COMPANY News A fabulous 10 years of growth for SignFab (UK)
SignFab (UK) Ltd was formed in 2001 by Carl Hodgson with a very experienced core staff, consisting of 14 employees. All those employees were from within the sign industry and had at least 10 years experience, enabling the company to offer a comprehensive and proven service from the very first day of trading. “After looking carefully at the market in the UK at that time,
we identified there was a need for a sign supplier to be able to offer rapid turn-around of orders, manufactured to lower margins and yet provide a product that was of consistently high quality. The business was thus established with these principles at the core of its operation,” says Carl Hodgson, Managing Director. Orders at SignFab (UK) are fulfilled with shorter than average
lead times, says Carl. The company’s manufacturing process is monitored continuously from order entry to delivery, with each stage being quality checked. Tight control over the manufacturing process, in addition to just in time purchasing, means signs are provided at competitive prices, with minimal waste and enhanced lead times. Over the last 10 years SignFab (UK) has steadily controlled its growth on these principles, combined with significant investment in labour, state of the art equipment and product development. In the early days, as common with many sign businesses, SignFab (UK) outsourced some of its activities.
But over time it became clear that the need for higher quality of workmanship, reduced lead times, lower overall costs and the economies of scale necessary in order to continue growing, called for as much manufacturing as possible to be brought in house. This meant SignFab (UK) needed to procure equipment capable of delivering a high throughput of orders and the purchase of an Amada 4KW laser transformed in house manufacturing at the company. It enables cutting stainless steel, aluminium and a range of acrylics with fast, high precision results. That piece of equipment has now become the mainstay of the company’s business and is augmented by two CNC routers, which are largely used for aluminium, dibond and foamex. “In our opinion, this mix of equipment gives a degree of edge
over our competition as are we able to offer the complete solution of signs in various materials to our customers,” says Carl. The next stage of growth recognised two important and steadily
increasing products within the signage market, letters and monoliths. Carl continues: “The laser capability is used to cut faces for our
large letter making department. The off-cuts from panels, etc, are cut into various widths to create materials used for letter returns, therefore it made sense for us to utilise what otherwise would have been waste, by making letters. In the letter fabrication plant we now have 12 staff, who carefully hand make each letter to exacting standards, including
SignFab (UK)’s in-house manufacturing facility includes powder-coating and wet spraying. 62 Sign Update ISSUE 128 APRIL 2011
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