who can supply vinyl in 1 metre orders?

[Gareth.Lewis]

I think Hexis do on some of their range. Tel 01543 411221

Cheers,

Gareth

[Richard Urquhart]

Most vinyl suppliers supply in 5meter amounts, your better off if you know another sign maker near you and see if they have a meter of each colour

rich

[Bruno Raworth]

Robert Horne do for most Avery vinyls…but you’ll still get a 15 quid delivery charge!! 😕

[Garrie]

quote Richard Urquhart:

Most vinyl suppliers supply in 5meter amounts, your better off if you know another sign maker near you and see if they have a meter of each colour

rich

I’d feel cheeky asking another sign maker, is that acceptable to do (?)

Thanks for the replies 😀

[Richard Urquhart]

I help other sign makers well ones that i know would help me
John Harding from the boards popped in today for a meter of reflective I’m sure you could post on here any sign maker near you that would be willing to help
rich

[Matt Hards]

hexis def do 1 metres, i sometimes have to get the odd piece of abnormal vinyl. lol

[Lee Ballard]

Both hexis and Metamark do 1m lengths from memory off hand.

[Dave Bruce]

Garrie I have a couple of pinks in and browns so let me know what the colours are (Oracal/Mactac) and I will send some to you.

Cheers

Dave

[Shane Drew]

quote Garrie:

Are there any Vinyl suppliers that will just supply 1metre of Vinyl per colour?

Cheers
Garrie

interesting question. All our suppliers in oz will send a metre of anything, to anywhere. Its our minimum buy here. Are you saying that you have to buy bigger lengths as a minimum?

Good reason to have an ‘offcuts’ bin I’d say. 😛 My offcuts bin saves my day… almost daily 😉

[Richard Urquhart]

I don’t think its unfair to have say a 5 meter min order, just imagine loads of 1 meter lengths it would take suppliers ages to do and then put in a box and send out

5 meters of vinyl less than £10 i know you may lose on one job but then its in stock there are not that many colours your never use again

[Lynn Normington]

Cherwell don’t have a 5meter minimum, but I wouldn’t have the front just to order 1 meter I always make sure if I need an odd meter in an odd colour, the order is made up to make it worth while to deliver.
Garrie I actually have some baby pink and brown, but a bit far away from you, and yes I do think it is acceptable to ask a local sign maker for help, we have been asked in the past, and if it’s possible no problem.

Lynn

[John Harding]

quote :

John Harding from the boards popped in today for a meter of reflective

yeah and Rich repaired my wing mirror last week – he’s a good lad – thanks m8 :thumbup2:

but yes garrie we swap vinyls and most signmakers – especially the ones on here I think will help you out.

John

[Richard Urquhart]

John i like the LAD bit as i have been feeling old
looking forward to my sunny holiday on the 18th of this month
sorry another hijack

rich

[Richard Urquhart]

oh sorry got to add John did teach me something new today !!! 10 squares to a meter thanks John

rich put the tape away !!!!

[Chris Wool]

spandex will do 1 mt of most things pay a bit extra thou but handy sometimes.

chris

[Michael Potter]

Funny what we all get used to as the normal.as Shane said all our suppliers in Aus. supply in 1 meter units if you have ordered several colours they usually roll all onto the one cylinder but non off us think its odd.we would probably think it odd if we had 5 meters as a minimum order.
Spandex here supply us in 1 meter so try them.

[Jim McManus]

Gary, I also have brown ( brown courtesy chocolate fountain warehouse )and baby pink in stock ( pink courtesy of the recent playboy nonsense ). I am in Fife, would be happy to help mate.

Just let me know if I can help.

jim

[Shane Drew]

quote michael potter:

Funny what we all get used to as the normal.as Shane said all our suppliers in Aus. supply in 1 meter units if you have ordered several colours they usually roll all onto the one cylinder but non off us think its odd.we would probably think it odd if we had 5 meters as a minimum order.
Spandex here supply us in 1 meter so try them.

:lol1: my thoughts too. I actually do think it odd to have a 5 metre minimum frankly. 😕

[Nigel Pugh]

Shane we used to do normal vinyls in 1 ,2,3 or 4 metre lengths but had to change to the 5mtr lengths minimum due to the enormous amounts of offcuts we now have in stock.

For the record, Garrie if we have offcuts in stock below 5mtrs in length, we will sell at a 50% discount rate than our normal rrp.

Nigel

[John Childs]

quote Shane Drew:

my thoughts too. I actually do think it odd to have a 5 metre minimum frankly. 😕

I don’t think it unreasonable to have a 5 metre minimum.

