ImagesMagUK_April_2021

IS DECORATOR PROFILE www.images-magazine.com 40 images APRIL 2021 industry. We’re still investigating quite how that is going to hang together.” The Bumpaa anti-viral brand Some of the investment over the past year, including an Epson dye- sublimation printer and a Monti Antonio Mod 802 heat press, has also been to support Screenworks’ main response to the coronavirus: the launch of anti-viral textile brand Bumpaa. With the events sector crushed by Covid restrictions, Screenworks saw an 80% drop in sales overnight in March 2020 and, while business soon started to bounce back, it was hit again by subsequent lockdowns. Drawing on Polygiene’s ViralOff technology, the Bumpaa anti- viral, reusable, printable face coverings were an instant hit, followed by snoods and gloves. “We made a decision early on that we didn’t want to sit and wait for the industry to come back,” Duncan says. “We knew we had to do something and felt we needed to be fairly bold with what we did, and that investment will come back to help us in subsequent years. Sublimation was something we knew from our experience with the Inspired side of the business that we wanted to spend more time understanding and investing in. We were actually looking to invest the year before the pandemic, but it was put on hold as we had too many other things on the go at the time.” While Bumpaa sales are no longer in the hundreds of thousands per week, demand remains steady, and Duncan believes it has potential for broader use. “Polygiene are working with a number of big key brands off the high street and they’re all moving to having the same underlying treatment that’s on the Bumpaa product applied to everything from jeans right the way through to face coverings and everything in between.” Brexit shock – and the flipside Brexit presents another challenge, especially as 10% of Screenworks’ sales come from the EU, mainly Ireland. “Boris’s promise of frictionless trade is, in my eyes, far from the truth,” Duncan says. “In January we were a bit shocked at quite how many issues were coming up with regards to product that was moving between us and Europe.” With garments manufactured overseas, Screenworks has been faced with a lack of clarity from the authorities about the country-of-origin rule. However, Duncan highlights a potential ‘flipside’: “There are going to be a lot of companies that were potentially purchasing product from Europe – we knew we were losing out in the last few years to companies in places like Poland – and now with the tariffs, it does potentially bring us back into the fold. I’m hoping that, at the end of it, the benefits cancel out those negative impacts that we’ve got.” Duncan, who became managing director in 2011 ahead of his dad stepping back from the business, says the pandemic has easily been the biggest challenge since he joined, especially as it was necessary to cut some staff last summer, reducing the workforce to 45. “It’s very humbling to work with a group of people that are so dedicated, especially in the last year which has been hugely testing.” He believes Screenworks has come out stronger thanks to the staff and investments for the future. “We’ve learned how resilient we are, how agile we can be as a business, and how quickly we can adapt, and I think that, with a great team, the recipe just ends up with a rather tasty cake at the end of it.” www.screenworks.co.uk It led the charge with that low MOQ and short lead time The company offers a range of special effects, such as UV glow printing Screen-making at Screenworks One of the company’s eight SWF embroidery machines Screenworks has been a trade-only printer focused on the promotional sector for more than ten years