MyWorkwear has invested £100,000 in new equipment, including a direct-to-film (DTF) printer, as part of its plans for growth.
At its base in Telford in Shropshire, it has become one of the first to install the new R-Jet Pro DTF printer from TheMagicTouch and ResoluteDTG, which produces full-colour transfers for applying to garments.
It has added two new eight-head Tajima embroidery machines plus a single-head Tajima, bringing its total number of heads to 48 – all Tajima and supplied by AJS Embroidery.
With other technology, the latest additions will enable MyWorkwear to increase production “substantially” in 2022 and beyond. The new capacity will allow it to secure new contracts from companies looking for personalised workwear and uniforms and help it hit its target of achieving £5 million in sales by 2025.
The new production area, which was officially opened this week, has supported an increase in local jobs with employee numbers increasing by over 60% over the past year.
The company also has plans in place for a new enterprise resource planning system, which manages and integrates all business processes, and an extended sales and marketing team over the next three to six months.
MyWorkwear has been supplying businesses across the UK with workwear and uniforms for nearly 50 years. The investment followed a slight change of ownership in 2021, with James Worthington – the son of founder Mike Worthington – at the helm as managing director.
James said: “Over the last few years we had seen 20% year-on-year growth, which was as a result of the hard work of our fantastic team and our commitment to providing our customers with an excellent level of service.
“This last year, however, we have seen this growth reach 50% compared to the previous year which is exceptional.
“Having grown from the small manufacturing company my father started in Telford in 1976, it is fantastic to be able to give back to the local community in Shropshire by offering so many new jobs.
“We already work with hundreds of companies across the UK in industries as varied as education, retail, manufacturing and construction. Brands range from the likes of Vimto and McLaren to the RAF and Oxford University, even the local Ironbridge Museums.
“The investment and the resulting increased capacity means we can now take on more customers and much larger orders whilst still maintaining our high-quality standards and service levels.
“As a personal advocate of manufacturing, and as part of our growth, I will also be ensuring we continue to support STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] activities in the region so we can generate and retain the next generation of engineers.”
