The Northern Rivers region of NSW is a dynamic growth area, fuelled by places such as Byron Bay. However, all around this vast and picturesque area, there are thriving sign businesses such as Ballina’s LJ Signs, punching way above its weight covering an area from Bundaberg in the north to Newcastle in the south. Andy McCourt pays LJ a visit.
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| Adjacent to Ballina Airport, LJ Signs' reach covers 2,000km of coast and inland to Moree |
“ I think we succeed because we deliver what we say we will on time,” says LJ Signs’ owner Jon Ellis, the second generation to run the business, established in 1982. “Also, we are a very sustainable business, which is essential in this region. We are now an all-HP Latex shop and use no solvents. We strive to use recycled and recyclable boards and films – the sign industry in the past has sent far too much waste to landfill.” With the motto 'Yes we do, yes we can' it's easy to see the attitude that drives the company.
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| Jon Ellis runs LJ Signs with a passion for good service |
LJ Signs was started by Jon’s father Rod Ellis, who still works in the business keeping the ‘old skills’ alive. LJ does its own installations itself wherever possible, providing a complete service. “We’re having a great year,” says Jon, “in spite of Covid, businesses are still demanding signs and we’ve also picked up some local work from Queensland because of the border closure.”
Conveniently located right next to Ballina Gateway airport, Jon, who takes care of sales and marketing, can be on a plane to almost anywhere within a few hours to meet with customers.
New flatbed HP Latex
The pride of LJ Signs’ printer fleet is the three-month old HP Latex R1000 flatbed printer, supplied by Orafol – now supported by Celmac. “It replaced an HP Scitex solvent machine and we already had an HP Latex 365 roll-to-roll printer and HP cutter,” says Jon. “It’s been fantastic and we’ve been printing on everything from fluted boards to ACM and recycled. Customers love the concept of water-based odour-free inks and the recyclability and the ink adhesion and colour vibrancy are excellent.”
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| Jon Ellis with production guru Scott Worger |
Production and colour management are under the care of Scott Worger using the Onyx Thrive Rip. Ellis notes that the whole business operates under a unified workflow, trackable from quoting right through to production, using the KIM Australian-developed software. “We actually get quotes to people within 24 hours or sooner,” says Ellis, “so many sign businesses fall down in this area. You can’t get the order if you haven’t quoted!”
The HP Latex R1000 is a rigid and flexible media printer for boards up to 1625mm x 3050mm and roll media up to 1630mm wide. LJ’s 2020 edition includes White ink and Clear overcoat on top of the CMYK,Lc,Lm Latex inks in 3 litre containers.
Routing and shape cutting is on an Australian-made Multicam machine, various laminators are deployed and graphic design is in-house using Illustrator and Corel. The tight-knit team of seven are all top performers and team-focused. “It’s ‘whatever it takes’ with us – we love challenges, no matter how far off the ground they are sometimes,” says Ellis.
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| ACM panel coming off the HP Latex 1000 |
As LJ Signs has grown, it has moved three times in the area with the company’s history graphically displayed on a photowall behind Jon Ellis’ desk. “Many printers might have the equipment we have,” he says, “but our difference is the service and quality we provide and our commitment to deadlines.”
It’s all looking great for LJ Signs, Ballina – you wouldn’t even know Covid-19 existed!
www.ljsigns.com.au
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| Father & son - Jon Ellis with founder Rod Ellis and the history board |
