nsw systems
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Posts posted by nsw systems
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Just like to say
I like the new look of the site.
Mike
NSW
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You buy LED, I sell LED, we best manufacturer of LED. Very best quality LED at very competitive price.
I know were feeling it as custom sign manufacturer's competing against the low-baller, but I can imagine we're all feeling it even as quality LED manufacturers are having to compete against $1 modules.
Me going to gag if me get another one of the emails
Hold your ground on quotes, and extend your warranties. Let them compete with that!
that is classic..
You speek very good broken english.. Westcoast Sign Guy.....
Mike
NSW
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Guy's
I'm in central Kentucky and its deader than 4 o'clock here. 2008 was down, 2009 was awful, then had my best year ever in 2010. But 2011 is looking like a repeat of 2009 right now. Sales are off over 30%, phones aren't ringing. I'm a full service shop, we have a vinyl shop and we do outdoor electric. Usually if one shop is slow the other is busy and its not quite so hard to take. For the last three weeks there is nothing going on, I'm in the red for the year. We aren't even turning payroll right now (there are 6 of us). Luckily, I'm debt free both personally and professionally, so I can wait it out. But it's still a little scary, even after being in this business for 13 years. Can't win any bids, my competitors are giving it away. I won't do a job for break even. Had a potential customer email me today on a estimate I did for her, said my competitor's bid was less than half my bid. The total bid was $1300 and change, and of that $150.00 was for permit, $187.50 for labor to change the face, the rest for white flat polycarb face with 4 colors of translucent vinyl (4' x 12'). If I did it for my competitors price I would have had to pay her $200 to the job for her. Know they can't be using quality materials or they would have the same costs as me. I won't drop my quality to sell the shit they do. I'd rather go out of business than sell junk. Of course alot of today's customers don't care about anything but the cost, quality doesn't matter, most won't be in business a year from now anyway. I guess all we can hope for is that the economy turns around soon. Doubt that it will happen quickly, not with the clowns we have in Washington running the show.
Hello Eugene
I realy don't have a good reply for what you are going thru.
I can relate to the sales droping thing.. alot of the sign co. that we use to work for are gone and that is hard to replace and even the larger shops are having a bad time but they won't admit it.
at one time not so long ago we were a good size production shop.. only taking the big jobs passing on the little ones.. had a big ego.. Worked for a long list of major players in this industry, and was sitting on top of the world.
but like you said 2008 came, for us it started in 2007. the bottom droped out banks froze all the credit up,the housing thing, toxic assets, goverment steped in, made the banks take there money to jump start the econmy, banks still did not lend money to the companies that need it. they closed up or filed to protect what they had, in some cases worth more dead than alive.then eventualy sold off, and that left the people they owed money to holding the bag. then the hole process started over again.
the compainies that were owed money from all the service and install started to fail, more layoffs,less income,then eventualy closed up.
sorry to rant, but I lived thru it and all I can say is.
keep your head high, always beleive in your self, and no matter how bad you think you have it someone else is worse off than you are. Just remember.. They can take away all you stuff, but they can not take away the stuff you know. Thats is my quote and that is what I live by today.
keep plugging along
Mike
NSW Systems LLC.
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In St Louis the sign business is not near as good as it was say a couple years ago. Mainly you are seeing allot of repairs on neon signs instead of upgrading. We see people opening up quite frequently with out any money at all for a sign in their budget. A few years a go the landlords would not allow this. The tenants were penalized if they opened with out a sign. Now the landlords are just happy to let any one in and they are letting the tenants slide on the whole have to have a sign to open. Also, the tight rules as far the type of sign, neon, channel letters, on a raceway etc... are also not what they were. I am seeing more cabinet signs and non lit signs to cut cost for tenants and the landlords are allowing these.
Hello Kris
I see that as well in our area.
We mfg wholesale for the local sign co. and I have see a major drop or change in what they are buying. now localy I cover three states they are real close to each other OH,WV,and PA they call it the tri-state area, and you are right where channel letters were the norm now small cabinets are allowed or non-illuminated letters. most of the companies live off of service or installs and even that has taken a hit. I the past we would do 10-20 neon repairs in a month pending per co. but now you are lucky to see 3-5 per month per co. signs are out but the end user just dose not or can not afford to fix the sign and new construction is just not there..
