Monday, 01 Feb 2016 15:54 GMT

Vehicle Wrap Horizons

Although often in place for only the length of a marketing campaign, vehicle graphics are an evocative and high-impact advertising medium. Brendan Perring analyses the forces shaping this sector

Transient beauty

A slash of colour catches your peripheral vision and as your head turns you are captivated for a few moments by the vision of a kaleidoscopic montage of graphic design, neon shades, and aggressive styling. Behold, the boy racer. But gone are the days when this thrill-seeking youth culture modified their cars in dodgy lock-ups and tried to cover up the dents and scratches on their hot hatches with bodged home paint jobs. Today’s ‘boy’ racers are largely the 30 to 40 somethings that grew up in the 80s and, now with some money in their pocket, nostalgically want cars that capture the essence of this loud and proud petrol-head culture. And their method of choice today to shout their individuality? The digitally-printed or colour-change vehicle wrap.

This is just one piece of evidence though of a far greater trend that is sweeping the highways and byways of our great nation. In essence we are seeing the first swell of a wave that has been building momentum over the last decade—with the result that demand for complex graphics to customise, protect, and enhance everything from commercial vehicle fleets through to sports car owners is climbing exponentially. Indeed, this viewpoint is backed up by the suppliers and manufacturers to this sector themselves, which continue to produce a bewildering variety of new colours, special effects, and high-performing wrapping films to fuel the boom and provide greater choice to the end-user. In addition, there are literally hundreds of specialist suppliers in this field with their own substantial portfolios that have simply not been able to break into the UK and Irish market because of the already fierce competition for market-share being waged on these shores.

Talking of variety, one of the biggest ‘vinyl pushers’ in the UK in terms of choice is 3M, which has set its sights on both producing environmentally-friendly products through its Envision range of non-PVC films and offering the widest choice on the market.

“Contemporaneously, there has been a marked predilection for vehicle wrapping products that enable more adventurous vehicle wraps to be achieved via a wider choice of colourful and design-conscious finishes,” advises Georgie Winston-Bray, marketing executive at 3M Commercial Graphics.
 
She continues: “A typical example has been the 3M 1080 Series of self-coloured cast films that are being supplemented continually with new and more vibrant finishes to meet changing market trends. Among the most popular of these have been the matte, satin, brushed metal and carbon fibre-effect films and in particular the two new grey formats—Satin Dark Grey and Satin Battleship Grey—that enable even more distinctive vehicle customisation and personalisation.”

Rapid development

So, with the scene set, it is perhaps worth examining some of the biggest runners and riders in this complex sector and tie down some of the forces shaping its future. One such key supplier is Metamark, which has focused its efforts very squarely on developing its market share in the UK and producing products that are tailored to the needs of sign-makers and specialist vehicle wrappers.

“Without question, the most significant development for the vehicle wrapping markets that Metamark has recently introduced, and that we’re continuing to refine, is MetaWrap MD-X. That’s our next-generation wrapping film expressly designed for the application,” explains Metamark’s sales director, Ian Simister.


(Above & below) Metamark’s sales director Ian Simister says the use of partial wraps is very much on the rise as small business owners want to look professional without having to pay for a fully wrapped graphic
 


He continues: “It’s significant be-cause it’s in the vanguard in addressing head-on the challenges that the product faces in the printed and applied state when it’s on the vehicle.”

Simister explains anecdotally that one of the driving forces behind the development of MD-X was the need to create a more forgiving media for the market that did not compromise on the quality of the finished product.


 

 
“We were told by early adopters that they were more productive and less error prone using MD-X,” continues Simister, who adds: “We’ve made the product available with an air evacuation feature and that’s proved to be popular. For many people, the clincher has been the print quality—it’s an MD-Class film after all.”

MD-X comes with a matched laminate that does not affect the usability of the film and also helps to reduce scratching and scuffing while protecting from UV degradation to colours. The development of this film was also in part motivated by the desire of sign-makers and specialist wrappers to stretch their legs and attempt more challenging and complex designs. This is something Simister acknowledges: “Wrapping, or liveries that require wrapping skills and appropriate materials, represent a still growing sector of the market. That’s largely a result of our customers’ creativity when I look at our sales specifically.

“There was a time, and it’s not so long ago, when cut and applied graphics practically gravitated toward the most obligingly flat and featureless part of the vehicle so as to avoid application issues. It’s as though that limitation has been wiped away, which of course it has by good materials and application practices. What we’re seeing now is big, bold results covering panel detail that would have previously been out of bounds and design is all the better for it.”
 
Another key trend that is on the rise in this market is for partial wraps that utilise the base-colour of the vehicle for aesthetic contrast. Small vehicle fleets, and national brands are good examples of this.

