Signs of safety

Lake County is known as the specialized manufacturing capital of the country. One local sign shop has become well-versed in helping those companies communicate everything from safety requirements to production goals through visual signage.

At FastSigns of Mentor, owner Kim Hoffmann and sales specialist Patrick Duff see signage as more than something hanging on a wall. The right signs can help keep employees safe, improve workflow, communicate company culture and make a facility easier to navigate. When in the form of specialized dry erase boards, it can even make a company more successful.

Patrick explains the company’s manufacturing work generally falls into three key areas:

• Environmental Health and Safety Slogan Signage 

“Safety first or not at all, helps workers stay injury-free through visual communication, providing reminders about things like safety goggles and protective footwear to identifying restricted areas and potential hazards,” he says.

• Workflow and Efficiency

FastSigns also creates signage designed to help employees perform their jobs more efficiently, including systems based on the Toyota 5S model, an organizational methodology that focuses on maintaning an orderly, efficient workplace while eliminating unnecessary steps and waste. “Our custom-made acrylic dry-erase boards with key performance indicators (KPIs) allow a company to track employees’ productivity numbers by the day, week, month, year and even the shift,” he says. “Then when they are finished, they can easily erase and start all over again.”

• Employee Recognition and Now Hiring Initiatives

Signage can also play an important role in company culture. Human resources departments use customized displays to recognize employees and celebrate accomplishments, like adding a wall of honor for veterans who work there.

Right Material for the Job

In a manufacturing environment, where signs can encounter heat, moisture, dirt and other challenging conditions, selecting the right material is just as important as the design.

Kim and her crew work with materials including aluminum composite and PVC, matching the substrate to the environment where the sign will be installed.

As the great start to any collaborative relationship, during a free consultation survey, Patrick or Kim will walk through a plant, evaluate the manufacturing environment, take pictures and measurements, discuss materials and brainstorm ways, including prototypes, to improve visual communication.

Myriad Signage Services

In addition to manufacturing signage, Kim and Patrick also specialize in vehicle vinyl wrapping and fleet vehicle advertising, which consistently outperforms other types of promotion.

Kim reports that vehicle advertising boosts name recognition 15 times greater than other advertising media, generating 30,000-80,000 impressions daily.

“We work with mostly local clients, but about 5% of our business is from national clients who trust us to follow their specific company branding guidelines in creating fleet wraps,” she says. “Ideal for small businesses, too, vehicle wraps are an affordable way to connect with potential customers, especially for those businesses that are not brick and mortar.”

She notes that customers can pay as little as $150 for a smaller wrap, and up to several thousand to completely wrap a vehicle.

Other popular products from Fastsigns include a variety of high-tech marketing and graphics solutions, from business cards to brochures, logo creation, exterior signage, promotional products, and trade show displays.

Whatever the job, everything is created and installed within the Mentor location.

“Our design team can propose a creative new design for one small vehicle graphic, or meet your brand guidelines and raise your visibility. We can also match your existing design,” she says.

FASTSIGNS of Mentor

7896 Tyler Boulevard, Mentor

440-954-9191

292@fastsigns.com 

FastSigns.com/mentor-oh