Gate7

What Gate7 does

Gate 7 is a UK-headquartered, family-owned industrial decal manufacturer founded in 2000 by Keith Wickham. The company designs, prints, and supplies engineered vinyl decals, VIN/PIN plates, reflective decals, domed decals, anti-slip products, polycarbonates, ultra-destruct security decals, and pre-cut lettering for global OEMs in construction equipment (JCB, Volvo CE, Caterpillar, Komatsu, Hitachi, JLG, Manitowoc), agricultural machinery (Kuhn, Yanmar, Bobcat), and equipment rental (Sunbelt Rentals, Herc Rentals, EquipmentShare, Sunstate).

The company's core technical differentiator is the proprietary Superior Engineered Vinyls (SEV) series, developed over two years with Mactac (now Avery Dennison) in Belgium and launched in 2013, offering 5–7 year outdoor life, high-tack adhesive exceeding the 16–19 N/25mm industry standard, and in-house FINAT/ANSI/ASTM testing. Manufacturing combines screen printing with advanced digital printing using Mimaki equipment, including the first Mimaki JFX-600 flatbed printer installed in India.

Gate 7 operates as a direct B2B manufacturer through dedicated enterprise account managers, with three global facilities in Gateshead (UK HQ), Greencastle, Pennsylvania (US HQ, opened 2013), and Pune, India (15,000 sq ft, opened 2025). The business model combines hardware sales of decals and printed components with supporting professional services including design, stock holding/Just-In-Time delivery, quality assurance, packaging, logistics, and expert consultancy. Pricing is quote-based and tailored to customer specifications and order volumes under multi-year contracts; revenue grew 10% in 2023 alongside a 23% team expansion. Gate 7 holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications and has twice received The Queen's Award for Enterprise for International Trade (2005 and 2018).

Name

Gate7

Legal name

Gate 7 Limited

Website

https://gate7.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Gate 7 is a family-owned, UK-headquartered manufacturer of industrial decals and printed components — including its proprietary SEV vinyl series — supplying construction, agricultural, and equipment rental OEMs globally from facilities in the UK, USA, and India.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Decal Manufacturing

NAICS

Other Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing (33639)

SIC

Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

Labeling, Coding & Marking Equipment (Labelers, Inkjet, Laser) (IMALAOAD)

Keywords

• Industrial decal manufacturing
• Heavy equipment branding decals
• Vinyl decal printing
• Safety decal supplies
• Construction equipment decals

Headquarters

HQ city

Gateshead

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Industrial Decal Manufacturing and Sales: Core revenue from design, manufacture and supply of industrial decals and printed components for agriculture, construction, industrial and rental markets. Products include safety decals, branded livery, reflective decals, VIN/PIN plates, anti-slip products, polycarbonates, and domed decals.
2. Supporting Services: Additional revenue from supporting services including design, stock holding/warehousing/inventory management, quality assurance, packaging, logistics, and expert consultancy.
3. Custom Manufacturing: Bespoke manufacturing of decals and printed components developed to customer requirements, industry regulations, and required lead times, supplied to any size, specification and for any surface.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Gate7 designs, manufactures, and supplies industrial decals and printed components—including its proprietary Superior Engineered Vinyls (SEV) range—used for safety compliance, branded livery, identification, and equipment aesthetics on construction, agricultural, and industrial machinery. The company supplies OEMs and equipment rental companies globally via three manufacturing facilities (UK, USA, India), with services spanning design, quality assurance, warehousing, logistics, and Just-In-Time delivery direct to customer production lines.

Product overview

Gate 7 is a global specialist in decal manufacturing and high-performance print solutions, operating as a single unified product and service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core product is the Superior Engineered Vinyls (SEV) Series, a proprietary range of engineered vinyl decals with 5-7 year outdoor life, which serves as the foundation for all custom decal products. Surrounding this core are specialized decal products including domed decals, reflective decals, VIN/PIN plates, anti-slip products, polycarbonates, ultra-destruct security decals, and pre-cut lettering. Manufacturing capabilities include screen printing and digital printing using Mimaki equipment. The offering is complemented by supporting services including research and development, quality assurance, stock holding/warehousing, design services, packaging and logistics, and expert consultancy. The SEV Series provides the differentiated material technology while the services layer enables bespoke customization, inventory management, and global supply chain integration for customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SEV Series (Superior Engineered Vinyls): A unique product range of Superior Engineered Vinyls developed for customers requiring long outdoor life decals with aggressive adhesive properties.

