Today’s sign makers work with much better and more expensive equipment than our predecessors would have even considered 40 or 50 years ago. Back then, other than a boom truck or crane, a commercial sign shop probably had less equipment than a local cabinet shop and did a great amount of the work by hand.

相比40年或50年以前，今天的标识专业人员在制作标识时会考虑更多方面，例如设备。 过去，除了吊臂式起重机之外，商业标识商店的设备相当少，手工技术占据了大量的工作。

There were no printers, plotters, lasers, routers and so forth, but instead we had work tables and easels, plus basic welding and wood working tools. But now we have an amazing amount of technology to assist us in what we do.

以前的标识商店没有打印机、绘图仪、激光器、切割机以及雕刻机等这些设备，只有工作台和画架，加上基本的焊接和工具。而现在，他们有相当多的高新设备和技术，可以创造出客户所需求的各种个性化标识。

However, no sign company can afford to have every piece of equipment that would be useful in sign making because the cost cannot be justified and it would take too much space even if cost wasn’t an issue. That does not necessarily imply limitations, as in most medium-sized or larger markets there are plenty of local industrial service providers who can bridge the gaps and let us do just about anything our clients might want us provide.

然而，很少有一家标识公司能够承担制作标识的所有设备，因为设备的成本很高，即使成本不是问题，也需要足够的空间去放置它们。当然，这并不一定就意味着限制了标识服务商的发展，因为在大多数中等规模或更大的市场中，有很多标识供应商可以为服务商提供设备，促使他们完成相应的业务。

I have been running a small commercial sign shop for over 40 years, but I am fortunate to be a partner with my two sons in owning and operating another business that offers industrial services that most sign companies would not do in-house, including CNC waterjet, plasma and router cutting services, as well as press brake work, powder coating, sand blasting, roll forming, and various fabrication services.

40多年来，Peter一直在经营一家小型商业标识商店，他很幸运地成为他两个儿子的合作伙伴，此外，他们还经营一家提供标识服务的企业。大多数标识公司都不会在内部开展业务，包括数控等离子切割服务，以及粉末喷涂、喷砂、成型和各种制造服务。

That doesn’t mean that we have any real edge on our local competition, though, as any local commercial sign company can avail themselves of all these services, through our sister company or through other reliable local vendors geared to offering these heavy duty services at reasonable prices.

当然，这种模式并不意味着他们在本地标识商店的竞争中有什么优势，不过，任何本地商业标识公司都可以通过他们的子公司或可靠的本地供应商来提供这些服务。

Sign companies do themselves a service to become educated on what is locally available and establish a relationship with providers that are in business to serve as subcontractors for all kinds of either high-tech or heavy duty work, which may beunreasonable for a commercial sign shop to do in house.

在重型业务上，标识服务商应该要与标识供应商建立关系，供应商作为各种高技术或重型工作的分包商，能有效地帮助服务商完成重型工作，这种合作模式相比一些只进行内部业务的标识商店来说有很大区别。

No business of any type will be able to justify owning every piece of equipment that on occasion might be needed. So knowing what is right around the corner, or even across town from one’s location is a very good thing. And developing a relationship with one or more service providers who can do some of the heavy lifting is always a considerable asset.

任何一种类型的业务都无法证明在制作标识前会具体要用到哪种类型的设备和工具，因此，标识服务商要准备多种解决方案，最好的是能与一个或多个供应商建立关系，可以做一些繁重的工作，达到一个可观的回报。

The keys to getting your work done on time and at a fair price are simple: make sure you do your homework, providing the specifications or computer files that help the vendor get right to work, and always pay for what you get promptly. There’s no rocket science here.

标识服务商能按时完成重型工作，并获得一个公平合理的价钱，除了与可靠的供应商合作以外，另一个关键是：在制作标识前确保做好功课，提供产品相应的规格或计算机文件，帮助供应商进行正确的工作，并且按时获得回款。

As our start-up industrial services company has grown -- and such growth can be painful and costly -- we’ve upgraded some machines and purchased others in order to provide the services our clients want under one roof. Our sign shop enjoys the relationship, but it isn’t exclusive by any means.

随着Peter公司业务不断在盈利，同时也为公司带了一些很大的挑战，公司将面临转型。他们开始将旧设备进行升级，购买新的设备，以便为客户提供更多服务。不同标识商店经营的模式不同，但他们并不排斥任何经营方式。

Because one or more of our best clients wanted work to be formed or bent in a press brake, to go with the CNC cutting and powder coating, we recently bought a brand new 12AccurPress press brake, and a used roll forming machine. The press brake is serious equipment, really getting out the big guns. And you know your freight charge isn’t going to be cheap when what you’ve bought is the only thing on its own 18-wheeler.

