CalCo has been around as long as the Corvette and WD40. In 1953, most Americans were enjoying the first issue of TV Guide, now that television was becoming a common electric appliance in the home. Ernest Hemingway received the Pulitzer Prize for ‘Old Man and the Sea’ and Elvis Presley had just graduated from High School.

Since that time, the cutaway has remained practically unchanged as a valuable tool for:

• Equipment training
• Sales presentations
• Trade show/lobby displays

RegO regulator cutaways, 1971

RegO regulator cutaway, 2011

It was once said that the Polaroid camera, the fax machine and even email were each going to spell the end of the physical, real-life cutaway. Even today rapid prototyping and lightweight modeling technologies seem to threaten the need for this specialized service.

The fact of the matter is that nothing can replace the understanding and sensory communication that a true cutaway offers. “This cutaway is an actual product; the same one you will be buying, maintaining or investing in”, they seem to say.

“THIS is the actual casting quality. Touch these seals yourself.  These gears mesh together as smoothly as when you turn this handle”. What can possibly take the place of an experience created only by a unique and custom version of your product, made by experts that know how important this experience is to your audience?

Only a company that has evolved alongside much of the technology that comes through the door can fully understand the subtleties and unique characteristics included in each one.

Do you want quality? CalCo craftsmen average a staggering 11+ years of experience

Do you want reliability? CalCo stands behind all promises of cost and timing

Do you want dependability? Many current clients have been using CalCo for decades, some since the very beginning

Do you want flexibility? Every day CalCo handles custom requests for everything from signage and lighting to animation and sales kits. What do you have on your plate that you’d like to see come to life?

Let’s step back for a moment:

How can you tell a do-it-yourself wall painter from a professional? The edges. That place where the new paint stops and the ceiling or unpainted wall begin. That place where a clean, straight and even line running the entire length of the corner is the simplest to imagine, yet most difficult to achieve.

CalCo has been working on the ‘edges’ for almost 60 years, and the magic of a CalCo cutaway is not in how even the paint is, or how all the cuts line up perfectly, or even how simple but very effective the cut design is. . .

The magic is in how much conversation the cutaway spurs about your product and its many benefits and advantages. The magic is in how many orders are placed within viewing distance of a cutaway. The magic is in knowing that this process works year after year after year after year. . .

Contact CalCo at 847/639-3858, click here for contact information or find us on Facebook.

Ever wonder how CalCo can continually make first class cutaways and always seems to know just what you wanted? We owe much of it to our production supervisor, Dan Fierla. Dan started at CalCo as part of a high school cooperative work program and has been here ever since. In his 32 years, he has moved up the ladder from high school intern to Senior Supervisor, in charge of production and managing our facility and workers. If you have worked with CalCo you may have spoken to Dan and you most likely learned that he has high standards for the work that we do. If it doesn’t meet Dan’s expectations, it is not going out the door. Customer service and satisfaction has always been a key component at CalCo and Dan is one of the reasons why. Another of his famous attributes is his dedication to time commitments. We pay close attention to deadlines and work hard to meet every one. While we always try to work projects into our schedule, we have turned away business because we could not have maintained our high standards and met the delivery date.

According to Dan the most important information that you can give us about your project is……

“information that will help me to make your project have that just right look.  Details like, what are you trying to show with this cutaway/display?  Is it the size/type of the internal parts you want to showcase? Or is it something special that separates your product from the competition? This information helps me to design the cuts to show what the customer needs and wants to see.”

His favorite project that he has completed is…..

“I had the honor to work on and am very proud of a Double over head cam V6 marine engine for a large engine manufacturer. This project from start to finish was done right.  David Meeler from their marketing department, came to Calco, told me all of the features he would like to show, which helped me to machine the engine and give it that personal touch.  Colors and color coding were all picked out by the customer. When the engine made its maiden voyage at the Florida Boat Show it was a big hit.”

Something you should know about him is……

“I get great satisfaction out of working with the other members of the CalCo team.  I am driven to make CalCo the Best it can be for both employee and customer. When I see pictures of  trade show booths like Navistar, DeZURIK and Kimray, and all of them use Calco cutaways/displays to show case their products,  I have a great sense of pride in knowing I played a part in helping them project a positive image.”

