Lichfield, UK - Birmingham-based Nocturnal U.K. Ltd. has been in business for more than 15 years and is an expert in vehicle graphics and wrapping, digital printing, point of sale graphics, promotional displays and signs.  

The company supplies signs to businesses across the U.K., creating innovative and engaging displays for shops, offices, vehicles and more. One of Nocturnal’s most recent projects involved wrapping a minibus in HEXIS materials to create a stunning ‘Airbus’ minibus for High Society Limousines. 

Richard Phillips, Managing Director at Nocturnal, explains: “We have a long-standing relationship with High Society Limousines and have worked on a significant number of vehicle wrapping projects for them over the years. Subsequently, we had a good understanding of what they wanted to achieve with the ‘Airbus’ project.”

The vehicle delivered to Nocturnal for the wrap was not ideal as there were some issues with body work. However, Nocturnal took advantage of the benefits offered by HEXIS products to ensure that the final wrap was as stunning as possible. 

Nocturnal used HEXIS HX190WG2 50-μm vinyl for the eye-catching graphics and sealed the images with HEXIS PC30G2 gloss laminate. The HX190WG2 film is perfectly suited to complex surfaces, and adheres particularly well to glass, steel, aluminium, PVC and melamine. Its high technical performance and conformability means that it can be used for full wraps, and on curved and riveted surfaces.

Following its external makeover – and to add to the drama and wow factor of the ‘Airbus’ – High Society Limousines added amplified sound mimicking an aircraft idling, along with running lights for the wings and wheels. Inside, it has had a full fit out including inflight screens, an in-vehicle bar, disco lights and a karaoke machine.

Richard Phillips comments: “The ‘Airbus is proving to be very popular for school proms, hen nights and much more. It makes quite an impact at night when it comes past you on the road, that’s for sure! At first glance it really does look like a plane is running alongside you.”

On working with HEXIS, Richard Phillips adds: “We like their attention to detail and the one-to-one approach and see them as a business partner rather than just a supplier. They are always our first choice for materials - and an excellent source of advice when we need it.”

The biggest challenge on this project was image availability – or lack thereof – for the vehicle wrap. Richard Phillips explains: “We spent a long time researching viable images of the correct size, aspect and appearance and, in fact, the image we used was the only one we could locate that met these criteria. As a result, the company the jet belonged to found out we had used the image and invited High Society Limousines to take part in a photo shoot at Birmingham Airport alongside the actual aircraft.” 

Scott Wilkins, Managing Director of HEXIS UK Ltd, concludes: “The ‘Airbus’ project has been a great success. The philosophy and passion within the HEXIS Team means that customer care and customer service – along with our strong customer relationships – are just as important as the high-quality products that we sell. This is evident with our long-lasting relationship with Nocturnal UK Ltd.”