Distinctive Design

My immediate thoughts when beginning my research into our nation’s small but profitable sign outfits was that smaller sign companies are very busy. Some were unable to be interviewed as they were hard at work growing their business, and it is easy to see how they build a solid customer base due to this dedication.

However, I was lucky enough to speak to two different sign companies. I wanted to find out what values these companies hold that enable them to be successful, how they draw in business, and if they have had to overcome any particular challenges as a sign company with less than 15 members of staff. So, read on to find out how smaller sign companies are boxing clever to stay competitive with larger firms.

Quality production

Elite Signs and Graphics has five members of staff and works from a 2,300sq ft site in Bridgend, South Wales. Director of the company, Simon James, comments on the operation: “It perfectly fits our company’s vision and purpose, and allows our team to function as a well-coordinated and organised group that delivers high value creativity and quality production.”



He goes on to talk about the company’s growth: “Our growth has been fairly spectacular and has given us the benefits of scale you’d normally think of as being only available to much bigger concerns.”

James highlights marketing, for example being ‘easy to find’ online, and networking as key to drawing in business: “In terms of attracting work, we’re pretty accomplished social marketers so our name, and just as importantly, our work is out there in front of audiences on Twitter, Facebook, and so on. We’re easy, on that basis, to find and our website performs well. We put a lot of effort into networking in the surrounding business community and that has been productive for us.”



However, on many occasions, the company’s work speaks for itself: “Our work is out there and seems to do as good a job for us on occasions as it does for our end-user customer. We’ve had people find their way to us because they’ve asked drivers of vehicles we’ve worked on where they had their livery done. We’ve applied a great deal of effort into distinguishing our work through design. We have been told that our work is distinctive and that it does the job for the customer. I’m trying hard not to say, ‘word of mouth’, because it’s more than that.
Customers seek us out, we have scores of advocates out there, and we really do commit to exceeding customer expectations.”

Starting a sign company is not easy and James says the company has encountered challenges from the initial stages of establishing itself, through to attracting the right sort of work. However, James says Elite Signs has always managed to come through it by sticking to its high standards.



 
He says: “Getting established and overcoming the obstacles faced by any new business of course represents the primary challenge. Having been established in 1996, we can confidently say that’s been met and beaten, and we set ourselves the very highest standards. Maintaining this approach going forward, that is a big job. We’ve been very lucky in terms of the quality and calibre of work we attract, so we have not had towering debt issues or anything similar.”

Another important factor to consider in a new business is pricing your products and services. According to James, maintaining fair pricing was the key, without undercutting the value it provides. He adds: “We have a brilliant team here and we’ve met obstacles head on and have stuck to our formula. That has worked for us. It’s not been easy, but we’ve not been inclined to change our business ethics or go out and buy customers with ridiculous prices that undercut the value we offer.”

When asked about how Elite Signs manages to achieve success, James stresses the importance of thinking about the customer. He explains: “A key value of ours is always trying to see things through our customers’ eyes. This tends to lead directly to customer satisfaction, rather than something that leads to the easiest solution for us. From a customer perspective, that looks like us going the extra mile. It really has worked and it does distinguish us from a lot of competition.”


Of course, it helps to have a team of highly creative people with an eye for design, as James adds: “Another core value set is quality and aesthetics. We’re lucky in having a gifted creative team. It can propose things that often improve on something that a customer thought would be the best available. For no more cost, we do something everyone then agrees is better. We’re known for it. We behave well too. We treat our customers with respect. We understand our business and we value theirs. That works for everyone.”

Dynamic team

Cowen Signs has twelve members of staff and has, in the last two years, increased its production space to approximately 10,000sq ft. James Clarke, production director of the company, says many of Cowen Signs’ “dynamic individuals” can diversify their roles to multiple design and manufacture skill sets. The company also has access to a network of specialised installers throughout the UK and Ireland.



Clarke explains how the company has had one of its best years in terms of sales: “As a direct result of our investment in modern technology, our sales have increased exponentially over the past 12 months. With our dynamic set up and our multi-skilled workforce, this increase in productive yield has directly contributed to an overall increase in turnover by almost 35 percent.”


This record growth has been the result of clever technology investment and production space expansion, with Clarke explaining: “We have moved to our new manufacturing complex and increased our machine assets with the addition of two new machines over the past two years, and now an additional grand-format printer. With the new move and our smart purchasing of machinery, we are no longer held back by limited space or less than new technology.



“We have also recently invested in the latest laser measuring technology from Ike GPS, which can send accurate measurements and digital photographs of the site to be surveyed. This information is relayed into the cloud for immediate requisition by our design team.”

Clarke talks about how Cowen Signs draws in business, which includes customer recommendations: “We have a trusted customer base due to the quality of our products and our focus on our clients’ needs. Our customers have been our customers for many years. They come to us for all of their design, manufacture, and installation needs. Due to our excellent reputation, we also win new business through the recommendation of our existing customers. We can serve any design, print, or signage needs, whether our customers are large global entities or small local enterprises.”

Overcoming challenges

Clarke notes that one of the major challenges the company has faced over the last few years is the changing ethos of the customers’ needs. He comments: “In the not too distant past, many lead times would run into days or even weeks. Space was tight, and our customers wanted our products faster but with the same quality and attention to detail that was our trademark.

“Changes were needed to keep ourselves ahead of the competition and our customers loyal. We moved premises, and what was once small pockets of employees, liaising with other small pockets of employees, became an open plan team, where sales, design, purchasing, and production were all working together within a larger, modern space. We became more efficient, organised, and most importantly, a lot faster than ever before.”

This solution led to many products being manufactured for the next day or even the same day. Also, new UV and latex print technology, and finishing equipment, has allowed Cowen Signs to move away from older solvent technology and hand finishing, to provide all of its customers’ needs.



Cowen Signs was called upon recently by Cammell Laird, the winners of the £150m contract to build the RRS Sir David Attenborough polar research vessel. Launching block ten of the ship, the company asked Cowen Signs to produce a 15 x 2.5m banner for the same day. Minutes later, Cammell Laird said they would now need three 15 x 2.5m banners by the same afternoon. Cowen Signs stepped up to the challenge, with Clarke enthusing: “It was close, but once again we made it, and we were quite proud of that achievement.”

Clarke talks about Cowen Signs’ key values: “Cowen Signs operates on the idea that the key to our success is keeping our customers and our employees happy. Without either of these we could not be the successful, efficient, and dynamic company that we have become.

“We are also now more environmentally-friendly than ever before. By recycling all of our waste materials, we try to maintain quality in the most ethical and environmentally-friendly way possible. Quality, excellence, and sustainability are important facilitators for the way we do business. We aim to make the finest products possible, using only high-quality materials that will always pass our quality inspections. We absolutely never scrimp on quality, and each process of the design and manufacture of all of our products is checked and rechecked by our peers.”

O Factoid: In the UK, small businesses accounted for 99.3 percent of all private sector businesses at the start of 2016 and 99.9 percent were small or medium-sized businesses (FSB—The Federation of Small Businesses). O

I hope you will take away some of the advice from the experts with you, especially if you are thinking of starting up your own sign company. Remember to have a strong online presence and a distinctive design style to make your work stand out. Always put the customer first and invest in new technology, if you can, as it can go a long way in terms of increasing turnover. Good luck.


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