News Decal

1. How do you think the crisis caused by the pandemic has influenced in the visual communication market?

AMS – It has had a negative influence. In "normal" crisis conditions, advertising is one of the first areas affected and in which budgets are cut. This situation has been worse than other times. This is not a crisis in which budgets are cut, but a total and abrupt stoppage of all kinds of events - trade shows, sporting events, retail advertising communication - where visual communication is the most common medium.

2. Are you optimistic about the recovery? When do you believe we will return to pre-pandemic numbers?

AMS – We, Decal, are quite optimistic, since we are using this kind of “time capsule” to reinforce and continue working on various projects that we had underway; both in investments in the plant and the preparation of the new ranges, which we will present soon.

Regarding recovery, if this market is the first one to be affected by a crisis, it is also the first to emerge from it, since visual communication is essential for recovery. Brands, businesses, and events need to communicate to be successful, and they usually come back strong. Consequently, in our sector, we anticipate that 2022 will be equated with 2019.

3. What advances do you believe that are going to arrive in this market of self-adhesive materials and films?

AMS – I don't think there is anything new to arrive, but there are advances to implement, more specifically, more sustainable materials. This crisis has led to greater awareness of sustainability and ecology, and we believe that the demand for green materials will undoubtedly be the trend. Not only in the future, but it will experience a sharp increase in demand in the present.

What makes it difficult is that these products have always been much more expensive than those that lack these features. We have decided to respond to this market need with a PVC Free range at prices as competitive as common PVC.

4. Which was the latest innovation presented by your company for this market?

AMS –The truth is that we do not have one, but many innovations.

I start with the alldecor 2d range, which we have launched to accompany one of the biggest trends in this pandemic - the renovation of spaces, whether they are commercial, hotels and, above all, private. A set of decorative textured films for wall and furniture applications, adapted to the ecological concern as it is PVC Free.

For the digital printing market we have prepared a range of monomeric or polymeric materials that are humidity-proof, waving-proof and do not curl when subjected to temperature during printing. Let's call it the state of the art of digital printing.

I finish with Dot Free. There are several products on the market, more or less popular, for shop window decoration/communication, but they all have the same problem: reduced transparency. The problem is the type of adhesive used, which is visible because it is made with small adhesive circles (visually poor and of low quality).

Many brand owners wanted the same product concept with truly crystalline properties, as if it were the direct printed showcase. After much research, we respond to that challenge with the Dot Free range (PVC and PVC Free), which adapts to all printing technologies and fully meets the quality requirements of advertisers.

5. What type of clients is it aimed at?

AMS – These novelties include innovative products for the advertising, architecture, decoration and commercial communication areas.

6. What differentiates your product from the others present in the market?

AMS - All the ranges launched have PVC and PVC Free options. Consequently, we have products for the printing technology that still occupies most of the market, but also for new and future trends regarding UV LED, latex and others.

7. What is your global offer for self-adhesive materials and films?

AMS – I appreciate the opportunity. This way I can mention another innovation, Polymeric Car Wrapping. Decal´s offer is quite complete, since it includes monomeric and polymeric PVC printing supports. This new range is included here, with printing and laminating films for wrapping vehicles or objects, a clear and more competitive alternative for these applications.

The products have all kinds of permanent, removable or removable smooth surface adhesives, with the option of gray black, or those with high tack for adherence to surfaces with low surface tension. In addition, the PVC Free range, with a guarantee of up to 4 years outdoors, reaffirms itself as a strong sustainable and competitive alternative to the use of PVC.

We have a range of monomeric, polymeric and PVC Free laminations with an adhesive that guarantees high transparency, absence of whitish effect and conformability in UV printing, avoiding the silvering effect. We are also talking about an adhesive with intrinsic characteristics of high resistance to aging.

I also add the films for glass decoration with bubble-free adhesive, allowing the application with water, reducing the installation time to a third. I finish with the recent alldecor 2d range, where the decoration of walls or furniture has never had so many sensations...

It is important to note that any of the new ranges - monomeric, polymeric or PVC Free - have products with fire-retardant B1 certification (standard EN 13501-1: 2018).

8. On what surfaces these types of materials are not used yet and you consider they could be used on?

AMS – The question is not about the surfaces where to apply, but about what to apply to the surfaces. This is where decal reaffirms itself to make a difference.