Metro Imaging
Going full for textile
S Sundarapandian
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Standing out unique among many for one big reason in the league of sign makers in Chennai city is Metro Imaging, having a focused attention when it comes to technologies and projects they choose. Their attention is always on ‘textile’ or ‘soft signage’ solutions. When enquired why going only for textile, S Sundarapandian, founder of Metro Imaging, says the era of flex printing is coming to an end and textile is the next big thing bringing in a new echelon of innovations. “Apart from display graphics (textile), we are also into dye-sublimation jobs for which we have recently invested in a Mimaki dye-sub printer,” he mentions.
The first machine installed at Metro Imaging when it was established in the year 2000 was an HP DesignJet 2500; then in the subsequent two years, the portfolio expanded with the adoption of a couple of DGI printers, one was 10 ft in size. As on today, the portfolio is upgraded with the latest range of high-end machines, which include two 10 ft Flora printers, HP Latex 360, Mimaki JV33, HP DesignJet 500 (water-based), Mimaki (die-sub) and Flora UV (flatbed). The company has a team of 40 sign making professionals who are efficient in operating the machines, knowing the in-depth technical know-how.
“Soft signage is what we are aiming at for full expansion in our business,” says S Sundarapandian, adding that the technology is eco-friendly and sustainable. With their strong presence in the retail sector, working constantly on landmark in-shop designing and display projects, Metro Imaging has been associating with a number of prominent corporate customers, namely, Hyundai, Ford Ikon and many from IT domain. In addition to their full swing foray into the textile arena, S Sundarapandian also mentions that Metro Imaging will likely to have an offset division, which will help them deliver wide-format and commercial under one roof in future.
SPM Signs Solutions
Routing and engraving expert
Paneer Selvam
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Despite being merely a couple of years old in the market, SPM Signs Solutions boasts a firm foothold in the signage market of Chennai. Talking about the company’s inception, founder Paneer Selvam says Southern Agencies, a Chennai-based leading supplier and manufacturer of quality CNC routers and printers, is a big inspiration behind their venture into signage business. “We have an 8x4 ft BNZ lager engraving and CNC routing systems from them, which are the main machines we use to produce all our cut-signage solutions; and we have other machines too, such as Mimaki (5 ft eco-solvent), a 10 ft solvent with Konica Minolta printhead and wide-format auto laminator,” explains Paneer, adding that they are now looking at adopting new technologies trending in the industry.
SPM Signs Solutions caters complete sign solutions; but the company is more into engraved-sign systems, for which a number of walk-in customers as well as some leading corporate customers from different industrial segments. “As on today, we consider ourselves quite a young player in the market; we just have a team of four, managing everything right from machine operations up to marketing. We are looking for further expansion in terms of technologies and manpower to uplift our current stance to a new level in near future,” asserts Paneer.
In its current client roster, SPM Signs Solutions has some of the leading corporate companies, namely, Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, among others. According to Paneer, they are now very confined only around Chennai. No doubt, he says, the signage market of Chennai or extensively the whole of Tamil Nadu is now rapidly growing up with the arrival of new sign making technologies, concepts and machineries. “With proper observation of the market situation, we will surely expand our market coverage and machine portfolio,” mentions Paneer.
Super Digital Signs
Planning for UV printer
K Jayakumar
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Around eight years back, Super Digital Signs was incepted with the adoption of a Gongzheng solvent printer, which is still running actively in the company’s production facility, which also has other machines including a wide-format auto laminator and a solvent printer with Konica Minolta printhead. When asked the current market situation, K Jayakumar, founder, Super Digital Signs, replies the sign-making business in the region has gained a new momentum over the last few years with advents of advanced printing and cutting technologies. “This sector is expanding in rapid pace!” he optimistically observes.
As new business potentials keep surfacing in the region’s signage market, K Jayakumar is looking ahead for giving a big upgrade to the company’s machine portfolio, with the adoption of a UV printer. “I don’t think the applications we play around with solvent technologies will be sustainable. Even some segments like ‘in-store’ have nothing to do with the so-called ‘flex’ prints. So, our plan is to go for a UV printer soon, to magnify our activities to a newer level,” he explains, adding that the time has come for sign makers to go for interior display solutions, rather than sticking to outdoor banner business.
Super Digital Signs has a robust team of nine staffers, which consist of graphic designers, with long experiences in the field. When mentioning about their customers, K Jayakumar says they have predominant count of walk-in customers in their roster: “Around 90 percent of our clients are walk-in lot; all of the corporate jobs we are now taking up are brought to us by some leading ad agencies based in the city, otherwise we haven’t yet dome any direct marketing to capture corporate biggies first hand.” But he says they have to gear up for that soon.
