As its managing director Robert Miller explains, the industry has developed massively since his early days in the embroidery business, but it's been a rewarding challenge.

Today, the company has branched out of its initial strength of selling embroidery machines and embraced new digital printing technology (AnaJet printers).

But by far its biggest sellers remain the Brother range of machines that have proved incredibly reliable. Its latest addition, the Brother 620, has proved among its most successful since being introduced last year.

For anyone looking to get into smallscale printwear embroidery as a business, then there could be no better machine than this, explains Rob.

He comments: "It's simply a great start-up machine. From the first day that we took delivery of them they have just worked. They are very reliable and have low maintenance costs. The good thing is that they are also easy to use- within a few hours you can be embroidering and it's easy to increase production with them.

The latest version now has a leg attachment that allows easy embroidering of jeans which is a really good feature. We use a software system called Creative DRAWings with them that turns digital images into stitches.

At J and B there are instruction classes which anyone is welcome to come along to- we can teach anyone- we had someone here who was 88 recently."

With the economic downturn. some will be wondering getting into the printwear market is a tall order at present.

Robert offers some optimism: "The printwear business is massive. More and more people are looking to have a corporate identity, from work groups to nightclub bouncers. We are certainly optimistic about the future here. There is all this talk about the credit crunch, but I think now is an ideal time to be launching a new business."

As for his own company, J and B was started by Rob's parents in the early 60s and he was soon taken on board as a youngster. While the technologies have changed dramatically, it's been a great career.

Demonstrating considerable ambition, the Welsh firm has expanded its operations to Tangiers in Morocco, trading industrial embroidery machines.

"We have had to adapt our business to the changes which have occurred- we have gone from a country that has had large scale manufacturing with factories in which thousands of people worked to one where you've got firms with as little as 10 people. We are still very much a sewing machine company, but going into digital machines has been quite a natural fit for us- over the next five years it's going to be really big."

For more information see www.jbsewing.com or 01633 281555.

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