About Us – Wood and Wood

The Company

Wood and Wood are based in Exeter but have a truly national client portfolio which includes John Lewis, the BBC, HSBC, Dixons Currys and Greggs. We have designed, manufactured and installed signage from Devon to Dumfries and from Dover to Dundee. For examples of our work, please see case studies.

With exacting demands for design build quality and efficient project turnaround, all these brands, and many more, look to us to deliver time and time again. Our philosophy has stayed true over the last four decades: to treat every job with the same level of commitment and dedication, offering bespoke solutions with exceptional service to give the country’s leading brands the high quality signage they demand.

We will see the whole job through for a client – from initial project consultation, through design, concept consultation and prototyping to manufacture in our workshops and specialist installation anywhere in the UK.

We act as brand guardians working closely with our clients as partners rather than suppliers to offer the complete, comprehensive service. We are proud to be large enough to handle the biggest, most complex high street roll-outs whilst being small enough to really care about our clients.

We are proud to be both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accredited. Health & Safety Accreditations include:

CHAS • Safecontractor • Eurosafe • Construction Line

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Nic Jeal - Managing director

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Nic is a Chartered Accountant and has been with Wood and Wood since 1998. He was appointed Managing Director in 2010 and his job is to direct and refine all areas of Wood and Wood operations to ensure the company moves forward in a way that continues to deliver and exceeds the exceptional quality and service levels our clients expect.

He is responsible for the strategic direction and financial health of the company, taking Wood and Wood into new markets, and working with our design, manufacturing and installation teams to develop innovative ideas and techniques.

To maintain Wood and Wood’s ability to offer highly competitive tenders, Nic makes sure everybody in the company understands budgets, and works to drive down costs. He continuously reviews the performance of all departments and projects to ensure Wood and Wood continues to deliver ‘affordable quality’.

High service levels are very important to Wood and Wood clients, Nic ensures that everyone is aware that the company’s continuing success depends on our ability to provide quality services, as well as quality products.

He firmly believes that Wood and Wood’s main asset is its people, but makes sure the company embraces new technologies, whenever they bring new benefits to clients.

Nic works with the various teams to ensure Health and Safety Action Plans are in place and that Wood and Wood is a safe and caring place to work. He is also responsible for overseeing the Wood and Wood training programme which provides a whole range of office and shop floor training.

Richard Robinson - Production Director

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Richard has been with Wood and Wood since 1984, and has been Production Director for the last ten years. He has vast experience of signage manufacturing processes, and oversees all our production. He is also closely involved in product development, product engineering and enhancing processes on the shop floor.

As Production Director, Richard offers support to the sales team and often attends client meetings to answer any questions about specifications, materials and the production process. With his vast knowledge and experience of all aspects of quality signage production, Richard is happy to discuss any aspect of a project with the client, at any time.

Once a project is started, Richard holds regular meetings with other members of the Wood and Wood team to discuss design, materials specification, manufacturing, estimating, cost evaluation and installation. Here are some examples of his approach;

Aviva Stadium

Wood and Wood manufactured and installed over 7,500 internal and external signs including the 1.9 meter high ‘AVIVA STADIUM’ letters manufactured in aluminium with polycarbonate acrylic, faced with blue vinyl and fitted with LED illumination. The consultancy we provided prior to manufacture helped translate the design intent into a working scheme.

Oxford City

Wood and Wood designed, manufactured and installed 28 beautiful, large cast bronze wayfinding totems for the historic centre of Oxford. The contract also included the production of 19 finger posts with finger panels and a range of wall-mounted wayfinding panels, some with vitreous enamel inserts.

Westfield Shopping Centre

Wood and Wood worked closely with leading international design agency, Populous, in a commission to manufacture and install 3,000 interior and exterior wayfinding and directional signs for the Westfield Shopping Centre, in London’s White City area. With a retail floor area of 150,000m², Westfield was the largest shopping centre in Europe, at the time of opening. The project timescale was originally seven months, but when requested, we were able to produce and install the signage in less than three months.

Tony Baugh - Director of Business Development

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Tony joined Wood and Wood in 2005 and is responsible for developing new sales and managing existing client accounts across the UK. He started work in the signage industry in 1985 and has experience of all areas of the sign production process, including estimating, IT, marketing, design, manufacturing and sales. This extensive signage experience means he is able to provide clients with a wide range of expert advice across all aspects of a project.

