The only way is up

Garment decorator and sign maker, CC Supplies and Workwear, has experienced tremendous growth during the past 12 months. P&P editor, Melanie Attlesey, delves into the reasons for this and what plans the company has to keep on growing.

Tucked away in a fairly non-descript corner of the Medway Trading Estate in Kent is CC Supplies and Workwear – a company that has seen its revenue jump by £1 million in the last 12 months alone.

When I heard this stat, I was intrigued and keen to pay Andy Wall, production director, and Jason Harman, managing director, a visit to find out more.

After a tour around the production areas, Andy was eager to explain what he believes are the reasons for the recent rapid growth, and it seems these are twofold.

He said: “Our quick turnaround and customer service is key. We are also reactive as a business which has helped. So, if a customer asks for a particular product, we are able to help them.”

Two sides of the business

What Andy means by this is that there are two sides to the business – garment decoration in the form of embroidery and direct to film printing, and sign making using Roland and Mimaki printers.

The two sides of the business complement each other and have helped CC Supplies & Workwear achieve the growth it has.

And it’s not just these two sides of the business that complement each other, it’s also Andy’s and Jason’s roles within the company too.

Andy has a strong background in graphic design and branding, having previously been a graphic design lecturer at the University of Creative Arts. He joined CC Supplies and Workwear around two years ago after running his own garment decoration business for nearly two decades, and utilises his expertise in this field to offer an extra level of service to customers.

Every logo that comes into building, whether it’s used for an embroidered logo on a polo shirt, or a banner, is redrawn so it is vectorised and high quality. The customer’s logo is then kept on file. It can then be used to upsell print onto various other products, or making it easier for when a client returns for repeat business as they can be offered the same high-quality artwork which can be used on any size or scale of product.

Another element to the business, which makes the ordering process even easier for customers is the use of a DecoNetwork site. This allows customers to have their own website with their own products on it, so if any of their buyers log in, they can purchase a product already complete with branding as long as they have the relevant PO number. The order is then sent straight through to CC Supplies and Workwear to print or embroider. And because of the way the DecoNetwork sites are constructed, CC Supplies and Workwear can put special offers directly in front of their customers or upsell them other products such as signage.

On the other side of the coin, Jason’s background is in sales and as such is very driven in this area – encouraging the staff to work to a high standard, but with a quick turnaround. Added to this fact, is Jason’s background in construction supplies, so he understands the client base and their needs.

Andy added: “Jason is very driven in sales. There is a mentality in this business to allow seven days from when a job comes in, to when it goes out. Jason says he wouldn’t want to wait seven days for anything, so he doesn’t expect our customers to. When a job comes in, Jason would like it out of the building as quickly as possible.”

Choosing to offer a quick service to customers is one of the reasons that the team has never opted to go down the route of direct to garment printing. “It’s just too slow,” explained Andy. Instead offering customers the option of embroidery and direct to film printing, which CC Supplies and Workwear added to the business around four years ago.

“Our team understand each decoration process and can advise whether print or embroidery is more suitable for which product,” said Andy. He continued: “We’ve got the right equipment for this industry, and that’s why we’re reactive to what the customer needs and able to use the right tool for the job.”

And because the bulk of CC Supplies and Workwear’s customer base stems from the construction industry, embroidery and DTF printing fits well with the type of garments worn. Think hard-wearing polos, jackets and hi-vis vests.

And it’s these customers that have helped the business grow so rapidly. For when a customer comes in wanting an embroidered polo or a printed hi-vis, the team are able to upsell and ask if they would like any stickers for vehicles or construction site signage – especially given they already have the customer’s artwork on file. The same works in reverse and the answer is near enough always a resounding yes.

“The bigger the company, the more signs they need,” laughs Andy.

And, the recent purchase of a Mimaki JV300-160 UV sublimation printer, makes offering quality signage to customers even easier. It enables the business to provide scratch-resistant prints without the need for lamination – keeping costs down for customers and speeding up production times.

Growth plans

Plans are already underway for CC Supplies and Workwear to expand later this year, and improve upon the already impressive turnover seen. This includes Andy and Jason’s aim to move into the unit next door, more than doubling their current floor space.

With these growth plans also comes the recruitment of further staff. Shaun Stockdale recently joined the company in the position of regional sales and development manager to help expand the business’ client base. Speaking of his thoughts on the potential of CC Supplies and Workwear, he said: “As a salesperson, I can see a company here that will double in size and get bigger.

“Whether you are a small trader looking for supplies or one of the biggest construction companies in the world that want all their branding on their clothes and signs, that will all be done here.

“There are not a lot of companies in this industry that can do everything under one roof.”

And Shaun is right about that. It’s not often you come across a garment decorator that has the signage side of things all sewn up as well. For CC Supplies and Workwear, the only way is up, in 2025 and beyond.