Graphics India
A corner full of completeness
Arun Gupta
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It would be one in a thousand when it has to be searching a printing corner where everything is available under a roof. But the search ends here at Graphics India! Offering at this printing corner is A-Z of printing designed to the need and requirement of end users. In addition to the whole gamut of signage or large-format prints at Graphics India is an array of commercial printing activities carrying out in parallel at its separate Print & Copy Centre to churn cards, photocopies, certificates, flyers, menu cards, stickers, among others. Also offered at the centre includes finishing services, such as laminations, binding, cutter, etc. “Most of the customers at Print & Copy Centre are predominantly a walk-in lot dropping in for short-run jobs,” says Arun Gupta, director, Graphics India indicating the bifurcated target groups of the company.
Graphics India was launched in 2009, just two years after the inception of Print & Copy Centre. “It was the potential gradually developing in the signage market of Jammu that influenced me to expand business into the new domain,” mentions Arun adding that the large-format printing facility of the company had expanded quite rapidly over the last few years. The facility is now equipped with a grand portfolio of high-end machines, such as HP 8000 (eco-solvent), HP Designjet 5100 (inkjet) and Neptune (solvent). On the other side is the facility of Print & Copy Centre where equipped Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS C-6000, Oce PlotWave 300, Macro Bond Laminator, etc.
Arun, who is a mechanical engineer by educational qualification, knows the depth of printing technology and he counsels customers for best outputs. “Some customers who come to us for a particular print job sometimes curl up here to pick up everything they require under our roof,” tells Arun. Vodafone, LG, Idea and PNB are some of the major clients for which Graphics India has been serving to cater them a spectrum of display items including x-banner stands, LED photo frames, roll-up banners, scrollers, apart from the usual flex prints. Graphics India is acclaimed to be a centre of innovative signage items in the city.
“If we count on some corporate clients who have been associated with us since last five years may include Dabur India, PNB, Vodafone, Sun Pharma, LG,” mentions Arun. A team of 22 experienced professionals standing strong behind the overall activities of Graphics India and Print & Copy Centre is considered to be the company’s backbone. The team consists of in-house designers and applicators. However, depending on the size of projects they take up, Graphics India always teams up with some third parties to wrap up tasks well on time. What has been set now for next level enhancement in the company’s machine portfolio will be the adoption of a new printer with 12 printheads from Apsom Infotex and a Konica Minolta bizhub PRESS 8000.
Spectrum Outdoors
A choice for versatilities
Vishal Kotwal
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Avital mantra of success in any given signage market is rapid technology updates. Spectrum Outdoors is a lively example for that. This signage major is barely nine years old and an actively standing leader in the world of signage in Jammu in terms of providing whole range of signage items which any other conventional players in the circuit could ever do in the region.
Back-to-back printing, CNC routing, plotter cutting, etc are activities that define the company’s job profile. “Comparatively, Jammu is now in a very primitive stage if we look at what signage companies in big cities have attained in their business,” opines Vishal Kotwal. However, he foresees a bigger aspect of the region’s market through a prism of innovative technologies.
A flashback of the genesis of Spectrum Outdoors would turn out to be an anecdote of a signage major that grew from scratch at the fastest ever speed. Established in 2003 with the purchase of a Roland cutting plotter, it took just a short span for them to expand their machine portfolio to a mammoth level. First an Infiniti printer followed by instant installations of WitColor, Mimaki, CNC router and the latest being the Jeti back-to-back printer installed in 2009. “We are now seeing and feeling the market pulse for further expansion of our machine portfolio that will not be necessarily additions of new flex printers,” mentions Vishal.
Spectrum Outdoors has been one of the significant signage players every corporate biggie in Jammu keeps their trust for quality jobs and end products. Vishal asserts that telecom sector is one specific area where dwell maximum number of their clients. “Vodafone, Aircel, Airtel and Idea are four major telecom giants for whom we have accomplished a number of landmark projects so far,” he reveals. When Idea launched its service in J&K in 2009, Spectrum Outdoors took key role to print and produce outdoor display items for state-wide campaigns.