I realy just posted too see if it was just me or just in spots around the country. I would like to hear from some Co. around Texas i understand that the state is Business friendly and they the state is trying to promote business, Is this true.
Thanks
Mike
NSW Systems LLC.
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Well, we have an Epson Pro 4000, it's about 8 years old and finally beginning to wear out (print head needs replacing). Considering how much we use it, we are thinking about just replacing the whole thing. I was looking for any input on the type of printers you use - the Epson has been a real workhorse, but .... http://www.thesignsyndicate.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/scratchhead.gif
Thanks in advance!
Hello
we run two different types of printers the Summa DC and the Mimaki brands, The Summa DC is used mostly for the vacuumed formed products we produce it can handle the heat during the forming process.
the Mimaki can do this, it has a bad day when you try too form the image.
The Mimaki is mostly used for the (I should not say cheaper Jobs) It might affend the owners of that machine here.. but the jobs that only require a short life span out it the field. It is a grate machine for the indoor use but just dose not like out doors even laminated,
The Summa DC are realy designed for the outdoor app. plus they last seven years with no lamination. 90% of what we produce with the Summa is printed on clear film and applied in reverse to the clear plastic then formed into a shape.
the solvent ink machines are faster a cheaper to operate than the thermal machines but it would depend on your end use. HP brought some of there machines to our shop years ago to see if it could work out in the forming process but it did not work,we had all the mfg with there machines try this and the Summa was the only machine that passed all the test in this type of production.
Both types of machines have there place and we use both every day,
we have looked into the UV latex ink systems and next month not sure yet when but a company is droping off a machine to test and if it works we might start producing faces this way.
I have posted a picture of an account that was produced with the Summa printed on 3M optical clear and then back sprayed white. Summa's white ribbon just did not do the trick even when you double printed it plus it was cheaper to produce by spraying the white.
Good luck
Mike
NSW Systems LLC.
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Thank you for the replies. Dealing with a rep at Pattison.
Nick
Well at least we were going in the right direction it started with a (P)
hard to keep up any more who is doing what..
Mike
NSW
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Hello
you could try Patterson signs they have or had the account.
Mike
NSW
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Things are pretty sluggish in the sign market down here in central Florida. Most of the legit sign shops that I see are in "hunker down and wait it out mode". Of course I still see the "cockroach" fly by night outfits that work for beer still chugging along.
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I am a native of Columbus Mike. What part of the state is Blain in ?
Hello
I am in the state of OHIO close to West Virgina right on Interstate 70 they call it the Northern Panhandle or the rust belt at one time there was alot of heavy industry Steel,Alum plants Coal industry, Power plants, but that went by the wayside.
I was down there in October for Universal Fright Night in Orlando and yes you are right did not see much construction or I should say New Construction going on and the signage was eather half out or just not working at all, It looked like a service co. dream.. but the entire time I was there I only saw one service company fixing something. stoped at one place that was selling trinkits and said how come your sign is not working and he said that he could not afford the service call yet, and it was just a bad neon unit. so when it got back to the hotel I looked in the phone book and there were a lot of sign co. you would figure that someone would just fix the sign to make some type of income,
Just my thoughts.
In a tuff economy like that I would work on some type of cash deal, they have the money but not willing to part with it, offer a discount for cash. not much maybe 3-5% and you might see a change or increase you cash flow
Good luck and thanks for the responce
Mike
NSW Systems LLC.
nswsystems@gmail.com
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Hello all fellow signers
Just wanted to see how your sign buiness is doing in your area..
