Consort introduces FlagTrax®,
a whole new genre for street-side communication. From the wonderful folks (us!)
who first brought colorful street banners and durable hardware to communities
across North America, comes our newest outdoor system for providing
information, color and festive delight to exciting places like your town or special
event.
The new genre is Street
Flags, as opposed to the ever-popular Street Banners that we see in thousands
of communities. So, what really is the difference of a street banner versus a
street flag? To us, a street banner is like our standard light pole banner that
is stretched top and bottom with our BannerFlex hardware. It’s typically a
vinyl digital banner or a screen-printed acrylic marine fabric banner. Great system, durable, super longevity and all
good. They are installed using bucket trucks and the banner is changed using the
same trucks. See the video here.
A FlagTrax Street Flag is
similar as it’s installed on the same type of city or shopping center light
pole but once it’s installed using a bucket truck, all the flag changes can
happen from the ground, saving thousands of dollars every year on a typical
municipal street communication program. And, the fabric is generally a light weight dye sublimation or nylon flag material that waves, glows and flutters in the breeze.
How does it work? The secret to the system is a track that is
mounted vertically onto the pole or wall into which a flexible “Push-Pull™” rod
is inserted that carries the banner or flag up to the final mounting height.
Access to this tamper-proof track can be mounted at shoulder height for maximum
convenience or the six or eight foot level above the ground where added
security may be required, alleviating the need for anything more than a small
step stool.
Street
pole banner changes in urban areas, in particular, are normally expensive and
difficult with traffic concerns, as bucket trucks weave their way around,
sometimes stopping traffic or diverting it with traffic cones. FlagTrax changes
can be done by one person at any time of day in just a matter of minutes, often
saving up to one hundred dollars per change in some of the larger cities. An
additional benefit is that it will encourage more changes, more often, allowing
event organizers greater flexibility to promote more events within a city,
significantly adding to the sense of the area’s vitality and activity.
Because
Consort’s Kalamazoo Banner Works Division has been the pioneer and innovator
with street pole banner hardware since 1983, FlagTrax fits our core expertise
perfectly. Our KBW BannerFlex® hardware literally is the standard of the
industry and we are constantly researching new concepts. So, we were excited
when the patented FlagTrax system was presented to us by the New Zealand
inventors, Nexus Developments Limited, and we were given the opportunity to be
the exclusive North American manufacturer and distributor.
Street Flags can now be economically and quickly changed
from the safety of ground level without the hassle of bucket trucks or traffic
management concerns. Roger Lepley