It’s not only corporate clients for which Spectrum Outdoors left its door open wide. This signage major is considered to be one of the popular corners where swarmed local customers outnumbering the corporate biggies. When asked the percentage, Vishal reveals the ratio of corporate and local customers may divide into 40:60. He mentions that the future plan of the company will be a diversification of their activities towards LED applications, which is projected to be one of the promising parameters growing so fast.
Ranjeet Publicity Corporation
An outdoor king around
Fateh Singh, Ranjeet Singh (sitting), Gurnam Singh and Sandeep Singh (standing)
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What it makes Ranjeet Publicity Corporation standout in the crowd is the company’s 50 years of advertising excellence. This family-owned business firm has been incorporating a hierarchical line who have been continually endeavouring to expand and enhance services from mere hoardings on national highways to high-quality mall graphics and displays. This signage company is known for making connection between products and consumers. “Throughout J&K, we provide our customers the opportunity to bring out advertising campaigns in a powerful, direct and effective way,” says Ranjeet Singh, founder, Ranjeet Publicity Corporation.
Ranjeet Publicity boasts of its dozen of representatives who have the expert knowledge of opportunities available within local areas as they help clients match their products to the business needs in connection to the requirement of branding proximity to a retail outlet or reaching a specific audience. “Fortunately, we find ourselves successful today through our experiences passing on from one generation to another since the day when everything about signage was merely a composition of hand-painted graphics around five decades ago,” remembers Gurnam Singh of Ranjeet Publicity.
‘Anything you think of outdoor displays, we provide them all’ – this is an axiom of Ranjeet Publicity. Churning from their production facility equipped with an HP Scitex printer backed by a portfolio of solvent and other machines, Ranjeet Publicity produces unrivalled range of hoardings flaunting in all places around J&K covering Katra, Srinagar, Rajouri, Poonch, Lakhanpur, Doda, Kishtwar, Bhaderwah, to mention some. Currently 1,800 hoardings from the company are installed around the region. Pole kiosks, LED boards, in-shop graphics, among others are items that compose the prime product portfolio of the company. Some of the prominent clients in their current roaster include Aircel, Airtel, Café Cofee Day, Honda, Hyundai, etc.
Further than its expertise in hoardings is Ranjeet Publicity’s excellence in other domains covering in-shop graphics, LED displays, etc. Now the wings of Ranjeet Publicity are set to spread beyond J&K. “We are now planning to open our branch in Chandigarh soon to make larger coverage of the region in the years to come,” mentions Gurnam adding that the neighbouring areas of J&K have good prospects to explore.
VD Advertising Company
A revolutionary mind
Anubhav Dutt
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VD Advertising Company must be just a new kid in the block when it comes to counting how old this company is in the league of signage players in Jammu. But it’s not the age but mind that triggers the ideas of innovation and revolutionary development in the industry. This is how young and enthusiastic Anubhav Dutt of VD Advertising Company, a law graduate from Symbiosis College (Pune), develops the theory to bring a new dawn of innovative signage to Jammu. “There is abundant room in the region’s signage market which we can exploit using the latest technologies, methodologies and creativities,” shares Anubhav adding that they are ready to venture into the areas where Jammu has never been explored till date.
As of now, VD Advertising is at a very initial stage in business with everything has set to undergo a swift change in the next few years. The company has a production facility equipped with Roland VersaCAMM and ColorJet machines from Apsom Infotex and working for a number of corporate heavyweights around J&K. “Our current signage industry is now in such a position that PSPs should come out to embrace the new trends and technologies surging around for a new change. There’s nothing to be divided between a town and metro if we really want to go for innovative outputs,” explains Anubhav when asked why signage activities in small cities are always captured by those based in metros or neighbouring big cities.
“Jammu has potential signage firms which many might have not yet properly discovered. I appreciate the way Sign & Graphics does in this regional coverage to highlight the might of signage players in this region,” says Anubhav. He truly mentions that it’s time for giving a wakeup call to all signage players in the region to take on new pathways to innovative technologies. “There’s a preconceived mindset of regional signage players who always assume ultra-modern technologies like UV printing are reserved for big cities. They are in grip of fear to adopt these technologies as if it may not work at all in the regions like Jammu. There’s nothing of the sort like that. Everybody should be ready to take the ‘risk’ of getting on new ventures for new revolution in regional parameter. If Thomas Elva Edison never took any risk, we would not have electric bulb today,” opines Anubhav.
