POP Production – High or Low Volumes?

Scalability from our UK factory

We are very proud of our UK factory. It is important to us because it is from here that we can ensure the quality, detail and craftmanship of our projects. Outsourcing elements of a build can mean losing visibility and control over that part, and by investing in our own factory capabilities – you can read more about this here – we are able to have full visibility over every step of the manufacture process from design through to construction. For our customers it means we can offer true scalability – from the largest of orders through to orders of individual units. Here are some examples to show you what we mean…

High volumes

Primark approached us after trialling the Reflex sign holder, wishing to roll it out across all their stores. Their store portfolio comprised of more than 350 stores in 11 different countries across Europe and America. They also wanted an additional 80,000 units to be manufactured and held as an on-demand product for new store openings. And they needed all of this in a mere matter of weeks.

On the face of it this was an almost impossible task, there may be no other company in the UK that can meet such a large order. The volumes required were equivalent to around four months’ worth of planned production and DisplayMode had just eight weeks to produce all the units – plus their regular orders.

So what did we do? We scaled up production. We commissioned an additional six tools, and this combined with exact scheduling and item production meant we were able to guarantee the meeting of production well within the scheduled time frame.

Low volumes

For Delicious Ideas it was a need for small volumes of well-designed displays. Just 10 in fact. They were looking for 10 freestanding units to display their range of healthy snacks, nuts and confectionery within the restaurant areas of Universities, and within coffee shops (food service) and retail outlets. The display stand needed to be flat packed and able to fit in the back of a car. It also needed to be easy to construct within stores. Each section of the unit should be able to be handled by a single person.

With such low volumes involved, the challenge for us was to create a design that would meet the brief but remain low in cost for the relatively low numbers of units to be produced.

Utilising the fast-track joinery machinery within the UK factory (more about that here) meant we were able to design a display unit that was flat packed for easy storage and transportation, but that was also produced to a high-quality finish, and most importantly was simple to construct. We produced the unit from design through to prototyping, manufacture and assembly, all within the UK factory and in just six weeks. Working out of the UK factory gave us full visibility and control of the project, and meant a quick turnaround was possible, whilst retaining the attention to detail required.

Just one

And now we are down to one. The order was from Colart, a company which consists of a series of unique brands. Colart was attending an exhibition where they wished to promote these brands using one key, individual display unit per brand. Their order consisted of a series of individual items including a Winsor and Newton Gifting window, Le Franc Bourgeois shelves, and a Snazaroo playstation. The only common factor linking the displays was a need for craftmanship and quality of the highest level.

While the order may have been for individual units, those units were for different brands within the group meaning that approval and sign off must be sought from multiple sources. Dedicated project management was needed to ensure smooth production. To meet the demands of this project required talent, flexibility, and the drive to exceed expectations.

And that is the crux of it

Exceeding expectations. When we are approached by a client, our interest is not about the profit margin, it is about making sure the project succeeds. For our clients it is about knowing that – whether the order is for thousands of items, a few, or just one – that it will be completed, and it will be completed well, exceeding their expectations.

Key takeawayThe investment we have made to the UK factory means we are truly scalable, and can deliver our customers better quality, improved timescales and wider range of capabilities whatever their order size. And by producing more in-house we make significant cost savings which are passed on to our customers.The ability to produce our products from their design through to their production and construction gives us full visibility and control along the whole process, bringing to our customers the highest quality finish, at low prices, and all within a fast turnaround.