Moss Inc.

Source: Retail Digital

Date :07/08/2007 14:01:30

Moss Inc. has found innovative ways to use fabric as a decorative means for client companies to distinguish themselves at tradeshows and public events

Written and produced by Megan Santosus & Nick Ledue

If you happen to be at a trade show, sitting under an exhibitor’s fabric indoor dome designed and manufactured by Moss Inc., you may find yourself inexplicably reminiscing about the pup tent you had as a child.

The connection between a tradeshow exhibit and a camping staple is certainly understandable when you realize that Moss started out as a Camden, Maine-based innovator of camp tents in 1975.

In 1983, Moss created a tradeshow backdrop for tents using its fabrics and frames. Response from attendees was strong; they recognized the advantages of lightweight displays that could be easily assembled and disassembled, and Moss began the transition from tent maker to sign and display maker.

Then in 2000, the privately-held Moss was acquired by The Riverside Company, a private equity firm based in New York. In 2002, Moss in turn acquired Exhibit Architecture Inc., in Chicago, further expanding its presence in the events and exhibits markets.

Today, the Chicago-based Moss Inc., is a leading designer and manufacturer of structures and signs utilizing fabric that is tensioned over framework. Rather than the deep woods of Maine, Moss’s tension fabric products these days are found in exhibit halls, retail environments and corporate events around the world.

Providing standard and custom fabric structures for the tradeshow and events industry is certainly something of a niche market, but that doesn’t mean it’s not competitive. Although Moss was an early innovator, competition has been increasing of late.

“Many companies are doing a good job providing customers with products,”

says Bart Read, vice president and general manager of Moss’ plant in Belfast, Maine. “There’s something of a commoditization going on.”

Both the competitive landscape and rising cost of aluminum — the material Moss uses to make frames — is putting pressure on costs. Now that customers can shop around, Moss strives to keep prices in check.

Read says that thus far, the company’s high volumes have inoculated it against rising aluminum prices, and Moss has not passed any increases on to customers.

Like many first movers, Read says that Moss was a bit slow to respond to competitors, some of whom emerged when employees in its own ranks left to form their own companies.

However, Read says that Moss is now cognizant of the competition and continues to make concerted efforts to set itself apart from competitors.

“We have more capacity than our competitors,” says Read, adding that the company’s three manufacturing facilities — in Maine, Illinois and Utah — enable Moss to have good coverage of North America. In addition, Moss has a rental facility in Las Vegas to supply trade shows and events with decorative fabric structures.

As for products, Read says that Moss also differentiates itself by including more engineering. Moss uses four basic types of construction: single-skin, in which fabric covers one side of a frame; pillowcase, in which fabric covers two sides of a frame; fully-enclosed, in which fabric covers a three-dimensional shape; and fabric-only, such as banners.

While Moss products are designed for easy-set up, the company does provide customers with installation services for more complex structures and displays.

Moss’ business is divided between standard and custom signs and structures made with tensioned fabric. Off-the-shelf three-dimensional standard shapes include cones, tapered squares and three-sided pyramids.

Two-dimensional shapes include disks, curved rectangular panels and flat elliptical panels.

For custom projects, Moss often works with customers that have their own design teams, and integrates elements such as lighting into signs.

Recently, Moss fabricated 17 columns that were enclosed with programmable LED lights for the M&M’s World store in Times Square.

Another custom project — for Harley-Davidson Co.’s 100th anniversary — featured circular pods that Moss created by stretching nylon over framework that was designed to resemble the company’s signature gas tanks.

For both custom and standard products, Read says that Moss has a big edge because it has the shortest lead times in the industry, typically two-to-three days turnaround time.

To keep lead times down, Moss has invested in automation: Plants have internal systems that automate handoffs — for example, the cutting fabric is an automated process.

Moss is also constantly introducing new products. One current trend that Moss is pursuing is the demand for extrusions — essentially fabric with exposed tubing which has become part of the design element.

In addition, Moss recently merged with Nichols Inc., a Salt Lake City, Utah, provider of printed fabric, display hardware and tensioned fabric.

While the combined companies are known as Moss, some of Nichols’ key products — such as the Allure banner display stand — will continue to be marketed under their current brand names.

“Nichols is a good fit for us,” Read says. “The company has a good line of standard products such as small booths.”

These new, smaller booths made with fabric — known as inline booths — are an emerging opportunity for Moss, and the company’s product development area is working on such products.

Another area that Moss is focusing on is outdoor signage products, such as temporary banner signs that are installed on golf courses during events.

As for expanding by acquiring other companies, Read says that decision is firmly in the hands of The Riverside Company.