Jukasa Designs: Uncovering strategies to launch a successful vehicle wrap business

by | 17 September 2020 3:27 pm

By Ginny Mumm

Rob Jeffreys, general manager of Jukasa Designs in Ohsweken, Ont., has a long family history in the vehicle graphics business. In fact, his uncle was a founder of Trimline Auto Design.

“They were among the creators of pinstripes back in the 1950s,” says Jeffreys. 

Jeffreys himself has been enhancing vehicles with graphics since 1989. His business expanded with the advent of digital printers, and in the early 2000s, he began specializing in graphics for fleets and auto dealerships. In 2015, he merged a sign manufacturing and an embroidery company with his vehicle graphics business to form Jukasa Designs.

Production power

When Jukasa Designs started, Jeffreys made the pivotal decision to purchase his first specialized 1372-mm (54-in.) wide-format printer/cutter.

“I made $18,000 in the first month. It was an incredible tool,” he says. 

Soon after, Jeffreys sold his business to investors and became its general manager. Within a year, the company was booming, and he purchased a second machine, this time a 762-mm (30-in.) eco-solvent inkjet printer/cutter. As a result of this success, he did not wait long before buying his third inkjet device—a 1372-mm (54-in.) large-format printer/cutter.

“The colours and intricate details we can produce with these devices are exceptional,” he says. “We try to turn around our projects in a day if possible, and having quality, reliable equipment that can print unattended is invaluable.”

Today, Jukasa Designs is a one-stop shop for manufacturing signs, designing logos and uniforms, creating promotional items, graphic design, and vehicle graphics.

“We’ve expanded from three divisions to five,” says Jeffreys. “We do everything one needs to market their business.”

The shop consists of 12 full-time staff members, and Jeffreys oversees all aspects of the business: graphic design, manufacturing and production, and installation. 

Jukasa Designs’ stand-alone building was previously used for storing exotic cars and boats.

“We emptied and cleaned the space,” says Jeffreys. “Now, you can pull a bus in one side and out the other.”

In addition to production areas for digital printing, computer numerical control (CNC) machines, and embroidery equipment, the facility also has a paint booth and wrapping bays. Jeffreys wanted the shop to have a European look, so there is a veranda around the second floor of the building, with production downstairs and offices located upstairs.

High ROI with vehicle wraps

Today, Jukasa Designs has a thriving vehicle graphics business, about 70 per cent of which constitutes fleet graphics.

“Vehicle graphics can really benefit your bottom line,” says Jeffreys. “The profit margin on wraps is much greater than in other areas of the company.” 

In addition to cars and vans, the shop also wraps boats, buses, and trailers, as well as high-end luxury vehicles and race cars. Jeffreys and his team have also custom wrapped a Zamboni for the nearby Alliston Memorial Arena.

Jukasa Designs has worked on all kinds of trucks, including delivery vehicles and semitrailers, as well as waste-management haulers for Joseph Haulage. The shop often wraps trucks and heavy construction equipment for Briduco Enterprises and Bot Construction Group.

The company has installed graphics on tanker trucks, too.

“On tankers, it’s especially important to use good inks,” says Jeffreys. “These vehicles could be hauling milk, oil, or other liquids, and they expand and contract with varying temperatures.”

Jeffrey’s shop also provides fleet graphics for landscape maintenance and plowing companies, as well as retail outlets, restaurants, car dealerships, and transport companies. He has also completed a few projects for Jeff’s Outdoor and Native Flower Cannabis Dispensary and wrapped vehicles for local sports teams such as the Great Lake Canadians baseball team, and city and municipal vehicles, including police and fire departments.

In addition to wrapping many helicopters for trade shows and conferences, Jeffreys has sent his installers on-site to many cities throughout North America. He is especially proud of his vehicle graphics business as the shop’s work has been displayed at major events across the globe, including various cities in Europe and the Bahamas.

Growing the business

Jeffreys believes a key ingredient for business success is hiring the right people.

“Over time you discover who really does the work,” he says. “In my experience, the people who say they have all the skills don’t usually know much, whereas the humble ones do well because they listen.”

Jeffreys looks for candidates who bring a positive attitude toward the inevitable challenges when onboarding employees.

“If you come to me with a problem, you’d better bring some ideas for a solution, or at least something we can work with,” he says. 

He also believes in giving people room to rise and grow within the business. One of his employees used to clean windows for
his brother’s company. Within a month, the worker learned to operate his shop’s CNC machine and even taught himself how to run the devices’ raster image processor (RIP) software. Now he manages the printers.

Jeffreys encourages his employees to pursue learning opportunities and even covers the costs of any training courses offered by manufacturers the staff may like to attend to enhance their graphics production and installation skills. He sees this as an investment in the future of the company. 

Tips for a successful wrap business

Jeffreys believes it is critical to explain to customers the value of a wrap.

“Some of my largest clients didn’t understand the advertising power of their vehicles,” he says.  One of his regular customers once came to him to install a wrap on their John Deere tractor. Once Jeffreys finished the job, he educated the client about the advertising potential of vehicle graphics. Today, his shop installs wraps for the client’s business fleet.

“My number one tip to stay successful in the business is to never give up your smaller customers,” says Jeffreys. “Always take time to work with them. My smaller customers connected me to my larger clients.” 

Jeffreys points out large companies often go bankrupt, sometimes quite suddenly, leaving the shop without a major portion of its business. Therefore, he counsels shop owners to make time for those small but important jobs that are a constant source of revenue.

He also advises shop owners to stay involved in their community.

“We’ll stop our machines to print something for a memorial or a baby shower because that affects everybody,” he says.

Mistakes to avoid

Jeffreys believes the first thing to avoid in the vehicle graphics business, or rather any aspect of one’s job, is overpromising.

“You never want to promise a client more than you can deliver,” he says.

He also strongly advises against trying to beat someone else’s prices and using low-quality products.

“You need to know how much it costs you to produce a wrap, including the expenses of running your shop, and the time you are devoting to the project,” he says. “Also, don’t use inks or materials you’ve only seen in a picture, but not in person. Up-close, a lot of the finished results may not look as great as they do on social media.”

While Jeffreys offers his clients a one-year warranty on vehicle graphics, he typically ends up honouring the warranty until his clients are done with the vehicle.

“I hate to be charged twice for anything I buy, and I believe my clients feel the same way,” he says. “Fortunately, we don’t have to do things over very often.”

Helping clients through COVID-19 and beyond

Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 crisis has had a ripple effect throughout the economy. For example, one of Jukasa Designs’ major clients has transformed their business to manufacture hand sanitizer.  Even though Jeffreys shop was operating with a skeleton crew at the time, he and his team stepped up, producing 1500 bottle labels for the client each week.

[8]“Our digital equipment can print and cut precisely, which made the label production easy for us to take on,” says Jeffreys. 

Since the crisis began, the shop has been busy producing various products such as face shields, plexiglass and desk shields, floor decals, retail signage, and CNC-cut ear savers (respiratory mask accessories that prevent the ears from chafing).

“I’ve worked in every area of graphics,” says Jeffreys. “It’s nice to be able to pivot our production to meet the current circumstances. I’m certainly not getting bored.” 

Ginny Mumm is a freelance consultant for digital inkjet printer/cutter provider Roland DGA. For more information, visit www.rolanddga.com[9].

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/jukasa-designs-uncovering-strategies-to-launch-a-successful-vehicle-wrap-business/

---