In 1997, a small business in Tempe, Arizona, started making golf tournament tee signs. That same company, bluemedia, now collaborates with Sherwin-Williams to create innovative, dynamic and experiential marketing displays for brands across the nation.

By 2005, with successful national-scale projects under its belt, bluemedia began to grow quickly. To keep up with production demand CEO of bluemedia, Jared Smith, recognised the need for an enterprise-wide coatings program.

“When the business began to rapidly expand, we realised we needed more sophisticated coatings and color matching,” said Smith. “We also discovered how much time our coatings lead, Chris Anthony, spent searching for the right products from one distributor to the next. That time directly translated into wasted dollars, or as we like to call it, a ‘shopping expense.’”

Sherwin-Williams sales representative, Stan Thompson, approached bluemedia with a suite of coating solutions that could enable faster turnaround times and better colour matching. “When we learned of all the places Chris travelled to for products and materials, we knew we could simplify his schedule and save company time,” said Thompson. “We offered everything he needed and became his one-stop-shop for coatings and their associated products, like spray equipment and booths.”

A nearby Sherwin-Williams facility also helped seal the deal. “We have a location close to bluemedia, which allows us to meet shorter lead times,” said Thompson. “We also have a local technical representative who can be at bluemedia within hours if they need help on the line.”

Fast production and colour matching are at the top of bluemedia’s priority list, working closely with Sherwin-Williams to achieve both. According to Smith, before the company connected with Sherwin-Williams, on average, it would take two weeks to get a colour sample. Now, bluemedia receives colour samples within a day, which has been a huge differentiation for the business.

“The ability to colour match within a day isn’t a game-changer,” said Smith. “It’s the difference between being in the game or not – whoever can match colour the fastest gets the job.” Smith also cites colour glitches as the single most expensive issue for their business due to rework time and material costs. Colour errors slow down bluemedia’s overall production schedule, ultimately costing the business money.

For aluminium signage and components, bluemedia primarily uses Sherwin-Williams GENESIS® Lustral™ – a fast-drying, two component polyurethane system that utilises two mixing clears (GT1510 & GT1511) to achieve multiple gloss levels.

The GENESIS Lustral system delivers high-performance qualities, such as excellent durability, outstanding resistance to fading and chalking, and fast dry times that lead to improved productivity.

GENESIS Lustral allows bluemedia to save time and money, and ensures successful colour continuity on all its signs. “The time it takes for paint to dry can be directly converted into dollars. Dry time is shipping time,” said Smith.

bluemedia’s decision to use Sherwin-Williams as its sole coatings supplier was influenced by multiple factors, leading with fast-drying products and exceptional colour matching capabilities.

A trusted brand name, enterprise-wide solutions and nearby customer support also helped. Smith comments, “bluemedia is big on getting it right the first time. We’re confident in the abilities of Sherwin-Williams to deliver those desired results every time.”