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.
Wild Thang, located near the River Mersey in Liverpool, produces a wide range of branded products, including t shirts, baseball caps and mugs. They also produce coasters, bags, banners and bags of various sizes.
Blue-chip clients include Vimto, SkyBet, McDonald’s, Princes Foods, LJMU and Paddy Power. The firm has also done work for Premier League clubs such as 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.
The firm has entered a new growth phase. LBN announced earlier this year how Wild Thang had installed solar panels to 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.”
The new kit comes with a V8 Direct To Film (DTF) machine and an industrial finishing unit. This uses inkjets for printing the image directly to film to create industrial retail quality textile transfer which is then heat-sealed to the fabric or garment.
The printer can print up to 24 square meters per hour. It has high-resolution capabilities, enhanced colour vibrancy, and faster printing speeds. Wild Thang offers customers faster turnaround time.
“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 acquired also three new embroidery machine. These machines will boost the embroidery capacity, and will in particular help Wild Thang meet the growing demand for headwear.
Two additional pneumatic industrial programmable heat presss were also added. This investment will increase production capacity in the heat seal industry, which is growing rapidly.
Wild Thang also acquired a forklift and a high level order picker vehicle to complete the upgrade. This is due to the extra space in the warehouse. It offers a greater level of safety and efficiency.
Andrew said: “Our commitment to sustainability is another important aspect of our investment. DTF printers like the V8 DTF use water-based inks that are environmentally friendly and reduce 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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Wild Thang invests in its staff, technology, branding, software and HQ every year.
“We know that with continued investment, we can continue to push the boundaries the world class Wild Thang way.”