Universal Sign Creations
Supplier of quality LED materials
Aman Agrawal
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Glow or illuminated sign solutions are said to be gaining new ground in the signage market, whether it is in the metro city like Chennai or big and small towns all across the country. Sensing this potential, Universal Sign Creations in the city was established as an extended or sister concern of Southern Agencies, one of the leading suppliers of a range of wide-format printers, laser engravers and CNC routers all over India. Talking about the range of products available with them, Aman Agrawal of Universal Sign Creations says that they keep everything required to prepare an illuminated sign.
Revealing what all in the product portfolio of Universal Sign Creations, Aman mentions the range of LED materials and allied products the company has been dealing in to provide glow sign makers the best of quality materials. “We keep a range of LED Modules, Startec LED Power Suppliers and BNZ Products (from Southern Agencies). Our LED components are applicable multiple purposes, be it lit-up cut letters, backlit displays, glow signs and others,” explains Aman, adding that there are still a lot in the glow sign market where sign makers can further explore for newer business prospects.
Most of the customers buzzing at the reception lobby of Universal Sign Creations are the ones coming from the local proximities. One thing very assured among the crowd gathered at this glow sign material supplier is the ‘quality’ range at affordable prices. “It makes sense when our customers are happy with the combination of quality and affordability in our products,” says Aman, adding that the company is now planning to expand its product portfolio with the addition of fresh range of products perfectly designed for efficient glow sign solutions.
Ramesh Digital Prints
Serving everyone equally
A machine operator at Ramesh Digital Prints
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Over the last one decade, Ramesh Digital has gained its popularity among a mix of customers comprising corporate biggies as well as walk-in hordes from Chennai and around. S Mahesh Babu, founder of this popular signage firm in the city, recalls the way the company was incepted with a sheer help from JX Enterprises, a leading supplier of quality wide-format printers: “It was a Gongzheng printer from JX Enterprises with which we started our venture into signage business around nine years back.” Later, as per the demands for newer applications, the company has enhanced its machine portfolio with the addition of a Roland VersaEXPRESS RF-640, just a couple of years back.
The rigor behind the overall competencies of Ramesh Digital Prints is its team of eight well-trained sign making professionals who handle everything right from machine operations up to fabrication and installation tasks in signage projects the company has executed all over Tamil Nadu. “We have been working for a number of big corporate clients that have large signage projects, both interior and outdoor. In this, we never go for help from any third party when it comes to on-side installation jobs; we mange everything in-house at our best management level,” asserts Mahesh Babu.
Some of the major clients for which Ramesh Digital Prints has roped in recently as well as the ones the company has been associated for a certain period of time in and around Chennai city include Oppo, ITC, TITAN, among others. “In addition to big corporate companies, we equally serve local companies as we as a horde of walk-in hordes,” mentions Mahesh Babu, adding that they treat everyone who turns up at their doorstep with equal love and importance.
AJ Sign
Newest among all
A Antony
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Perhaps it’s just a time for AJ Sign to test the water! That means the company is just a few months old in the market. They are now a single-machine PSP in the city, seeing the market atmosphere for an instant leap in near future. Founder and partner of the company, A Antony, who is now leading a team of three, is very optimistic about their growth. “We have just installed a Gongzheng printer with XAAR Proton printhead—this doesn’t mean we will be sticking to this machine. After seeing the market situation, we will move ahead in invest in new technologies, which are trending and supposed to be trended in future,” says Antony.
“The signage printing or wide-format market has been changed drastically over the last one decade. It’s quite a visible fact that a series of new technologies, whether it could be cutting, printing, engraving and others, have set into the market, dawning a new revolution in signage and display business,” explains Antony. He further mentions that the ongoing trends in the signage printing and making market are pretty impressive for the fact that a lot of untapped business opportunities are lying here and there around. AJ Sign, according to him, is planning to take up some expansion strategies to make it a one-stop signage solution provider soon.
When asked the way they maintain ‘quality’ in printing process, Antony mentions some very specific points: selection of right materials and capable printhead in the printers. “We always go for StarFlex materials whenever we churn prints for any project, big or small,” he mentions. One of the major works of AJ Signs is ACP letter jobs, which Antony says they are planning to expand further with the adoption of high-end equipments for that soon.
