More eco-friendly materials are becoming available in the sign industry.
SMC: What innovative technologies or materials are emerging that can help reduce environmental impact, and how can shops adopt and promote these solutions?
CF: I’m a big proponent of recyclable, paper-based products for interior displays, over plastics and vinyls. Inks are also becoming more eco-friendly. As a small company, we can only do what’s within our sphere of influence. We rely largely on our vendors to provide us with the opportunity to use sustainable products.
GL: There’s a type of acrylic emerging now that’s plant-based. Some of it works for digital printing, some of it doesn’t. On the sign side, there are recyclable products that are also plant-based, as well as recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) products for fabrication, at a somewhat competitive price point. Additionally, sign trucks are starting to emerge with electric features—which is huge, because that wasn’t available two or three years ago. It’s becoming very available now, but at a price point, with an extra $100,000 cost to add it to your service platform. However, it gives that company a leg up in terms of sustainability and offering green solutions for service work. On the printing side of sign equipment, they’re manufacturing machines that use less electricity. Thus, there’s a big swing towards more efficiencies, and you’re seeing that emerge right across the board.
SMC: How have recent innovations in equipment and technology impacted the competitive landscape of the digital printing and sign industries?
GL: Any company could benefit from buying new technology with greener or less carbon footprint obligations. Their capital costs may be more, but their operating costs would be less, which ultimately suggests that’s the goal. However, it also depends on whether the company has the capital resources to upgrade and buy the newer equipment that provides the new technology. It really comes down to cash flow and capital advantage.
CF: The smaller digital and sign printers are fairly inexpensive to purchase and can be operated by anyone dedicated enough to learn. In my world, in the rural area, I end up competing with people who have a small roll-to-roll and a small digital printer in their garage or basement, and its tough to compete against people with almost no overhead. However, I have to remind myself that I was in the same situation a few years ago.
Sign trucks are starting to emerge with more electric features, giving companies an advantage in terms of sustainability and offering green solutions for service work. Photo © Joshua Rainey | Dreamstime.com
SMC: How can shops differentiate themselves from competitors, meet the changing needs of customers, and maintain an advantage in these ever-evolving industries? What role does technology and/or geographic location play in this process?
GL: Buy new equipment, upgrade, and beat your competitors. Keep ahead of technology and never be obsolete. Prior to the pandemic and the shift we’ve seen in the last 10 years, there was always a thought that most production and manufacturing facilities had to be within an urban area or large city. However, most of these companies are now starting to spread out and look for smaller cities or semi-rural areas, where they can operate with a lesser cost and footprint. In an urban area, your cost to rent is through the roof, and it’s not going down. Therefore, you’re seeing more companies operating out of southern Ontario and getting out of the larger cities.
CF: My company has had some success with looking for specific products our customers need that aren’t directly a commercial print product. We’ve also branched into printing onto products for manufacturers. Products that can’t be purchased online or from every other print shop will set you apart. Geographically, we still have a reasonable amount of loyalty from our client base, although I’m seeing that erode as more people compare us to the entire globe. It’s tough when you get compared to a large corporation in Toronto or a printer in China. However, two types of projects that are very geographic and I see staying that way are outdoor signage and vehicle wraps, as they’re much more difficult to purchase from far away.
