By Ed Avis
ADA signage is an important part of any building these days. People with vision problems rely on braille signage to successfully navigate spaces, and federal rules require that these signs be properly made and placed.
A lot of reprographics shops make all sorts of signage these days, but not very many make ADA signage because it requires special equipment. Or if they do offer it, it’s not produced in-house.
“We found out that a lot of IRgA members were getting this work, but they were farming it out,” says Rich Gigl, senior vice president of National/AZON. “So they’re losing a great percentage of the gross margin.”
Now Gigl reports that National/AZON has a solution – they have become distributors of equipment from Vision Engraving & Routing Systems that makes ADA-compliant braille signage, among other signs. National/AZON started carrying the equipment a couple of months ago.
The Vision systems create the braille signage by drilling small holes into a substrate and then placing a tiny sphere into the hole. The top half of the spheres remain above the surface, creating the “bumps” that make up the braille. (Watch the video above to see the system in action.)
Margins on these types of signs are substantial, Gigl says.
“In the studies I've done, margins vary between 70 and 150 percent,” Gigl says, explaining that this includes equipment, substrate and labor costs. “And it can be higher. One of the shops using the machine now is paying about $2.50 per sign and selling them for $8.”
On-site training on the equipment is provided by Vision and AZON. It usually takes one or two days, depending on the applications the user wants to perform. The software includes a number of templates for common signs.
“It takes a little time for an operator to learn the system,” Gigl says. “I would say a week or two of practice is required before the first job. But once they get on top of it, it's like riding a bike.”
The entry-level version of the system costs about $20,000, including freight and training. Gigl says the equipment is very reliable, so no service contract is required.
Of course, there are applications beyond braille signage. For example, the systems can engrave glass for decorative windows and doors; name tags and name plates; valve tags and other engineering-related tags; and just about any other application that calls for engraving.
But braille signage seems the most promising for reprographics shops, since they can sell it to their existing customer base.
“It’s a huge market,” Gigl says. “We've been walking past it in reprographics for years because we didn’t quite understand it. One of our customers who purchased one of these systems said that for years they were printing plans for architects, and they knew exactly what type of ADA signs and where the signs went in all these buildings, but they weren’t creating those signs. It’s like a hidden treasure.”
If you are interested in getting a demo of the system or learning more, visit www.azon.com/vision or call 248-808-6786.
“The feedback from reprographic shops has been extremely positive,” says Ron Zydonik, chief operating officer, Vision Engraving & Routing System, which is located in Arizona. “We’re excited to see this market expand as we get the word out.”