AUSSIE OUTFIT EASY SIGNS SETS UP NEW $2.8M US OPERATION

Sydney-based signage business Easy Signs is opening a manufacturing operation in the US, off the back of three years of successfully exporting to North America, factoring in an investment of $2.8m for the business.

The new plant is located in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. It is 6,700sqm floorspace, and will eventually have some 130 staff, almost double the number at Easy Signs’ south-west Sydney centre.

Hiring will begin this month for the new facility, for which the company anticipates a soft product launch in May and a full launch by July. Manufacturing technology will mirror the company’s Smeaton Grange centre. Operations manager Steph Talty is relocating to the US to manage the business start-up.

“We have spent 16 years building Easy Signs into a customer-centric, ultra-efficient manufacturing company,” said Andy Fryer, co-Founder of Easy Signs. “With a focus on technology and continual innovation, we knew it would one day be ready to launch into a much larger market such as the US. That day has now arrived and we are thrilled to be establishing in the Lehigh Valley.”

Fryer told Print21 that the site was chosen for its proximity to multiple large population centres, with New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Baltimore / Washington DC, and much of the rest of the densely populated east coast, all within delivery distance. Fryer said, “Rapid turnaround is part of our core proposition, the chosen site gives us that.”

Easy Signs has been exporting soft signage to the US for the past three years, marketing though its FabricSignGuys.com website. Fryer said, “That has given us a real platform into the US market, now we feel the time is right to establish Easy Signs manufacturing. The opportunities are large, because the population is so big, Easy Signs has carved out a great business in Australia thanks to our customer-centric focus, we aim to do the same over there.”

Fryer and his business partner Adam Parnell took over Easy Signs sixteen years ago when it was a one-man band, they were in the next door unit. They have grown the business ever since, and two years ago moved into their new factory, trebling floorspace to 8700sqm.

Fryer said, “Covid initially had a big impact on the business when it hit two years ago, but we have recovered since, and in fact in November we had a record month. It fell back a bit with Omicron in December and January, but is now recovering again and reaching those record levels. We anticipate the US business will be well received by the market, given it will have the same ethos as the Australian business.”

Easy Signs produces a mix of signage including soft signage, tear drops, fabric media walls, and the traditional range of corrugated, core flute, vinyl, decals, board, with a host of products, allied with instant online pricing and 24 hour turnaround.

The factory in LeHigh Valley is around 80 per cent the size of Smeaton Grange. Included in the equipment will be two Zund cutters, two HP R2000 latex printers, and two HP Stitch fabric printers, which mirror the Australian operation.

Easy Signs received a funding proposal from the DCED agency for a $225,000 Pennsylvania First grant, a $75,000 workforce development grant to help train workers, and a $1m loan through Pennsylvania Industrial Development Board. The company was also encouraged to apply for the department’s Manufacturing Tax Credit (MTC) programme.

“We look forward to creating a wide range of jobs for Pennsylvanians in the Lehigh Valley, and developing a facility and culture that allows people to enjoy coming to work each day,” Fryer said.

The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) assisted Easy Signs with the site selection process, hosting Frey and partner Adam Parnell in November for visits to several different locations in the Lehigh Valley on a tour with the Pennsylvania Office of International Business Development (OIBD).

“We’re pleased to welcome Easy Signs to the Lehigh Valley, and were glad to work with them to help identify sites and provide economic data about the region, said LVEDC President & CEO Don Cunningham. “Businesses from many countries have made the Lehigh Valley their home, and I’m sure Easy Signs will find the Lehigh Valley a perfect fit for its first US manufacturing operation.”

Fryer told Print21 the journey to establish a factory in the US was, "A lot of work, but we did receive good assistance."

Easy Signs is not alone in being an Australia company operating in the US sign and display market. Orora, which span out of Amcor several years ago, has a huge operation there, Orora Visual, which alongside Orora Packaging Solutions is part of its $2bn US business. Revenue at Orora Visual -  which only operates in the US - grew by 7.7 per cent in the last financial year. Orora launched a strategic review a year ago on whether to keep Orora Visual as part of its business, and decided at the end of that process that it would.