A “major share” of Swansea-based Bow was acquired by Ministry of Furniture on 9 April in a deal that will allow Bow to make the most of the more expansive resources of its new parent.
Bow Design had previously collaborated with the design and furnishing specialist group on a large amount of contract work.
Bow Design has now rebranded as Ministry Graphics to come in line with its parent’s branding. It will operate to support the manufacture and design of furniture for office and educational settings through graphic print applications on items such as banners and furniture.
Alongside its duties to its parent, Ministry Graphics will also continue to operate as a commercial design and print outfit for its own customers.
Founded in September 2017, Bow Design had comprised a three-person workforce headed up by owner Matthew Anderson. With Anderson now appointed managing director of Ministry Graphics, it has taken on three additional members of staff and can make the most of designers and production staff in the wider 33-strong team at Ministry of Furniture.
Anderson said: “I knew Ministry of Furniture on a personal level and we have worked in partnership for a long time. As a much bigger company, they offered a proposition to me where I could share their resources and the numbers just made sense.
“While this is an idea I had been bashing about for a while, it now gives us a bigger footprint within the market, as well as broader personnel and technological resources.
“I am very excited that we can now offer complete office environment design for clients, ranging from signage and wall art to bespoke furniture.”
Now part of a group turning over in excess of £5m, Ministry Graphics continues to run a Roland TrueVis VG-640 wide-format printer-cutter which was installed in February last year.
Ministry Graphics’ print production facility is adjacent to Ministry of Furniture’s own manufacturing base, with the full production and design centre now covering 836sqm. The group’s head office is based in Neath – about 20 minutes’ drive from the Swansea premises.
According to Anderson, the next step forward under new ownership will be investment into flatbed UV technology, though at this stage a machine has not yet been selected.
