Answers to Commonly Asked Questions About the Conversion to Glue-Free Posting
What's the status of the industry's conversion to glue-free posting and who is adopting what system?
The CG Cable System provides the lowest capital cost and easiest retrofit to implement glue-free single-sheet posting. Our system maintains the industry standard poster sizing and enables the lowest labor cost poster installation available.
Our system is virtually guaranteed to fit any poster panel in your inventory regardless of trim style or condition of poster face. It's an elegantly simply and effective system that will allow you to transition your inventory quickly and inexpensively to single-sheet posting.
Clear Channel Outdoor, CBS Outdoor, and Fairway Outdoor have adopted and purchased the CG Cable System for posting of their new single sheet posters. These companies are currently in the process of completing the system hardware installation. Clear Channel, for the most part, has completed the installation on their poster structures.
Lamar Advertising is using their pre-existing retro-vinyl insert system (hooks, j-bolts, and poles) for their single sheet posters which have slightly different finishing on the back side. Lamar is essentially ready for the transition to glue-free, and, in fact, many of their markets have already transitioned to Lamar Poster Flex (Lamar's name for the single sheet plastic poster that is finished for their frame system) for their local buys.
Over 80 percent of the outdoor industry has standardized to either Circle's system or Lamar's pre-existing pole pocket system. Be confident when you chose the Circle Graphics system; that it has been tested and approved and is the closest thing the industry has to an industry standard.
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How are Eco-Posters installed using the CG Cable System?
Eco-Posters require a pocket on the back of the poster so that a clip can slide in and ultimately tension the poster.
The clips remain attached to a cable on the poster structure. The clips slide easily into the pre-cut pocket in the exact location. Installation is simple, and no prep work is required by the billposter prior to or after installation.
The cable and clip system benefits the operator (not the printer) because the poster arrives "ready to post" out of the box. If a printer is suggesting you adopt a system other than the CG Cable System, make sure that your interests are being served instead of the printer's.
Overview of the CG Cable System (PDF)
What single-sheet poster installation systems are currently available?
On January 16, 2008, OAAA sponsored a demonstration of the three major single sheet poster installation systems at Fairway Outdoor Advertising's plant in Raleigh, NC. Over 100 OAAA members attended the demonstrations.
The link below leads to video presentation of each system's demonstration. You can choose to view each presentation individually or click "Play All" to view each in succession at http://www.oaaa.org/media
Another printing company is pushing me to adopt another hardware system. Why are they doing this and what should I be concerned about?
This is an extremely important point.
The poster finishing for Formetco's Quickflex System (the only other hardware systems that we know of that non-Big 3 customers are considering) is undoubtedly easier for a printer to produce in that it requires no finishing (i.e., no pockets) on the back of the poster.
While a printing company would naturally prefer to produce posters without a pocket (much easier for them to produce), it ultimately slows down and adds cost to the posting company's billposting operation. We want to caution you against adopting any system which will lock you in to a permanently higher costs from an installation perspective.
The CG Cable System is designed so that the poster is ready for installation immediately upon receipt. There is absolutely no need for "setup activity" as is required with other systems. With the CG Cable System, an Eco-Poster can be removed and installed in a total of only 15 minutes (on-site).
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Real Time Removal and Installation of an Eco-Poster |
(14 min. 10 sec. elapsed time) |
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Hi-Speed Removal and Installation of an Eco-Poster |
(1 min. 49 sec. elapsed time) |
During the OAAA's single-sheet poster installation demonstrations in January, we witnessed a significant amount of time required to prepare the Formetco poster with snap-on clips before the poster was ready for on-site installation. Moreover, after poster removal, the Formetco system requires time to remove the clips from the posters. For demo purposes, where the clips have already been installed and are not taken off after posting, it would be easy to overlook this time consuming activity. This combined preparation time is significant and we have heard concerns about this issue from a number of outdoor executives.
Another substantial cost to be aware of relates to expensive new trim kits that are required if you do not currently have overhang trim on your poster units. We strongly suggest you include an analysis of the capital cost of retro-fitting your poster panels in your final evaluation. As you will see below, CG's Cable System is an inexpensive retro-fit of only $150 per poster face.
