So says vehicle graphics and wrapping specialist Sign Language, which says that the lead time for replacement vehicle wrapping and livery can be up to five days or even longer from some suppliers, adding that one of its clients has calculated that it costs them around £3,500 a day if a vehicle is off the road.
However, to help improve operating efficiencies for customers, Sign Language analyses their past 12 months’ crash statistics to determine vehicle damage ‘hotspots’ across the fleet.
Using the resulting data, a duplicate “repair kit” stock of vehicle wrapping and livery on a panel-by-panel basis will then be produced and held by Sign Language. It can then be dispatched to the vehicle repairer for same-day delivery if ordered before 1pm or delivered the following day if later.
Typically, says Sign Language, the lead time for replacement vehicle wrapping and livery can be up to five days or even longer from some suppliers.
According to Sign Language, the panels on a vehicle that require the most frequent replacement of wrapping and livery are: driver door, front passenger door, nearside sliding door and the offside rear quarter panel.
Tobin Jenkins, managing director of Sign Language, said: ‘Since launching the added-value service, many of our customers have reacted positively, taken our advice and admitted it was an issue they had not previously considered. When deciding on new vehicle wrapping and livery fleet managers should consider asking their supplier to hold replacement stock.
‘Whether using printed film laminated wraps or self-coloured wraps made from a pre-coloured vinyl it is best to order stock on a per panel basis to ensure colour consistency. Not only will vehicle downtime be reduced, but it will mean that livery on perhaps a single panel can be renewed rather then on an entire side of a car or van.’
He concluded: ‘When ordering new vehicles and speaking to manufacturers, dealers and vehicle converters about specification, ordering new and replacement van wrapping and livery should be a key part of the process.’