Sathyam Outdoors
Total prints provider
KS Srinivasan
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KS Srinivasan, one of the stalwarts in the signage market of Chennai, had started his career in the industry as a sales executive at LIPI Marketing, a well-known supplier of a range of wide-format printers in the region. “When I was in LIPI Marketing I gained a comprehensive knowledge of the market. Thereafter I had planned to set up a printing facility to foray into the market,” explains KS Srinivasan. He bought Mutoh eco-solvent printer and Yaslan solvent from LIPI Marketing in the year 2012 for his new startup and Southern Agencies also helped him a lot in the first place to get right move in the market.
Today, Sathyam Outdoors is one of the leading PSPs in the region with vast coverage of different industrial domains, such as vehicle graphics, LED display solutions, outdoor hoardings, POPs, among others for a number of clients. “We work for clients whom we contact directly and some agencies in metro cities brought to us,” says KS Srinivasan, adding that some ad agencies from New Delhi, West Bengal and Kerala sometimes approach us for big projects in Tamil Nadu. Callaway is one of the New Delhi-based agencies whose works have often been churned at Sathyam Outdoors.
Some of the major clients of Sathyam Outdoors that have been associated with the company for years include Zee TV, PVR Cinema, Coir On and Hyundai, Reliance, to mention a few. And 90 percent of their activities are in Chennai and rest spread across the state of Tamil Nadu.
Digital India
With widest network around
Md Kaleem
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Believe it or not, Digital India is perhaps the only signage company in Tamil Nadu having widest network across the state. “We have 20 branches all over the state,” shares Md Kaleem, partner, Digital India. Sitting in the company’s main branch in Chennai, he does a quick math on his finger tips to count the number of staff members and machines in the respective branches of the company. Of the 20 branches, six of them are located in different corners of Chennai cites, whereas the rest are in various parts of Tamil Nadu with production facilities equipped with a Gongzheng printer each. The main centre on Triplicane High Road is equipped with a Thunderjet eco-solvent printer and a Gongzheng solvent.
Despite the state-wide presence of the company, Digital India is not a big attractor of corporate clients in the region. “There must be several reasons why we are not able to catch big corporate companies. One could be the way we do our marketing—we don’t go for direct marketing,” says Md Kaleem. He adds that S Sulaiman, the key person/leading founder of the company, has chalked out plan to upgrade the overall activities of the entire chain of network of the company to a new level.
Md Kaleem mentions that the corporate projects they are handling now are entirely brought to them by some mid-agencies based in different parts of Tamil Nadu. Some regional political parties are said to be some of the company’s long term customers. He says that the company is now planning to recruit a team of marketing professionals to deal with clients in the corporate domain. In addition, he mentions about adoption of some high-end technologies, such as eco-solvent and UV, to upgrade the company’s existing machine portfolio.
Image India
Quality jobs for all
Fareed
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Either for a corporate representative or just a walk-in customer Image India is the place where everyone is entertained with satisfactory node at the end of the day. This PSP is known for quality prints in affordable prices delivered punctually in amicable manner. “We have very limited number of regular clients mostly in Chennai, along with some based in far off areas of Tamil Nadu,” says Fareed, founder, Image India. Of course, the clientele of the company is a mixed bag of both local walk-in customers and some big corporate companies. But most of them are regular or repeat customers who have trust in the works of Image India and banking on the company’s reliability and efficiency in final outputs.
“Our main motto is ‘quality that sustains’” asserts Fareed, explaining the fact that ‘consistency in quality’ is the way to build up business in the long run. The production facility of the company is equipped with Gongzheng (10 ft) solvent printer and a Mimaki eco-solvent; and a team of 15 well-trained professions is at the helms of the overall strength and vitality of the company. “We are always lookout for new technologies with which we can upgrade our machine portfolio to meet the increasing demands for newer applications surging in the market,” informs Freed.
Though the company is working for its long-term customers based in different parts of Tamil Nadu, future plan is that they are now gearing up for expansion of their machine portfolio and manpower. “A select group of corporate companies, such as Royal Enfield, to name one, keep full trust on our works; such companies do turn up at our doorsteps whenever they require anything related signage and display projects,” says Fareed, adding that they have been into the in-store sector for a number of projects for big corporate customers around Tamil Nadu. The team of Image India ties up with third parties when they handle projects outside Chennai.
Digital Image
Expanding towards eco-friendliness
Mohammed Rafi
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A well-experienced PSP in the city, Digital Image has been active in business over the last one and a half decades, serving a number of local customers based in Chennai and several parts of Tamil Nadu. The company was incepted under the aegis of proprietor A Umar, but the day-to-day operations of the firm in two different branches in the city are now solely handled by Mohammed Rafi. “We are accredited our success to JX Enterprises that supplied machines to us from the day one,” Rafi says, adding, “The first machine we adopted from the distributor was a Gongzheng solvent, followed by another of the same brand, Thuderjet.”
Now that Digital Image is equipped with a multiple range of technologies, what is planning ahead is to boost the machine portfolio with the adoption of a set of eco-solvent systems. In this respect, Rafi mentions that the concern is not just about quality in prints but also the eco-friendliness of the technology. “If you are not in the trend and tradition of the industry, it is sooner or later you will be out of scene and nothing is guaranteed on sustainability of business,” he explains.
Digital Image has a strong team of 10 sign-making professionals, among which two are designers and three machine operators, rest to handle the management. “In case of handling large projects around Chennai, we tie up with some third party who can provide us efficient helping hands in fabrication and installation jobs,” says Rafi. The company is known for taking up a number of signage projects for various renowned local companies. For instance, Poorvika Mobile is one of the all-time customers of Digital Image.
Trax Digital Printers
Varied prints under one roof
D Mathi
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PSPs in the city are attributed with different job profiles that make the Chennai signage market a den of all varieties of printing. Of the distinguished ones in the ring, Trax Digital Printers is one of them, whose activities involve largely into laser cutting activities alongside the conventional practices. Established in the year 2003 with the mere installation of a Gongzheng solvent printer, a big turn in the infrastructure of the company took place early part of this year. “We have installed a new HP 2605 laser printing system and a Mimaki ec-solvent printer, making the lineup more versatile than ever,” says D Mathi, founder, Trax Digital Printers.
With its facility equipped with diverse machineries, Trax Digital Printers enjoys serving a string of customers from different industrial clusters, such as Oswin Ply, Drools, Ajino-Motto, to mention a few among them. Footprints of the company can be traced all across Tamil Nadu. In this respect, D Mathi says they sometimes have to travel to any distance, far or near corners of the state or sometimes at pan-India level to meet the demand of their customers. Trax Digital Printers deals their clients both directly and indirectly as for the latter they are print provider to some well known ad agencies based in different parts of the state.
Apart from normal print jobs or conventional display solutions, Trax Digital Printers is now looking ahead to adopting new technologies for newer applications surfacing as new trends in sign making in the market. According to D Mathi, the market is now changing rapidly with the introduction of new machines, technologies and materials, which they keep observing from time to time, for new level of updates in the machines and technologies they adopt.
Three C Visuals
Old player
G Suresh
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Over the last 14 years, G Suresh has been into the sign-making business, swinging in different basic jobs. After the basic period, he and his partner S Muralidharan, sprung to a new level this year with the adoption of a line of high-end printers, namely, HP XLJet, HandTop Flatbed and others including eco-solvent and solvent systems of varied brands and sizes. “We have upgraded our infrastructure to a new standard this year with the adoption of a number of new machines for different applications,” mentions G Suresh, adding that they keep their eyes wide open to catch any new technology emerged new in the market.
Though a lot of walk-in customers make buzz around the lobby of Three C Visuals, some of the leading customers that have been associated with them for a long period of time include: Reliance Communications, Birla White and some popular local ice-cream brands including Arun Ice-cream, Ibaco Ice Cream, etc. “Most of our customers are as old as us; they have been associated with us since day one of our establishment,” says G Suresh.
Behind the success story of the company is a vigorous team of 35 well-trained sign making professionals, which include graphic designers, installers, fabricators and machine operators. Regarding the manpower of the company, G Suresh mentions that they always manage to take up everything only through their in-house production team. “Our footprints spread all over Tamil Nadu; but when we take up any project outside Chennai, we by any means do manage everything through our in-house team, without tying up with any third party workforce,” he adds. Three C Visuals has two branches in Chennai—one at Chrompet and another at Triplicane.
Maharaja Marketing
ACP sheets, modular solutions and more
Vikas
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Incepted in the year 2002, Maharaja Marketing is one of the leading material suppliers in Chennai whose products reach to far and near corners of Tamil Nadu. The company has two different branches—one is dedicated to general printing materials and another for special ACP sheets and modular display solutions. LG and 3M materials are some of the high-end brands the company has been distributing for years. In addition to the premium range, Maharaja Marketing also deals in normal flex or vinyl films, which are said to be in high demand, not only among the PSPs in Chennai, but among many in various parts of Tamil Nadu.