Tony works closely with the Wood and Wood team to provide a comprehensive service to clients. He can have involvement at all the key stages, including initial meetings to confirm the client’s requirements and discuss the project scope, objectives and options.

Once the project is won, Tony hands over to a Project Manager who oversees and co-ordinates the various departments involved in manufacture and installation, he will however, always available to liaise with the client and the Wood and Wood team, providing advice and obtaining feedback following installation.

Crossrail Paddington Station

Wood and Wood manufactured and installed wayfinding and station identification signage for a £350,000 project at London’s Paddington station. Tony worked alongside our design and development teams to agree specifications and finalise designs with Crossrail and its design agencies.

White Rose Shopping Centre – Leeds

Wood and Wood manufactured and installed all the internal and external signage for the centre. Tony was involved with the Wood and Wood design and development teams, working with the client and their design agency to make sure the materials were right for the job.

Wakefield County Council

Wood and Wood manufactured and installed a fingerpost wayfinding system for Wakefield town centre. Tony presented a Via* fingerposts solution, then worked with world-famous designers, Arup, to finalise specifications and pricing.

*Via is a highly successful Wood and Wood product – for more details, visit: www.viasignsystem.co.uk

John Stokes - Technical Manager

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John has an HNC in Mechanical Engineering and has been with Wood and Wood for 25 years. His main role is to prepare, oversee and co-ordinate the production of engineering design drawings.

For some projects all the technical information is provided, but in other cases, John works with our Production Director to develop a manufacturing method and with our estimators to produce costings. During this process, he is particularly keen to identify design or manufacturing methods which increase quality, ensure earlier project delivery and improve cost efficiency. The team will also investigate options to give the signage maximum impact.

John also works closely with our installation team to capitalise on their experience.

John is always available to talk to the client should they wish to discuss any technical aspect of the project.

Aviva Stadium

This was a technically challenging project. Wood and Wood had to design, manufacture and install 1.9m tall, high level illuminated brand lettering on the outside of the stadium. The structure curved in multi directions, John was involved in the complex task of establishing how to fit the letters to sit straight on the building.

WhiteWater Shopping Centre

Wood and Wood designed, manufactured and installed external brand signage, car park signage and internal wayfinding signage. The large external stone sign involved John visiting the chosen quarry to hand pick the right stone for the job.

Ebbsfleet International Eurostar Terminal

John was heavily involved in Wood and Wood’s contract to design, manufacture and install a series of external illuminated and non-illuminated wayfinding totems in brushed stainless steel. Wood and Wood also produced flagpoles and banner signage to reflect the sleek, futuristic design of the new terminal.

Dave Kershaw - Installation Manager

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Dave has been in the signage industry for 34 years and is extremely experienced, having specialised in signage installation for 28 years. He joined Wood and Wood in 2004, and is responsible for all installations undertaken by the company.

Dave is involved from the moment a tender is approved, working with his team, Dave devises the installation methods and specifications to ensure a smooth installation process which meets all regulations. This information, along with installation pricing, is then passed to the estimating team for inclusion in the quotation. He is also available for site visits, whenever site conditions need to be assessed.

Dave is also responsible for all installation scheduling, deliveries and any specialised access equipment, such as cranes, Hiabs or cherry pickers. He can also organise traffic management and undertake Health & Safety risk assessments.

While Wood and Wood can undertake groundworks, specialised projects often involve subcontractors with special certifications. In these cases, Dave selects the contractors, provides them with the correct information and can conduct assessments of their work, during and after the installation. All subcontractors have to undertake a qualification process before they can work for Wood and Wood.

Aviva Stadium

The precise installation of large, 1.9 metre high external letters on the Aviva Stadium frame required innovative thinking to ensure a safe working environment at such a high level. The solution involved cranes lifting other cranes to get access to the upper tier levels.

Emirates Stadium – Arsenal

The Emirates Stadium project involved very precise work on a congested site. We installed 1.2 meter high illuminated lettering around the stadium, plus four 8 meter by 6.5 meter Arsenal shields and four 10 meter by 8 meter Emirates logos.

Heathrow Airport

Wood and Wood has undertaken many signage projects at Heathrow. Currently, we are responsible for all internal wayfinding and directional signage – airside and landside at the prestigious, new T2 terminal. The installations have to comply with strict security regulations and airport working restrictions.