Kashan announced a record year for 2006 with turnover exceeding that of any previous financial year by 25%. “This can be ascribed to a more effective marketing campaign”, said Director Michael Wood.

“In every respect our industry has become more challenging. Pricing has become increasingly competitive and vastly reduced turnaround times are the norm rather than the exception. At the same time quality cannot be compromised. We have excellent systems in place and there is therefore only one way to compete sustainably in this environment and that is to improve efficiency.”

“For a small company, this is a remarkable achievement and we have our dedicated staff to thank.”     

This record coincides with the 10th anniversary of Kashan, which was established as a one person enterprise in 1996. 

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Kashan client, Beige Holdings Ltd, last night accepted the award for the best Annual Report in the AltX category at a gala dinner and awards event held in Johannesburg. The event is organised annually by the Chartered Secretaries of Southern Africa and the Johannesburg Securities Exchange and has been running for 56 years.

Cosmetics, soaps and allied products group Beige was the first company to list on AltX.

Annual reports are regarded an important communication tool for companies. They must comply with King II and IFR Standards and judging of the South African Annual Report Awards is therefore particularly rigorous.

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Founded in 1996, Pretoria-based Kashan Advertising celebrates its 10th year in operation this year.

Director, Caro Heard, explains that the business started out in a loft in her home and essentially provided a copywriting service. “It was a one person business with one client, one computer and one desk. It wasn’t long before the number of clients grew and they wanted the production end of their projects managed too. Michael Wood came on board and before long we were spending so much time managing the logistics of outsourcing that we decided to put in our own design studio. By then we had moved to our own offices in Hatfield and we have subsequently moved once more to accommodate the need for extra space”.

“Perhaps one of the more interesting aspects of these ten years is the way technology has changed,” says Wood. “When we started out, we were sending faxes to communicate and checking design proofs from di-sublimations and blueprints. Designs were taken from film to plate and registration problems were frequent. Within a few months we were e-mailing over a dial-up modem and then an ISDN line. Within two years we were privileged to have access to one of the first digital lithographic printing presses in the country and most of the ‘headaches’ surrounding print were removed”.  

It has not all been plain sailing. “We have had some difficult moments and some lucky breaks, but we have grown thanks to hard work and extremely loyal clients,” says Heard.

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