We like to think of ourselves as professional tradespeople. A single metre is retail. 😀

[Garrie]

wow, I’m totally overwhelmed, thanks for all the offers of help, it is truly appreciated 😀 Owe yous all a beer, thanks 😀 Hope to see you all at Sign UK, I’m the fat ugly one with long blond hair, 😉

I’m sorted for the brown now, customer likes Burgundy colour I had in stock better. Gonna see if they like cyclamen instead heehee

Nigel Pugh – Grafityp – Any chance I can find out what offcuts you have and buy a load, may save me in the future?

Cheers again <beer>
Garrie

[Cheryl Smith]

Hexis definately do in one meters, their new brochure has just come out, there are some LOVELY new colours,

[Lee Ballard]

quote Garrie:

wow, I’m totally overwhelmed, thanks for all the offers of help, it is truly appreciated 😀 Owe yous all a beer, thanks 😀 Hope to see you all at Sign UK, I’m the fat ugly one with long blond hair, 😉

Garrie

And I’ll be the fatish ugly one with long dark hair 😀

[Shane Drew]

quote John Childs:

quote Shane Drew:

my thoughts too. I actually do think it odd to have a 5 metre minimum frankly. 😕

I don’t think it unreasonable to have a 5 metre minimum.

We like to think of ourselves as professional tradespeople. A single metre is retail. 😀

I’m not saying its unreasonable John, just odd.

Nigel, if I order a 1mtr length, and my suppliers have perhaps 2 or 3 mtrs left on the roll, they’ll offer us a slight discount – not 50% by any means – to take the remaining left on the roll.

Perhaps its evidence that we have pretty strong competition in distributors here, but we do have one distributor here with a 5 mtr minimum (Halifax Vogel) and they are usually the last port of call unless you buy roll lengths. Stupid part is, they’ll give you a metre FOC to try, but they will not actually sell you a metre.

[Richard Urquhart]

Shane that sounds like a good idea, however the guys on the phone just take an order and its the guys in the cutting room that process the order so then the guy who comes to the end of the roll would need to tell the person i spoke to first then they would need to call me back.I guess if it were a very small vinyl supplier it could work but i can see this being very time consuming for the suppliers.
Rich

[Peter Normington]

I would feel inadequate if I asked for just a metre
Peter 😉

[John Childs]

quote Peter Normington:

I would feel inadequate if I asked for just a metre

Me too.

I’ll do it, but I’ll add to it to make up a worthwhile order.

The cultural differences are funny, but I consider that a supplier who agrees to supply me with a single metre of an odd colour is doing me a big favour.

[Marcella Ross]

Metamark do too. But I would only ask for that if I had another lot of vinyl to order too ……. I’d feel a bit mean 😀

[Shane Drew]

aww come on guys and girls… I don’t order just 1 metre… I’ll add it to a bigger order…. it cost me $10 for a courier, so a metre would be way too expensive. That said, they will supply as small as a metre if you need it.

But if I’m ordering 15 mtrs of say black, I’ll add 1 metre of a colour to finish a repair that I may be doing on a van. I’m not happy about ordering 5m of hot pink, if the van only needs 400mm to do the job.

As far as not knowing how much is on the roll, all our suppliers here a fully computerised, and know to the metre in most cases how much is left on the roll. If the guy on the floor finds a roll is just about empty, he will ring you directly to see if you want to take the lot, or he’ll get the office rep to call you back before they pack it.

Sounds like our suppliers offer a pretty good service by all accounts. 😛

[Michael Potter]

Shane you forgot to mention if they don’t have it in stock in brisbane they will freight it from Sydney or Melbourne at no extra cost.
As for feeling un-professional my job is to keep the inventory that i pay for under control and work within whatever system is operating in my field.

[John Childs]

quote michael potter:

As for feeling un-professional my job is to keep the inventory that i pay for under control and work within whatever system is operating in my field.

Michael, I wasn’t having a pop. If that’s the system that works in your country, and your suppliers are prepared to work under those terms, then fine. Go for it.

I just know the irritation I feel when somebody thinks their fourpenny job should be my highest priority when I am up to my ears working on a big project, and try not to inflict that on my own suppliers.

Treat them as you wish to be treated yourself is my motto. 😀

[Shane Drew]

That’s my point John, we are not inflicting anything on our suppliers. It is standard practice here.

Ultimately our suppliers bend over backwards to get our business. They appreciate even the smallest order it seems.

A one metre order is treated with the same importance as a roll here, aside from a rep making promises for an exceptional client, every order is picked/cut as it comes in.

My own Oracal rep, the gorgeous Cherie, has made it perfectly clear that she wants any order, no matter how small. The last thing she wants is for me to buy a product from another supplier and perhaps discover that I like that product better, or that it is cheaper.

They want my loyalty to their product, and in return they will supply whatever I want, at whatever length. Australian Graphic Supplies here are exceptional in their level of service, but even spandex and 3M will do whatever it takes to keep our business from going elsewhere.

