The HP Stitch And Latex R2000 Digital Print Machinery Feature In Australian PSP’s New $2.8m Factory In Pennsylvania
Sydney-based fabric signage business Easy Signs is opening a manufacturing operation in the US, off the back of three years of successfully exporting to North America, factoring in an investment of $2.8m for the business.
The new plant is located in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
It is 6,700sqm floorspace, and will eventually have some 130 staff, almost double the number at Easy Signs’ south-west Sydney centre.
The factory in LeHigh Valley is around 80 per cent the size of Smeaton Grange.
Included in the equipment will be two Zund cutters, two HP R2000 latex printers, and two HP Stitch fabric printers, which mirror the Australian operation.
Hiring will begin this month for the new facility, for which the company anticipates a soft product launch in May and a full launch by July.
Manufacturing technology will mirror the company’s Smeaton Grange centre.
Operations manager Steph Talty is relocating to the US to manage the business start-up.
The site was chosen for its proximity to multiple large population centres, with New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey and Baltimore / Washington DC, and much of the rest of the densely populated east coast, all within delivery distance.
Easy Signs has been exporting soft signage to the US for the past three years, marketing though its FabricSignGuys.com website.
Co-Founder Andy Fryer said, “That has given us a real platform into the US market, now we feel the time is right to establish Easy Signs manufacturing. The opportunities are large, because the population is so big, Easy Signs has carved out a great business in Australia thanks to our customer-centric focus, we aim to do the same over there.”
Fryer and his business partner Adam Parnell took over Easy Signs sixteen years ago when it was a one-man band, they were in the next door unit.
They have grown the business ever since, and two years ago moved into their new factory, trebling floorspace to 8700sqm.
Easy Signs produces a mix of signage including soft signage, tear drops, fabric media walls, and the traditional range of corrugated, core flute, vinyl, decals, board, with a host of products, allied with instant online pricing and 24 hour turnaround.
“We look forward to creating a wide range of jobs for Pennsylvanians in the Lehigh Valley, and developing a facility and culture that allows people to enjoy coming to work each day,” Fryer said.
The Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) assisted Easy Signs with the site selection process, hosting Frey and partner Adam Parnell in November for visits to several different locations in the Lehigh Valley on a tour with the Pennsylvania Office of International Business Development (OIBD).
