UFB Fabrication

Does anyone even make parts to install border/skeleton neon?

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/977577/grimco-to-acquire-the-united-states-operations-of-proveer-sign-and-graphics

I live in a high population area. So if a massive solar flair wipes out the grid and wont be up within a week I am thinking bullets not batteries. Along with gas and diesel fuel. A month without electric and the country will look like a combination of movies: escape from NY and mad max. I have ZERO faith in the folks in my city that will flip you off while driving that will be civil in a real time of need. As for politicians gridlock for me please. I see no reason for either party to dream up a new law, regulation or gooberment body. None can be trusted to do the right (hard thing) Sadly so many folks on the gooberment teet that also have figured out they can vote themselves more free stuff.

$3.75 a day ago

Just talked with my contact at FS. He said they were pretty nice to work with and did it up nice taking a few days here and in Cali. Even flew the husband to Cali. I will have to ask if it was really undercover and if the $ came from the show or FS.

The Girl Jen is one of our FS customers. She is a nice person and made the St Louis FS look good. A couple of the sign segments I was saying WTF. Like laying Vinyl on a panel and shearing to fit. Buy those folks a tape measure. It was similar to other undercover bosses. Its disappointing to see the CEO of the so called "leader in the sign business" knows less than the average customer is embarrassing. BTW I feel for the letter installer guy who looked to be way underpaid and had to drive his beater to a jobsite. That looked bad, showing up at my car dealer to install that really looked unprofessional. I like the show Shark tank

I am in St. Louis, which is a big union town. I have worked for both union and non union companies. IBEW local 1 has some training but the sign side is still the step child. On the other hand we have hacks working out of Moms apartment. I have seen both union and non union do work from stellar to crap. As for training I think it come down to the individual company. I have guys that work for us that are artist and some sweep the floor. I have not trained the floor sweepers........

We have just signed up with D and B. Its sort of interesting looking at what they have in your reporting history. If you have a dispute you have to join to repair it unlike Equifax or Transunion for your personal use. I still have all my original vendors and have not "fired" any of them. That said I do have a few things that show up as late payments. I am sure we have lost some invoices and may have been late on occasion per terms. That said if the items are false that show up or like one of them that showed 50 buck over 30 days and a vendor reported it as such what would you do. I think at the minimum they should have called and said please send xxx. But 50 bucks or less at 32 days, really who has that kind of time. Besides that other than the secured creditors and Uncle Sam who gets paid on time? It sure is not me and I am a bit of a richard cranium about it. It will be interesting to find out the vendor that sent in a report and if they will have the stones to keep it on our report actually naming themselves. I have pretty decent customers and have only been shafted a few times and only had to threaten a lien twice. Those sign companies are no longer in business. I dont think I have been such a pain about collecting late $$ that we have lost them as a customer. I also bet that if I turned one of my customers in to D and B that they would then buy elsewhere. We are good but I am certain that we are not so wonderful that we cant be replaced either.

If anyone has it, I wood (see what I did there?) like it also.

With Google as you friend or search engine of choice you can find stuff made in the states. I found some clothing mfg and even a nice local running shoe company.New Balance is made in the good ole USof A. I read also a company is getting ready to sell US TV's. Same goes for cars insist on a American assembled owned car. Yes a bunch of companies assemble cars in the US but profit engineering and so on goes elsewhere. Sorry I could go on.

Well I am sure its as bad this year as well. When I was talking with Carl at Computerized Cutters, the blighters were setting cards down to photograph with lines that I am sure the were measuring his machine to copy. I am sure anyone else that had any kind of design worth stealing is already being copied. Well .....copy this ! (rude hand gesture)

Every day I get multiple emails about all kinds of crap from China. LED, Led message centers and in the past few days substrates like MDO HDU foam PVC and plex. Also seen a few for actual signs. Folks the job you save may be your own. Buy American if possible please folks !

3.89 per Gallon

What is the light output compare between the 2. I am always amazed at claims of switching to "X" save "Y" when the light output is not even a consideration.

Getting quite a collection of broken an wore out electric hand tools. A lot are red or yellow. Also our trusty 30'' sprocket fed plotter died so as Carl Spackler says "so I got that going for me, which is nice. We did just get a new (to us) crew cab freightliner delivery truck :) I do have my eyes on some big boy steel fab stuff but not sure I have the guts to spend half a mil until closer to the election.

BTW the only skill on my part was hiring the guys I have now.

Shot these this afternoon

How does one get the title "the leading sign company for America’s small businesses" was a competition held? Inquiring minds want to know.

Here is full view

8' Fiberglass boot and the boot used for model

We have had 5 or 6 vendors in this week schlepping a new line or 17th re-incarnation of LED. We are working on our own version of the great white hope and going to lite them all at one time to compare. I think I am going to likely call ours the wall of shame. I hope I am pleasantly surprised. At very least I will have a product to compete in the bargin(?) per inch race.

I am not sure anyone is exempt from OSHA . My vendor is a 3 person shop, him wife and son. He said he is set up as a sole proprietor. I would say anyone out working and seen by the general public is or could be under OSHA's per view.

I am wondering if compliance or a revenue stream is the motive. I worked for a shop 10-15 years ago and the fines have out stripped cost of living. I talked to a vendor yesterday and he is likely going to close declare bankruptcy and re open under different name and owner due to very minor issues with OSHA. I am also thinking part of the problem is the guys working on the job site did not follow procedures. Hopefully the company can prove that and have fines reduced. Sadly I see legitimate companies under constant assault while folks work out of the backyard or garage and do not follow ANY laws, rules or standards.

Vegas wants to have bigger, brighter and better design than the next. 99% of the time the rest of the country wants (settles) for cheap and mediocre. I hate to say remember the good old days when signs were a craft and a trade.

We have tried a few lighter gauge machines and they bow in the middle. The edges will be OK but in the middle wont roll tight enough.