Maharaja Marketing boasts a wide network of sub-dealers in different parts of Tamil Nadu. In addition to printing materials, the company has also added LED materials as another division of the company is segregated for the illuminated signage materials. This upgrade to the company’s product portfolio had been done following the trend and prospect of glow signs get escalated in the region’s signage market. Such varieties in products in its portfolio make Maharaja Marketing a complete one-stop signage material solution corner in the region.
Moreover, the separate division of Maharaja Marketing dealing in ACP sheets, modular display systems is now one of the most sought after corners in Chennai for those looking for fresh innovations in interior sign solutions. “Applications of ACP sheets are abundant and one can play around with the materials a tremendous range of innovative display systems and designs,” says Vikas of Maharaja Marketing. He further mentions that Maharaja Marketing is now all set to bring any latest materials that would make new trend in the market.
Best Computer Signs & Stickers
Maker of vehicle graphics and name plates
Saffe Ismail
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Best Computer Signs & Stickers is merely a shop where installed proprietor runs a SkyWin cutting plotter to create a gamut of name plates in different designs and colours. “Our expertise is very much limited to making of vehicle number plates, interior directional signs, name plates and some glow signs; but when we are approached for a big hoarding or wall graphics project, surely, we tie-up with some of our partners (PSPs) based in the nearly localities till the end of our mission,” narrates Abdul Rahman, founder, Best Computer Signs & Stickers.
“Even some of our customers are from areas outside Tamil Nadu; once our customers get designed and prepared their vehicle number plates or stickers from us, it’s very mush sure that they will back to us, once in their lifetime, because they are satisfied with our jobs,” says Abdul proudly, adding that they choose best of materials, like LG, for customers looking for premium quality. In addition, Best Computer Signs & Stickers is known for its range of steel cut-letters as well.
Si Digital
New move of an old player
Saffe Ismail
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It has been more than 25 years since Si Digital first sprouted as sign maker in the city of Chennai. “It was just a sign shop in a different outlook, we were established in the year 1993 when there were not much about the modern technology upsurge we see today,” recalls Saffe Ismail. He mentions that JX Enterprises plays vital role in carving success pathway to digital large-format printing. The enterprise, which is one of the region’s leading suppliers of large-format printers, supplied a Gongzheng solvent printer to Si Digital with which the journey of the PSP unfolded. “Gongzheng is indeed a machine available in affordable price for quality prints,” he acclaims.
Si Digital has 12 branches all over Tamil Nadu—of them, four are in Chennai and eight are in other cities across the state, such as Guduvanchery, Erode, Madurai, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil, etc. “10 Gongzheng printers are installed in our four production facilities in Chennai; and 20 are running without wear and tear in the remaining eight branches,” explains Saffe Ismail, adding that it’s JX Enterprise whose products and service help them gain success. To handle the network of production facilities of the company, Si Digital has a team of 60 well-trained signage professionals, among them 30 are in Chennai and the rest in other facilities around the state.
In addition to the bunch of Gongzheng printers, the production facilities of Si Digital are equipped with other printers/machines for other applications, The other machines in the Chennai Facility of the company, located strategically on Thousand Light Road in Anna Salai, include HP Latex 360 and Roland VersaCAMM. The company is capable handle any sort of projects, starting from outdoor banners up to vehicle graphics, in-store display systems and others.
Angel Ads
Spreading footprints at pan-India level
Shanmuga Nathan T
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In terms of service they provide and products they deliver to clients based in any part of the country, Angel Ads is one such sign maker whose trait is different from what conventional firms do. “Unlike others working in conventional ways, we provide our customers a spectrum of sign making options and methods, out of which they can opt for the best and most relevant to them,” says Shanmuga Nathan T, founder of Angels Ads. He further narrates that the company’s production facility has to upgrade in accordance to changes in time and tradition of the industry.
The lineup of machines in the current machine portfolio of the company consist of an HP Latex L26500, BNZ Solvent Printer (with Konica Minolta printhead), Graphtec router cutter, a laser engraving machine and a wide-format laminator. And the company boasts of a strong team of 40 professionals, which include graphic designers and machine operators. “What we are seeing ahead as part of our expansion plan is to adopt some new high-end machines as long as extending our presence at a pan-India level,” mentions Shanmuga, adding that the adoption of a series of high-end machines will be on top priority.
So far, Angel Ads has been working with a number of leading corporate companies that are present strongly in Tamil Nadu, sometimes even outside the state too. To name the leading ones, the clientele consists of Johnson Tiles, D-Mobile, Videocon, Wipro and so on. Above all, Angel Ads is into event managements as well. In this venture, the company undertakes jobs related to stage fabrications, designing and the like, for which a team of 20 professionals has been deputed.