Products and services

• Superior Engineered Vinyls (SEV) Series Proprietary, rigorously tested engineered vinyl decals with 5-7 year outdoor life and rigorously tested component parts (face films, adhesives, laminates), including the SEV HT variant with adhesive strength above 20 N/25mm after 20 minutes. Only Gate 7 can supply the SEV series under exclusive customer specifications.
• Industrial Decals Custom industrial decals covering machinery, vehicles, and equipment used for safety critical, warning, instructional, branded livery, and decorative applications. Encompasses domed decals, reflective decals and plates, VIN/PIN plates, anti-slip products, polycarbonates and pentawhites, ultra-destruct security decals, and pre-cut lettering—all supplied in any size, specification, and for any surface to customer requirements.
• Screen Printing Services Traditional screen printing services for high-volume decal production using UV ink technology, producing durable industrial decals across self-adhesive vinyl substrates.
• Digital Printing Services Digital printing services using Mimaki equipment (including Mimaki JFX-600 flatbed and Mimaki JV-330 / UCJV-300 roll-to-roll printers) for high-resolution graphics on rigid and flexible substrates, including latex inks with zero hazardous air pollutants.
• Stock Holding and Warehousing Services Inventory management and warehousing services enabling Just-in-Time delivery and direct supply to customer production lines, with Gate 7 holding minimum batch inventory for major OEM partners such as Volvo CE.
• Expert Decal Consultancy Expert consultancy including project management from concept through to finished product, colour matching, carbon footprint reduction guidance, and recyclable material recommendations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5-7 year outdoor life for decal materials
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered strategic and core.

• MimakistrategicTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Equipment supplier for digital printing technology. Gate 7 India facility equipped with Mimaki digital printers including the first Mimaki JFX-600 flatbed digital printing machine in India. Also uses Mimaki JV-330 and UCJV-300 roll-to-roll printers.
• Construction Equipment Association (CEA)strategicGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Gate 7 exhibits at bauma 2025 alongside the CEA on the CEA Pavilion (Hall B5 349). CEA is a trade association representing construction equipment manufacturers.
• JCB IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Longstanding partnership with JCB spanning more than 15 years from UK and US operations. Pune facility enables Gate 7 to provide rapid service to JCB's Indian operations. The partnership was instrumental in bringing the India facility project to fruition.
• CBI North East Regional CouncilstrategicOthers · 1 January 2024Gate 7 is a member of the CBI since 2022. Managing Director Harry Wickham serves as Regional Councillor, helping shape CBI policy and advocacy, building relationships with political stakeholders, and representing the North East business community.
• Mactac (Avery Dennison)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2011Material development partnership for Superior Engineered Vinyls (SEV) series. Mactac (now part of Avery Dennison) in Belgium provided R&D capabilities to develop different face films and adhesives for industrial decal applications. This partnership resulted in the unique SEV product range launched in 2013.
• Volvo Construction EquipmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Long-standing partnership since 2005 as tier 1 supplier and technical partner. Started with Volvo's German division and expanded across USA (2008), France and Sweden (2015). Gate 7 collaborates closely with Volvo on material development, including testing vinyls for harsh low-temperature conditions in Sweden. Gate 7 holds stock for Volvo maintaining minimum batch inventory.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• 3M: 3M operates a substantial identification products division that competes in industrial marking and labeling. While 3M has a vastly broader product portfolio across many categories, their identification markets business overlaps directly with Gate 7's decal and equipment identification offerings.

Regional players

• LINTEC Corporation: LINTEC is a Japanese manufacturer of adhesive products and industrial labels serving automotive and electronics OEMs. They are a comparable industrial label manufacturer but primarily focused on Asia-Pacific geographies rather than the UK/US/India footprint of Gate 7.

Direct peers

• CCL Industries: CCL Industries is one of the world's largest specialty label manufacturers with a sizable automotive and industrial labeling presence. They serve comparable OEM customers globally and represent a direct, larger-scale competitive peer to Gate 7.
• Brady Corporation: Brady Corporation is a global manufacturer of identification solutions including industrial labels, safety signs, and equipment decals. They serve similar OEM and industrial customer segments to Gate 7 but at significantly larger scale and with a broader product portfolio.
• Industrial Photographics: Industrial Photographics manufactures industrial decals, nameplates, and identification products for OEM equipment customers. They are a more directly comparable small-to-mid scale competitor in the industrial equipment decal printing space.

Others

• Avery Dennison: Avery Dennison is both Gate 7's material development partner for the proprietary SEV series (via Mactac) and a major competitor in industrial label materials and finished labels. The dual supplier/competitor relationship is structurally distinctive.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/gate7ltd?lang=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gate7-ltd/?originalSubdomain=uk

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gate7