FABRICATED THOUGHTS FROM METRO SIGN AND AWNING
Explore Metro Sign & Awning’s latest blog posts, expert advice, news, and commentary. Learn more about the features of our innovative blog here.
Lean Supply Chain Management: What Is It and Why Should You Care?
Metro Sign & Awning's Insight
Lean management is something Metro Sign & Awning takes seriously. We implement the concept of Lean into our project management strategies to save our clients time and money.
Article Excerpt:
The concept of “Lean,” which is essentially a team-based approach to continuous improvement focused on eliminating non-value added activities or “waste” from the viewpoint of the customer, has been around in one form or another for many years, at least in manufacturing.
Signs and the Downtown Experience
Signs and the Downtown Experience Throughout cities and downtowns, signs play a vital role in how residents and visitors interact with the space around them. Whether it’s a directional wayfinding sign, a storefront, or a sign identifying a building, signs contribute greatly to the downtown experience, playing an important role in the brand identity of cities, retailers, and institutions. Because of this the quality of signage has greatly improved over the last decade including design innovations (many intended to improve pedestrian safety). quality materials, and architectural integrations into buildings and landscapes. At Metro Sign and Awning, we design signage to...
How Signage Can Help Revitalize Cities
City revitalization, specifically in downtown and urban areas, has an affect on the economic growth of a city, its tourism, and its community. Signage plays a major role in helping cities revitalize their downtown areas and helps capitalize on those things that make a city, even a region - authentic and unique. Signage for revitalization and redevelopment, therefore, is ideally incorporated early in the planning process. Preservation and Rehabilitation Preserving and rehabilitating a city’s history and identity is a major part of revitalizing and redeveloping its urban areas. Both preservation and rehabilitation of municipal buildings, historical sites, and retailers can...
Sign Regulations to Encourage Creative Design
Metro Sign & Awning's Insight
We know how tricky it can be to meet all the requirements and regulations that signage involves - and we have seen how flexible and reasonable sign regulations make it easier to deliver creative and aesthetically pleasing signs that meet clients' needs. When that's not the case, such as when requirements or regulations are outdated or otherwise seem at odds with good design intent, business or safety, informed discussions with local officials can result in variances, compromises, and most importantly, the best and most effective signage for everyone. The earlier that a signage package is incorporated in the signage process, the faster potential problems can be identified and addressed. Many (most) regulations are valid, and good communication between principals, project managers, and municipal officials is the key to ensuring that the client gets the best signage, and that there are no last-minute surprises.
Article Excerpt:
City planners often turn to resources offered by the American Planning Association (APA) to help them learn about various zoning issues, including how to regulate signs.
Reduced Headaches—Signage Projects that Don’t Slow You Down
Working with developers, general contractors and business owners, we know you have a lot on your plate - and the details of your signage project are not necessarily on the top of your list. A significant benefit of Metro Sign & Awning’s lean management approach is that we are able to reduce our client’s headaches and provide them with a smooth and easy signage project process. So often, signage is the “last thing” that is planned, approved, and installed - and yet, a building cannot be branded without it. You can trust us to focus on the design and implementation...
Project-Management Solutions for Building Owners and Developers
Metro Sign & Awning's Insight
We know how difficult it can be as a developer to manage several different projects at once. That's why at MSA, we provide project management solutions that result in a successful project completion and risk mitigation. Our experienced Project Managers understand what's important to our clients (and their clients) at each stage in a development. From planning and concepting to fabricating, approvals and the installation process, Metro Sign & Awning Project Managers keep everything on track. Our partners seem to value our experience, as evidenced by this testimonial we received from a Skansa Project Manager: The project team we were assigned were all great to work with. The whole process, from submittal to install, was very fluid. There was an open communication between Metro, FMA and Skanska which, I believe, was a large contributor to the overall success of the project. In the field, your install crews were professional and came prepared to do the day’s tasks. They asked questions and ensured the signs were installed to suit the Designer’s intent. Overall, my experience with Metro has been very positive. Thank you all for the hard work! While we love hearing positive comments like this, we are not content to sit still, rather, we strive to improve our operations so our clients can continue to rely on us. Over the past several months, we've been implementing more Lean principles and techniques into our process. We're seeing the benefits internally, and hearing from clients that they are seeing some too. Read more about our project management process here, or contact us to discuss your development projects and find out how we can work together to ensure your branding and identification signage is all you envision.
Article Excerpt:
The result of a strong project-management solution is both successful project completion and risk mitigation.
How Signage Can Transform Schools and Education
When it comes to education, signage has the power to transform not only a school building, but a student’s educational experience. Like most signage trends, signage in academic settings has seen a shift in terms of materials used, manufacturing techniques, and ideas of how school signage should function. At Metro Sign and Awning, we use the latest technology and educational trends to create functional and beautiful signs that improve the educational experience for both students and faculty. Electronic Messaging Systems (EMCs) The majority of schools today have at least one electronic messaging system in or outside their building. These are one of...
Awnings, Enclosures, and Operational Advantages
Awning enclosures are a great addition to any business or restaurant. Not only do awnings provide an aesthetically pleasing upgrade the outside of your storefront, they can also save your business money when it comes to businesses maintenance expenses and heating and cooling costs. Besides the advertising boost an awning or enclosure provides, investing in an awning, canopy or other type of enclosure often means gaining several operational advantages that can help you grow your business. Below we highlight some of the operational advantages of awnings, canopies and enclosures. How Awnings Enhance Safety Whatever the weather, having an awning installed...
Bring Your Brand to ADA Signage
How can you bring your brand to ADA signage when creating new signs or bringing your current ones into compliance? While ADA signage requirements are first and foremost intended to improve safety and accessibility for customers and building visitors, many companies are pleasantly surprised at how the required signage can also support branding. We’ve helped large and small companies get a better understanding of ADA signage and to see how they can incorporate it into their interior design and include branding elements. What is ADA Signage? ADA amenity sign ADA signage is designed in accordance to the regulations of the...
