Aluminum sheet import

[Sortrac]

Hello!

I am looking for recommendations / referrals / tips or tricks for importing aluminum sheets for sign making? I would love to purchase domestically, but sadly I just end up not even close to being competitive price wise when I buy blanks, or even when I buy uncut 4x8 sheets.

Unless there is a supplier for blanks or sheets I am not aware of that has more competitive prices than the ones I have.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Notarealsignguy]

If you can buy it by the container load, sure. From my experience, importing small amounts does not save you much of anything in the long run. Shipping, handling, fees, bonds etc are will erode that savings away real quickly. The other problem is quality control. Unless you are able to have a personal relationship with your suppliers and go over to inspect your order before shipment, you will likely end up with garbage at some point during all of this. It's just not that simple and not a real feasible thing to do without a large volume of sales to cover all of these costs.
Your prices on materials are going to be inline with what all of us and your competitors are paying so really your inability to compete is coming from something else.

 

[Z SIGNS]

Depends on what you want to do.
If you want to makes thousands of no parking signs like a sign mill and be the lowest bidder, ugly place to be, yeah look into buying boatloads. This is what your suppliers do.
If you want to be a custom sign maker the cost of materials has nothing to do about making sales and money.
Fruition in the Mom & Pop is not about the price of the sheet of aluminum.....

Me I think it's about what you can turn that sheet and ink into.

Boatloads cost a lot of money.
How about organize a co-op with your competitors and split the cost?

 

[Joseph44708]

As Z Signs said.
How about organize a co-op with your competitors and split the cost?
This works great for me in our offset printing supplies (paper, ink, plates) to avoid small order and delivery charges I work with three local print shops. We take turns when placeing our paper orders. I dont consider them as competitors, I look at them as partners, because when I need something I reach out to them and vice versa. Each of us has our own specialty and it has been working Great for 15+ years.
Get to know your neighboring industry shops, they might offer something you dont for your customer.

 

[Sortrac]

Depends on what you want to do.
If you want to makes thousands of no parking signs like a sign mill and be the lowest bidder, ugly place to be, yeah look into buying boatloads. This is what your suppliers do.
If you want to be a custom sign maker the cost of materials has nothing to do about making sales and money.
Fruition in the Mom & Pop is not about the price of the sheet of aluminum.....

Me I think it's about what you can turn that sheet and ink into.

Boatloads cost a lot of money.
How about organize a co-op with your competitors and split the cost?

Well said,

I really do not want to be a sign mill as you said, but I do want to be able to quote on gov. projects and be competitive. And by competitive I really do not mean be the lowest bidder. I already know I will be more expensive then my sign focused competition, but with all the "buy local" campaigns, I would like to be able to offer the same products without being twice the price. (right now, competition sells their signs at about the price it costs me to make them... )

I already split the costs on most of my products, but for aluminum regulatory signs, sadly it is not doable (my competitors pretty much have a monopoly in our province, and are the ones that sells blanks to the rest of us)

the plan would have been to max out a container, but combine aluminum sheets with other products I have a lot of demand for (aluminum composite panels, coroplast sheets etc.) do you think it would be a fair plan?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Sortrac]

If you can buy it by the container load, sure. From my experience, importing small amounts does not save you much of anything in the long run. Shipping, handling, fees, bonds etc are will erode that savings away real quickly. The other problem is quality control. Unless you are able to have a personal relationship with your suppliers and go over to inspect your order before shipment, you will likely end up with garbage at some point during all of this. It's just not that simple and not a real feasible thing to do without a large volume of sales to cover all of these costs.
Your prices on materials are going to be inline with what all of us and your competitors are paying so really your inability to compete is coming from something else.

Yeah the quality control is the part that scares me most. I'm guessing mad research and referrals before picking a supplier.

I am competitive in all the other products I print. it is really only in reflective signage that my buying costs get too high. the price of the reflective materials are also at fault, but I am working on it with new suppliers.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Companies that sell sheets and blanks buy coils and process them. The ones that make traffic signs locally in my area have invested in the machinery to un-coil and stamp blanks to be able to compete in this arena. Your plan is not very well researched.

 

[Sortrac]

Companies that sell sheets and blanks buy coils and process them. The ones that make traffic signs locally in my area have invested in the machinery to un-coil and stamp blanks to be able to compete in this arena. Your plan is not very well researched.

I get you, but in my area, the 3 main suppliers of said blanks import 4x8 and 5x10 sheets when aluminum price dips , not coils. I researched a lot on the subjet, but there is still so much I don't know

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Sounds like a cut-through market that I wouldn't want any part of

 

[SignEST]

Economy of scale is against you in this niche. We couldn't even turn a profit cutting the blanks for regulatory signs. You might be better off ordering a container full of pre-cut blanks instead of raw sheets to save on cost and space in the container itself. Just like here in the West, from China you get what you pay for. The cheapest guy is the lowest quality. Mind you it's aluminum blanks for a street sign not a skin for anything structural where quality of metal would be of utmost importance. Chances are that some of the suppliers are just ordering the pre-cut blanks from China themselves to save on labor.

Make sure you're able to order straight from Alibaba for at least some basic insurance. Never order off site as there is 0 guarantee it's not a scam.

 

[Joseph44708]

I tried to break into the local city and county sign market but my boat was not big enough.
So I went to Hotels, Motels, Apartment Buildings and Brick and Morter businesses that have signs that are faded and in disrepair, the doors are opening because they are ignored by the big guys as they are too busy dealing with City and County BS.
When you break into a hotel chain you become an approved vendor and they always call you first.
I start off with Business Cards, Letterhead, Envelopes, Scratch Pads and other chotchkeys then Im doing all their outdoor signs for the parking, loading and pool areas. And if the project is too big for me I'll call the big guy's in and they have to work under me because im the approved vendor.
I've also had the big guy's send their sales people in after using them for a install to try to take over future sign installs, the hotel immediatly informed me and I called that sign company and let them know I would not use or reccomend them for any project ever.
I now have a go to large sign company that does all my large projects, I bring them in the beginning of the project and they do it all. I make 20 to 30%.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

Yes, that's how sales and business works. You get customers and other people try to take the same customers. Some stay, some go.
The benefit of a booming economy is that anyone can make it. You don't even need a business plan, a vision. Nothing. Just go which ever way the wind blows and you will be fine.

 

[Sortrac]

I hear you guys. Thanks for the useful feedback ! with that in mind I will focus on industrial signage, and will just go for local blanks for now, maybe get me a container if it's worth the saving !

Big thanks again!

 

[FireSprint.com]

Next time you have a big job that needs quoted, maybe we can help. Even if we can't print it here, we may be able to connect you with one of our industry contacts that can make it happen.