The relationship between CMYUK and Revolution Signs is a relatively new one, but events of the last three months have somewhat intensified the experience. CMYUK has been supplying the Braintree-based signage, interiors, marketing suites, and exhibitions specialist with large volumes of floor graphics materials throughout Lockdown.

“I think I’ve printed more floor graphics in the last eight weeks than I have in the last 15 years,” says managing director Ryan Fairweather who estimates an output of thousands of square metres and counting.

In comparison to many other digital wide-format print companies, Revolution Signs is used to working with floor graphics due to the popularity of the application with its marketing suite clients. However, they were always a bespoke branding exercise rather than a mainstream one.

Throughout Lockdown, CMYUK has provided the company with a constant supply of floor graphics materials from its Safer Spaces collection.

UTACK Hexofloor Vinyl is a self–adhesive vinyl with a clear removable adhesive. It has an R10 anti-slip rating and is ideal for fast and effective floor graphics and branding for up to six months interior use. It doesn’t require any lamination and can be applied to any smooth surfaces and board.

UTACK Multi Surface Floor Vinyl is a firm favourite with Revolution Signs’ clients as it can be used on pile carpets, wood, tile, and concrete surfaces both indoors and out. Both anti-slip and fire-rated, it has an outdoor sidewalk life of 3 months and the same for indoors. Indoor wall graphics have a thirty-six months life span, while outdoor wall graphics last up to a year.

Ryan has been impressed with the quality of these materials from the Safer Spaces range as well as their competitive pricing.

“I’m not someone that likes to sacrifice quality for the sake of a pound note,” he says. I like how CMYUK operates, its price point is right and I like to collaborate with people that I like.

“CMUYUK has always been very honest. If it doesn’t have stock or they cannot help, they will tell you, there are no games. It says the way it is and it does what it says. It doesn’t need to be any more complicated than that,” he says.

Investment for resilience
Revolution Signs hit the ground running at the start of this year, experiencing the best January and February on record. “We had all our ducks in a row,” says Ryan. However as the pandemic took hold clients stopped spending, and everything pretty much stopped overnight.

The company shut down for five weeks and during this time ex-banker Ryan managed to secure tax credits from the government and used these to buy a Canon Colorado 1650 printer, which he had first seen at CMYUK’s demonstration centre in Shrewsbury back in the autumn.

“We’ve invested into the company at a time when a lot of people weren’t doing that and that opened up a few avenues for us that weren't there previously,” says Ryan. These included work for the NHS and large volumes of floor graphics.

He also created a COVID-19 catalogue of products that he sent to his existing construction and branding clients to help them prepare for their return to work. “ I think we just got there a week or two before everybody else,” he says, “and this allowed us to tap into that work.”

In business terms, Ryan has found Lockdown to be a valuable learning experience. As his company moves forward, staff will continue where possible to work from home 50 per cent of the time. Virtual meetings too will become the established norm – saving everyone a great deal of time and money.

As far as CMYUK is concerned, the relationship is set to become closer as Revolution Signs will be looking to move spend over to the company where it can.

Says Ryan: “I do really like the CMYUK business and work ethos. It's a forward-thinking, proactive modern company. They’re always very willing to give advice and are a good sounding board. It’s a new relationship but I’m enjoying it and finding them very helpful.”