As my aussie colleague has pointed out, they will even ship it from anywhere in australia at no extra charge, if it is not in stock in Brisbane.

We obviously get an excellent service here compared to other countries from what I’ve read on these boards, something that I have not really appreciated in the past 😛

[Shane Drew]

quote michael potter:

As for feeling un-professional my job is to keep the inventory that i pay for under control and work within whatever system is operating in my field.

I agree mate, I operate with minimal stock levels. I order it as I need it. I have enough to worry about getting the business, and staying on top of my game. I don’t need to waste time and money carrying stock I might only ever use in a month of sundays. Not forgetting the heat here either, the last thing I need is for my materials to go ‘off’ over one of our 40deg summers, all for the sake of making it easier for my supplier(s)

[John Childs]

Truly amazing Shane. If I had run my business on a strict first come first served basis I would have gone broke years ago.

Here we have a list of who are the most important customers to us, and orders are completed on that basis. Although customers priorities play an important part in our schedule, they take a second place to our own.

[Nigel Pugh]

Garrie what life vinyl and what width are you after ?

[Peter Normington]

quote Shane Drew:

quote michael potter:

As for feeling un-professional my job is to keep the inventory that i pay for under control and work within whatever system is operating in my field.

I agree mate, I operate with minimal stock levels. I order it as I need it. I have enough to worry about getting the business, and staying on top of my game. I don’t need to waste time and money carrying stock I might only ever use in a month of sundays. Not forgetting the heat here either, the last thing I need is for my materials to go ‘off’ over one of our 40deg summers, all for the sake of making it easier for my supplier(s)

Shane, I think the opposite, its more hassle for me to compile a list as I go along, of what I may need for tomorrow, then call in the order daily, unpack and check the delivery daily, rather than just order once a week to replenish stock, its also more environmentally friendly 😉

Peter

[Shane Drew]

quote John Childs:

Truly amazing Shane. If I had run my business on a strict first come first served basis I would have gone broke years ago.

Here we have a list of who are the most important customers to us, and orders are completed on that basis. Although customers priorities play an important part in our schedule, they take a second place to our own.

It seems to work for our distributors here John. Australian Graphic Supplies have over 30 staff working out of their Brisbane warehouse alone, not to mention the Sydney and Canberra offices. I suppose they must have enough staff to cope with the orders as they come in.

From my perspective, being a one man band in the most literal sense, I am booked out 2 or 3 weeks in advance normally, so I try and work my jobs close to other jobs on the day. Even my regular clients, although given priority (I leave a couple of days each week that have free afternoons usually), have to book my services. Its very rare that I can fit someone in ‘tomorrow’. My regulars know that they have a lead time, so nearly all will give me a fair bit of notice when a job is in the pipeline.

If I do need to ‘look after’ someone with an urgent job, I just work later into the night. Be nice if I could get someone else to do it, but last time I looked, I am the only bloke that turns up each day. 😕

Peter, I’ll order a few days in advance, but its is not uncommon for me to order everyday from one of my suppliers due to my limited work space and licensing rules with our council. I have very little storage for substrates, so I usually pick them up the day before I start the job. Financially, I have good months and bad months, its the nature of my client base unfortunately, so I watch my supplier accounts pretty closely. We are probably a bit spoiled with service too. I have about 4 wholesalers within a 40 minute drive to me, so if its urgent, I’ve got a few choices for a last minute purchase, if the need arises.

Works for me.

[M Brown]

Hexis, KPMF Direct, Spandex all sell 1m at a time if you need it. Why buy lots of a colour that you know you’ll never use again. These places also have decent delivery costs. £8 or so

[Garrie]

quote Nigel Pugh – Grafityp:

Garrie what life vinyl and what width are you after ?

Hi Nigel,

I have a 1230mm cutter however would prefer 610mm widths 😀 Anything from 5 year to above would be great 🙂

Sorry to have opened this can o worms.

Cheers again
Garrie

[Nigel Pugh]

Garrie in 610mm 5 – 7 yr we have offcuts of all the colours we supply in that range.

Regards

Nigel

[Michael Potter]

Hey Garrie
Don’t worry about opening a can of worms, we should apologize for hi jacking your thread.
From my point of view I have found it very interesting, I for one had no idea that England did it any different to us re-supply I am used to the USA being different. There is nothing wrong with differences I just find it interesting. Hope you find the vinyl you need.
regards Mike 😀

[Shane Drew]

Yes, sorry to hijack the thread mate 😳

[Michael Potter]

Shane go to Bed.
Mike

[Shane Drew]

quote michael potter:

Shane go to Bed.
Mike

now you sound like my wife :lol1:

[Hugh Potter]

quote Richard Urquhart:

I don’t think its unfair to have say a 5 meter min order, just imagine loads of 1 meter lengths it would take suppliers ages to do and then put in a box and send out

5 meters of vinyl less than £10 i know you may lose on one job but then its in stock there are not that many colours your never use again

i agree to be honest, if they all sold a metre at a time, you might get the last metre of an odd colour thats been sat around for 3years !

to be honest, i always buy a min of 5m, still would even if i wasnt likely to use it again, i’m a firm beleiver in "monkey see.. monkey want", i’ve often had a custome see a few metres of an odd colour, and ask for it, so eventually someone will ask, or you can work it into something, i quite often get the kids to pic a few colours (5m of each) to make up a sensible order at times, i have some hideous colours in stock, but i’ve not got any that havent been used !

