By Andrew Coulsen, CEO of Spandex
Eikon is a solutions-provider and manufacturer of self-adhesive materials for the visual communication industry with over 40 years’ experience. Eikon is also home to the Imageperfect brand of self-adhesive films for signage, digital print, automotive and architectural applications. The brand has been a favourite of sign makers and graphics producers for nearly two decades.
Following the recent refresh of the Imageperfect brand to reflect the spirit of continuous innovation behind the products, I recently spoke with Stefano Nigrone, Eikon CEO, to explore his ambitions and priorities for the company.
AC: Stefano, can you share some background to Eikon’s core product offering and how it fits within the Spandex Group?
Eikon is a coating and converting company, specialised in developing and manufacturing quality self-adhesive films for the visual communications market. Our core competence lies in our ability to understand and anticipate what signage, graphics and visual communications businesses need from their materials, and then create products that meets or exceeds those demands.
We have a track record of product excellence in this market, established over 40 years. Eikon is home to Imageperfect, one of the world’s leading brands of self-adhesive films and tools for visual communication, sold through our distribution partners in over 60 countries around the world.
We are also an R&D business, working with third-party customers to develop innovative branded and white-labelled products.
With a broad customer base providing insights into evolving end user needs and expectations, we can continuously drive innovation in the materials we create. The results are ground-breaking products such as Imageperfect 5700, one of the first products in the market to offer bubble-free technology (PerfectApply) for medium-term coloured signage applications, and Imageperfect Trans Orange, specially developed for use in the aviation and shipping industries.
AC: How would you describe Eikon’s portfolio evolution in recent years?
Since becoming a stand-alone business within the Spandex Group in 2022 Eikon has continued to exceed customer demands and enhance our service capabilities. Today, Eikon is a manufacturer of high-performance self-adhesive films for commercial
applications with a strong focus on quality control and sustainability. Whether our products reach sign makers under the Imageperfect brand or through other industry partners, they have been developed and produced with the same rigorous criteria for product performance and consistency.
All of the recent portfolio changes made tie back to our mission: to deliver products of the highest quality and performance, with the lowest possible environmental impact.
This commitment has been the guiding blueprint for all our operations – from how we innovate, to the stringent quality control tests that all our products undergo. And I’m proud to say that, thanks to the close partnership with our suppliers, we have been ISO 9001 certified since 2004. This quality certification is testament to our commitment, not only to product quality, but also to the professionalism of our operations.
AC: Could you tell us more about the core values that have made those changes possible for Eikon?
We’re committed to product performance and quality. All Eikon product developments undergo extensive testing both in-house and externally before they are introduced to the market. At the same time, state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment ensures every roll of film adheres to the highest standards. Our facility’s ISO 9001 certification is further proof of our brand promise to provide customers with superior performance materials.
Innovation is undoubtedly a core value at Eikon. We continuously develop innovative solutions that meet evolving customer needs, while adhering to the highest environmental standards.
The other significant area of focus is on social benefit and sustainability. This means fostering fair labour practices, offering training and apprenticeships to retain and develop our employees, and supporting the well-being of our people at Eikon and throughout our supply chains. We also ask all our suppliers to work to our Supplier Code of Conduct and partner with them on our sustainability goals.
AC: You mention making your materials more sustainable, what does that involve?
The challenge with creating more sustainable self-adhesive materials for the visual communications market arises from the need to work with alternative raw materials and adhesives without compromising the material’s performance in a real world application. This crucial element of being able to understand and deliver what our customers want and need in a more sustainable way lies at the core of Eikon’s proposition.
At its most basic level, our product involves coating an adhesive onto a vinyl material and laminating this onto a liner. Making our products more sustainable means addressing each individual element to consider how the overall environmental impact can be reduced. For example, when supporting our customers to choose the right type
adhesives for their requirement we might explore whether to retain a conventional solvent-based adhesive or to transition to a water-based alternative.
Our Imageperfect EverGreen range of self-adhesive films showcases a completely holistic environmental approach. The range is not only PVC-free, but prioritises sustainability in all components of the product, including the surface film, adhesive and liner, as well as how the rolls are presented, protected and packaged.
AC: Thinking about the future, what are the key areas of development for Eikon?
Looking ahead, sustainability will continue to be a key focus in product development. We’re determined to develop our products more sustainably, to ensure that they are fit for the future.
We’ve invested heavily in state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment. This has come into operation this year and it is already improving the quality, speed and efficiency of our operations. We’ll continue to build on these gains.
We’re continuously expanding the geographical reach of our business, with new commercial partnerships across Europe. Now, we’ve also begun actively leveraging our relationships with other Spandex group companies to identify new sales channels in North America.
We’re confident that there is strong global demand for Eikon products which strike the necessary balance between practical performance and sustainability. We will continue our path of serving our customers while upholding our values.
For further information about Eikon’s product and service offering, visit http://www.eikonmaterials.com.
[button link="https://insight.spandex.com/en/en/imageperfect-reaffirms-brand-values-with-visual-identity-update/" color="green" newwindow="yes"] Imageperfect rebrands [/button]
Author – Andrew Coulsen
Andrew Coulsen is the CEO of Spandex Group, one of the world’s leading suppliers of materials, sign systems, displays and equipment to the sign making, graphics, architectural and vehicle wrapping markets.
