Blog

7

Jun

17

Take a tour of our factory!

Based in Welshpool, Wales, we’re the largest independent commercial wallcovering manufacturer in the UK. We were started in 1967 (yes, it’s our 50th anniversary!) and we’re still family owned and run. We have developed specialist knowledge in creating unique textured vinyl effects that are both striking and incredibly hardwearing.

The demand for commercial textured wallcoverings has increased globally. The ability to infuse texture in a surface which can been created in a myriad of colours and metallic effects opens endless design possibilities. Combine this with the easy clean, tough exterior which is forgiving on rough walls, it’s no wonder that vinyl wallcoverings have become a commercial design staple.

David Johnston, our Commercial Director explains, ‘our products are engineered to withstand the most demanding commercial environments in hospitality, healthcare, marine, retail and aviation. We have pioneered many of the manufacturing processes in producing commercial-standard textured vinyl wallcoverings. Being in control of the manufacturing process is key, we design, manufacture and distribute pretty much everything from our specialist facility in Welshpool.’

Our manufacturing team has decades of collective experience.  With texture so much in demand, both traditional and new printing processes are used in our factory. Each year we invest in both the original gravure process which uses engraved rollers to create distinctive effects, and our new digital facility which allow for greater flexibility for short-run bespoke design. Having our own facility gives us a competitive edge, being able to design and manufacture in one location delivers much greater flexibility to our customers.

Here’s a bit of an overview of our manufacturing process:

Concept design – whether its one of many stocked ranges we launch each year or a bespoke design for a commercial installation, it all begins in the design studio.  From colour development to creating trials with textures every design will go through the studio before it’s released for production.

Mixing the base – the manufacturing process begins with mixing the base colour. Unlike most manufacturers who opt for a standard neutral base and only apply colour during print, we apply colour in each layer. The coloured base ensures greater depth of colour and improved wear once installed. Maintaining colour accuracy is crucial, so batch variations are tightly controlled through our colour laboratory located in the heart of their factory. Each colour is approved by both eye and measuring against the design standard on our colour spectrophotometer.

Only once the base formula is approved is it applied to the chosen substrate which come in a range of fabric and paper backed specifications.

At this stage a wallcovering is only half way through the production process, next comes printing the design. The approved colours are applied as a separate layer to build the overall design. Each design is checked to ensure colour and match against the design master.

Then the exciting part, texture is applied using unique engraved rollers. We have hundreds to choose from which enables us to create striking design and texture combinations for our customers world-wide.

Each design goes through a final check before packaging and despatch.

We have offices in the UK, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany and Poland further supported to a distribution network in over 70 countries worldwide. Order free samples online of our standard, custom, designer or digital collections.