Computaleta: the original wide format disrupter
P
icture, in your mind, the early 1980s. Signwriter Noel Morrison, working in his studio one Sunday morning, writes small agricultural signs on the wall. The Christchurch Show takes place the following weekend, and he must have the signs out on time. Each sign has 600 letters on it, and he will work around the clock, chalking up hours behind the brush, to finish the job. Each perfectly formed letter requires the skill that a craftsman has honed since he was 13 years old. However, those 600 letters that take five hours to produce only carry a value of $20 to the customer. Noel misses out on time with his family that weekend, and he thinks, ‘Thanks for nothing. There has to be a better way’. But he did not just dream of a better way to create signage; he found it. The year was 1981, and within a short timeframe, he had bought the first computer and vinyl cut plotter in New Zealand. The speed at which he could produce those signs changed overnight. The agricultural sign with 600 letters now only took 20 minutes to create. Yet he still made $20. Profitability soared and deadlines could be met. He could achieve more work with less labour. This was his 'blue sky' moment. Arlette Farland, Noel’s daughter and director at Computaleta, continues the story, “To start, he cut vinyl letters for other sign companies. This is how we got our unusual name, Computa Leta. But it didn't take long before we had sold those same companies their own machines and built our distribution business." Almost 40 years on since Compuleta’s inception, she sees the industry going through a period of “profound change”. She says, “Markets are merging, margins are reducing, costs are increasing, competition is fierce, and everyday business is changing at a lightning pace.
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Computaleta changed the way signage was made and built a Kiwi business
December 2020/January 2021
suppliers within our markets are now offering a wide range of products across a diverse range of contrasting audiences. However, we do all have one thing in common, and that is, we are all experts in visual graphics.”
Business is personal
Legacy: Arlette Farland, director at Computaleta “Technology is reshaping our economic, social, cultural and individual lives, and it will reshape our industry as customers demand more customisation, connectivity, convenience, content, curation and choice. “We face several challenges: • How do we provide what people want today with an eye on what they are going to want tomorrow? • How do we make our current business more resilient while developing that future growth engine? • What might the next 'blue sky' moment look like? “We know that signs and graphics have been merging with complementary markets for several years now. It is a grey line between signage, graphics, commercial print, garment, offset, interiors and architectural, automotive restyling and window films. “Print and signage companies in the traditional sense are selecting some of these markets to be their secondary focus. The distance between one to the other is closing, and distributors and
Over four decades, Computaleta has served the New Zealand market with a range of solutions for the wide format market. As a family-owned company, it has developed and maintained a philosophy grounded in the importance of relationships with clients and suppliers. Farland says, “We have all heard the saying, ‘It’s not personal, it's business’. But we don’t see it that way at Computaleta. “Business is personal. You can't approach anything with passion and purpose without it being personal. We also believe that no one does it better when you have skin in the game. As business owners, when you are driven by the legacy that has gone before you, and the future you are creating for those you love.” With five branches nationwide, Computaleta goes from strength to strength, a 100 per cent New Zealandowned business. It supplies widely respected brands such as 3M, Arlon, Hexis and Image Perfect, Samsung in the digital solutions space, as well as its own brand, Perfect Match. To complement this mix Computaleta has just inked an agreement to supply HP wide format printers in New Zealand. Farland says, “In a sense, the opportunity to supply HP hardware brings us full circle to the creation of Computaleta when Dad had his ‘blue sky moment. HP manufactures a range of printers that cover the full spectrum of wide format production. “We look forward to talking to you about how we can help your business meet the challenges of today and the future.”
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