Craft Focus - Page number 58 - October/November 2021 (Issue 87)

58 Creative customisation Danny March, Managing Director of The Vinyl Corporation (Decalkraft Signs) Limited, talks to Craft Focus about how the business started as a car striping and graphics wholesale organisation based in Nottingham in 1984 to where it is today! Danny, originally from Blackpool came to Nottingham in 1978 to read Law. Graduating in 1982, he entered the retail world working for an electronics high street chain. After rapid promotion from store manager to area manager and finally regional manager he decided that he was too confined in the shop environment. Having heard about a trend in California of applying coach lines and self-adhesive vinyl graphics to vehicles, to customise them, this channel was pursued with Autokraft and then solely as Decalkraft. After 10 years of leading the stripes and graphics wholesale market in the UK, Danny decided to diversify and still employing the same self-adhesive vinyl products, he acquired the very latest American computerised cutting equipment from Gerber – in 1986, this was state of the art sign making. Previously, lorries, shop fascias and signs were painted by hand, now they had a method of pre- manufacturing and fast applications, reducing the down times and increasing profitability. Decalkraft Signs promoted vinyl sign making through their network of stripers and installation crews around the UK. Eventually, the price of purchasing sign making equipment reduced to a level that the Decalkraft distributors were encouraged to buy their own equipment and all their vinyl and consumables from The Vinyl Corporation. Danny explains, “The Vinyl Corporation evaluates products as they’re developed around the world, and will only promote the reliable and dependable self- adhesive vinyl and HTV products, so have formed very strong trading bonds with the premium brand manufacturers from the UK and abroad.” The Vinyl Corporation only stock and promote the very best quantity vinyl products and Danny has gone on record throughout the past 35 years of his career saying, “Buy it once, Buy it right” as he believes that opting to purchase cheap products from cheap import sites just leads to bigger problems further down the line. Danny elaborates, “For example, at the moment there are quite a lot of cheap vinyls being imported from the Far East, within a month or two they are deteriorating and fading or peeling, so purchasing ORACAL 651 Gloss vinyl or ORACAL 631 Matt vinyl carries peace of mind and comfort in the knowledge that these products have been tried and tested. “The Vinyl Corporation are introducing new products every week, to stimulate the growth in the craft market, giving a wide range of choice to the creative crafters. As The Vinyl Corporation has such a long and respected track record within the vinyl industry we’re able to offer self-adhesive vinyl products from other industrial