Fastsigns Leeds and Fastsigns Manchester have both been awarded the Idealliance qualification over the past few weeks, joining the Hammersmith centre, which became the first of the global company’s UK centres to gain the qualification last summer.
The qualification encompasses a set of best practices for achieving grey balance and visual similarity across all print processes. Taking six weeks to complete, the award is valid for 12 months, after which time each centre would need to repeat the process to retain the qualification.
Fastsigns Manchester has recently invested in a Canon Océ Arizona UV flatbed printer and a Roland VersaExpress RF-640 roll-to-roll printer, representing a £500,000 investment.
Owner of the centre Richard Wedgwood said: “Within seven years of opening, we have become one of the highest volume Fastsigns centres in the UK. This qualification provides independent confirmation of our dedication to providing outstanding quality print services.”
Fastsigns UK marketing manager Hannah Evans said other centres across the country are currently in the process of becoming accredited under the scheme.
“This accreditation means that our printing is correct to colour so there’s no variance. If a customer comes in and mentions a specific Pantone, we can deliver that, and we know that we’re printing to the quality and standard that the customer requires,” she said.
“It also provides our customers with reassurance that what they’ve requested is what they’re going to get. We just think it’s really relevant for our centres to have because signage is a big investment for many businesses and if we can provide that assurance in advance of printing, people will perhaps feel more comfortable with the size of the purchase they’re making.”
Fastsigns UK said it is on course to deliver its three-year plan for new franchised outlet growth, with six new franchisees set to be signed during 2018.
While no new centres have been confirmed as yet, Evans said: “We have a very robust lead generation and lead nurture programme in place, which we have developed a new website for. We’re going to be pushing a lot of information out to generate interest in our franchise. Our target for the year is six and we are very confident that we are going to hit that in 2018.
“People don’t necessarily need experience in the sign industry [to become a franchisee] because we offer a very intense and robust training system that allows them to be successful in a new Fastsigns centre.”
The new franchisees will join 20 existing centres across the UK and follow in the footsteps of branches in Leicester, Maidstone and Canterbury, which opened in 2017.
