PROFIT CENTRE
Vinyl wraps are increasing in popularity.
Should you offer them? By Jeff Sanford
Vinyl wraps can be seen on many high-end just a normal ass 458 now. All good,” vehicles these days. Tuner fans use them Zimmerman tweeted. Nissan, apparently to change a car’s colour instead of getting sensing some good publicity, stepped in a paint job. Businesses are using them to and offered Zimmerman one of its cars that brand their vehicles. Over the past few it said he was free to wrap. The trend is alive and well, according years the market for wraps has exploded. For anyone running a vehicle paint facility, to Jonathan Glen, owner of Canawrap it might make sense to ask: Is this a service I Imaging. He notes wraps are becoming ubiquitous in the aftermarket auto sector. need to offer? Those who offer the service can charge between $3,000 and $5,000 a job, so there can be money in offering wraps. Last year vinyl wraps grabbed a lot of attention when fabulously successful andfamous-amongmillennials Toronto DJ and producer Deamau5 had a Ferrari 458 wrapped in a baby blue vinyl featuring a cartoon cat that looked a bit like the famous Ferrari stallion logo. Deadmau5, real name Joel Zimmerman, A Mustang with a matte wrap. called the car the Purrari, and Photo courtesy of Canawrap Imaging. whenever he took it out photos began appearing immediately on social media. A Toronto company called Sekanskin did the wrap. But eventually “Over the last couple of years it’s become Ferrari headquarters got a whiff of what mainstream. You cannot go through was going on and sent Zimmerman a Motorama without seeing wrapped cease-and-desist letter. The Italian car vehicles. The wrap community is growing. maker demanded he switch the car back It’s hugely popular,” says Glen. When asked about the skills necessary to to its original colour and design, which Zimmerman did, but not before sending get into this line of work, Glen emphasized out some snarky tweets. “Whatever. It’s the graphic design side of the business.
Toronto DJ Deadmau5’s “Purrari,” wrapped by Sekanskin. Photo courtesy Sekanskin.
The largest segment of his current revenue comes from local businesses that want a vehicle branded with their logo. Producing that wrap then is not just about getting the wrap on the car, but involves producing the graphic design that goes on the wrap, and that’s a special set of skills. “My Dad owned a sign company. I was raised in the graphics industry,” says Glen. “This industry definitely comes from a graphics side.” Having someone on staff, or at least working freelance, who can produce graphics is something anyone wanting to get into this segment will have to consider. Considering the number of graphic designers graduating each year from college, there is a lot of talent available in this area. Going on to describe the nature of the market, Glen notes the other big chunk of his business are car owners into pure customization. Many clients don’t need graphics. They just want a colour change. “The advertising wraps are the big part of the business. The colour change wraps are more seasonal. Once the sun starts coming out again and people are outside, people are getting these wraps to make the car look sexy,” says Glen. “In most cases it’s people who have got their tuner car and are customizing that, getting the rims, having the suspension done, that kind of thing.” JUNE 2016 COLLISION REPAIR 43