On his cordial message to fellow industry people, Anubhav likes to herald that everyone in Jammu must be aware about the new trends and tradition of signage to remove the barrier between big and small cities. On other hand, the regional signage markets in various corners of India still have room to exploit with new technologies like UV printing, LEDs, CNC routing, etc. Anubhav on his company’s future expansion shares that VD Advertising is heading to Himachal Pradesh, which is quite a virgin market now, in the shape of a new branch in a matter of few months.
DD Enterprises A source of materials
Deepak Dutta
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One cannot ignore the fact that a good material supplier is always a boon for any signage market. With no doubt, DD Enterprises is the one for Jammu. This material supplier has been a unique point sourcing all choices to every signage player in the city for years. Stocked in the storeroom of the company are varieties of quality printing materials and consumables procuring as per the needs and demands of sign makers in the region’s gradually increasing signage market. “Demands for quality materials in Jammu have been picking up over the last few years,” said Deepak Dutta of DD Enterprises.
The array of printing materials and consumable available at DD Enterprises includes some of the most sought after brands, such as Starflex, Pioneer, AT Inks and other items like sun-boards, foam-boards, etc. “Nowadays, one of the most sought after materials in the current market of Jammu is backlit material. This shows a changing paradigm in the market and quality consciousness among end users,” asserts Deepak adding that the way signage is going now will surely change its direction and overall outlook down the next five years.
Another stance of DD Enterprises is that they cater finest range of LED components to those making illuminated or glow signs in the region. “Apart from being an authorised dealer of Samsung LED, we stock whole varieties of both premium and affordable LED components,” says Deepak nodding to a swift change that LED applications will bring to the signage world in near future. DD Enterprises is also an authorised dealer of Starflex printing materials for Jammu.
Currently catering one container of printing materials on an average every month, DD Enterprises is expecting to increase the load in near future and their product portfolio will be augmented with some new varieties. “Green or eco-friendly materials will dominant the market in near future,” foresees Deepak. In his common message to all, he expresses that everyone in the industry – material suppliers, PSPs, sign makers, graphic designers – must mutually go hand in hand to serve the industry in a prosperous and mutually co-operative manner.
Swamiji Outdoors
A trend on creative trail
Bharat Singh
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With their motto ‘You Imagine, We Create’ what all creating at Swamiji Outdoors have been an outcome of the company’s age-old experience in printing and designing. Recollecting the early days of the company, Bharat Singh, proprietor, Swamiji Outdoors reminisces that they first entered the printing industry in 1994 as a commercial printer to produce leaflets, brochures, cards and allied documents which still run alongside the company’s mainstay in signage business. “Our production facility is equipped with an Autoprint offset machine along with a portfolio of DGI, HP 5100 and other finishing equipments like laminators, cutters, etc.
“Since the onset of our journey into the printing industry, we have been quite glued to offset activities. We are also member of Jammu Printers Association which is a body actively involved in activities for the welfare of printing fraternity in the region,” shares Bharat. He further mentions that the instant arrival of digital large-format technology in the printing domain eventually instilled them to unveil Swamiji Outdoors exclusively engaged in signage printing in the year 2005. One-way vision, LED-embedded cut letters, glow signboards, vinyl prints, among others are some of the items this company produces satisfactorily for a number of local and corporate customers.
Covering all over J&K, Swamiji Outdoors has been serving for some of the corporate biggies like Nikon, Sony and others for state wide outdoor campaigns since their inception. The company has a team of half-dozen experienced professionals who can handle machines, designing, fabrication and installation to meet all deadlines under any circumstance. One unique standpoint of Swamiji Outdoors is that they serve their customers in a complete manner. Those whose drop in at this signage corner for outdoor displays get the opportunity to get a grip on other related items, be it glow signs, cut letters, cards, leaflets, brochure and lots more.
