Widely recognised as the largest signage contractor and wide format printer in the Birmingham region and providing an impressive array of graphics and digitally printed products to blue-chip clients in London, Manchester and across the UK, Hollywood Monster has inevitably developed a voracious appetite for printable media of all types.
Sales Director of Hollywood Monster, Simon McKenzie explains: “Since the amalgamation of sister companies Hollywood Signs and Monster Digital in 2009, the business has gone from strength to strength... Even with the continued development of electronic digital media and signage, the demand for printed sign and graphics continues to grow and here at Hollywood Monster we’re always looking for new ways of creating impact for marketers and helping them to grab the attention of their target audience.”
Now employing more than 70 people, Hollywood Monster boasts a skilled team of graphic designers, draftsmen, structural engineers, model makers, traditional signwriters, welders, painters, civil engineers, decorators and carpenters. The business operates 24/7, on a wide range of state-of-the-art, wide-format print equipment that would be the envy of any sign and graphics print house. Such an impressive kit roster needs ‘feeding’ with printable media and as a result Hollywood Monster has forged a very strong relationship with Lancashire-based Soyang Europe.
Commenting on the relationship, Soyang’s Managing Director Mark Mashiter says: “We are now well established as a major provider of printable media for the wide and grand format sectors and we have developed our sphere of influence by bringing innovative new materials and substrates to companies that have the ability and the vision to work with it and help us to develop the product. Hollywood Monster fits that profile perfectly.”
Explaining what he feels sets Soyang Europe apart from other media suppliers and makes them more appealing to companies like Hollywood Monster, Mashiter says: “You don’t grow to the size that Hollywood Monster have without having something different to offer - just like Soyang really. We’re always on the look-out for innovative new materials and scour the globe for the ‘next big thing’. The team at Hollywood Monster acknowledge that and know that we’re always going to be ahead of the curve and deliver something that they can add value to and use to help their customers stand out from the crowd in an increasingly competitive market place.”
The alliance between Hollywood Monster and Soyang runs rather deeper than the traditional customer/supplier relationship. As Mashiter explains: “Hollywood Monster are now much more than commodity buyers – they are innovative specialists in their field and have earned their right to demand the very best. By working in partnership with them we’ve been able to fine tune certain products to meet specific needs and applications.”
A sentiment that Hollywood Monster’s McKenzie endorses: “We know that we can rely on Soyang to deliver the right materials for the job and over the years we’ve been able to influence the more detailed specifications of certain types of media. Few other media suppliers we know of have such a strong influence on their production partners and the ability to respond to development requirements so effectively. Through Soyang we’ve been able to influence the production of textiles in much greater widths, resulting in fewer seams in the finished job, and much more versatile and ‘stretchier’ fabrics that lend themselves to more creative applications.”
Hollywood Monster is also currently working with one of Soyang’s latest product developments G-Floor - a high density clear, flexible PVC substrate capable of being printed to the underside using either UV curable or solvent inks on a grand-format printer, to provide highly durable and creative marketing opportunities in a wide range of public spaces.
As Mashiter concludes: “Soyang and Hollywood Monster are an excellent ‘fit’ – family-based operations, with a similar length of time in business, that remain privately-owned, with a strong desire to create mutually beneficial and sustainable relationships.”
However for all the strong ethical and cultural fit, Soyang’s ability to deliver remains high on Hollywood Monster’s agenda. McKenzie explains: “As our business continues to expand, the demands on us become ever-greater, and we need to be able to rely on our suppliers to go the extra mile. Soyang’s impressive new distribution facility in Lancashire and massive stock-holding shows they mean business and we know they can guarantee next day delivery, anywhere in the UK. That’s vitally important to us, as is the incredible depth of knowledge that every member of their team have about the products they are providing.”
Soyang Europe certainly look to be perfectly placed to keep this ‘monster’ of a business suitably well-fed…
[Image shows (above) superwide format images produced by Hollywood Monster and (below) Soyang Europe's warehouse.]
