Kylie Schleicher promoted to Director of Product Development & Product Management

Posted on August 31, 2021 | by Ultraflex Marketing Team

Riverview, FL– Ultraflex Systems, Inc. promotes Kylie Schleicher from Marketing Manager to Director of Product Development & Product Management. She will be managing new products, special requests, and Ultraflex’s current product portfolio. “I am thrilled to continue to grow the Ultraflex portfolio with exciting and innovative new products that help our customers and industry move forward,” states Kylie Schliecher.

Kylie joined Ultraflex in 2012 and retains an extensive background in Ultraflex’s product line, as well as the digital printing industry. During her time as Marketing Manager and Product Manager, Kylie developed knowledge of digital printing equipment and procured relationships with printer manufacturers, which will assist in new product development.

Rain? Wind? Heat? Bring It On!

Posted on June 2, 2021 | by Kylie

The country is opening up, and calendars are filled with festivals, concerts, Broadway shows, sporting events, and more. This is an ideal time for businesses to raise their visibility and take full advantage of the customers headed their way.

But, before you rush to order banners, billboards, and other products that build your brand, there are a few things to consider. Like the weather.

Not all signage is the same. It’s important to select signs made from reliable, consistent materials that can stand up to the harsh elements in your region: wind, rain, heat, and humidity.

For example, all Ultraflex products contain UV inhibitors, which prevent the sunshine from discoloring signs. Our materials for outdoor products are long-lasting, strong, and create the perfect canvas for even the most colorful graphics.

If it’s time to turn some heads – and traffic – your way, below are some great ideas to get you started.

Mesh magic

There’s nothing quite as stunning as a vivid graphic that wraps around a multi-story building. Building wraps stop customers in their tracks. Jaws drop. Cell phones rise to capture the moment. And your business lights up social media.

Our mesh banner materials are excellent for building wraps. The mesh design allows the wind to flow through the banner without tearing the material or disrupting your message. Here’s a great example :

Mesh materials are weather-worthy and have lots of great applications. They can be used for billboards, exhibits, event signs, and even at construction sites, where mesh fence wraps protect workers, equipment, and consumers passing by. Take a look:

Show-stoppers

A show-stopping billboard can be a memorable way for businesses and institutions to positively persuade audiences. But those sad, peeling, fading, and degrading billboards can send a powerfully negative message that can impact a reputation for years to come. To help protect your brand and your billboard, we’ve developed a line of durable materials with high tensile and tear strength, fungus resistance, UV resistance, and black-backed substrates to provide complete opacity. Here are some of our favorites:

Stand out and stand up

We offer an ever-expanding portfolio of materials that make banners, pole signs, billboards, and wraps stand out and stand up in all kinds of weather. To find out more about our products, services, and innovative ideas, email us.

Virtual Events – Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?

Posted on March 8, 2021 | by Kylie | 1 Comment

Virtual Events – Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?

What We’ve Learned about Virtual Meetings

It’s hard to believe a year has gone by since the beginning of the pandemic in America. During the past months, we’ve had to rethink the way we work, learn, play, and more. We’ve also had to figure out how to keep businesses going – and growing – despite significant obstacles.

Technology has helped us adjust to a new environment. And even though we miss the in-person connections with customers and co-workers, a virtual approach may be our reality for a while longer.

We jumped in with the first Ultraflex virtual trade show in October 2020. Our next one is March 17 – more about that in a moment. Since our first show, we’ve hosted and participated in many virtual trade shows and training sessions. Along the way, we’ve learned a lot.

Lesson 1: Do a Trial Run

Technical glitches can create a major disconnect. We’ve had our fair share and learned early on to devote enough time for a full run-through with technology and presenters. Our advice is to have a backup for anything and everything, such as the loss of an internet connection, a video that lags or won’t play, or a presenter who may or may not have experience with screen-sharing.

Check out this great guide for hosting online events, including options for event technology and platforms, or explore SAE International’s best practice guide for virtual meetings.

Lesson 2: Minimize the Monologue

We’ve all attended a virtual meeting or event where one talking head presents slide after slide. About 45 minutes later, the presenter announces: “Are there any questions?” By that time, many attendees have zoned out.

The challenge is to find ways to engage with participants throughout the event. Yes, it takes some work and creative thinking, but the extra effort will pay off. The best solutions are often born after engaging with customers who talk about their needs or concerns – things you may have never considered before.