Jay Jay Advertisor A continuing inheritance
Himat Singh
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Just a few veterans are counted to be living legends in the current signage market of Jammu. Himat Singh, 72, founder of Jay Jay Advertisor, is one such legendary sign maker who has seen the birth and bringing up of the city’s signage market. He opened his first signage shop under the name Sardar Studio in 1964. “It was just bare hands and paint brushes that we then used in creating graphics of any sizes for outdoor advertisements for big or small companies. I have seen a sea change over my 52 years of business in this segment. Today everything goes mechanical or digital and these transformations have been taken place barely over the last 10 years,” recollects Himat to share his old days and ways of sign making and contemporary trend.
Equipped with a Caldron printer in their production facility, Jay Jay Advertisor has been catering prints as well as finishing services like installations and fabrications to a number of renowned companies, such as LG, Shalimar Paints, Vadilal Icecream, Samsung, Kenstar, Godrej, Hindware and more. This veteran signage player boasts of a team of 12 well-trained professionals who handle everything efficiently under the guidance of Himat Singh. “I always lead my team under the principle – one mind directing multiple hands,” he mentions.
Jay Jay Advertisor is now planning to diversify its activities towards some new verticals. In this respect, Himat opines that it would be an unproductive plan to take decision on any initiative without proper beforehand survey. “After critically observing the trends picking up in the current market of Jammu, we will head on to new activities, whether it would be adoption of new machines or manpower enhancement,” he reveals adding that the production facility of the company will soon be updated with a brand new eco-solvent printer to augment versatilities in print outputs.
Santokh Bros
A legend to remember
Jeetinder Singh
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They may not be as popular as others, but every signage player in Jammu at least knows Santokh Bros with due respect to them for one particular reason. They are the oldest sign maker now actively seen kicking around the city today. Even Santokh Bros has transformed themselves a bit through ages, their age-old manual sign making tradition remains intake till today. “My father introduced this firm around 60 years ago. He was a painter by profession who painted posters, outdoor ads, shop-front displays, etc,” recalls Jeetinder Singh. He mentions that the legacy his father pioneered decades back is still lingering around with them. Santokh Bros is known for hand-made name boards, number plates, screen-printed fabrics to a number of regular local clients around the city.
“We don’t keep direct contacts with any corporate clients. Some jobs we do for a select group of big multinational companies are received through agencies only,” mentions Jeetinder. He mentions that the current activities at Santokh Bros revolve around designing, fabrication and installation jobs for which a team of six people is always in ready-to-go mode. However, orders for flex jobs they constantly receive from their clients are flourishingly managed using a Caldron printer installed in the facility of a partner firm nearby.
Lakhimpur to Leh is the domain which Jeetinder indicates when asked about the region that comes on the radar of Santokh Bros. He mentions that those customers who have connected with them once never go away. It must be the tradition of uniqueness in sign making which Santokh Bros keeps maintaining on the line of its 60 years of experience in the field. But a wind of change from Jeetinder is the company’s next step plan to unveil printing setup for a new flavour they would like to bring like a new bottle for old wine.
Net City Graphic Solutions
A designer’s pride
Harneet Singh
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Those who wish to catch an independent and perfect professional graphic designer in Jammu who has done a gamut of well-acclaimed jobs for corporate clients under his belt should not skip Harneet Singh of Net City Graphic Solutions. He is a civil engineer by qualification and a professional graphic designer in the region’s signage industry who is drenched with amazing thoughts and ideas that would never let down any of the customers waiting in beeline at his reception lobby for a piece of creativity in design and display. “We don’t go for bulk outputs. Whatever we deliver is in a crispy sense to bring out a difference of a brand or product amid the crowd,” says Harneet.
