Signs of the times

Graphix Advantage CEO Ronald Aqui doesn’t want to re-invent the advertising wheel but he’d be happy if he could just steer it his way. Eight months ago, he took over the 12-year-old company and has put the signage industry on notice. His mandate it is to win new clients and arguably has put Graphix on the top of the signage heap. These billboards have become the rave of the advertising world. You pass them, these tall, eye- catching gigantic signs with the messages of companies splashed across them. Political parties have used them to sway voters, alcohol manufacturers, newspapers, automobile companies entice customers, and even condom manufacturers use them to get their messages across. The flashier and more colourful it is, goes the argument, the more likely the chance it will get  motorists’ attention. Graphix left its imprint after it completed its first big job for SM Jaleel in 1996. That billboard introduced the soft drink manufacturer’s breakthrough product, Chubby. Apart from being the largest size of billboard around at that time, it was a multi-panel job which involved printing separate panels and getting the colours on each, to match up to form the billboard. “Graphix revolutionized this industry,” said Aqui.

Businesses have since realised that signage is a crucial advertising medium. This is evident from the multitude of billboards sprouting up over the TT. “With television and radio being what it is today, compared to ten years ago when there was only a handful of stations and channels, a cluster was created within those mediums. As a result this has forced companies to revert to direct point of purchase (POP) advertising, hence the revolution of signage,” said Aqui. Founded in 1991 as a Screen — Printing and Computer Vinyl Signage Company, Graphix started as a small printing operation and has since outgrown three locations and now operates froma massive building on the Caroni Savannah Road, Chaguanas. Now, the company has one of the largest facilities in Trinidad with 8,000 square ft of floor space, state of the art high-tech machinery, the highest resolution in digital printing with a Dot per Inch (DPI) of 600.  This translates into a company extremely equipped to handle any type of printing a client may need. With continuous invesment in high-tech equipment and an aggressive marketing thrust, Graphix has since taken a foothold in the market. It has since grown into one of the largest, most prestigious companies within the signage industry and setting trends for smaller companies to follow.

Acqui is no newcomer. He got his start working in the clerical department at the Central Bank, after which he decided to open a contracting firm. He has handled the distribution for Bermudez in Tobago and contracting for Associated Brands, specifically Devon. His last position was in sales and marketing at Lever Brothers WI Ltd. This Fatima student, who was once captain of the San Juan Jahbloteh football team in the early 1990’s, has an MBA from Lincoln University, which was done  through the School of Accounting and Management.
Now as the man at Graphix helm, he is busy plotting a course to take the company forward. The company currently specializes in identification signage, department signage, safety signs, banners and stage backdrops, self adhesive logos, printed cover-all, point-of-sale and window displays and billboards. A feather in Graphix’s cap is its membership in Screen Printing International Association in the US, where it forms part of a committee that sets world standards. “To judge screen printing jobs from all over the world, tells us we have achieved something big. We have reached a standard that makes the association feel we are world class,” said Aqui, in an interview at company’s offices in Chaguanas.

Aqui also said that being part of this international body allows Gaphix to critique its own work. Currently, Graphix has a client base that probably makes their competitors cringe : Shell Trinidad Ltd, Texaco Trinidad, National Petroleum Marketing Company, SM Jaleel, Kiss Baking Company and KFC, among others. The company’s most recent coup was bpTT’s account. “I cannot give out all my business secrets,” Aqui  said,” when asked how the company was able to lure such a prestigious bunch. “My long term goal for the company is to acquire clients within every major industry in Trinidad. I think we are already on that track with our current clients.” “I want to put our house in order, especially with staffing and technology. We are on a drive to grow but we are going carefully,” said Aqui. Some of the company’s most recognisable work  includes the menu boards and static cling stickers for KFC (since 1991) and the new bpTT building with indoor and outdoor murals as well as banners in Albion Plaza, Queen’s Park Savannah and Rexona billboards for Lever Bros on the East West Corridor and Uriah Butler Highway. Graphix currently employs 20 people with different printing backgrounds. As part of his short term strategy for Graphix, Aqui wants to ensure that the company’s relationships with the advertising agencies remain strong. Reputable local advertising agencies include McCann Erickson, Lonsdale Saatchi and Saatchi, Ross Advertising, CMB Advertising, Publicis and Go Graphics. He said Graphix cannot hope to break new ground with new jobs and grow as a company if it cannot maintain close ties with these agencies.

To keep the edge, Aqui said the company recently introduced display racks, an offshoot of in store advertising many companies rely on to boost sales, especially in groceries and pharmacies. Already Sedal and Rexona have sighed on. “We see this as a new opportunity for Graphix,” said Aqui. While digital printing offers strong competition and may have changed the signage landscape, Aqui is unperturbed. With three modes of printing in its arsenal - digital and computer vinyl cutting, the company, he said, can compete on any level in the market. Competitors in the printing industry include DigiSigns Ltd in Trincity, Dk Print Shop in Cocoyea and Island in the Sun, in Diego Martin. “What people need to realize”, said Aqui, “is that when it comes to this industry there is enough business to go around,” noting that companies in TT will have their own preferences. What he is not prepared to do is sacrifice quality for price. “If we charge $2 more than our competitors, we know our clients realise that the extra $2 allows for better quality.” On the illegal billboards that some companies have put along the highways, Aqui agrees that there should be tighter regulation. “It must be pleasing to the eye, not an eye sore, so I am very much in favor of regulation within the industry,” said Aqui. The end result, he said, is a company’s advertising message may be lost in the clutter of billboards.