If you want to keep participants on high alert during your virtual event, show videos, demonstrations, panel discussions, give them polls to answer and quizzes to take. Here’s a good article on how to keep attendees engaged before, during, and after your event.

Lesson 3: Show Your Customers You Care

Without face-to-face contact, your customers may not realize how much you care about their success. Whenever you engage virtually with customers, make sure they know you are thinking creatively about how to meet their needs.

For example, when businesses began reopening last summer, we helped customers learn how to implement signage, seat covers, wall and floor coverings, and more to help consumers feel safe while navigating seating, directions, and social distancing.

Lesson 4: Take Part in Virtual Trade Shows

We don’t know when we will be together again. In the meantime, virtual events can help us stay productive and allow us to continue inventing new and amazing solutions.

During the past few months, Ultraflex virtual trade shows have given customers a place where they can see, learn, experience, and talk about new applications, trends, and challenges for the industry.

Our next virtual trade show is March 17. We’ll be looking at important market trends, including green initiatives that allow products to evolve in an environmentally friendly way. Learn more and register for the March 17 virtual trade show here.

If you missed our previous virtual trade shows, you can view our archives anytime:

• The October 7, 2020 virtual trade show focused on working with digitally printable textiles.
• The October 21, 2020 virtual trade show focused on the latest innovations in décor solutions.
• The November 4, 2020 show explored how to finish fabrics using Bannerups and SEGDesign.
• The November 18, 2020 show explored a range of décor products and how they are tested for durability and certification.
• The January 13, 2021 show focused on navigating Personal Protective Gear (PPE) and how Ultraflex can assist.
• The January 27, 2021 virtual event showed ways to safely and comfortable invite people back to indoor dining and shopping with proper signage and social distancing signage and barriers.
• The February 24, 2021 event showcased the importance of color management with dye-sublimation.

You can also find us at the virtual ISA Sign Expo April 7 to 9. We’ll showcase the latest products, market trends, and solutions that can help you reach unique audiences and grow your business. Register for the event here.

We’re ready to explore the possibilities with you – on whatever device you choose. For more information about how to get started, email us.

safely reopen -media solutions - virtual events - yes we are open

7 Tips to Help You Safely and Successfully Reopen

Posted on August 13, 2020 | by Kylie | 1 Comment

7 Tips to Help You Safely and Successfully Reopen

Normal activities like shopping, working, playing, learning and worshiping have changed dramatically because of the coronavirus pandemic. How can businesses, schools and others reopen safely and effectively during this challenging time? We have some great suggestions.

Below are 7 tips for a safe reopening. Every signage material mentioned can be customized to showcase your unique brand, creating new opportunities for your enterprise to revive and thrive.

Tip #1: Clearly direct the route.

The term “wayfinding” refers to how people navigate and experience your space. Wayfinding signage can safely guide customers and visitors through your environment so they can find exactly what they need. Clear directions will help people feel comfortable and safe and allow them to have the best experience.

Instead of putting up that ugly, frightening yellow caution tape, think about how you can use wayfinding signage. It’s an effective and easy option. For example, FabriTac provides an adhesive fabric that can be mounted to any surface and moved many times. AdventureScapes is another excellent option. This 100% polyester, adhesive-backed material is tear and wrinkle resistant with an excellent anti-slip rating for wet and dry surfaces.

Tip #2: Use seat covers to support social distancing and advertising.

“Where do I sit?” is one of the first questions people will ask when certain types of facilities reopen. Seat covers can be used on public transportation, in classrooms, sports stadiums and more to clearly show where to sit to maintain social distancing.

What about those empty stadium seats? You can use seat covers to fill those empty seats with advertising or other messages to provide additional revenue and visibility for your brand. Seat covers can be simple self-adhesive signage or full seat covers made out of fabric or PVC material. Take a look at some real-life examples.

Tip #3: Hang banners to deliver big messages.

Banners are a great way to provide instructions or motivate patrons. Banners can be used to show support, draw attention, indicate new hours and business practices, and remind customers of safety rules. Take a look at some vibrant, high-quality banners made from Ultraflex materials:

Tip #4: Provide instructions, guidelines and more with stands and displays.

Freestanding displays are an eye-catching option for conveying messages indoors and outdoors. If you need to create a pop-up display inside a mall or big event, you may want to consider our SuperSmooth™ PET GreyBack product. If you need a smooth and flat roll-up display, one of our Bravura products may be the perfect solution. Here’s a neat display a high-traffic area:

Tip #5: Use floor graphics to step up safety.

