With recent political changes, the future of the signage industry has certainly been a hot topic with questions about investments and whether we could be looking at another recession. In this month’s issue of SignLink, we have dedicated a whole feature to the subject and who better to ask than a worldwide authority on the packaging, print, and paper supply chains? Smithers Pira gives us the lowdown on what sectors of this vast industry are thriving, and which ones could be about to fall by the wayside, covering everything from digital signage to trade show materials to vehicle graphics (page 57).

With regulations to be put in place in just a few years’ time that will significantly restrict the use of neon, the bright fluorescent tubing that we all love could be about to fall out of use”

Thinking about the future, I found out more about how neon signage is faring in a digital world on page 61. With regulations to be put in place in just a few years’ time that will significantly restrict the use of neon, the bright fluorescent tubing that we all love could be about to fall out of use. However, this will not be without a fight from neon sign-makers and trade associations which are lobbying for more time before the restriction is set.

One expert told us: “We were talking to one of our customers this morning and he was saying he can remember people writing off neon in 1969, so people have always been saying this, but it’s still here.” This is a good lesson to learn about the industry, as worries are always around, but the sectors that are strong will stand the test of time.

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