Cost and quality concurrency

What comes first? Would it be either cost or quality that should be emphasised in the first place? No doubt to underline that a larger section of the current Indian signage market is sweeping along low-priced (economical) standard, besides certain domains of giant corporate clients. What I mean is not to pronounce loudly that the industry doesn’t hold quality at all and people keep it as second option. It is evident that small town signage businesses wisely maintain both affordability and quality concurrently carrying on the same track.

I had absorbed myself trying to virtually draw actual scenario of different regional markets over the last twelve months. Our first hand interactions with players in some corners of the country have witnessed different perspectives of the simultaneous control of quality and cost factor. Yet the simmering discontent here is only about the applications of high-end machines or technology in a mass scale across the industry. But it doesn’t make any differences as far as we maintain a standard that works innovatively.

It’s not essential to quote only the million-dollar printers or costliest media to define a quality output. Characterisation of optimum quality of a signage depends on several parameters comprising technology, materials, designs, colours, etc that collectively mould the end product. My overall idea in this perception is to point out the quality of a signage as an output of the appropriate use of technology and materials, keeping in mind the cost as well.

Many print providers truly clarify that there is no such technology or media we can term it ‘cheap’. Of course, cheapness of a product or service is referred only when it comes out to be sub-standard. Recently a Kolkata-based media supplier proudly mentioned that he never provides his clients any cheap materials but always the affordable ones. His word actually sounds like perfect tone to strategically help clients find the right quality inexpensively.

Now the role of printers as well as material suppliers is to offer extra tractions to inform and educate their clients about the advantages of a quality upsurge. This would be a new challenge for signage companies to regulate cost effectiveness and quality maintenance not only for their customers but also for the entire industry. No industry has developed without going through a revolution phase and our signage sector is no exception. Let’s work more closely for the day we all could stand together to bring firm pricing and quality at optimum level.