When you reopen and people walk through your doors for the first time in months, what will they see?

Creative and compelling floor graphics can safely guide people through your facility. They can also help visitors and customers keep a safe distance when waiting in line to buy tickets, check out, take a tour, or place and pick up orders.

Here are some excellent examples of stunning floor graphic visuals:

Tip #6: Take full advantage of the outside of your facility.

Even before people enter your facility, they may need to know important information. Storefronts, sidewalks and stairs are ideal places to use directional signage as part of your reopening strategy. Window displays can alert people to special hours of operation or other helpful information. Other instructional signage can clearly direct traffic flow.

If you are thinking about directional signage, you’ll want to choose the highest-performing material for your project. Explore options like UltraVision Window Perf and FabriTac.

Tip #7: Use dividers and face shields for added safety.

Interacting with customers and students is a necessity for many organizations. Safety dividers help protect store workers, hair dressers, teachers, restaurant patrons, office workers and others who must interact with people every day. Whether you need a sneeze guard at a store counter or a large protective barrier, products like AcryliFlex can provide a transparent, durable surface to create safe spaces and allow for social distancing.

Face shields can add an additional layer of protection. Our PETG material used in face shields is lightweight, has an anti-fog component and is structurally sound.

There’s one more thing.

Reopening may be one of the biggest challenges you’ve had to overcome. But there are opportunities you don’t want to miss. We can help you choose media solutions for your environment that help you communicate with your patrons, while representing the powerful brand you’ve worked so hard to build.

We have the knowledge, expertise and products to help you open safely and deliver important messages to students, staff, customers and fans. For more information, email [email protected].

A Message From Our Ultraflex Team

Posted on May 6, 2020 | by Kylie

Working From Home, Working For You.

As a leader in the industry, Ultraflex strives to provide exceptional communication and support during this trying time. We are still up and running in all warehouses, and here to serve the needs of our customers. Our team is doing their part to help those on front lines who are working tirelessly to heal and to help. Recently, Ultraflex has introduced our Rx Product line which offers 4 products with AAMI ratings. RxTex 102 and RxTex 54 come with an AMMI level 1 protection are thermally bonded non-woven materials. RxProtect 4 is a chemically bonded non-woven material that is water repellent, pathogen resistant and can be reused and cleaned easily. This material has an AMMI level 4 protection.

Ultraflex has the ability to provide solutions for hospital curtains, pop-up tents, aprons, protective coverings, material for partitions, temporary flooring, way-finding signage, and much more. Products from our PVC, flooring, and textiles can be used in these various applications.

Is Your Business Thinking Green? We Are

Posted on March 9, 2020 | by Kylie

Nearly 50 years ago, 20 million Americans protested all over the country, calling for businesses and communities to find ways to take better care of the environment and, in turn, protect human health. The protests launched an environmental movement and resulted in Earth Day, an event celebrated every spring since 1970. Since then, many companies have taken steps to help keep our planet healthy. Ultraflex is no exception.

Recently, we introduced Ultima® EcoFlex, a media product that is 100% free of PVC and phthalates, also known as plasticizers. The material is designed for outdoor advertising, wall coverings, banners and other displays. It is a high quality, durable and lightweight material. It’s also REACH compliant, fire-retardant and an excellent option for customers who are concerned about the chemicals used in their media materials.

But this blog is not a sell sheet for Ultima® EcoFlex.

We are extremely proud of this new offering, but that’s not why I’m trying to get your attention today.

Ultraflex is the world’s largest provider of digitally printable textiles and flexible substrates. We’re passionate about solving customers’ problems and offering superior solutions to meet market demands. As we search for and develop the best solutions for customers, we want to make sure our products are safe for people and the environment.

For example, last year, we commissioned a leading, product testing and certification company to conduct wipe testing across our product lines to determine if they contain potentially harmful chemicals listed by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (EHHA). By the way, the EHHA’s list contains approximately 900 harmful chemicals.

We passed the test with flying colors.

Based on the wipe-testing results, a long list of our products contain very little to none of the questionable substances. The testing proved that these products are Prop 65-compliant, which means they are not harmful to drinking water, according to standards set by California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.

This is good news for the environment and for distributors, end users and employees who handle these products.

Here’s this blog’s bottom line.

Soon, Earth Day will come and go, but our company’s commitment to protecting the environment will stay strong every day of the year. We continue to monitor and comply with multiple rules and regulations that help sustain a healthy planet and healthy people.