A market leading firm from Wrexham has been praised by local MP Susan Elan Jones after celebrating its 25th anniversary with a major new website launch.
The House Name Plate Company, based in Ruabon, is the UK’s biggest producer of house name plates and letterboxes and supplies DIY giants like Band Q and Home Base as well as high street retailer Argos.
It held a triple celebration at its Vauxhall Estate headquarters to mark its quarter century, its new website for business name plates and its first year of operating since a successful management buy out.
Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones was among the guests at the event and she toured the factory to see the different processes involved and the range of products made in materials which range from brass, slate and wood, to acrylic and vinyl.
The machinery used varies from computer-operated, laser-guided engravers to a traditional foundry which casts hot metal signs at temperatures of 1000C.
Susan Elan Jones said: “It is very important that this is a local home-grown business employing local staff and that makes a real difference to the area.
“We’re very proud of the company and delighted to celebrate a very happy 25th birthday and wish it all the best for the future.
“It really is an excellent example of a local business employing local people to do incredibly skilled work – we need more companies like this and to celebrate what they do.
“I have been very interested to see all the different things they do, from traditional foundry work to the latest high technology machinery, and the skill with which they do it and the innovation they bring to developing the business as well.”
The event was also attended by many local business people and Wrexham Mayor, Councillor Ian Roberts, from Chirk, was also among the guests and he said: “This is a very progressive company which works across so many different skills.
“Their attitude and everything they do is first class and they’re making a success of what they do and that’s good news for the area and for employment here.”
The company was set up in 1986 and bought by high street giant Timpsons nine years ago before last year’s management buyout led by Managing Director Tina Smith and Commercial Director Kathryn Terry and the company now employs 40 people and has maintained its high profile customers while branching out into new areas like the business signs.
Businesses can now browse and select products either through the HNP Signs Trade Catalogue or online at www.businesssignsuk.com where they can even design their own signs.
Tina Smith said: “We still sell a great many of the products that we made when the company started in 1986 but we have developed a lot of new signs as well in materials such as stainless steel, vinyl and acrylic though our biggest seller remains slate.
“We supply 1500 hardware stores and garden centres across the UK and we’ve invested in a laser engraver, digital printers and a sand blaster.
“We’re looking at the future of the business and which way it should be going and seeing what our competitors are doing.
“We’re really looking to go business-to-business with a range of bespoke signs specially for businesses. They need to get out there and get themselves noticed and we can help them do just that.
“We’re looking to diversify away from just house signs and letter boxes and increasingly we are looking to providing business signs and health and safety signage.”
In addition to a comprehensive range of statutory and information signs, the website also includes a unique “build a sign online” feature for ordering bespoke signage.
Commercial Director Kathryn Terry said: “We have been making house signs for 25 years and we wanted to offer our expertise to businesses.
“We have been receiving more and more orders from the companies and organisations across the UK so the creation of HNP Signs was the best way of catering for the demand.
“HNP Signs has by far the most comprehensive offer in the market and will further strengthen our position as the UK’s leading manufacturer of Bespoke Signs.”
