Wednesday, 11 Sep 2013 13:35 GMT

Impact on track to overhaul competition

A year on from its expansion into a purpose-designed production space—combined with a major capital investment in new equipment—Impact Sign Solutions has revealed that it has significantly improved its competitive advantage in the trade supply sector.

The Aylesbury-based firm moved to the new 6000sq ft premises in August 2012. Managing director, Andy Borrow, explains the progression of the company from a small sign-makers to a specialist engraver with over 80 percent of its custom coming from the trade.

“We started off with a humble vinyl cutter,” begins Borrow, “then moved on to poster and solvent printers. From there we branched off to specialise in engraving, investing in various machines as we progressed.”

Indeed, the investment required to become a specialist trade supplier is not without its risks. Borrow continues: “To do everything properly you really have to invest in all areas of it. It’s not just a questions of buying a desktop engraver, and then you're an engraver.

Recently installed top-of-the-line rotary engravers form a core part of Impact Sign Solutions production capabilities
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“You soon realise you need a bigger engraver, and then a laser and a rotary machine, as well as a guillotine and everything else that comes with it—it just runs away with you. There’s so much required to do it properly.”

Impact Sign Solutions, however, did not shy away from this large capital outlay, seeing a niche area of the market opening up.

“There aren’t that many sign-makers that do engraving,” Borrow explains, “and even fewer who specialise in it the way we do. It is a risk; it’s very heavy investment. But that’s what the business is all about.”

Yet a successful sign company is not simply built around the equipment it owns; as Borrow asserts, ‘you need to know what you'yourre doing with it too’.

He goes onto explain that Impact Sign Solutions’ ISO accreditation, years of experience in the industry, and extensive range of equipment, give the firm a flexible choice between various production methods.

The acid etching plant at Impact Sign Solutions allows the company to cater for a diverse range of customer requirements
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Borrow continues: “Every job is different, and if you haven’t got the facilities to match the production method to the requirements, then you really can’t do a job properly. We’ve got a variety of methods to get the right product to the customer. For example, if they want it in stainless, we can either rotor it, etch it or laser it.”

Deadlines have changed the industry. People want a job done yesterday. We can now do all our work in-house, which very few people do, allowing us to offer our customers a faster, more efficient service every time”

Additionally, with turnaround times remaining a driving force in the industry, this level of investment can give a company a real edge over the competition. As Borrow states: “Deadlines have changed the industry.

“People want a job done yesterday. We can now do all our work in-house, which very few people do, allowing us to offer our customers a faster, more efficient service every time.”

                      Impact Sign Solutions in pictures

The production area includes a wall and bench saw, as well as a hydraulic punch
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A hydraulic guillotine gives Impact Sign Solutions a competitive edge
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A brand new engraver and router stands pride of place in the 6,000sq ft production space



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