Electra Sign’s team of designers, fabricators, and installers work together to create unique and impactful signage solutions.
SMC: What makes your company unique?
BA: Having a measurable positive impact for clients has always been rewarding for us. Electra Sign has an effective, experienced leadership that believes in strong client and employee partnerships. We have grown our professional expertise over the past 40 years to become the best choice for signage in the Prairies. It’s our passion to apply this experience to ensure great value for the designs and creative concepts we develop for our customers.
SMC: How large is your facility?
BA: We recently upgraded to a much larger location in Winnipeg. Our facility is 1,208 m2 (13,000 sf) with a 3,716-m2 (40,000-sf) compound. We currently have 23 employees.
SMC: What type of signage does your shop primarily install?
BA: We specialize in EMCs, pylon and fascia signs, channel letters, LED signage, and some interior signage.
SMC: What type of projects have you been working on recently?
BA: The variety of projects we work on is ever-changing weekly.
It could be anything from a small LED interior reception sign to 6-m (20-ft) tall LED logos sitting atop a 34-storey building.
SMC: How much of the sign installation process is handled in-house?
BA: We have two large boom trucks, a service van, and two full-time crews. We handle 100 per cent of our installations ourselves unless we get into a time crunch on a tight deadline.
SMC: What tools and equipment do you currently use to complete your projects?
BA: We have a computer numerical control (CNC) routing table, a large-format digital printer, a rollover table, a vinyl cutter plotter, a spray booth, a letter fabrication machine, welders, metal breaks, a large overhead interior crane system, two boom trucks, one service van, and a pile drilling machine.
SMC: What are some of the steps involved in your planning process?
BA: We have a custom-built software system that starts at the customer relationship management (CRM) stage with clients and then works its way through, moving projects into manufacturing, installation, and billing.
SMC: How is technology changing the way you run your business?
BA: Technology is significantly changing the signage business in many ways. For us, specifically, it has to do with new software which allows us to have better control of the entire signage process—from the first client meeting to streamlining manufacturing, and right to the end, when the crews are heading back to the shop after a successful installation.
SMC: What is the key to staying successful in this industry?
BA: Evolving, learning, and embracing new ways of doing things. Whether it’s implementing new software systems or upgrading manufacturing techniques, it’s important to stay ahead of the curve, or you’ll get left behind very quickly.
SMC: What are your future plans for the growth of your business?
BA: Electra Sign plans continue our growth and become the largest signage manufacturing company in Western Canada. To achieve these goals, we plan to invest heavily in state-of-the-art equipment and technology.