Dan’s level of experience and overall knowledge of products helps you in terms of deciding the best way to display the internal components of your product. Chances are great that Dan has the best and most cost effective way to show your products key features.  He can assist you in creating your ideal cutaway/display.  He also has innovative ideas to show off large products, create working models or design custom stands.

If you have a project that you are interested in discussing, give CalCo a call at 847/639-3858, email us at news@calcocutaways.com or click here for our contact page.

The front and back cover of the new brochure are shown below, and the full PDF can be downloaded here. (right click and choose “Save As”)

To get a look inside our new brochure please send your information (name, company and address) to brochures@calcocutaways.com.  You will receive one in the mail right away so CalCo can help you start the year right with some new ideas to show your product in its best light because “Your Product is Our Profession”

For more ideas visit our website at www.calcocutaways.com ,  click here for contact information or call 847/639-3858.

Your company probably uses a few providers that actually make life more difficult for you or your coworkers. Same here.

On Monday one of our primary vendors emailed to let us know that our project with them was complete. . .Great.

This was typical and expected. . .

However, the details on getting the order back to us were left out, forcing us to stop what we were doing, contact them about it and make these arrangements ourselves. Done.

Once the items were received, we found quality issues on practically every piece that was delivered. Where was the quality control??

We would have sent the entire order back to be redone from scratch, except that we needed these pieces for a larger project that our client was expecting on time. We had to stop what we were doing (again) and fix every mistake and flaw to bring this project back up to our high standard of quality, (which our client expects).

Everything worked out in the end, our client was thrilled with the final result and his coworkers were equally impressed with the craftsmanship and attention to detail, (and the shipping was arranged without our client’s involvement whatsoever).

So the extra effort on our end resulted in a great experience for our client. We love that.

The vendor’s actions, on the other hand, had to be managed, monitored and corrected.   Is this the case with some of your providers?

Communication and responsibility are the landmarks of a company you can trust for the long term. The reason companies like CalCo have been around for over half a century, is because they are trusted, respected and are the go-to guys when quality and professionalism are important.

Did you know that CalCo can handle your POP displays, your screen printing, your photography, your display storage, your prototyping, your sales cases, your website design, your 3D animation, your metal finishing, your large format printing, your digital image manipulation, and many of the other items you struggle with every day?  It’s true.

Please call 847-639-3858 or email to see if your project can be handled correctly this time by CalCo, let us handle the problems so you can just sleep easy for once.

Now that the rays of a recovering economy are starting to shine on many industries, the time is right to get ahead of your peers and grab the lion’s share of the upcoming new business.

This means getting in front of them with your best and latest development along with a compelling offer or story. When telling your story, you need to present the information in an easy to comprehend manner in order to make a favorable and memorable first impression.

Many times industrial product sales require in person interaction or a trade show environment to engage the audience and to tell the full story. Both of these venues are expensive and time consuming so it is imperative that you have everything you need in advance to make your presentation meaningful.

When it comes to product presentations that are expertly crafted, CalCo can be trusted to convey the desired message for your product in the most professional manner. Whether a simple cutaway will suffice to show a hidden feature, or an interactive digital presentation is more suited to this end, CalCo has the tools to quickly and efficiently create a winning product exhibit.

Some of the most popular services by request are:

Product cutaways and painted displays
Motorized or hand actuation products
Passageway and part colorization
Internal and external lighting effects
3D animation and interactive online presentations
Full color scale modeling and prototyping
Plus YOUR IDEAS for the ultimate presentation

The past is behind us, and now is the time to move ahead and get that new market share before your competition does. Take advantage of the enhanced outsourcing capabilities available at CalCo to move with your best foot forward.

As we begin this upturn, get started while your competition is still recovering and build your sales and marketing program to take advantage of the many opportunities on the horizon. Get your customers, and the industry as a whole, excited about your new offerings with some innovative marketing displays or presentations for your next tradeshow or sales call.

For more information or to contact CalCo call 847/639-3858 or click here for contact information.

Of the many ways available to explain the benefits and advantages of your product line to people, you probably already know that there is a great deal of value in getting the actual product into the hands of potential clients or investors, right?

Cutaways are about the highest form of education mixing with a “real world” feel that is available for many physical products.

There is a significant advantage that is gained by giving someone this physical connection with your products. Are you maximizing the edge that this type of hands on experience can give??

