MAILING and call centre business, North-East Mailing Centre, has celebrated a successful first year with a change of image.

The multi-service trade and consumer communication specialist, employing more than 100 staff, has rebranded as nemc, to reflect the increasingly national and international nature of the Washington, Wearside, business.

The new identity and the launch of the company's new website, cap a year of growth, in which it netted an impressive portfolio of blue chip clients.

Launched early last year with five staff, nemc now boasts a turnover in excess of £1.2m.

The company's growth has been backed by grant support from Sunderland City Council and the Department of Trade and Industry.

It has helped nemc to invest in equipment giving it the ability to handle up to 500,000 items daily.

Chief executive Howard Matthews said: "Unlike most of our competitors, who tend to specialise in either conventional machine or hand enclosure, at nemc we offer both very high speed machine enclosure of items for mailing or other requirements, and a flexible hand enclosure service."

Clients include Next Directory, Yellow Pages, Mirror Group Newspapers, Farnell Electronic Components, Pindar plc, Polestar Watmoughs Ltd, Vardy Marketing and Newcastle United.

Nemc has invested more than £500,000 in three high-speed envelope enclosing machines and two polywrapping machines. It also has a 60-station call centre facility.