Northwest Aerospace News June | July 2019 Issue No. 9 | Page 36

Outside In When Stewart took the helm at Color Craft, the company was focused exclusively on the exterior of the airplane: tail numbers, American flags and airline livery. Under his leadership, the company has shifted so that now the majority of its work is on display inside the cabin and other interior surfaces, such as the cockpit, cargo bays and landing gear stowage. “The exterior work is still a lot of fun, and it accounts for about 40 percent of our aviation business at this point,” he said. “When it comes to doing a big, splashy graphic, the customer will typically bring us a design, and the whole process is being driven by the marketing department. Typically, we need to do some gentle education with those folks about how long something might take or what it might cost, but our team loves those projects.” The realities of the operating environment also influence the design on these exterior projects. “If they want to put a big graphic right on the nose of the plane, for example, you can’t use a decal because it will get shredded by wind shear.” The work inside the airplane is less creative, but vital for aviation safety and the comfort of the passengers. “The business decision to switch our emphasis from the outside of the airplane to the inside was easy, because there is way more potential product for us on the inside of the aircraft,” said Stewart. “The next time you board a commercial flight, take a look at all the little signs and decals and placards — they are everywhere. 36 For every 737 coming out of the Boeing plant here in Seattle, we do the seat row markers, engraved ID plates, cockpit and cargo bay panels, and more. With the addition of Eclipse Technical Graphics, the company is now positioned to offer a broader range of human user interface solutions such as the flight attendant call button above your seat. It uses a membrane switch, and we make those, too. It’s phenomenal how much printing and specialized graphics goes on inside an aircraft.” The rugged demands of aerospace prepared Color Craft to serve the 20 percent of its business that comes from outside the aviation industry. “Most of those customers are building heavy-duty industrial equipment that operates in harsh environments,” Stewart explained. “Let’s face it — if you’re selling a one million dollar piece of hardware, you don’t want a decal showing your brand name to start peeling off on day two.” NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS