Big Picture - September 2019 - 18

inside output

Allied
How to create strategic partnerships with outside companies to grow within
our industry. | by Craig Miller

O

BIG PICTURE

September 2019

ne thing I like about getting older: if you pay

attention, life teaches you valuable lessons.
When we started Pictographics in 1994 our
goal was to grow the business by taking on
new technologies, skills, and capabilities. Over
time, we accomplished our goal and became a totally
vertically integrated company. We adopted excellent design,
printing, fabrication, and installation capabilities. "Soup to
nuts," we were totally self-sufficient. We didn't need any
outside partners to do anything.
Then, one day, we were asked if we could print architectural safety glass. We figured out how to do it, but we didn't
have an autoclave or refrigerated storage for polyvinyl
butyral (the fruit-wrap-like laminate that holds layers of
safety glass together). It would be impossible to accomplish
without involving a specialized glass printer. It took two
failed attempts before we found a perfect partner. Between
us, we had a nice run of selling digitally printed safety glass
at very nice margins.
At about the same time, we landed a huge job printing
interior and exterior stadium graphics for the 2007 NBA
All-Star Game. We were a significant player in the fabric
dye sub market back then. It was especially nice because
there weren't too many of us. We had just completed an
80,000-square-foot dye sublimation project for the inside
of a stadium for the Fiesta Bowl and BCS National Championship. But doing the outside of the stadium was
a different animal.
When the first 5-meter digital printers came out, we
made a strategic decision not to ever buy one. We chose to
limit ourselves to 3.2-meter printing. One really shouldn't try
to wrap the outside of a large sports arena unless they have
5-meter printing and finishing capabilities.
One option was to tell the client we would take the interior
work, but suggest they find another vendor to produce the
exterior graphics.

CRAIG MILLER is a principal shareholder in Las Vegasbased Pictographics (pictographics.net) where he is also
director of military and law-enforcement projects.

18

There are three problems with this approach.
* First, it would have jeopardized our relationship with a

client. Plus, we had just successfully completed one of the
largest jobs in the company's history.
* Second, clients like to deal with one quote, one purchase
order, one invoice, and one vendor. The company that can do
it all has a much better chance of getting and keeping these
huge and profitable projects.
* Third, they would like to have one company responsible
for all of the event's color management. Sponsor and event
logos are important, and that is why God invented Pantone
"call outs."
The second option was to do what many companies do:
give the impression they're capable of producing it in-house
and actually subcontract printing and finishing on the
"down-low." We won't do that.
What we decided to do was bring the 5-meter producer's
president into the meeting with the event organizer and
introduce them as the print provider. Our commitment to the
event organizer was we would be responsible for site survey,
file setup, and color management. We guaranteed color
matching for all print production and we would conduct press
checks throughout off-site production.
The end result? We kept the contact. We were totally
transparent as to how and who was producing the totality of
the project. We marked up the 5-meter production to
compensate for us selling and managing the job. The


http://www.pictographics.net

Big Picture - September 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - September 2019

Big Picture - September 2019
Contents
Insight
Wide Angle
Upfront
Print Takes Over
Finishing Touch
R+D
Explorer
Big Picture - September 2019 - Intro
Big Picture - September 2019 - Big Picture - September 2019
Big Picture - September 2019 - Cover2
Big Picture - September 2019 - Contents
Big Picture - September 2019 - Insight
Big Picture - September 2019 - 3
Big Picture - September 2019 - Wide Angle
Big Picture - September 2019 - 5
Big Picture - September 2019 - 6
Big Picture - September 2019 - 7
Big Picture - September 2019 - Upfront
Big Picture - September 2019 - 9
Big Picture - September 2019 - 10
Big Picture - September 2019 - 11
Big Picture - September 2019 - 12
Big Picture - September 2019 - 13
Big Picture - September 2019 - 14
Big Picture - September 2019 - 15
Big Picture - September 2019 - 16
Big Picture - September 2019 - 17
Big Picture - September 2019 - 18
Big Picture - September 2019 - 19
Big Picture - September 2019 - 20
Big Picture - September 2019 - 21
Big Picture - September 2019 - Print Takes Over
Big Picture - September 2019 - 23
Big Picture - September 2019 - 24
Big Picture - September 2019 - 25
Big Picture - September 2019 - 26
Big Picture - September 2019 - 27
Big Picture - September 2019 - 28
Big Picture - September 2019 - 29
Big Picture - September 2019 - Finishing Touch
Big Picture - September 2019 - 31
Big Picture - September 2019 - 32
Big Picture - September 2019 - 33
Big Picture - September 2019 - 34
Big Picture - September 2019 - 35
Big Picture - September 2019 - R+D
Big Picture - September 2019 - 37
Big Picture - September 2019 - 38
Big Picture - September 2019 - 39
Big Picture - September 2019 - 40
Big Picture - September 2019 - 41
Big Picture - September 2019 - 42
Big Picture - September 2019 - 43
Big Picture - September 2019 - Explorer
Big Picture - September 2019 - Cover3
Big Picture - September 2019 - Cover4
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