10064566Innovation in Manufacturing to benefit the Marketing & Advertising IndustryClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKIbrand is a manufacturing business based in in Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland. Set up by Ashleigh Averell, Ibrand has been trading for over 6 years, and acquired the family sign business (est. 1981) in 2021\. Ibrand's key customers are in brand marketing departments and upon providing garments & merchandise, Ibrand discovered a gap in the market for sustainable signage solutions in regards to events & exhibitions. The firm has an innovative solution to replace traditional plastic signage with recycled fibreboard, and provide a service recycling of the board post use. Recycled fibre board can create exhibits, POP display, in-store merchandising & trade show booths. This board is also re-usable, renewable & 100% recyclable. However it's construction makes it notoriously difficult to cut. To combat this, Ibrand needs to design a custom-built CNC machine with angular knife to cut and shape this board into products above. Post exhibitions, an enormous amount of signage requires removal & generally this ends up in landfill. As a solution, Ibrand will offer processes where all signage can be returned or collected for recycling on-site. This innovation provides new products & services to the marketing industry, and further creates a new revenue stream for Ibrand.