Vancouver's most recognized and enduring companies.
BACK TO COMPANY PROFILE
