Fastsigns in Caguas, Puerto Rico, has become the go-to vehicle wrapping hub for Cemex, a multinational building materials company. When Cemex needs a cement truck wrapped, they trust Fastsigns to get the job done. But this is no easy task, especially in the blazing Puerto Rico sun. “We have a big bay where we do our installations. It protects us from the heat and the sun here in Puerto Rico. It’s very hot and that direct sunlight doesn’t help when applying the vinyl,” says Juan Rivera, partner, Fastsigns Puerto Rico/Dominican Republic/US Virgin Islands. “And not only does it affect the vinyl, it effects our employees because they tire very easily in the hot sunlight. These cement trucks experience a lot of wear and tear, so we have to get it right.”
Wrapping a cement truck involves a few more steps than your average vehicle wrap because of the nature of the cement pouring job. There’s typically a lot of cement residue and dirt on the truck when it’s initially brought to the Fastsigns team, so they have to implement a four-step preparation process. “Basically we have to clean the whole thing first. Those kind of trucks have abrasions all over, so we have to get it clean for the installation,” says Rivera. “We also get rid of some rust, and then give it a new paint job. We then take it to our facility and we give it one final clean.” To complete the two recent installations [pictured above], Fastsigns used an HP Latex 360 printer onto Arlon Graphics DPF 4600LX vinyl film and Arlon Graphics Series 3200 Optically Clear overlaminate.
The Puerto Rican flag wrap was a huge hit with the locals, and the yellow Cemex design accomplished increased branding for the client and encouraged pedestrians to safely cross the street. “The design with the Puerto Rico flag was awesome. When you saw it on the street it was a real eye-catcher,” says Teresa Caballero, partner, Fastsigns Puerto Rico/Dominican Republic/U.S. Virgin Islands. “It generated a lot of word-of-mouth marketing.”