What challenges are outdoor fabric and fabric graphics manufacturers facing?
Rowinski: In my opinion, two of the biggest challenges that our industry faces are engineering and building code restrictions. There are seven major cities in the Seattle area, and all of them have different codes and design requirements. In general, city officials require more education and advisement regarding the capabilities of outdoor fabric graphics. Usually they refer to the code books that are published by the local fire departments, but these codes were typically written prior to the advent of the new fabrics that are available. So, often the manufacturers must meet with these city officials to plead their cases (sometimes “jumping through hoops”) in order to prove the viability of the performance of these fabrics. Belli: I agree that pulling permits from various cities can be a challenge. Another challenge is the cost of large projects. The fabric is affordable in most cases, but the printing and graphics applications can be almost five times the fabric cost. Etzel: One of th