“Some of the more creative producers out there are really taking the idea to places it simply couldn’t have gone with older materials and traditional skills,” adds Simister.

Another trend, that started in a small way but is sure to grow, is taking wrapping skills to applications other than livery and decoration. One such example is domestic appliances. Indeed, Metamark has seen users apply its films to fridges, washing machines, and even a Tardis. The firm has also started to push the boundaries by adding air-evacuation to its solid-coloured materials such as the M7 range. This was primarily motivated by demand from customers that, for example, want to perform colour changes on vehicle fleets and need the ease-of-use and time saving that air channels bring.

This development from Metamark is also, of course, part of the unique offering from some of its key UK competitors such as Orafol. One of the manufacturer’s key distributors on these shores is Antalis, and its product manager for sign and display, Mike Collins, explains what underpins this trend: “We are continually seeing a trend for materials that save time and money in application without sacrificing quality or longevity.

“Orafols rapid air (RA) vinyls are designed for quick, bubble free application on all types of surface and Orajet 3981RA is not only easy to apply but also environmentally-friendly—as it is plasticiser and PVC free—with the added benefit of not requiring post heat fixing, saving on another time consuming process. 3981RA can also be combined with PVC-free Oraguard 289F laminate to provide a totally ‘green’ solution.”

3M has also poured considerable effort into air-release films technologies, with the most notable development being its Controltac and Comply adhesive technologies. The former enables a virtually unrestricted film repositioning, and the latter guarantees a smooth and bubble-free finish.

Another key player that is also pouring resources into this area is Italian-based APA, which has a sizeable footprint in the UK through its Kent-based distribution wing. Matteo Vitiello, APA’s marketing manager, explains its own approach to this technology: “Thanks to the tireless and painstaking work of our labs, we are in a position to manufacture products which are unique worldwide, like the series dedicated to car wrapping which features the special, grooved, repositionable adhesive RepoTack, which speeds up the application of the film.”

We are in a position to manufacture products which are unique worldwide”



(Above & below) “The buyer of an APA product enjoys the guarantee of purchasing an item which is the true expression of the ‘Made in Italy’ philosophy,” says Matteo Vitiello, APA’s marketing manager


 





Competitive beasts
 
Another key factor that is helping to drive this sector is its fierce competition. By some degree it is perhaps responsible for pushing its creative boundaries and actually helping to create a self-fulfilling prophecy by seeking out new market areas that did not previously exist. For instance, the development of special-effect vinyl options such as camouflage and chrome helped spark a whole generation of super-car driving footballers and celebrities to fully wrap their cars. This in turn led to a boom in demand for exotic speciality finishes from Joe Public, keen to emulate their favourite stars.

Metamark’s Simister weighs in on the issue: “There is a lot of competition on the supply side. But when you narrow the scope of the subject to products of this era that are application specific, there’s a lot less.

“Our MetaWrap MD-X film has proven itself in the market and I think that’s important. The performance claims we make for it would unravel in front of our eyes if the product didn’t deliver. We’ve set out to deliver a package that you could characterise as ‘performance on a roll’. Our customers put their trust in us to deliver nothing less than that. Performance and trust, that’s what this is about.”

O Factoid: A key piece of research from Ad Agency RYP and Becker Group found 96 percent of their survey group thought fleet graphics had greater impact than billboards O


Looking more specifically at the impact that the innovations from the key players discussed above are having on the ground, it is obvious that wrapping and livery media is just one part of the equation. Indeed, all the major film manufacturers work hand in hand with the wide-format inkjet technology sector and doing so over the past decade has given both the sign-making and motorsport market the ability to produce some very impressive looking projects that can withstand serious punishment.

When researching this feature Roland DG was one of the first inkjet technology developers to let me in on a highly innovative project between itself, Mission Motorsport, and Jaguar Landrover.

Mission Motorsport aids in the recovery and rehabilitation of those affected by military operations through providing new and existing skills through motorsport, including the opportunity to compete as part of a team in competitions. Former military personnel are taught how to partake in motorcar mechanical competencies, creative work, and logistics to build confidence and help in their future careers.

In 2015, Mission Motorsport was approached by Jaguar to partake in a confidential promotional partnership that would see Mission Motorsport design and wrap five of its newest release sports cars, the F-Pace. The Worcester-based company was tasked with the ambitious role of printing, producing, and applying five complex and unique designs over the course of five months. Intent on keeping the entire project in-house, Mission Motorsport turned to sponsor Roland DG for help and received a Roland VersaCAMM DG SP-540i printer and cutter without further ado.


All of the wraps for Jaguar’s Roland F-Pace launch promotion were printed on a Roland VersaCAMM DG SP-540i printer/cutter, reportedly achieving a factory finish



James Cameron, founder and chief executive officer of Mission Motor-sports comments on the project: “Having the machine that allowed us to produce and print intricate designs was essential, so there was no doubt that the SP-540i would be perfect for us.”

The time-critical project left Mission Motorsport with no room for errors, with each task presenting new challenges in the form of location, temperature, and humidity, and so the team had to think quickly and adapt their processes accordingly to each design and shape.

The five Roland DG wrapped cars were used for the launch of the Jaguar F-Pace promotions and thus, had to endure a series of robust tests, including extreme weather conditions. Thanks to the durable application of the livery, the cars passed testing in both bitter cold at -40°C  in Sweden, and then in the scorching heat of Dubai at 50°C.

There are three very important aspects of this real-world vehicle wrapping project that need taking note of. The first is that with the likes of Jaguar Landrover as their customers, it proves that with the right skills, training, and equipment it is not beyond the capabilities of even smaller sign-makers to get involved in prestigious and lucrative projects. The second is that vehicle wrapping is no longer limited by materials, as the full-body wraps applied to the F-Pace vehicles had to be pin-perfect and withstood some very serious conditions without a single curl of vinyl out of place. And finally, that inkjet technology has moved to the stage where graphics are so high-resolution that they rival the perfect paint finishes required by marques such as Jaguar Landrover.

Perfect finish

Antalis’ Collins picks up on this last point, highlighting that the quality of well-printed and perfectly applied graphics certainly rivals more traditional approaches and, of course, allows for added creativity: “With their colour changing effect depending on which angle you view the material from, it is possible to create really unique looks, which is incredibly desirable to car owners wanting a one-of-a-kind appearance. The films can be used both for full car wraps and as ‘tuning’ films to enhance certain parts of the car such as hoods, trunks, roofs, door handles, dashboards or rims with a unique effect. This creates an exotic, eye-catching and vivid finish and one which paint simply cannot replicate.”


Antalis is the UK’s largest stockist of Oracal and Orafol products, stocking 300 new product lines in 2015 alone. One of its key missions is to help customers improve their businesses through training on its Vehicle Wrap Workshops



In order to get ‘paint finish’ results though, you are going to need some proper training. And as such Antalis UK runs a series of hands on workshops both at its headquarters and around the UK throughout the year on everything from basic preparation, application, and weeding skills through to advanced printer colour calibration. Details of its courses can be found at digital2business.co.uk/digital-academy.

Training and accreditation is increasingly becoming a consolidated offering from all the major vinyl film manufacturers, but none perhaps take it more seriously than the aforementioned 3M. Winston-Bray highlights that it continues to expand its technical and training support programme. Indeed, this has been recognised to the extent that many car-enthusiasts now wear the 3M logo as a badge of pride on their modified vehicles, alongside those of engine tuners and performance engineering firms.


(Above & below) From basic digitally-printable vinyl to a kaleidoscope of speciality colours and finishes, such as its recently launched 3M 1080 series Satin Dark Grey pictured, 3M has one of the widest choices of films on the market



“3M Authorised Vehicle Wrappers (AVWs) have undergone rigorous training and periodic re-assessment in order to meet the high standards set by 3M and to ensure future inclusion in the UK-wide AVW network,” says Winston-Bray.


 


She adds: “This has been reflected in the quality of the work completed by 3M AVW’s on behalf of some of the UK’s biggest and most recognisable brands, including the AA, the RAC, BT, and the Royal Mail, to name but a few.”

What will characterise the vehicle wrapping and livery markets horizon is perhaps, more than anything else, the creative intensity which seems to drive it onward. Indeed, previously mentioned APA has made creativity and flare a watchword for its portfolio development and has built itself a reputation for pushing the boundaries with speciality films and effects.

“The launch of the Chrome and Candy films, with their new colours and surprising finishes, have undoubtedly induced more and more customers to adopt wrapping and discover the possibility of fitting a car design to one’s tastes,” says Vitiello.

Wrapping is a prime example of distinction and creativity”



Indeed, Vitiello’s next comment is perhaps indicative of what will ultimately shape the vehicle wrapping market in the next few years—seeing it become characterised by a need for total-flexibility in both finish and application technology for technicians to satisfy their customer’s needs: “Wrapping is a prime example of distinction and creativity. Italy has always stood out for elegance and ingenuity; APA would like to be the embodiment of such traits. We have invariably been in the forefront for the quality of our services, we offer unique and exclusive products as well as a flawless post-sales assistance to our customers with whom we have entertained an excellent relationship of trust over the years.”


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