Some of the big clients which have so far been dropped in at Net City Graphic Solutions for signage displays include ING Vysya Bank, Videocon and LG. “Of course, all these big corporate giants have their own design agencies or hook up big design firms based in metro cities. But when they come down to Jammu, we are here to serve them equally to what they expect from a big design firm,” says Harneet with a warm welcome smile. In addition to corporate heavyweights, Net City Graphic Solutions is also one such busy corner always swarmed with local walk-in clients who particularly come down for some personal design jobs for wedding cards, menu cards, business cards, etc. “It’s a 50:50 volume if we divide our works into two halves for signage and personal segments,” mentions Harneet.
Just in a minimal or occasional way, Net City Graphic Solutions provides large-format graphics printed on a Caldron printer to some of their local clients coming particularly from the educational centres, such as those running vocational courses, coaching classes, etc in the city. However, the mainstay of overall activities of the company is solely revolved around designing. Above all, Net City Graphic Solutions has a plan to add new activity. That’s channel letters! Harneet agrees to the fact that glow sign segment is where some unexplored creativities in signage are still to be explored.
JK Designer Advertisers
A step towards innovation
Raju Sharma
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Efficiency in works, outputs and years of experiences have made recognition of JK Designer Advertisers in the ring of sign makers in Jammu. This signage firm was in a different stance when they first opened their door to signage in the year 1995. Raju Sharma, who single-handedly crafted the success story of this company, finally reveals that he was just an ordinary painter. “Nothing extraordinary we did in the signage market of Jammu while doing everything manually. However, last seven years have changed the whole atmosphere. The reason behind all these is none other than the advent of digital large-format printing, cutting and engraving technologies,” he narrates.
In 2007, JK Designer Advertisers adopted the first Nutek Prime and progressively updating the production facility since then. “We have now adopted two more such printers so far, latest being the one with XAAR Electron printhead,” mentions Raju. He adds, “We keep observing the market to upgrade our current portfolio. Since our activities revolve not only around flex printing, we are observing other technologies that could magnify us to go for some innovative items beyond printing.” Of course, rush at the lobby of JK Designer Advertisers is of the crowd coming for varieties of signage and display items, such as name plates, table top displays, glow letters, LED boards, etc.
In addition to the predominant horde of JK Designer Advertisers’ walk-in customers are some corporate giants like Pepsi, Coca-Cola, SBI for whom this popular sign maker in the city has been working for. Now, what is on the mind of Raju for next enhancement in the production facility of the company is addition of two more machines – an eco-solvent printer and a laser engraver. In this respect, he strategically foresees the company’s future expansion plan. “Flex printing is not the only recipe of signage. In order to create something impressive and expansive, one must learn the art of collaboration of different technologies, materials and creativities,” he mentions.
New Xcellent
A local designing delight
Swarn Singh
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A tiny shop cornered quite unnoticed on a bylane in Nanak Nagar in Jammu is New Xcellent known widely only to local customers for their designing jobs. Many have little knowledge about how much they contribute to the region’s signage market. Swarn Singh, the brain behind New Xcellent, is a graphic designer by profession and helps the market at a very basic level. “Most of my clients are those who are based in nearby localities and need signage or display items to be printed for occasions like celebrations, anniversaries, etc,” narrates Swarn. According to him, basic attraction at his shop is that he always delivers on time at affordable rates.
New Xcellent also has a separate offset printing unit where installed an Autoprint offset machine. “We never turn down any order from client. People who come to us only for design works are always impressed with what we offer in extra. They order signs made of sunpacks, glow signboards, flex boards as well as other items like invitation cards, business cards, etc which we manage to prepare in time through close tie-ups with other PSPs based in the proximities,” tells Swarn. He mentions that they will decide to open a full-fledged digital large-format production setup sooner than later.
Nirman Advertisers
A destination for all
Team Nirman Advertisers
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Be it local walk-in customers or multinational heavyweights, Nirman Advertisers is a final destination for everyone looking for entire gamut of prints, whether simple flex sheets or glossy in-shop displays. This company is now reaching on the edge to celebrate its 10th anniversary soon. “Over the last nine years of our existence in the industry, we have upgraded ourselves to various levels, it would be machine portfolio, service and efficiency,” mentions Shammi adding that the company’s journey started so plainly with a Caldron machine. Today, Nirman Advertisers boasts of its facility with two more Caldron printers, Roland plotters and HP 5100 inkjet printer.