[John Singh]

I can’t seem to remember if my supplier has a minimum order but I almost instinctively ask for at least five..never less!

Maybe its because I might make a pig’s ear out of the cutting job
Then what?
You have to order another metre and hang around for a delivery between now and the hereafter
Even if its a ‘way out colour’ (drain) you know eventually some customer is going to see it and say ‘Oh Great! Just what I’m after

[Garrie]

quote Shane Drew:

Yes, sorry to hijack the thread mate 😳

No worries Bud, I don’t mind 😀

[Michael Potter]

Guys
Stop trying to justify 5 meters. Its your system and it works for you, you have all adapted to the format and that’s great. We use a 1 meter system and we have all adapted to that & it works well for us.
For every reason we put forward you can change it and say it works better in the UK system and we can do the same.The facts are I like our system and don’t want to change to yours after all its what I am used to & likewise you like your system & don’t want to change its what you are used to. As for which is best If I paid for a business analysis The result would be in our favor however if you paid the result would be in your favor.
have a great weekend
Mike (hot)

[Peter Normington]

Micheal, are you a related to the Huge Potter we have on board already?

Peter

[Michael Potter]

Hi Peter
I simply don’t know My Parents brought me to Aussie when i was 9 there was only Mum, Dad & I and that’s the way it has always been. Mom & Dad passed away recently and whilst going through the obligatory clean up discovered that I had 2 half brothers in England. I think Dad came from a large family (I Think) and I don’t know anything about Mums side. So as I say I don’t know We lived in Yorkshire and Mum came from somewhere near London.
So just in case Hi cousin Hugh nice to meet after all these years, then again most people think I am related to a Harry Potter from Hogwarts.
Regards Mike

[John Singh]

It could be a matter of:

Give a man a metre and he’ll take five

A young lad in school was asked by his form teacher to form a sentence using centimetre in it
The kid said: "Sure! My Auntie was arriving by train and I was sent t meet er"

[Michael Potter]

you win John
that’s the best answer yet.
Mike

[Shane Drew]

quote michael potter:

Guys
Stop trying to justify 5 meters. Its your system and it works for you, you have all adapted to the format and that’s great. We use a 1 meter system and we have all adapted to that & it works well for us.
For every reason we put forward you can change it and say it works better in the UK system and we can do the same.The facts are I like our system and don’t want to change to yours after all its what I am used to & likewise you like your system & don’t want to change its what you are used to. As for which is best If I paid for a business analysis The result would be in our favor however if you paid the result would be in your favor.
have a great weekend
Mike (hot)

erm.. yeah.. Wot Mike said! 😛

Question is mike, do you like american cars, drag racing and the colour Pink? If so, your most likely related to Hugh 😛

[Cameron Steer]

HI There,
1m v 5m ?? if you are in our van area ( Most of the UK ) we don’t charge carriage so you can buy 5m cheaper than others will sell you 1m at , makes sense to me but i am biased !!

Cheers

[Michael Potter]

given that freight over here is the same price as 1 meter of vinyl I still don’t see how buying 4 meters of vinyl that I don’t need is cheaper than 1 meter plus freight and as we all know not all colours are popular. 😀

[Martin Pearson]

Michael what Cameron was saying is that for a lot of signmakers that Europoint deal with Delivery is free but most of the other companies charge for delivery unless you spend quite a lot of money so the actual cost of buying 1 metre with the delivery charge was much the same as buying 5 metres with free delivery. Of course this isn’t true for everyone as their vans don’t cover the whole of the UK.

Plus you have to remember there is no such thing as an unpopular colour, once you have finished explaining to the customer how unique their signage will be and offered them your special of the month price then any colour becomes popular :lol1:

[philip Boyd]

we used to buy all our vinyls in full rolls, no matter what colour we were we ordering, just to have it in stock, but the space and bank balance soon diminished, and after having some vinyl sit on the peg for years, we now only order colours in rolls if we use lots of it, mostly we just order a bit more than we need incase of mess-ups or re-orders.
we get a great service from europoint for vinyls, even though we have the 5mtr minimum we would rarely order less anyway :lol1: