A family owned, Leeds-based business is shining through the doom and gloom of this year’s financial forecasting with an increase in sales, a new employee and the purchase of a new state-of-the-art cutting machine.

FASTSIGNS Leeds, has been owned for the last 16 years by father and son, Chris and Andy Simpson, and specialises in creating banners, signs and printed products of all shapes and sizes.

Andy commented: “It is our policy to continually invest in our business to ensure that we increase year on year, with this in mind we decided it was time to purchase a new digital cutter that would further help us to boost our profitability.”

Costing £70,000 The Zund Digital Cutter, was installed at the York Road business in May and the team are already seeing the benefits. A percentage of the cost was paid for by the Regional Growth Fund, which supports projects and programmes that encourage private sector investment creating economic growth and sustainable employment.

Andy continued: “This machine means that we can cut a wide range of flexible and rigid materials, into any shape, a process that would previously had to have been done by hand or outsource. It is helping us save time and has enabled us to produce things we would not have attempted before as we can complete the process in-house.”

FASTSIGNS Leeds has also recruited a new employee, Clifford Ward from Leeds, who prior to joining the company was a subcontracted signage installer for various signage companies, including FASTSIGNS.

Clifford said: “It has been a big change joining FASTSIGNS but a really enjoyable one. I knew most of the team from my previous work for them, and my ability and knowledge of the installation process is an added bonus to the company.

“The Zund is an incredible machine, it’s an intense process learning to use the software on the computer, but once you’ve got to grips with it the results are unbelievable. It’s such an intricate machine and does exactly what it is meant to do, which means we can do a lot more than was ever possible in the past.”

Chris and Andy Simpson run FASTSIGNS Leeds with the help of a team of nine staff. The firm offers a full range of custom made signs and graphic products to businesses, including banners, posters and exterior and interior signs.