Through an on-demand business model and prioritising the customer, Universal Graphix Limited is a signage company on the move…
Often, an entrepreneur starts a business based on their own desires, but sometimes they get a push in the right direction from another source. For Rob Errington, co-founder of signage and graphics firm Universal Graphix Limited, a satisfied client led him to this business idea.
Errington, who has a background in multinational sales roles, was co-running a ‘P.P.E and Welfare’ supplier serving the construction industry. “Our reliability and dependability led our clients to push us into other areas and we began to supply temporary protection products and corporate workwear,” he explains. “One client pushed us into providing signage and in that moment Universal Graphix was born.”
“One client pushed us into providing signage and in that moment Universal Graphix was born.”
At Universal Graphix, it’s their “on-demand business model” that makes it stand out by helping clients with signage needs “right from the beginning of a project to its completion.” Care and assistance is offered throughout the client journey, from supplying health and safety signage early on in the construction process to “hoarding with CGI images of the finished project” and “marketing material to help with sales” and supplying “the finished signage to the interiors of the buildings and the outside.”
For Errington, the firm’s “in-house full design service” ensures a client’s “corporate” identity “is followed, repeated and recognised across all their projects,” meaning they get a uniform, high-quality service. “We don’t believe there are many suppliers that operate internal systems that allow themselves to turn their attention to whatever their clients require next,” he says.
Investment, he adds, was an initial challenge when launching the business, as it required purchasing cutting-edge machinery to deliver the best client service and “allow us to turn our attention to bespoke designed and manufactured permanent signs.” Another, more present, challenge today are pr price fluctuations in raw materials.
“We often find ourselves in a position where we are designing and quoting signage for the end of the project six months prior to the requirement,” explains Errington. “A small rise in the prices of stainless steel or aluminum can be problematic,” he adds.
Market issues aside, there are more positive and exciting plans on the horizon for the company, with expansion a key goal for the remainder of 2025. This includes a major digital marketing campaign: “We hope that will bring us to the attention of clients that haven’t heard of us yet and are looking for a supplier that they can trust and lean on to fulfil all their signage requirements.”
A recent technological adoption has been a new printer which will double output and add new client services to the business. Recruitment has also featured in recent plans, with a new member of staff in manufacturing and graphic design set to enhance the client experience further.
With two business experiences under his belt, Errington has learned a thing or two about leadership, a major one being “you can’t do everything on your own.” Having the right people in place matters too, he says, namely surrounding yourself with “like-minded individuals that fit in and have the same drive and determination to fulfil client requirements.”
On this topic, Errington likes his staff to be confident about delivering the best service possible: “Every member of the sales team needs the confidence to sit in front of a potential or existing client and know that what they promise will be delivered. The operations team also needs to know that when they fulfil an order as promised, they are helping cement the relationship with a client and that they will trust us again on the next project.”
“If your clients view your business as an extension of their own, then you’re walking the right path.”
All in all, customer satisfaction is king for the folks at Universal Graphix. “If your clients view your business as an extension of their own, then you’re walking the right path.”
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