Joe Lacey on getting fixings right first time and a healthy autumn for the sign trade
Innova Solutions has supplied technical tapes and specialist adhesives to the sign industry for almost 25 years. At The Print Show, External Sales and Technical Manager Joe Lacey made the case for considering fixings earlier.
“Tape and adhesive are always the last thing anyone thinks about. People make these beautiful signs and then ask how they’re going to put them on the wall,” says Joe. “We cover everything from standard foamed acrylic tapes for bonding channel to the back of an ACM sign, to specialist adhesives that don’t show read-through on ACM, and tapes that can withstand powder coating at up to 220°C.”
Advice before the sale
With hundreds of products in the range, Joe says the free technical advice is what sets Innova apart. “We don’t just sell a product, we offer a service as well, and we don’t charge for technical advice. I’d always rather someone gave me a call and talked it through for five or ten minutes, so they get the right product first time. Guessing or underestimating a job can lead to a failure that’s very costly down the line.”
Innova’s sister company, NovaDura, supplies finished signage to the trade only. Its range runs from dye-sublimation printing to anti-graffiti products.
Innova supplies so much of the industry that its order book is a good guide to how sign makers are doing, and Joe is positive. “July and August are always interesting, with lots of people on holiday. Then on the first of September, the rush orders come in for everything that didn’t get ordered while they were away. I think the industry is pretty healthy at the moment. There’s always rebrand work coming through to keep things ticking over.”
Joe concludes, “There’s always something that catches your eye at a show like this. It’s a chance to network with customers, old and new, make new contacts and keep up with what’s changing in the industry.”