随着数控切割和粉末涂装技术的广泛应用，可以直接在压力机上对图形做弯曲工作，应对客户的需求，Peter他们公司最近购买了一台全新的12AccurPress压力机和一台二手辊成型机。压力机是制作标识过程中很重要的设备，有了这台机器，为公司带来了更多的盈利。

A press brake, with the right tooling, can be used to bend or form just about anything using any type of metal, often for industrial purposes but for sign work too. Fortunately our clients, far more than anything we need to have done, made this make sense. But, whether press brake or waterjet, if one looks around there are likely to be several places within a short drive that can provide these services readily.

正确使用压力机可以弯曲任何类型的金属物，这一操作通常用于工业，同时也用于标识制作中。但无论是制动器还是水刀，都能在短时间内可以轻松处理一些问题，为客户更好地服务。

While many commercial sign shops may have a sheet metal brake, limits are quickly reached when the thickness of aluminum gets over 0.80 in thickness and for steel the limits are even less. But a typical industrial press brake can make accurate and true bends in metals much thicker and more structural, and with more uniformity and angle accuracy.

虽然许多商业标识服务商可能有钣金设备，但是，当铝的厚度超过0.80mm，并且钢的厚度甚至更薄时，操作的速度就会有一定的限制。而典型的工业折弯机可以使金属的真实的弯曲度变得更结构化、更均匀，角度变得更加精准。

Though CNC routers are great, and really fit well in a commercial sign shop, waterjets are another heavy duty piece of equipment that has many uses for sign making, and they can cut all types of materials with great precision, from sheet metal to granite, stainless steel to glass. So it is good to know where that type of cutting service is available.

在商业标识制作中有很多重型设备，高压喷水枪就是其中一种。很多用于标牌制作的重型设备，可以精密地切割不同类型的材料，例如金属板、花岗岩、不锈钢和玻璃等，不同的切割服务用的重型设备是不同的。

As far as cutting goes, a sign maker should also never waste his time making low-precision structural parts, like base plates, gussets, and steel parts of most any kind, when a CNC plasma table can cut them at very fast and at reasonable cost. After hitting the limits of our first low end plasma table, we opted for a 6’ x 12’ German made Messer plasma table with a 400 amp torch that will cut 2” thick steel plate with ease. But, with the right settings and consumables it will cut stainless steel and aluminum sheet well enough for most sign projects and much faster and less expensive than waterjet cutting. Take note though, not all plasma tables are created equal and a really good one is going to provide quality and capacity that a cheaper one can’t.

就切割而言，即使CNC等离子平台可以非常快速地切割材料，标牌制造商也不应该浪费时间和成本制作低精度的结构部件。当Peter他们公司的第一台低端等离子电表已经达到了极限后，他们换成了一台6”x 12”的德国梅赛尔等离子台，这款机器配有400安培的手电筒，可轻松切割2cm厚的钢板，通过正确的设置，还能切割不锈钢和铝板，可以满足大多数标识项目的制作，并且比水刀切割速度更快，成本更便宜。但值得注意的是，并不是所有等离子表都是一样的，成本高的提供的质量肯定是不一样的。当他们换了新的设备以后，大幅度减少了重型工作的压力和阻碍。

A very helpful industrial service that sign makers need to avail themselves of is powder coating, a baked on dry painting method that is an ideal finish for metal parts of all kinds, and especially aluminum sign faces, letters and logos. Structural sign parts, base plates, sign poles, sign frames and hardware are best finished using this method as well, and if a local provider offers this service he will often cost no more to use than the cost of prepping and painting everything in-house.

另外，标牌制造商需要使用合适的粉末涂料和烘干法，它们是各种金属部件的理想表面处理剂，特别是铝质标识。此外，结构部件、底板、标志杆、标志框和五金件的处理也需要使用适当的方法进行处理，如果本地供应商提供相应的服务，标识服务商往往不会需要花费更多的时间来制作和绘制制作的内容。

If there is a reliable powder coating service nearby, it would be a benefit to any sign maker to have a good working relationship with that company. The sign maker will be able to provide better quality work to his clients, and eliminate some of the challenges of doing a good and eco-friendly job of coating his unpainted parts, while he goes on with other important aspects of his commercial sign business.

如果一个标识服务商附近有提供粉末涂料服务的公司，将有利于标识服务商与该公司建立良好的合作关系，从而能够为客户提供更佳质量的工作，并减少未涂漆部件将会出现的一些问题。

The bottom line is that being aware of and using local industrial service providers -- who have equipment and capabilities that a commercial sign shop is very unlikely and impractical to have -- opens up opportunities and solves problems for the sign maker that benefit his business in a number of ways. Some diligent investigation and deliberate relationship building can give him an edge over the competition and greatly lesson the times he has to say “no” to his clients and potential clients… a win-win situation that can make life easier and improve a shop’s bottom line.

一个标识服务商拥有全套设备是不切实际的，与可靠的供应商合作能为标识服务商有效地解决业务上的一些问题，并能开辟一些新的发展机会，此外，良好的关系建设可以让一家标识服务商在竞争中脱颖而出，有效地避免对客户或潜在客户说“不”的双重局面。