Wild Thang invests £250,000 in hi-tech machinery

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 inviting £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 is located close to the River Mersey and produces a large range of branded items, such as t-shirts. pens, baseball hats, mugs. coasters. bags.

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.

Now, the company is entering a new 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 kit contains a V8 (Direct To Film), accompanied by a finishing unit for industrial use. Inkjets are used to print images directly onto film. The result is incredibly high-quality textile transfers that can be heat-sealed on to garments or fabrics.

Print speeds up to 24 sq. m. per hour are possible. Wild Thang is able to offer 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. The machines will allow the company to increase its embroidery capacity. They will also help them meet the increasing demand for branded clothing.

Two additional pneumatic industrial programmable heat presss were also added. This investment increases the production capacity of heat seals, which has seen significant growth.

Wild Thang also acquired a forklift and a high level order picker vehicle to complete the upgrade. The firm has added more warehouse space, which offers increased safety and efficiency.

Andrew said: “Our commitment to sustainability is another important aspect of our investment. DTF printers use environmentally-friendly inks. The V8 DTF uses these inks.

“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 continues to invest in our staff, software, technology, headquarters, and, of course, the branding machinery.

“We know that with continued investment, we can continue to push the boundaries the world class Wild Thang way.”