Bold media stock ordering and a strong symbiotic relationship with supplier CMYUK has enabled Hollywood Monster to reposition its offering and save jobs according to MD Simon McKenzie.
In a drive to service new market demands, Hollywood Monster has launched www.getsocialdistancing.co.uk that provides safeguarding products to the general public and small businesses. The move - which relied on the company ordering 160,000m2 of appropriate materials from CMYUK during lockdown - has allowed it to bring back 50% of its workforce, a figure it hopes will continue to rise in the coming weeks.
“The world is changing and you need to be at the forefront of technology to diversify into new markets to protect the future of your company and the well-being of your staff,” said McKenzie. “The partnerships you have with your key suppliers are an extremely important part of the mix to help you achieve this.”
On day 88 of lockdown CMYUK delivered 18 pallets of floor graphics material to Birmingham-based Hollywood Monster which, traditionally, focuses on construction/property in one division and on retail/events/exhibitions in the other. In the second half of March things changed, prompting a company rethink. “Events were getting cancelled every single day,” said McKenzie. “Exhibitions were getting axed around Europe, which then filtered over to the UK pretty quickly.” With lockdown the company furloughed staff and turned its attention to the health and safety sector, calling on CMYUK to help it meet its aims for delivering floor graphics, sneeze screens etc.
“Utilising the investment in the latest technology that we made through CMYUK, we looked to see how we could use our plant list to diversify into markets that were still operational. We weren't too sure when the market would erupt but we were confident that there would be a big demand for floor vinyls,” explained McKenzie, who looked to CMYUK for advice on suitable floor graphics materials for both interior and exterior applications.
Given that with high demand comes the risk of materials shortages, Hollywood Monster ordered over 160,000m2 of floor graphics materials during lockdown.
“We've been fortunate enough to have supplies where others haven't. New clients have come on board and perhaps if we hadn’t been as bold with our stock ordering and to have those orders efficiently fulfilled, that might not have been the case,” said McKenzie.
CMYUK has been able to meet Hollywood Monster’s demand for floor graphics materials due to plentiful stocks in the UK, underpinned by reliable supply chains in Europe and the US that prioritise the company.
Looking to the future, Hollywood Monster is working with CMYUK to bring innovative green and sustainable products to the market, which will not only provide viable substitutes to environmentally adverse materials but which will lend themselves to new markets and drive new applications.
