PEOPLE IN PRINT
‘The Ghan’ train wrap by Signageworld recently won the ISA Sign Expo award
A recession-proof business in signage Having already produced some stellar signage and vehicle wrapping work in multiple states, Signageworld further discusses its growth plans
S
ignage and branding specialist Signageworld is a proudly South Australian family-owned company that designs, manufactures and installs all types of signage. The business launched only recently, in January 2021, with Derek Michalanney appointed as its managing director to lead the business. Having already produced some stellar signage and vehicle wrapping work in multiple states, AP spoke to Michalanney about the company’s projects and growth plans. Q: How did the business get into signage and vehicle wrapping? Derek Michalanney (DM): Signageworld is located in Regency Park, South Australia, and in its first 12 months, has already undertaken signage projects and installations in multiple states. All the design and printing work is done in the Adelaide workshop. The signage materials are then couriered interstate and installed by sub-contractors (where required) to Signageworld’s high quality finish. Local quotes, manufacturing and installation is undertaken by the Adelaide -based team. Vehicle wraps were always going to be a niche arm of the business, given that we
20 | AUSTRALIAN PRINTER JULY 2022
have many long-term customers that have supported me throughout my 30-plus year professional career. We also positioned our business premises in the commercial freighting hub of Adelaide – we call it ‘the Golden Triangle’ because it is central to the majority of our customer base. Our business premises needed to be able to cater for a range of vehicles, including oversized truck/trailers to be stored undercover during installation. Recently, we had a walking floor trailer delivered from interstate to be wrapped by us. However, we are more than just vehicle wrapping! Q: What have you had to do to steer change or challenges within the business, especially during COVID? DM: Signage is a recession-proof business i.e. if business is performing well, you may need to expand premises or your fleet, or you need new signage – so you need a signwriter. If business has a downturn, you may need to scale down your premises – so you need a signwriter. If you are quiet, you need to advertise – you need a signwriter. If you are busy if you have money to advertise – you need a signwriter. There is never going to be a perfect time to launch a business. As we began operating in January 2021, right before the COVID
pandemic hit, we were lucky to be able to trade normally the whole time because the South Australian government managed the pandemic response well for our industry. We took possession of our purpose-built workshop in July 2021 – the day before the whole state was forced into lockdown. That could have been an absolute disaster but we managed that challenge. We also put on a new staff member a month later based on the level of work we had – we weighed up the risks and this was the right decision. We made a conscious decision to manage our staff operations carefully to avoid being in isolation all at once as we didn’t want to risk having to stop production and let customers down. Q: What is the most memorable and unique project that Signageworld has worked on? DM: It has to be the ‘The Ghan’ train wrap. We knew that ‘The Ghan’ wrap was going to be a really special project and we were humbled to be entrusted to deliver the artist’s work to a worldwide audience. ‘The Ghan’ Expedition is a legendary train journey which intersects through the heart of Australia from Darwin to Adelaide. ‘The Ghan’ undertakes this return trip once a week.
SPRINTER.COM.AU