Let’s look at many of the people can benefit from the educational nature of this type of tool:

• The end user (educational and memorable)
• The potential and current investor
• The sales person (descriptive and interactive)
• Trade show staff and visitors (draw and discussions)
• Field service personnel (education)
• Your end user’s service department
• Distributor networks (point of purchase)
• Website visitors
• Direct mail recipients
• Marketing department (website and brochure/catalog development)
• Investor relations representative

Many companies are only taking advantage of a slim cross section of these opportunities, and some are taking advantage of close to all of them. . .

Even a single cutaway can be used in almost all of these areas if managed correctly. Most times it makes sense to make these educational tools widely available, as knowledge leads to understanding, and let’s face it, when everyone knows why your products are the best, your main focus will be on filling orders!!

For more information about cutaways please click here for contact information or call CalCo at 847-639-3858 .  Visit the photo gallery in the cutaway section at www.CalCoCutaways.com for more ideas.

Do you want your product to stand out from the crowd?

Give your product that extra “WOW” factor with an exotic paint finish. CalCo’s expert paint technicians offer a Thermal Reactive Color Change finish, Super Metallic base coats and the Ultra Exotic Textured finish with three dimensional depth. In addition we offer a rainbow of colors in Pearl, Neon, Flake or Kandy paint finishes.

Use a custom CalCo paint finish to make your product shine like the jewel that it is!

Whether at your tradeshow, in your lobby or on sales calls...that should get them talking!

Click here to contact CalCo or call 847/639-3858 for some out of the ordinary paint finishes and product displays.

Motorizing your products is a great way to attract interest and show func­tionality. Many products can be actuated or rotated with a few minor adjustments and the right horsepower. Lighting and a descriptive backdrop can finish off the whole scene.

Whether a fluid handling display or an actuating component, movement in your display will pay off for you in terms of people being drawn in by the movement and immediately asking questions about what is being shown.

Add a push button or two to give the audience something to interact with themselves, and you will find people clamoring to try it for themselves.

When marketing your product, the more of the (5) senses you can involve in a memorable way, the more likely it will be that your display/salesmen/company will be remembered long after the crate has been latched and the freight ticket attached.

If a product is too large for this type of service (or too small), consider a 3D animation sequence to show your products in action. Add a touch screen display where your customer can virtually interact with your product, and you will find a line of people waiting to try it for themselves.

Get your audience involved and tell your story to a captivated audience. The results will speak for themselves. Click here to contact CalCo or call 847/639-3858 for more information.

Click for more photos. . .

When investors and VIP’s are touring, it is crucial that the impression you are giving is one of expertise and leadership in your industry. Lobby displays and showroom exhibits can impress your audience and show your authority in a variety of ways.

Products on display in the right light, and in context, can send a powerful message, one that could create a unique first impression that could make all the difference in the long run.

Stack the deck in your favor and control the experience of ‘important’ individuals from their first open door to the final shaking of hands.

It is typically the visual and hands-on experiences that make a lasting impression once the visit is over, so make yours very positive and intriguing. It may make all the difference. 

Providing your audience with a hands-on 3D view of your product is always more effective than just a photo on a brochure page or website, right?

But what if your product is too heavy and cumbersome (read: costly) to ship around and bring into offices and meeting rooms? Read on. . .

Why not try a full color scale-model prototype to get the message across? These little beauties are light, quick to make, cheap to ship, very impressive to many audiences, make excellent gifts and are just plain fun to have around.

Made completely from a standard 3D CAD file, these models are built to suit by your expert modelers and ‘printed’ quickly and easily in an afternoon. Color them or have them colored for you, either way, the impressive nature of these models will start conversations and easily point out your product’s highlights.

Basemounts and Carrying cases can be added, along with protective covers for the more fragile displays, for human nature will quickly draw many fingers in to touch these irresistable gems.

Would you like a sample of this material to check out for yourself? Click the email link at the top of the page and put “3D sample request” in the subject line, and be sure to include your mailing address.

It is always a good time for using new and compelling ways to get people talking about and interacting with your products. Let CalCo handle the details and finishing, you just need to get them out there working like magic. To contact CalCo click here or call us at 847/639-3858.

from file to model quick and easy