Merseyside brand marketing specialist Wild Thang invests £250,000 in new hi-tech equipment at its Bootle production facility. Tony McDonough reports
Wild Thang is investing £250,000 in new machinery for its Bootle plant as it increases capacity to meet growing demand from both UK and overseas customers.
Located close to the River Mersey, Wild Thang produces a huge range of branded goods, including t-shirts, pens, baseball caps, mugs, coasters, bags and banners of all sizes.
Blue-chip clients include Vimto, SkyBet, McDonald’s, Princes Foods, LJMU and Paddy Power. The firm also does work for a number of Premier League clubs including Liverpool and Everton.
Despite seeing a downturn during the pandemic the firm invested more than £2m in an upgrade of its headquarters. In the last year it has also opened a base in the Republic of Ireland and headcount has grown by around 25% – with more jobs on the way.
Now the firm is embarking on a new phase of growth. Earlier this year LBN reported how Wild Thang was installing solar panels on its roof. Now it is investing a further £250,000 in the latest machinery to increase production capacity and save energy.
Managing director Andrew Dwerryhouse, who founded the business with a grant from the Princes Trust, said: “At Wild Thang, we have always been committed to pushing boundaries and exceeding expectations in the world of printing and branding.
“So it is with great excitement and pride that we announce our significant investment in new machinery, solidifying our position as one of the biggest and best manufacturing hubs in the UK if not the world.
“In 2023, we are investing approximately £250,000 to enhance our capacity and so our team can embrace the latest innovative branding techniques, which will elevate us to new branding heights.”
New kit includes a V8 DTF (Direct To Film) machine, accompanied by an industrial finishing unit This uses inkjets to print the image direct to film, creating industrial retail quality textile transfers which is then heat sealed to the garment or fabric.
It offers enhanced colour vibrancy and high-resolution printing capabilities and print speeds of up to 24 sq m per hour. This means Wild Thang can give customers faster turnaround times.
“It really places us at the cutting edge of the industry meaning we are able to brand on any type of apparel with a huge variety of branding methods,” added Andrew.
Wild Thang has also acquired three new embroidery machines. They will increase the embroidery capacity and, in particular, will help the business meet growing demand for branded headwear.
Two more Industrial pneumatic programmable heat presses have also been added. This investment increases production capacity for heat seal production which has seen significant demand and growth.
And to finish off the latest machinery upgrade, Wild Thang has acquired an additional forklift truck and a high-level order picker vehicle. With the firm having added extra warehouse space this offers greater safety and efficiency.
Andrew said: “Our commitment to sustainability is another important aspect of our investment. DTF printers, like the V8 DTF machine, use planet-friendly water-based inks and prevent excess ink flow.
“And many models feature innovative features such as powder shakers or upgraded suction systems, reducing waste and promoting a greener approach to printing.
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At Wild Thang, year upon year we continue to make these investments into our staff, technology, software, HQ and of course in-house branding machinery.
“We know that with continued investment, we can continue to push the boundaries the world class Wild Thang way.”