HITECH HITS A HIGH!

High Living, The High Life, Flying High, we've heard them all. Well, here at Hitech Signs we truly are hitting the highs. We are delighted to announce our appointment as Glasgow Housing Association's first choice sign supplier having won the prestigious GHA contract to provide signing and guiding to Glasgow's 437 multi site high rise flat developments. It was a tough old slog having to tender against 26 other companies, all of whom were very keen to win this lucrative contract. However, here at Hitech Signs we have a proven track record in multi-site re-signing campaigns and after the development team from the GHA visited our premises and met our staff, they were left with little doubt that Hitech Signs were to be their first choice sign supplier. The contract duration is for an initial 5 year period and we are all very much looking forward to working closely with this exciting, highly driven development team.

GEORGE GLOWS WITH THE FLOW

George Swift has found success with a real sign of the times - and with putting people's names up in lights. George is a master signmaker with Hitech Signs Ltd, based at their Glasgow premises. Hitech design, manufacture, install and service all kinds of signs for businesses across the UK.

George has been creating neon signs in a variety of colours for 15 years at Hitech's Port Dundas base, after leaving his original trade as an electrician. He said: "Swapping a job as an electrician was the best move I ever made and I can honestly say I have loved every minute of my work. I consider myself very fortunate to have a job where variety is the spice of life. No two pieces of work are the same so I never get bored. You could say there's never a dull moment. I help to light up everyone's life at Hitech!"

Making neon signs is a skilled art and involves using special glass, which is bent to match the design needed. Once that is done, neon gas, or a similar gas called argon, is inserted into the tube and sealed. Once the sign is ready, electricity is passed through the gas and the scientific properties of neon or argon light up the tube.

George said: "We use both gases because they produce different colours. Neon can be used to create pink, red and orangey colours while argon has the added benefit of producing any colour we like."

Hitech was set up in 1984 by George's boss, Michael Dally after he decided to set up on his own using the skills he had learned in signmaking for another business. Hitech now has a workforce of 23and its customers include the Clydesdale Bank, Spar, Glasgow City Council, Holiday Inn Hotels and Virgin Trains to name a few.

Michael said: "Signmaking is a business which, like most 21st century businesses, uses computers. Blending new technology with the skills George has helped to ensure our success. "Employees with George's skills don't come along everyday, so he is a key member of staff."

LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!

Or should that be ORDER! ACTION! LIGHTS!, because that's certainly how things have been going recently at Scottish Television's headquarters in the Cowcaddens area of Glasgow. This was the site of one of our most recent ventures after being awarded the contract to upgrade the signage thanks to a successful business partnership history that has been developed between Hitech Signs and the management team at Scottish Television. Once the order was in place our team of highly skilled engineers sprung to action and set to work on manufacturing and installing a stunning combination of signage and lighting to complement both the surroundings and the modern and dynamic attitude of Scottish Television.

The main feature in this recent project is without a doubt the 410m+ of green and blue cold cathode neon tubing, which has been installed around the top-level perimeter of the building. The spectacular overall effect of this feature, along with that of the corporate colour brick lights and internally illuminated panel signs that have been strategically placed at various positions around the building, has been created by a collaboration with Edinburgh based design company Navy Blue, with whom we very much look forward to working with again in the future.

ASHOKA SHAKS

We are delighted to announce our appointment as sign contractor for the Ashoka Shak chain of Indo-Tapas restaurants rolling out throughout the UK.

Owned and operated by Mr Charan Gill C.B.E. of the Harlequin Leisure group of companies, this wholly new food concept is proving to be a winner among the discerning diners. The signage scheme reflects the design concepts desire to provide a contemporary approach to the retail skyline, embracing our modern manufacturing capabilities with traditional engineering skills.

Modern dynamic lettering, manufactured in stainless steel, acrylic and illuminated by neon tubing provide a dominant presence in their leisure park environments, with the restaurant outline also picked out in feature exposed neon tubing.

We wish Mr Gill and everyone involved much continued success and I look forward to working with them in the years to come.