Averege $/hr for wrapper in the US

[Rick]

I don't think it's just the area, but what a person is charging and
willing/able to spend.

I worked for, at the time, the largest wrap company in Southern
California. The main installer made 52k... and this was in 1996.

I freelance for 2 companies that do wraps, one will pay 11-15 in
the most expensive part of Orange County, the other pays 25-35
an hour in the same area.

If I had 27 employees, doing about 1.75 - 2.5 million a year,
being next to the border... your idea of "fair pay" might be
a little skewed.
But house rentals in Stanton's are in the 1100-1500 a month
and apartments are not much better... I have to wonder who
he's hiring and for how much...

You either pay what a persons worth or you pay what you are
only willing to pay.

 

[phototec]

I was reading another post and there was a link to a newspaper about signage, while I was looking at that local newspaper, I noticed an opinion from the local reporter, I found it very interesting and it relates to wages, so I will repeat it here to see what any of you think?

A Living Wage
Posted: Thursday, Dec 12th, 2013
BY: Ed Close, Herald Reporter

Okay, let’s take a look at something here. Let’s say you have a family of four or five to take care of and you work at one of the many places in our community that pays minimum wage, that means you earn $290 per week if you work 40 hours as a full-time employee. That means your yearly income is only $15,080. Let’s not forget that’s before taxes.

The average three-bedroom rental apartment across all of Wyoming is around $600 a month or $7,200 per year. That leaves $7,880 a year to pay for food, clothing, heat, electricity and any other expenses for that family.

If that doesn’t sound tough enough, the average national lifestyle costs $65,578 per year.

There's a good reason we hear so much about a living wage these days and we see news stories about protests and underpaid workers. The Federal minimum wage is only $7.25 per hour while the minimum wage in Wyoming by law is $5.15 per hour. Neither of those will support a family even if there are only two or three people to support.

I don’t believe people should be paid for doing nothing and I don’t believe lazy people should be paid the same as those of us who give it our all every day. I do believe that a person should be paid a living wage, one that will support that person and is fair. I would dare any politician arguing over minimum wage scales in our state legislature or the national legislature to live on the minimum wage for one year and see just how hard that actually is to manage.

There are surveys and studies out there that give different amounts for what constitutes a living wage but the average falls at around $15 per hour for a full-time worker who is putting in 40 hours a week. That’s $600 dollars a week or $2,400 per month and a person who works hard for a living should be worth that.

I know a lot of people around Evanston and the surrounding towns who earn a lot less than that. Many families have a husband and wife that both hold down 40 hour a week minimum wage jobs and the ends still don’t meet where they should when they’re trying to put kids through school and keep all the bills paid in full.

I believe the time has come for every worker in this country who actually works for a living to get paid a living wage. Most of the minimum wage scales across the country, including here in Wyoming, have not even come close to keeping pace with the rate of inflation or the cost of living. Most seem to be based on outdated figures from years ago and that doesn’t reflect the current state of things in this country.

I realize that may be hard on employers but the time has come for employers to pay their employees what they are actually worth to their companies. Without those workers, there is no company. And a fair, living wage should not be too much to ask.

http://www.uintacountyherald.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=6918&page=76

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

Bottom line: Vehicle wraps have a dollar value.
The installation being such an important part of that product, has a dollar value.

Calling BS on $52K a year for a good installer shows, at best, your ignorance.

If a wrap costs $3000 on average with $600 material costs that's a profit of $2,400 per vehicle. Pay an installer $25 an hour to install in 10 hours and that's $250 labor cost. You're making over $2k per vehicle. That installer is making $60k a year while making you over $400k.
That's with 1 vehicle per business day, average with 1 good installer working on it.
Add higher paying jobs and more installers, you make even more.
Paying a higher amount to a higher quality installer makes it less likely you'll be reprinting, re-installing bad installation jobs etc. Also means you do more jobs in less time.

I would ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT if all the shops around me had installers they paid $10-$15 per hour to wrap. It would mean either those installs will suck and customer may come to me next time....or If the installs don't suck, I'll offer those installers more money to work for me.

 

[premiercolour]

Where's my broom?

:Big Laugh

 

[Ashkeyana]

Apparently running a business isn't yours. I'm not sure how many employees you have, but a lead wrapper makes anywhere from 25-30 an hr. I wouldn't pay someone 12 dollars to sweep my floor. The lowest Wage in my shop is 16.50.

Wow...I'm not much of an installer, but I've been designing and printing wraps for about two years now, and I make less than that...and I'm in your area. I think I need to have a long talk with my boss.

