The Importance of Cross-Training

The Shop

By Adam Sumner

Throughout the years I have attended many trainings, not only for installation, but training to better understand rip software, design programs and service training for my printers. Now I have the honor of teaching installation training for 3M at Wrapix Academy in Burbank, California. I have been so blessed to relay information on install techniques I have learned over the years. But training for the standard print shop goes way past just installation. Over the years I have worn many hats from wannabe designer to production and installation. When you're a one-man operation to start you have to learn it all. Hiring a designer was hands down the best thing I had ever done. However, it was not soon after hiring my first designer, that I realized not just any designer will do everything you need. Some are used to web design or page layout and what we do is nothing like that. So it takes some due diligence to really make sure that the designer that you are employing is really making the most of their time each day. With today’s push of social media and websites, you will find most applicants who come looking for a job can’t seem to comprehend the world that we live in because it doesn’t live on a screen. From scale to file format templates and color.

designing for vehicle wraps is not a course offered in the traditional college curriculum. One of my mentors over the years, Jody Frego, recently started exactly that - a design program to teach designers exactly what our industry needs. With his decades of experience, Full Circle Wrap Training has 3 classes specifically designed around vehicle wrap design techniques. They offer classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced designers. His course will be part of the onboarding process for anyone looking for a position as a graphic designer at Wrapix.

But just understanding how to design a graphic on a computer is not enough, in my opinion. Designers need to have an understanding of installation. But that’s not because we want them in the install bays laying graphics each day. Working as a freelance installer for many years I can’t count the amount of times I have heard from the install team this design sucks. “You can’t read that!’ ’The text is getting cut off in the door seams!’ ‘Why would they put the overlap here?’” The list goes on and on. I have found that designers with an understanding of installation turn out better designs that will not only install better and faster but also give the customer a more striking graphic. Giving designers a better look at what it takes to turn their vision into a reality is key to producing the best result possible.

But you can’t stop there. Teach your installers about production so that they can see what it takes to put a hard stop to jobs in process and go back and reprint because they made a mistake. Let them see the complex skills required to match color on that panel because now it’s a different lot number, time of day and your (insert printer name) decided to hate you that afternoon. It does not matter the size of your company. From 3 employees to 100 the more that each person understands about what happens to that graphic from concept to finished product will greatly increase efficiency as well as team building.

I have taught many students over the years from seasoned installers to the YouTube certified installers, from designers to production managers and sales teams. It’s important that each person understands what they are all working towards. If the sales team sells a graphic on the wrong film that takes the installers 3 times longer to install the company loses. Have your sales team install different films so that they can see firsthand how recommending the correct product will set the job up for success on day one. If installers make mistakes and cause production to pause and reprint an already completed job the company loses. If designers don’t take into account how the film will stretch or what that logo or phone number will look like in that body line the company and customer lose.

It’s important to build up your team so that each person can lend a hand to someone else and they all understand the intricacies of their specific position. Cross-training your employees is key to success. By challenging your employees to emerge themselves into the industry and learn each aspect of the day-to-day process you will build a bulletproof team that flows well, works well, and performs at the highest level.

Adam Sumner Adam@wrapixacademy.com