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Lectra

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Customer stories

Colorwave Graphics: Improving agility and speed for the new era of signage.

After the 2008/2009 financial crisis, Colorwave began to expand their business by working directly with end users, specifically mid- to large-sized manufacturing and aerospace companies.

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Colorwave Graphics opened their doors in 2002 in the basement of owner and Director of Creative Solutions, Mike Lombardo. What started as a three-person team quickly became a trusted signage company that does work with design agencies, ad firms and traditional printing companies. After the 2008/2009 financial crisis, Colorwave began to expand their business by working directly with end users, specifically mid- to large-sized manufacturing and aerospace companies.  

 

The challenge:

As Colorwave Graphics began to grow and take on a wider variety of jobs. They saw an increase in custom requests for dimensional and irregular shaped signage. With the increase in demand, Colorwave Graphics began to outsource much of their work because they didn’t have the versatility or capacity to handle such diverse projects. In addition, when COVID-19 began to spread, Colorwave was tasked with producing social distancing solutions and hygiene protection. In order for Colorwave Graphics to quickly and efficiently produce high quality products, they needed to streamline their process by leveraging advanced technology. 

 

The solution:

When Colorwave integrated the Gerber MCT Cutter into their supply chain they saw an immediate improvement in their process. With the ability to run multiple projects all at once with unique cutting and routing processes, Colorwave was able to drastically increase throughput and easily handle a more diverse set of jobs. Additionally, Colorwave is able to save time and reduce operator error by saving cutting parameters for each job. With the Gerber MCT Cutter, Colorwave was able to create 800 24 in. x 80 in. banners in just four hours. Each banner took 20 seconds to cut out, which normally would have taken their team 40+ hours to cut out by hand.

To do their part to help stop the spread of COVID-19, Colorwave leveraged their MCT Cutter to develop signage for social distancing, sneeze guards and even a temporary hospital bed made from 100% recyclable material. The Gerber MCT made their transition to PPE production quick and efficient, allowing them to easily keep up with the growing demand.

Colorwave also leveraged Gerber’s advanced, remote service and support solutions to optimize their supply chain even further. Gerber professionals were able to remotely tap into their TigerVision™ software to resolve complex issues and get them back up and running within minute.

 

Key benefits:

  • Able to produce and cut 800 24 in. x 80 in. banners in just four hours rather than 40 hours
  • Increased capacity for jobs, allowing them to take on more custom requests
  • Efficiently transitioned to producing PPE
  • Improved versatility which allows them to take on more diverse jobs
  • Reduced human error and time to market
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