Katie Asken, signage sales manager, Applelec
The sign industry is both complex and dynamic. As a trade manufacturer and supplier, Applelec provides different services to different companies within the industry. The first piece of the puzzle is in overflow work; Applelec manages overflow work for many busy sign-makers who are capable of doing everything in-house but are running at full capacity, meaning these businesses can take on more work.
Over the last five years we have invested heavily in our equipment and machinery, with the opening of our new paint facility the latest such development, whilst significantly enlarging our factory space. These facilities, alongside our staff expertise (including that of a design engineer and our technical support team) and the global connections we have built that enable us to source innovative products, helps us provide, what I hope, is a really great service to our customers. Indeed, many of the businesses we work with do not have access to such resources in-house due to their size and/or day-to-day business requirements and so they work with us, which may be for just one or two big sign projects a year or on a more regular basis.
Over the last five years we have invested heavily in our equipment and machinery, with the opening of our new paint facility”
As a trade supplier, Applelec can cut competitive deals to place high volume orders on items including sheet materials, LEDs, and electrical components, with cost reductions passed to our customers in either their finished sign or via a component purchase, such as kit-form LEDs.
In addition, many products supplied by us are unique to Applelec, from LED Light Sheet to our Premium Built-up Metal Letters and Luxury acrylic illuminated letters, and so when a project requires one of these specific product solutions, we can help. Finally, what I personally hope keeps customers returning to Applelec is for our great customer service, something I take extremely seriously indeed.
A personal service
Kevin Foster, production manager Yorkut Letter Co
We produce flat cut letters in acrylic, PVC foam, aluminium composite, and stainless steel, as well as producing shapes such as circles and ovals—any shapes that need a machine cut edge rather than a hand cut edge. We also attach locators and supply drilling templates. What makes us stand out is that we offer a personal service with quick turnaround, as well as being very cost-effective, which keeps us competitive in this market.
What makes us stand out is that we offer a personal service with quick turnaround, as well as being very cost-effective”
We have a machine which probably only about one in ten sign companies have because most companies would not be able to fill it on their own. It is not economic to buy a machine, allocate space to it, and allocate labour to it that they cannot fill, so we do that for them.
The cost, space, and labour required for a router (which may not be fully used) is beyond most small to medium sized sign shops. Therefore, it is better to keep your cash for a different piece of equipment and outsource your needs. We bought a printer before the router as we could fill that with our own needs. The router is part filled with our work and part with trade work. Our own work is local in York so there is no conflict of interest with national trade work.
My advice for sign companies which are growing and are looking to invest in equipment is that the first thing they should be looking at is a printer, rather than a router. The router, further down the track, would be useful though.
Ready to go
Graeme Hoole, production manager, The Sign Group
The majority of sign-makers are small companies and if they have never had experience making built up letters or composite trays, then not only do they need to buy the equipment, they need to have the space, money, and time to do it. It is a massive learning curve on equipment they have never used before, making something they have never made before. Other people that have the knowledge, they can only lack the space, money, or time, so there is no reason not to go for it if they do not.
We make a lot of built up letters but we specialise in other areas too. When sign-makers are buying from a trade only supplier, like us, because we are making signs all the time and are set up for it, a lot of the costs are already in the overheads. A lot of the time, sign-makers could not produce it for cheaper than what they could buy it in for. There is no real incentive to buy it in when there are plenty of suppliers out there. These people are better spending their time, in my opinion, being creative and doing what they do. Getting the jobs in the first place, rather than worrying about making something new, because they might waste hours. They have to value their time as smaller companies; every minute is important.
When sign-makers are buying from a trade only supplier, like us, because we are making signs all the time and are set up for it, a lot of the costs are already in the overheads”
Some sign-makers may want to do it. They may have the space and equipment to do it, but it might not be an everyday thing for them, so it might not be worth the investment. One of the things we love is the roll outs for larger clients, where we end up creating new methods and buying new equipment, as this means we can then offer this to customers which would not ordinarily have that opportunity.
Worth the investment?
Jason Hollidge, managing director, Mercury Phillips Signs
We do it because we are experts at it; we have been in the business since the 1960s and will attempt even difficult projects.
We purchase materials at a low cost because we buy so much of it, so sign-makers can gain from that by coming to us. They may want a small acrylic letter, but they do not want to purchase a whole sheet as it may only take a half sheet or less. It is expensive material so it is better for them to buy half a dozen letters from us than it is to buy the material themselves. They also would need to have the space to store it and the equipment to cut it to shape. It is not worth the investment of £50,000 plus if you only have the requirement for five or so letters per annum. That is why they come to us.
We purchase materials at a low cost because we buy so much of it, so sign-makers can gain from that by coming to us. They may want a small acrylic letter, but they do not want to purchase a whole sheet as it may only take a half sheet or less”
The types of methods that we use also make us stand out, such as vacuum forming, press forming, and applying digital imaging pre to vacuum forming and press forming so if it is a complicated service then we can apply it before it is actually formed. I do not think anyone else can do that. We are skilled in many other methods of manufacture; we can hitch, screen print, engrave, hand finish, powder coat, spray, and more, and we do it all in-house for the trade.
It is highly specialist fabrication of acrylics and plastics that we specialise in. We also make shaped box signs rather than just a rectangle shape, we can make them rounded or sphered shaped. We do flex faced signs for the trade and produce them as a finished item. We can also take care of the installation, which we do for many smaller companies who are not used to the installation work.
Lots of things we make are used in the medical profession, and we can do a three-dimensional press and vacuum form to our customers’ requirements. We help and lead our customers every step of the way, and can even make prototypes too, which we usually do for larger companies.
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