 

[ProWraps]

ive had an ad up here, and many other places for $50k/year for an installer.

ive received exactly ZERO responses.

thank god we have no jobs left in the US!

 

[Locals Find!]

ive had an ad up here, and many other places for $50k/year for an installer.

ive received exactly ZERO responses.

thank god we have no jobs left in the US!

Train me and I will do the job. I will even go so far as to work for half that while you train me for the first year... I miss Northern California.

 

[shoresigns]

If a wrap costs $3000 on average with $600 material costs that's a profit of $2,400 per vehicle. Pay an installer $25 an hour to install in 10 hours and that's $250 labor cost. You're making over $2k per vehicle. That installer is making $60k a year while making you over $400k.

You still have to subtract your operating costs and wages of the employee that is printing the wraps while the other one does installs. But still that would leave at least $1k per vehicle.

 

[Gino]

Train me and I will do the job. I will even go so far as to work for half that while you train me for the first year... I miss Northern California.

Now..... there's an offer ya just can't refuse.

 

[HulkSmash]

Wow...I'm not much of an installer, but I've been designing and printing wraps for about two years now, and I make less than that...and I'm in your area. I think I need to have a long talk with my boss.

We specialize in fleet and wraps. We do a ton of them. We have a good team and I intend on keeping them. How do I accomplish that? I take very good care of them..I saw your company at the car show..a tableand a banner...We were behind you with a 70x 20 ft booth doing wrap demos.

 

[TyrantDesigner]

In this area ... a wrap installer is generally making same as any other installer ... around $12-20 per hour based on experience. Generally when they start to get good, all the wrappers I have met move to Dallas or houston where they basically start at around 20 an hour. (but then C.O.L. is twice as expensive in Dallas)

I don't get why some shops have a car for a week or two in this area ... a panel van done in a one person shop should only take about 2 days from wash and prep to photo for portfolio (or about 10-15 man hours) throw 4 installers into the equation ... 3-8 depending on wrap difficulty and groups skill level ... either way, pay out should match skill level and rate of completion of jobs in your area, not what others pay their employees.

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

You still have to subtract your operating costs and wages of the employee that is printing the wraps while the other one does installs. But still that would leave at least $1k per vehicle.

Nah,
An employee can load the material, and start the print running in less than 10 minutes. Laminating also takes 10 minutes if it's loaded straight.
I'm not paying someone $1,150 to do that. So...it's still over $2,000 profit per vehicle.
Maybe tack on some other stuff like electricity and other bills for some overhead cost in there...but It's still not going to bring it down to $1k.

 

[Jester1167]

Who gets 3k for a van wrap? If you include design I'd believe it.

$600 in material costs are accurate but you have an investment in equipment and have to maintain it, ink, waste, building and utilities, a color proof, and sales time to sell the job. Then add the labor to rip, print, laminate, and trim your prints. All that equals another $600 leaving you will $600 in profit. Install prices will be in the $600 - $800 range with approximately half profit. If the job goes well you could probably take close to a $1000 dollars out of the business, but you should be investing some of it back in the business for advertising, training, new equipment and growth.

10 years ago I was making $42,000 + health care and 15% of my salary in a Sep IRA. 2 years ago it was $75,000 with no benefits. I did more than just wrap, I was in involved in every aspect for all types of sign work in Kansas City. Obviously big cities are going to pay more than smaller cities and towns.

I have met owners who pay their installers like subcontractors. They were paid on the books but a percentage of what the job was worth based on their speed and quality. The owner used this method to keep them motivated even when they were working long hours or and or nights. Some of the installers made over $100k a year. I didn't ask but I am sure there was a lot of overtime in that 100k.

Some how you have to continue to grow your business so your best employees have room to grow and you have to compensate them or you may be competing against them. Whether they take their knowledge and connections to your competitors or strike out on their own, it doesn't make much of a difference.

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

Who gets 3k for a van wrap? If you include design I'd believe it.

$600 in material costs are accurate but you have an investment in equipment and have to maintain it, ink, waste, building and utilities, a color proof, and sales time to sell the job. Then add the labor to rip, print, laminate, and trim your prints. All that equals another $600 leaving you will $600 in profit. Install prices will be in the $600 - $800 range with approximately half profit. If the job goes well you could probably take close to a $1000 dollars out of the business, but you should be investing some of it back in the business for advertising, training, new equipment and growth.