In summary, we encourage you to be skeptical when you hear another printer (or anyone else) suggest that you adopt another hardware system. It's likely that this is being done without your best interest in mind and without consideration of your:
- Higher up-front capital costs for retrofitting your trim
- Increased labor cost related to the installation of clips
- Increased labor cost related to removal of these clips
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I don't get much national business. Should I still convert?
National advertisers will definitely want the benefits related to single sheet posting, and many of our national advertisers are already in the process of converting (e.g., Anheuser-Busch, Geico, McDonalds). The benefits to advertisers are significant, so one can expect them to rapidly adopt the new system.
However, we really think your decision should be driven by the significant operational benefits of going glue-free. Many of these benefits are obvious (e.g., reduced expenses relating to glue and glue-room, better product presentation); however, there are many additional benefits as you can see on this document.
What is the cost and availability of the CG Cable System as well as an estimated cost on production of the Eco-Posters?
Circle has purchased units to satisfy the purchase orders received from Clear Channel Outdoor, CBS Outdoor and Fairway Outdoor. We manufacture the kits and hardware overseas in order to get the best pricing available.
The hardware kit for each poster face costs $150 and includes the parts and accessories described in on our Install Guides found at http://www.cgcablesystem.com/installguides.html.
We also sell hardware installation kits and poster installation kits for $175 per kit. These kits make the installation of hardware and posters easy and inexpensive.
An important point to consider regarding the low cost of the CG Cable System – we will be placing what is likely our final order for cable system hardware and related parts in mid July. We are making a bulk purchase based on committed contracts we have in hand. If you are seriously thinking about adopting our system, you should (1) come to one of the two training sessions described above, and (2) get your purchase order in to us prior to mid July in order to obtain the favorable pricing noted above. The kits and other accessories will be more expensive if we have to place smaller orders down the road.
As far as Eco-Poster production, Circle Graphics is prepared to offer production to any posting company that adopts CG's Cable System. Our pricing programs relate to whether the poster company has a committed volume of business with Circle. For example, a posting company that commits 75% or more of their production to Circle will qualify for our most favorable pricing under our Platinum level plan.
Our pricing goes down into the $40 range per unit at relatively modest quantities. More details and specifics of our pricing plans will be shared with individual customers in the near future.
If you have specific questions about pricing for either system hardware or production, please feel free to contact Rod Rackley at rod@circlegraphicsonline.com or (303)951-1428.
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Terminology
Here's some terminology that will help you understand the various products you will hear discussed more and more within our industry:
Posters
- Paper 30-sheets
- Eco-Posters™ are the trademarked name of single sheet posters created by Circle Graphics to fit the CG Cable System. These posters are finished with a pocket on the back that accommodates small clips that ultimately tension the poster.
- Lamar Poster Flex is the generic name used for lightweight plastic posters with pole-pocket finishing on the back that fit the Lamar poster frames.
Note: Lamar Poster Flex is produced by a variety of vendors including Lamar Graphics, Circle Graphics, and others.
Flex Wraps for Bulletins
- Vinyl / PVC Flex is the traditional bulletin wrap material that has been in use for approximately 25 years.
- Eco-Flexx™ is a PE-based, lightweight recyclable substrate manufactured exclusively by Circle Graphics and represents a non-toxic alternative to PVC. Currently Circle produces over 50% of our bulletin wraps on Eco-Flexx™, a substrate increasingly being selected by environmentally conscious national advertisers such as Anheuser-Busch, Walt Disney, Geico and others.
Note: Both the products above are rotatable and long-term (12 months for EF and 24 months for Vinyl).
Is the industry serious about recycling?
Please review the OAAA newsletters from the last several months to gain a sense of just how important this issue is with the industry trade association as well as industry leadership.
http://www.oaaa.org/members/ViewNewsletter.asp?id=659
http://www.oaaa.org/members/ViewNewsletter.asp?id=653
http://www.oaaa.org/members/ViewNewsletter.asp?id=643
Also, please review this interesting article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal late last year featuring our president, Hank Ridless, and some of the industry green initiatives.
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