Over the years, those customers who have been very much a part of Nirman Advertisers’ client list include SBI, Samsung and others comprising a horde of local walk-in lot. “Big clients in our roaster often assign us on several projects for in-shop sector too. We have been aggressively carrying out fabrication and installation jobs in the retail sector for local companies as these small clients nowadays do equally understand the importance of catchy graphics and designs pertaining to in-shop ambiences,” asserts Shammi.
Covering every nook and corner of J&K, extending a bit across Leh, clients of Nirman Advertisers are dotted all across the state and beyond. Shammi mentions that the triumph they have achieved in all spheres is an outcome of the company’s dedicated team of 10 committed staffers, among them are designers, machine operators, fabricators and installers. He reveals that their next expansion plan will be opening of a separate laser engraving unit to enhance their activities to the fullest.
Sameer Graphics
An exclusive LED zone
Sameer Gupta and Vishal Mahajan
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Ever since the upbeat of LED-based glow sign applications keep spiralling across the industry, Sameer Graphics gets into a position to give a new leap to the increasingly expanding world of illuminated signages or displays in and around Jammu. This LED sign maker has been in the field of signage over the last nine years, but its thrust towards the illuminated signage domain has recently been gained when the trend of LED-embedded signs finds an affluent pathway in the market. “It has been just over the last one year that we have been actively upgrading our product portfolio that consists of almost everything about glow signs to meet the increasing demands for glow signs in J&K and some neighbouring regions,” mentions Sameer Gupta, founder, Sameer Graphics.
Impressive product portfolio of Sameer Graphics comprises a wide varieties of LED-embedded items, viz. moving and still boards, flex glow signboards, acrylic and steel letters, illuminated scrollers, name plates, radium signs, retro-reflective displays, etc. “We are planning to enhance our product portfolio as per the demands in the market,” affirms Vishal Mahajan of Sameer Graphics who sees a new wave of innovation rolling out across the illuminated signage domain in J&K. The clients who make buzz at the doorstep of Sameer Graphics are predominantly sign suppliers from all over J&K and from neighbouring areas of Punjab and Haryana.
Thunderjet V1801S eco-solvent printer from Mehta Cad Cam Systems is the machine behind the stunning graphics used in construction of all LED-embedded display items at Sameer Graphics. And all LED components and software used in every illuminated item of the company are from Patra Technologies, Odisha. Next move towards the enhancement of the company’s product portfolio will be the introduction of LED video walls in a matter of few months.
Chenab Reprographics
A journey towards the top
Kanav Sharma
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Hoping high to be on top of all in the region’s signage market in near future, Chenab Reprographics is quite a flamboyant signage player whose services, end products and efficiency in outputs have been widely acclaimed among a number of heavyweight clients from both public and private sectors. Irrespective of the fact that they are barely six years old in the industry, this company has marked several milestones of recognitions in terms of projects they have accomplished, client base, production facility and workforce. Production facility of the company is equipped with Pixeljet (with Spectra printhead) from Monotech Systems and the workshop designed particularly for fabrication is of 18,000 sq ft in area.
Some of the leading clients which have been closely associated with Chenab Reprographics since the company’s inception include LG, Prestige, Su-Kam, ITC, Anmol Biscuits, among others in private sector and those in the public sector are Jammu University, Kendriya Vidyalaya, etc. “We are vendors to some of our regular clients and responsible for everything right from printing, fabrication to installations which our team of 40 regular professionals handle extensively across the region covering the entire state of J&K,” shares Kanav Sharma, proprietor, Chenab Reprographics.
Chenab Reprographics is a name known for involving in landmark projects they have accomplished so far so good. They have solely handled everything relating to stage display systems, outdoor campaigns and other allied signage activities at the 101st Indian Science Congress held at Jammu University early this year. “It was our pride to be part of such big event where former prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh and ex-president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam were present alongside a huge gathering of 8,000 delegates from India and aboard,” asserts Kanav who conclusively mentions that they look ahead to be on top of all in the region’s signage market someday.
