Brisbane wide format printer SS Signs has emerged victorious in the Queensland leg of the ASGA Wrap Masters National Challenge, beating out cross-town rivals and prniters from Townsville to book a place in September’s grand final.
The team led by owner Steve Lambourne was the first team to wrap an entire car with printed film, with a knockout time of just under three hours, beating nearest challenger, fellow Brisbane firm Fleetwrite, by more than 30 minutes.
ASGA general manager and competition organiser Michael Punch says all four teams, including Brisbane printer Bega Designs and Townsville challenger The Digimen, finished well inside the 4.5 hour time limit, in front of a crowd of more than 30 people at Visual Impact Brisbane.
“Just as with the three 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.
“Visitors watched in awe as these skilled tradespersons went about their work with hardly a break. Some young sign making apprentices were there too and no doubt their career options were given real motivation.”
[Related: Previous Wrap Masters coverage]
Lambourne says his team focused on speed and accepted a few time penalties for mistakes as it put distance between itself and the competition.
“Speed is what did it for us, we figured going for that was more likely to get us over the line,” he says.
“We expect to drop our time by at least 20 minutes for the final. I’m not sure what the competition is like but we feel pretty good about our abilities.
“It was also good for business, we met a few people at the event and got to show off our skills. It was a good experience for us, something a little different.”
SS Signs prints small stickers, full car wraps, custom prints for fleet vehicles, light boxes, 3D extruding signs, and LED billboards with a HP Latex 280 and a HP Latex 260.
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.
[Related: More wide format news]
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter