Signarama’s Joondalup franchise has emerged victorious in the WA leg of the ASGA Wrap Masters National Challenge, booking a place in September’s grand final.
The team led by production manager Shane Craig was the first team to wrap an entire car with printed film, in what was the closest finish to date over fellow Perth wide format firm SignBiz WA led by Ben Abbott.
ASGA general manager and competition organiser Michael Punch says the contest was well-fought.
“The Signarama team began the wrap from front and rear ends of the Falcon XR-6 whilst SignBiz started with the side panels and finished off strongly with front and rear applications,” he says.
“It was a nervous time for the spectators as they awaited the judges' decision.
“Just as with the four previous state finals, the friendly rivalry as well as competence with this specialised work within our signage industry was there for all to see,” he says.
[Related: Previous Wrap Masters coverage]
Craig says his team, consisting of himself, Jaimie Foster and Ross Torpy, felt the adrenalin pumping in the close finish.
“It was pretty intense, you don’t really know just how close it is because of the penalties, so you just have to power through and keep your quality and speed in mind,” he says.
Craig says his team focused on speed to win the day but it was an adjustment from day-to-day work as they couldn’t live up to their usual production quality.
“You can’t just throw the wraps at the car, but you hate to leave a fault in the wrap just sitting there, but neither do you have the time luxury as in the workshop. You have to adjust your whole mindset,” he says.
“I think we will need to lift our game by about an hour to compete with the boys over east in the final.”
Signarama Joondalup mostly prints signs, wraps and other wide format products on HP Latex 25 500 and 26 500s.
Wrap Masters major sponsor 3M will provide Controltac Graphic Film IJ180Cv3 matched with Scotchcal Gloss Overlaminate 8518 for use by all competitors in the series.
Business manager Elon Goldbery says: “3M IJ180Cv3 is the ideal film for use in the competition, as it enables competing wrap technicians to create the best possible job in the shortest amount of time.”
"It can also deliver the same benefits in their daily work – where customers demand superior results, and time savings translate to real profits."
The national champions will take home a Roland DG SolJet PRO4 XR-640, plus bragging rights, following the grand final at the Visual Impact Expo on September 12-14.
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