The UK sign industry has probably the widest range of product sectors than any other graphic market area PPS are involved in, and as such, makes supplying costs to customers quite time consuming and frustrating.
This has been due to the age old argument of costs vs quality and over the last three years we have seen this highlighted more and more. This leaves many in our industry at a crossroads—hold out on quality and hope to have a happy long term customer on your books, or sell cheap and fight it out with other less equipped competitors more desperate for the work.
Having held out and survived the rigours of the last few years, we are now reaping the benefits of this”
So, the most important emerging sector we see is the quality lead one where customers are taking a more professional approach and buying into quality rather than compromising on price, and actually listening to advice from ourselves. This appears to be across the board from small jobs through to larger projects we have been involved in and I believe if you demonstrate a high quality approach with the right products that there will always be a marketplace out there with survival assured. Having held out and survived the rigours of the last few years, we are now reaping the benefits of this.
It helps of course if all your eggs are not in the same basket and PPS have other markets that interface with our signage production, making full use of our in house printing capabilities. We have been involved with schools for over 24 years, designing prospectus materials and so are on hand to manufacture all new signage and displays they require. We design and print a wide range of POS graphics and our designers are equally at home with exhibition displays and litho work that we produce, as well so offering clients a complete quality one-stop-shop.
Keeping in contact
David Allen, managing director, Allen Signs
In this tough climate, more than ever, having confidence in a supplier has become more important. We’ve noticed increasingly as we work for a client and develop a close working relationship with them, more and more they’ll ask if we would also provide other related services to our ‘sign install’, rather than trying to source the various trades themselves. It might be the electrical work needed to get a supply to an illuminated sign. It might be sourcing a company to do ground works, or a decorator. We can’t be experts in these fields, but as part of our everyday work we’ll more than likely come across potential suppliers in almost every trade, by either lettering a vehicle for them or providing signs for them. These are the contacts we can utilise.
We’ve noticed increasingly as we work for a client and develop a close working relationship with them, more and more they’ll ask if we would also provide other related services to our ‘sign install’, rather than trying to source the various trades themselves”
It’s a ready-made set of contacts, so when we get asked we usually know who we can recommend and, more importantly, trust. It’s not entirely without risks as you have to know who you’re recommending. Therefore, a proper process for evaluating suppliers is essential, but sub-contracting for smaller sign companies isn’t a new thing. Most of us at some point will trust a trade supplier to provide fabricated letters or build a totem sign for us. So, it’s just another opportunity for us to develop our relationship with the client.
Over time we’ve found that by doing this the relationship strengthens and we become more of a partner than simply a supplier with a product to sell.
Garth Allison, UK managing director, Fastsigns
Digital signage, while not new, is becoming one of the most important products in our sector, as it continues to evolve and grow. At Fastsigns we are experiencing a significant rise in sales and enquiries in this area and, as experts within the visual communications space, we see digital signage as a key element to our business.
What is new is the interest we are seeing from small- and medium-sized businesses for digital signage, which up until recently has been considered exclusively to be the domain of bigger industry players, because of perceived cost or knowledge barriers.
What is new is the interest we are seeing from small- and medium-sized businesses for digital signage, which up until recently has been considered exclusively to be the domain of bigger industry players, because of perceived cost or knowledge barriers”
Fastsigns digital signage solutions range from simple ‘plug and play’ counter top options to stand-alone kiosks to multi-wall displays and custom enterprise solutions. While digital signs are suited for any size business, we provide small and medium-size businesses with affordable, effective solutions.
We have developed strong commercial relationships with leading edge suppliers, providing customers with a fully managed service offering the three key components necessary for successful digital signs—the display, the media player and the content creation—along with scheduling, installation, file storage and network management
Digital signs allow multiple messages to be broadcast quickly and easily, locally or globally, to the target audience, while controlling the messages and scheduling from single or multiple locations. More and more businesses and organisations are including digital signage in their visual communications strategy. We expect to see digital elements gaining momentum in every industry sector. This is because digital signs are engaging, effective, and ideally suited to complement sign and graphic projects, and advertising campaigns.
Simon Porter, sales and marketing director, Digital Plus
Markets and industries change at a far greater pace than most companies, so we look at all opportunities, emerging markets, and new product development to respond to external changes.
As a manufacturer of large-format graphics, we grow our business by focusing on three key areas; our customers, our markets, and our products.
Product requirements in our industry are constantly changing, and more noticeably than ever, price is the driving force behind purchasing patterns. Customers want more for their money and want to be able to quantify any spend”
Identifying the interplay between these three elements, and making sure they stay in balance, is one of the biggest impacts the rate of technological and economic change has had on our business.
Product requirements in our industry are constantly changing, and more noticeably than ever, price is the driving force behind purchasing patterns. Customers want more for their money and want to be able to quantify any spend. This is more visible than ever before within one of our fastest growing markets—the retail sector.
Point-of-sale (POS) pieces are still hugely influential to customer buying patterns even in this digital age, so demand for new ideas at lower prices is rising all the time. Our customers are continuously looking for unique solutions to display their products and with competition higher than ever before, we have to be smart by balancing fantastic POS pieces at cost effective prices. Given the fast turnaround of promotions and seasonal items, new ideas and solutions are needed at a faster rate than ever before. So, it’s important we keep abreast of new materials and advancing technology to ensure we continue to meet the demands of our customers.