It is tuff to gauge form where we are sitting, we are a wholesale mfg and get request for bids everyday plus we service other industry's other than our own, so we always have a intrest in the products we produce.
we vacuum form so that spins off from illuminated faces to sky lites for buildings
we cnc so that goes from letters and logos to alum parts for the building trades
we do sheet metal products for our industry plus the roofing and HVAC firms.
we mfg LED acrylic lit panels for the counter top firms we get more request for them than the sign industry.
we fabricate acrylic letters and logos for our industry but on the flip side we mfg displays for the POP guys.
and so on
just want to see how we are doing or if we are missing something
we have seen a decline in the sign mfg side but that is mostly due to the state of the economy at this time.
The other question I have is what are you looking for in a wholesale mfg company?
quality
speed
price
or other?
Just looking for your thoughts.
Thanks again.
Mike
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I'm a neon tubebender with 25 years exp.that cant seem to find a co. that needs help, or even makes neon anymore.Is there anyone that needs a good bender, or can tell me someone to call?
Hello This is Mike from NSW Systems LLC.
Yes there are Neon jobs out there but you must be willing to do other types of jobs in the shop untill the orders come in for neon, that is how it is done here.
we have benders that
Trimcap faces
intstall led's
wire cabinets and so on
and when the glass order comes in they bend the glass.
In todays mfg world you are not going to bend for 40 hours and go home. you need other skill sets to survive or just willing to learn a new part of the trade.
I own the company here.. and I started bending glass at the age of 12 but at the same time I learned other parts for the industry and was taught buy crafts man that had the skills to mulitask and step in when needed. That is why most companies hire people that can do more than there desired skill, you always need something to fall back on, or a reason for the company to keep you, or you get layed off or fired.
Good luck
Mike
NSW Systems LLC.
nswsystems@gmail.com
Sorry mike, I wasn't thinking when I posted this morning about anything but neon. But I have done a few other things. I've worked on service trucks, I've done a lot of trimcapping,installed LED's, wired neon signs as well as led signs and even put up a few sets of chanel letters on buildings with and w/out raceway. I would edit my post, but can't seem to do it for some reason or other.
Hello
see you do have other skills, look for a company that dose service and or mfg, but has a neon plant sitting around, You will become an asset to the company, you will service the signs and fix the neon trust me there is still more neon out there than LEDs,and after a while the company that you are working for will find more neon signs to service or make and over time that will become your full time position, they will find someone else to go out and service, but you need to teach also.. The correct ways to install or fix signage Midpoint ground, ballancing loads, bonding your neon signage and the list goes on.
sit back and make a list of everything you have done in this industry
put it on paper and send it out there even if it was a small thing. companies will look at you first because you are willing to do what ever it takes to get the job done..
that is what we look for in a employee. not the person that comes in and tell you that I only do this and that is it. WE WILL BE IN TOUCH... you have probably heard that.. well that is why,
Not a team player..Disrupt what we have going on right now.. and so on. be humble.
All you need to do is get your foot in the front door after that prove your self to the employer and the rest is easy for all you now you might replace a person that is not pulling there weight or dose not work well with others..
Good luck
Mike
NSW Systems LLC.
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I'm a neon tubebender with 25 years exp.that cant seem to find a co. that needs help, or even makes neon anymore.Is there anyone that needs a good bender, or can tell me someone to call?
Hello This is Mike from NSW Systems LLC.
Yes there are Neon jobs out there but you must be willing to do other types of jobs in the shop untill the orders come in for neon, that is how it is done here.
we have benders that
Trimcap faces
intstall led's
wire cabinets and so on
and when the glass order comes in they bend the glass.
In todays mfg world you are not going to bend for 40 hours and go home. you need other skill sets to survive or just willing to learn a new part of the trade.
I own the company here.. and I started bending glass at the age of 12 but at the same time I learned other parts for the industry and was taught buy crafts man that had the skills to mulitask and step in when needed. That is why most companies hire people that can do more than there desired skill, you always need something to fall back on, or a reason for the company to keep you, or you get layed off or fired.
Good luck
Mike
NSW Systems LLC.
nswsystems@gmail.com
MET ??? Who has switched over?
in General Message Board
Posted
I call them a few weeks ago to get Information sent or email to me but nothing yet.. did recieve a call back but no information was sent.
I might try again
Mike
NSW