Building and maintaining a successful business has its challenges, even under normal circumstances. With the amount and pace of change happening in 2020, this is even more true. However having the best technology on hand can make achieving growth and profitability as straightforward as possible. Making smart decisions, like choosing cutting-edge, dependable Roland DG wide format printers that optimize quality and productivity, has enabled print service providers to build their respective businesses and remain stable even through the COVID crisis.
Luis Vivas, founder and CEO of San Francisco-based VIVAS Inc., emigrated from Peru in 2006. He started his printing business in 2012 from his apartment with a laptop and a dream. Today, he and his seven employees work in a 3,000-square-foot facility, serving A-list clients that include Lucasfilm, Facebook, Nike, Nissan, Sephora, and Google.
When he began his business, Vivas advertised banners delivered “online and on time.” There was just one problem—he didn’t have a printer. “Regardless, I began walking the streets of San Francisco handing out flyers to promote my startup,” said Vivas.
His first job came a few days later, when the organizers of the San Francisco Marathon asked if he could print twenty banners by the end of the week. Vivas called upon a friend who owned a wide-format digital printer, and they got to work. They ended up producing a total of 200 banners for the event—on time. “With that job done, I went to a lender to get money to invest in my business,” Vivas recalled.
In 2015, Vivas received a job request from what would turn out to be a very important client. “I never expected to be contacted by a company as big as Lucasfilm, but that’s exactly what happened,” he said. “I used the down payment on that job to buy my very first Roland DG printer/cutter. I got a feel for the quality and reliability of Roland DG’s products at a trade show in Las Vegas, and I knew that machine was exactly what we needed to meet the demands of a client like Lucasfilm.”
Following that job, business increased rapidly for Vivas. By consistently delivering outstanding work, he grew his company by more than 100 percent annually each of the next three years, and in 2019, growth of 200 percent over the prior year. To handle the growing workload, Vivas brought in three additional Roland DG inkjets—a TrueVIS VG-640 printer/cutter, a VersaUV® LEJ-640 hybrid printer, and most recently, a next-generation TrueVIS VG2-640. These machines have enabled the company to expand its offerings to include rigid signage, vehicle wraps, window and wall graphics, floor graphics, and more.
Vivas’s company continued to experience substantial growth into early 2020, but COVID changed things dramatically. Vivas knew he had to adapt quickly. “While we continued to receive requests from our core customers, we had to make up for an initial drop in new business,” Vivas pointed out. “So we began producing social distancing and safety signage, printed PPE, and customized acrylic shields for retail and office environments. Now, we have a dedicated section on our Web site where we offer all these services, free templates, even Hexis antimicrobial film.”
Vivas notes his shop owes a lot of their success to the performance of their Roland DG printers. “Quality is our number one priority – and that’s exactly what our Roland DG equipment delivers,” he says. “The wide gamut, amazing color and stunning image quality have been key factors in our success.”
Despite the hardships brought about by the pandemic, Vivas is quick to count his blessings. “We’re lucky to be able to remain open and retain all our employees,” says Vivas. “Now we have the opportunity to help others.”
—Press Release
