Specialist Gwent graphics firm Signrite Vinyl Specialists Ltd has its future all wrapped up with its expansion to much larger premises in south Wales.
Signrite, has stuck with its expansion blueprint and shifted into 6,000 sq ft at Bowen Industrial Estate, near Blackwood, with a plan to swallow up another unit of the same size in the near future.
The go ahead firm, which has already created new jobs with its move, plans to double in size in the next 12 months as its specialist vehicles wrapping business expands.
Signrite, which opted for Bowen Industrial Estate after considering a range of other possible locations, were pointed at what turned out to be the perfect location by Hutchings & Thomas agents for owners CNC Investments.
The firm, which has taken the space at a headline rent of £3.50 per sq ft on a five year lease with an option to buy, has invested some £100,000 in its expansion. Signrite plans to buy the property in the next three months.
Haydn Thomas, of Hutchings & Thomas, said: “Signrite urgently needed space to grow and expand further again in a strategic location close to their client base. We’re delighted to say that Bowen Industrial Estate fitted the bill down to the ground and was able to tick every box for this ambitious and entrepreneurial south Wales business.”
Signrite Managing Director, Anthony Cribb, said: “We are specialist providing vinyl wraps for vehicles in particular commercial vehicles, buses coaches and also cars. A growth area for us is lorry cabs or tractors, the units that haul the wagon.”
He explains: “Customers wrap a white cab with their colours and logos. When they come to sell the cab on they simply have the vinyl wrap removed, which we also do and it’s returned to a pristine white cab.
“There are a number of benefits to this. The white cab is much easier to sell on. It’s what the industry wants. For example all of the Eddie Stobart cabs that you see powering up and down the motorways are wrapped in this way.
“It is far easier and less permanent than a respray and takes a lot less time and is probably half as expensive taking a fifth of the time. It’s a real growth area for us which is why we needed these much larger premises at Bowen Industrial Estate in which to create specialist wrapping and vinyl application bays for these large vehicles.”
Their new premises at Bowen is 6,000 sq ft s far greater space than where they were before at Pontllanfraith, near Blackwood, where they had just 300 sq ft.
“We currently have a have a staff of 11, plan to take on an extra four and now expect to have doubled in size in the next year. We have plans to expand still further, to double to physical size of our property footprint here at Bowen, with a move into another unit creating a total of 12,000 sq ft.”
The firm already lists prestigious clients such as Edwards Coaches, Peakes Coaches and Cardiff City and Caerphilly councils in its order book and plans to grow this work roster with its expansion.
The business started in November last year but Anthony is not new to commerce as he has been trading for the past 15 years with his HGV tachograph analytics business, Driver Management Training Services Ltd..
He said: “There is huge potential for the new business here at Bowen and an unmistakeable synergy between my existing and new businesses with tachograph clients requesting the wrapping service and vice versa.
“We see a huge growth for the business over the next couple of years and we are perfectly placed at Bowen Industrial Estate between the Heads of the Valleys road and the M4 to benefit. The estate, although 15 years old is modern, it’s very tidy and well kept and provides us with a very impressive front door for our business and customers visits us on site.”
Anthony said they wanted to be regarded as a one stop shop for promotional goods and offer the full package to customers from business stationery, uniforms and letter heads right up the full service vehicle wrap.
Bowen Industrial Estate, with five units totalling some 25,000 sq ft, is now fully let.