Sign Manufacturing

The sign manufacturing industry in the US includes about 6,000 companies with combined annual revenue of about $11 billion. Major companies include Brady Corporation, Daktronics, Young Electric Sign Company, PolyVision, and Posterloid (a division of The Alpine Group). The industry is fragmented: the 50 largest companies account for about 25 percent of industry revenue.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand for signs is driven by many factors, including federal, state, and municipal spending on transit infrastructure; the rate of new nonresidential construction; and advertising spending. The profitability of individual companies depends on quality of workmanship and materials, customer service, and price. Large companies have advantages in purchasing power for raw materials, and can more easily service national accounts. Small companies can compete effectively through offering more personalized service.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Typical products include roadway and traffic information signs; on-premises signs used by businesses (building-mounted, freestanding, and interior signs); off-premises billboards and other advertising signs; and signs that convey safety or other information in public areas, workplaces, or other facilities.

Types of on-premise, building-mounted signs include roof signs, window signs, canopy and awning signs, banners, and wall or fascia signs. On-premise freestanding types include pole and high-rise pole signs, pylon signs, and electronic message centers (EMC). EMCs are electronic signs that use LEDs (light-emitting diodes) or LCDs (liquid crystal displays) to display information or images. They can be programmed to convey information of varying complexity from simple monochrome time and ...