At Blue Equipment, Kinze customers can find new and used planters, grain carts, and tillage equipment, as well as parts and a service department.
This spring, Kinze Manufacturing, Inc., embarked on an exciting new venture—an in-house dealership located on the campus of their Williamsburg, Iowa, headquarters. Blue Equipment LLC serves Poweshiek, Iowa, and Johnson Counties, offering new and used Kinze equipment plus parts, retrofit kits, and mobile and on-site service.
“Before Blue Equipment opened, we knew we needed new signage,” said Kinze Senior Creative Services Specialist Mike Dykstra. “And not just storefront signage. Since the dealership is located on our manufacturing campus, we needed signs to direct people where to go and help them backtrack if they take a wrong turn.”
Mike knew exactly who he could turn to with this project: Pella Engraving & Sign Company.
“I’ve known Co-Owner Jeff Vroom for almost 20 years, and I’ve always admired the business,” he said. “I was especially excited when they added the signage division because what they offer is just what I need. PEC can hand-build custom signs, but they also offer very high-quality vinyl signage.”
The largest of the Blue Equipment wall signs being installed at Kinze Manufacturing in Williamsburg.
The Blue Equipment order included three monumental, multi-panel storefront signs—the largest measuring 24′ x 10′—as well as eight new outdoor wayfinding signs to direct visitors around the Williamsburg campus. The Blue Equipment logo was designed by Kinze. Mike designed the signs, then passed the baton to PEC.
Cost-effective, versatile, and durable vinyl was an excellent option for this project. Both the wall and wayfinding signs were printed on vinyl backed by an aluminum substrate. These signs will be able to withstand exposure to the weather and UV rays.
From fabrication to installation, it was an all-hands-on-deck project, calling on the talents of Jeff and fellow Co-Owners Jarid Purvis and Cory Vande Kieft, as well as signage experts Todd Richards and Jeff André.
When the signs were fabricated, the PEC team loaded them up and made the 70-mile trek to Williamsburg. On-site, the three storefront signs and three of the wayfinding signs were installed panel-by-panel and connected using splice strips. The rest of the wayfinding signage was retrofitted over existing post-and-panel signs.
“Their attention to detail is excellent,” said Mike. “I’m a bit Type A, so I’d notice if the panels didn’t line up perfectly. But the PEC team came equipped with strips of colored vinyl they could use to fill in any spots that were even an eighth of an inch off.
“Pella Engraving & Sign Company knew exactly what I wanted, and they delivered,” he concluded.
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- The new wayfinding signage provides directions around the Kinze campus, including to Blue Equipment.
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- Three wayfinding signs were installed on the sides of buildings, while five were retrofitted over existing post-and-panel signs.