Graeme Hoole says that due to its highly skilled workforce, bespoke signage will always be the firms core business
How has The Sign Group diversified to offer more services since its launch?
We are a different company from twelve months ago, let alone from when we started. There are a number of improvements we have made over the years, and there will be tinkering and changes in the years to come.
A problem we found was that we were very busy, and never seemed to have time to stop and think about the processes—or non-processes—we were working with, it always felt we couldn’t cope with any extra work.
When we decided to step back and have a look at all the different parts of how the business is run, there were lots of obvious amendments to the way we work, we just needed to step outside the ‘bubble’ to see them. What ended up being the most important thing was once the procedures had been implemented, not only did it streamline the whole business so everyone knew exactly how to go about the day-to-day work, it also made the jobs we had in production much easier to cope with, meaning we could handle more work.
Proof of this is in the last three years alone, our client base has increased by 75 percent, our turnover has doubled, profits are up, and we have never been stronger. We didn’t feel we were being inefficient until we stepped back and looked at ourselves from a third party perspective.
Your speciality is bespoke signage, will you be concentrating on growing this area of your business in the future? How will you be doing this?
Due to the highly skilled people we have working here, and the knowledge base, equipment and building we have, bespoke sign manufacturing will always be our core business.
We spend a lot of money on advertising in magazines, e-mails, exhibitions and websites, to really try to get our name out there, but no matter how many people know about us, if our customer isn’t winning work then neither are we. So the best way we can stay busy is by giving the customer the best possible chance of getting that job.
In a nutshell, we offer two things:
1. Options—economical and standard quality
2. Better value for money on either option
One example is in the materials we use. Where a customer is needing a cheap temporary sign, we will gladly use the cheaper material and make the customer fully aware of any pitfalls there may be. But there will always be a quality option where the only difference is we quote for using top quality branded materials.
Every customer wanting a cheap job originally never remembers this in five years time, they only remember where they bought it”
I feel this point is missed by some of our competitors who feel that the only way to make a job cheaper is to use cheaper material. We feared that if we went in with the budget prices every time then yes we would win work, but we didn’t feel our chances of repeat custom would be very high. Every customer wanting a cheap job originally never remembers this in five years time, they only remember where they bought it.
So, we decided that in our drive to persuade the customer to go with the better quality option, we had to cut our margins down to an industry low. It was a bit of a balancing act at the start, but turned out to be a great decision as the end product is more work, less future issues and happy customers.
How are you staying ahead of your competitors?
Four years ago we installed state-of-the-art communication screens throughout the building, which can be updated by anyone in sales and production, and these give daily details on job lists, delivery methods, stock details and a two week calendar. Coupled with the works orders that are printed and e-mailed to the various departments and the extensive manufacturing specification sheets, we feel we cover all the bases.
Four years ago we installed state-of-the-art communication screens throughout the building, which can be updated by anyone in sales and production, and these give daily details on job lists, delivery methods, stock details and a two week calendar”
Further to this, a recent addition to the business is our LED website www.weloveleds.co.uk. This website came about initially as an extra outlet for the LED-related items we already used in our signs on a monthly basis. We were buying at such competitive prices we thought why not offer it to our database.
How has the industry changed during your career?
With the addition of things such as computers, computer programs, wide-format printing, CNC and laser machines the list is literally endless. Then there’s the huge number of new options available in rolled medias, adhesives, tapes, and LED-based products. It is making my brain hurt thinking about it there is so much.
I suppose the biggest change has been the shear number of sign companies out there and also just how informed they are with when it comes to different manufacturing methods—the number of basic materials we work with has also greatly increased and improved.
How have you developed your business in order to cope with growing sales?
There have been a few staff additions, bringing in experienced staff in the workshops and in sales, but the biggest changes has been to the buildings. At the start of 2012 we started a two-year plan of changing our factory layouts which is almost finished. It has made such a huge difference to how we manufacture signs that we cannot remember what it was like before.
We are currently advertising for two more people to come and join us in the new year, which will give us a different area of expertise which we will reveal in due course.
What emerging trends in the industry can we expect to see in the coming months?
We are being asked for a lot more slightly old fashioned methods of signs. Coupling woods and moulded plastics with retro lights and LEDS, so I think it will be more of the same for the next year or so.
There will be obvious changes in LEDs with yet more choice which will mainly be with green energy and efficient alternatives. I think fibre-optics will also play a part more and more, but we shall see.