Agree with you on most of it.
But smaller shops aren't paying $600 per wrap to cover :ink, waste, building, utilities, color proof, sales time, rip, print, laminate, trim.
IF they are doing a wrap a day...that's $12,000.
Ink and waste are part of the $600 material cost. Many sales come from google or referrals.
Ripping takes a few minutes. Printing doesn't take much labor unless they stand there babysitting it the whole time. Laminating takes maybe 20 minutes tops. Trimming, hour tops.
I'm not trying to split hairs but each shop will be a little different on how much they keep from each wrap.
If a smaller shop away from big cities can get $3,000 for a wrap and only pays $600 rent and has 3 employees who are also doing banners etc making you money and they only have 1 printer & laminator, then that shop can make well over $1,000 per van.
Sure we can plug different numbers in and argue all day (like I'm pretty much doing I guess) but I painted a scenario that is probably like more smaller shops than the few great, well oiled high profile wrap shops.
Kinda makes you wonder which business model is better. Growing large sometimes adds more overhead and liability but not proportionately more revenue.

 

[Baz]

Just lost a job for a fully wrapped Ford E-250 extended van. No design, artwork provided. I went agressive (so i thought) at 2750.00$ but lost it to a competitor for 1700.00$.

Some people are willing to work for nothing ....

At those prices there's no way you can pay 50k a year just for an installer.

 

[HulkSmash]

Just lost a job for a fully wrapped Ford E-250 extended van. No design, artwork provided. I went agressive (so i thought) at 2750.00$ but lost it to a competitor for 1700.00$.

Some people are willing to work for nothing ....

At those prices there's no way you can pay 50k a year just for an installer.

You get what you pay for. I literally Had a guy come in complaining about his wraps he's had done for his company. He even showed me a few. All stretched, and distorted. Lifting after 3 weeks. Anyways, i told him i'd love to help him with his future business. I price out a job for him. He said the guy he typically gets it from is like $350 cheaper, and wouldn't use me unless i came down. I'm like - Didn't you just come in here crying about how awful they are? I will never understand some people. I didn't budge on the price, and low and behond he did indeed go back to that guy. I don't want customers like that. We are not desperate enough to go that low. We're in business to make money. We're good at what we do and charge accordingly for it. I feel there's value in that.

 

[Gino]

You get what you pay for. I literally Had a guy come in complaining about his wraps he's had done for his company. He even showed me a few. All stretched, and distorted. Lifting after 3 weeks. Anyways, i told him i'd love to help him with his future business. I price out a job for him. He said the guy he typically gets it from is like $350 cheaper, and wouldn't use me unless i came down. I'm like - Didn't you just come in here crying about how awful they are? I will never understand some people. I didn't budge on the price, and low and behond he did indeed go back to that guy. I don't want customers like that. We are not desperate enough to go that low. We're in business to make money. We're good at what we do and charge accordingly for it. I feel there's value in that.

:ROFLMAO: That is just about every end-user US0fA in ANY kinda business. I don't care if you're getting your brakes fixed, teeth fixed, new air conditioner or a toilet..... they always say..... can't you do it for what Bozo did it for without it breaking on me right a-ways ?? I mean, I just paid to have it done wrong so you should at least cut me a break since I went about it wrong, huh, whachasay ?? If you do this for me, I'll bring more low paying work your way. Deal ??

 

[jpsamuel06]

Resurrecting an old thread. Average income for a "wrap specialist" in Michigan?

 

[Pegler911]

This is an excellent thread and very interesting to me. I'm in Central Utah ( I know I know!! ) and I hold a Production based job which includes wraps, we do around 3 full wraps a month and a huge amount of graphics, plus I run the print shop as well. There's nobody else can really even lay vinyl well let alone wraps, so it all falls to me every time. I get paid $16/hr+benefits. I'm 37.
I would LOVE more dollars, and once there's a traffic jam outside my install bay I'll be asking for more.

PS - I love the fact that Mr Know-It-All who called B/S has "banned" written under his log-in name. Must be one of those stroker types

Thanks for sharing your views on here everyone, it's a great resource. G.

 

[HulkSmash]

This is an excellent thread and very interesting to me. I'm in Central Utah ( I know I know!! ) and I hold a Production based job which includes wraps, we do around 3 full wraps a month and a huge amount of graphics, plus I run the print shop as well. There's nobody else can really even lay vinyl well let alone wraps, so it all falls to me every time. I get paid $16/hr+benefits. I'm 37.
I would LOVE more dollars, and once there's a traffic jam outside my install bay I'll be asking for more.

PS - I love the fact that Mr Know-It-All who called B/S has "banned" written under his log-in name. Must be one of those stroker types

Thanks for sharing your views on here everyone, it's a great resource. G.

What do you consider benefits? How long have you been working there? How long does it take you to install 1 wrap? What do you do besides wrapping?