OUTPUT

John Tominay, key account manager (signage) at Lavendon Access Services, gives Morwenna Kearns a bird's-eye view of the signage market.

Have you seen a change in demand from the sign-making sector since the economic slowdown?

The demand from the sign sector can be variable due to a number of factors, including the time of year and overall economy, however, the demand for truck-mounted access platforms has increased. This is because rather than installing new signage on buildings, people are now making do with what they have or changing the flexiface. This takes less than a day to complete, with the truck on and off the worksite the same day.

What's been the most challenging or exciting signage project you've been part of?

We recently worked very closely with a large sign company in the north to rebrand 40 stores for a leading supermarket. All of the work had to be completed within a month, and we could only access the sites after 10pm on a Sunday night, with a requirement to have the kit off site by 8am Monday morning.

We supplied each site with two GS19 scissor lifts which were delivered on the Friday afternoon to the loading bays of the stores. We supplied charging leads and put the machines on charge to ensure there would be no flat batteries when the client wanted to use the machine. We also supplied an additional GS19 for extra assurance, in case of a breakdown with one of the other scissor lifts. We worked very closely with the client to make sure the project ran without problems. By the end of the contract all stores were fitted out on time and within budget.

How do you think training fits into most signage companies' businesses at the moment?

I still think a lot of sign companies see training as a cost rather than a benefit. With quotes on jobs being cut as much as possible, training is sometimes overlooked.

And how do you think it should fit in?

With the help of the BSGA we are now really pushing the training aspect within the industry. On the whole it costs less than 10p per day to get one person trained on two categories of MEWP, which by any standard is great value for money over the five years the licence will be valid for.

The industry is now starting to take notice, with the major players taking the lead and insisting all their sub-contractors are trained in the usage of access equipment. This can only increase as time goes on and the smaller sign companies realise that they will win more work if their employees have the relevant licences.