Instruction in vehicle wrapping provides expertise for entering into trending category

July 3, 2018
Vehicles wraps are increasingly serving as rolling billboards for businesses of all types along with offering added applications for motorists seeking exquisitely enhanced reduced-maintenance finishes for their cars and trucks.

By all appearances, manufacturers of commercial, decorative and paint-protection vehicle wraps are frequently bundling comprehensive installer training options with their mix of available products.

Wraps are increasingly serving as rolling billboards for businesses of all types along with offering added applications for motorists seeking exquisitely enhanced reduced-maintenance finishes for their cars and trucks.

The American retail marketplace for commercial and personal vehicle wraps is currently valued at more than $1 billion. “However, graphics manufacturers and installers are reporting steady growth as vehicle graphics are quickly becoming a mainstream trend,” says Tim J. Boxeth, marketing manager at 3M Commercial Solutions.

Global sales of automotive wraps and films are expected to reach $10.8 billion by 2025. “The market has witnessed advancements, both in terms of technologies and materials, in order to facilitate low cost and mass production of the products. This would also lead to flexibility in designs and ease of manufacturing for a wide range of applications,” according to a category analysis from Grand View Research. “Key players in the industry are striving towards introducing new products with new colors and features to meet the changing consumer demands.”

Referencing ongoing product launches from segment producers including 3M, Avery Dennison, Arlon Graphics, KPMF (Kay Premium Marking), Ritrama, Orafol and Hexis, Grand View’s report notes that in 2015 heavy duty vehicles accounted for 17.5 percent of the market in the form of mobile advertising applications. Lately light duty vehicle installations have been annually increasing by 20 percent as passenger car and commercial wraps gain in worldwide popularity, especially in emerging economies such as China, India, the Middle East and Africa.

In addition to signage for businesses and institutions, wraps can mimic exotic paint effects, and clear films protect existing finishes. Wrapping dashboards and other interior surfaces is another aspect, as is utilizing the technology for displaying graphics on walls, windows and floors in buildings.

By all accounts, applying a vehicle wrap is not a do-it-yourselfer endeavor because of the required knowledge and skills. Obtaining professional proficiency can be accomplished by attending a training course, and installation how-to videos are also widely available.

At 3M “the formal training ranges from one to three days,” Boxeth says. “However, it can take many months to become skilled enough to wrap a full vehicle efficiently. Beginners can usually wrap a hood or a flatter surface after some training and practice. Learning to wrap a full vehicle, however, especially the compound curves and deep channels, can take months or sometimes years, depending on your natural abilities.”

As you might expect, a workspace largely devoid of airborne dust and detritusis highly recommended for an aftermarket business seeking to offer wrapping services.

“You really need a temperature-controlled environment, and you want it to be very clean to avoid particles from getting underneath the wrap film during installation,” says Boxeth. “It is good to have at least two people working on a wrap installation. As the installer becomes more skilled, many times they can wrap a vehicle on their own efficiently.”

3M’s Mobile Training Vehicle travels throughout the country delivering hands-on instruction, and courses are conducted at numerous classroom locations to provide wrappers with several levels of expertise and certification.

For example, Geek Wraps University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is a 3M Graphics Authorized Training & Testing facility with classes taught by Kenny Calman and Jon Leftik; also on staff is traveling instructor Steve Carney.

Calman, who previously achieved acclaim as a flight instructor and Hollywood stunt pilot before shifting to the wrapping industry, has invented a collection of tools to ease the installation process that are internationally in use across the industry.

Custom-built to mirror 3M’s main training facility in Minnesota, Geek Wraps U. encompasses 4,500 sq. ft. of space that includes a multi-media classroom as well as wall, floor and vehicle stations to learn and prepare for the associated certification exams. Class enrollment rosters are kept low to ensure that the students are given individual attention and extensive hands-on practice.

Each year 225 to 250 students from all over the world attend the 5-day course, spending 10 hours per day learning the details of the craft, says CEO Kathy Calman. “It’s always gaining in popularity.”

Essential business tips
In March Avery Dennison rolled out a series of Business Boot Camp workshops featuring a two-tiered curriculum designed in collaboration with wrapping industry pioneers Justin Pate of the Wrap Institute and John Duever of Vinyl Images. The 44 sessions offered at more than 35 North American locations often include guest speakers.

“Both beginner and advanced installers can really benefit from taking one or both of the Avery Dennison workshops, because what we teach is always evolving to match the growth of the wrap industry,” Pate explains. “John and I also share lessons learned from our years in the industry on the business side. This means installers learn how to wrap with high quality and low install times, while getting essential tips on how to run a business.”

“Even with all the installations I’ve done in my shop, I always seem to come away from the class with improved technique,” says Ken Mahlschnee at Bullitt Auto in Clayton, North Carolina. “I also value the networking opportunities and wrap tips I learn from Justin Pate.”

“At Avery Dennison, we are listening to our customers and developing the products and training they need to succeed,” according to Bill Podojil, a senior business director at the company.

“Wrap installers and wrap shop owners have told us they’d like to be more effective and efficient, while learning to upsell and enhance their marketing,” he adds. “Those topics and many more regarding day-to-day business operation are included in the new two-day Business Bootcamp.”

Arlon’s WrapItRight training program “aims to set you up for future success,” notes business development manager Ritchie Daize, with a wide array of instruction. “It is our intention to take what we have learned throughout our 50-plus years in business and share it with our industry.”

Daize started out working with vinyl at a small sign shop that subsequently received a wrapping contract for a large fleet. After serving as lead applicator on the project he opened his own RD Installations business, which Daize sold in 2008 to join Arlon.

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