Sharpe Safety Solutions Traveling Roadshow with 3M
By Ed Avis
Many reprographics shops are looking for new services to offer their existing customers. Sharpe Images, an IRgA member in North Carolina, found a good one: Offering safety equipment and services.
“We offer standard PPE (personal protective equipment) and safety supplies, everything from hard hats, vests, and gloves to gas monitors,” says Zane Sharpe, vice president of Sharpe Images and Sharpe Safety Solutions. “It’s a growing part of our business.”
Sharpe launched the new business line in 2014. The company was already providing construction documents and safety signage, so it seemed like a good fit, Sharpe says. They hired a salesman and took off. The division now employs six people.
Testing Gloves
Last summer the company expanded with the addition of a service that tests rubber gloves.
“One of our larger clients is an electrical contractor with a large utility division,” Sharpe says. “By law the rubber gloves that the linemen use when they’re working on power lines have to be tested at least twice a year. We found a company with rubber testing equipment that was selling its assets, so we bought it. The equipment – it’s called dielectric equipment – runs an electric current through water, and when you dip the glove into the water, you get a green light for pass or a red light if there are any holes or defects in the glove.”
Sharpe says the glove testing service has opened new potential markets, such as the military. “There are only three companies in the state certified to do these tests, and we are the only one in the eastern part of the state,” Sharpe says.
Tight Competition
Sharpe has been marketing the safety services primarily through direct sales calls on existing clients of their document management services, and other likely customers. They also recently co-sponsored a safety “road show” that was put on by 3M and highlighted various new fall-protection equipment.
To facilitate sales, Sharpe sets up a customizable web “store front” for clients who allow their employees to order directly. The client administration can set budgets and buying criteria, making it a convenient tool for owners.
The marketing efforts have paid off, but competition is tough. Sharpe says it’s been “eye opening” to learn how many businesses offer safety equipment. That level of competition means prices – and margins – are low.
“Anyone getting into this business has to be prepared for a longer sales process and be comfortable with tighter margins,” he says. “The margins are even tighter than with document imaging. But the thing we realized is that everyone in these industries needs safety equipment; it’s very important to them.”