Case Studies

Case Studies

FASTER, EASIER SIGNAGE INSTALLATIONS FOR THE CITY OF SAN JOSE

HOW THE CITY OF SAN JOSE IS IMPROVING SPEED, EASE, AND CONFIRMATION OF SIGNAGE INSTALLATION WITH BAND-IT’S INNOVATE SIGN & POLE PRODUCTS

Location: San Jose, California, USA

Application: Municipal Sign & Pole Installation

BAND-IT Products: Tru-Lokt™ Buckles & The C001DA Drill Accessory Banding Tool 

The Customer: The City of San Jose

The Drill Accessory Banding Tool and Tru-Lokt buckle have proven to be highly effective solutions for large-scale sign and banner installations, delivering faster installs, easier training, and strong field team adoption. Most recently, the Drill Accessory Banding Tool and Tru-Lokt Buckles improved ease of use and efficiency, making it the go-to choice for the City of San Jose, which is consistently tasked with handling large scale, high-volume event signage projects. 

THE CHALLENGE

Installation teams often face two key challenges:

  • Varying experience among new hires, making training time-consuming.
  • Tight installation timelines, especially for large scale events.

THE SOLUTION: THE BAND-IT DRILL ACCESSORY BANDING TOOL & TRU-LOKT BUCKLE

For contractors & municipalities managing frequent pole installations with rotating crews, equipment that is intuitive and reliable is critical to maintaining productivity and consistency. 

Benefits of the Drill Accessory Banding Tool:

  • Attaches to any 18v Drill: Battery powered installation reduces physical strain especially in high volume projects.
  • Eliminates the Guesswork: Drill torque settings are utilized to ensure consistent installations for both new and experienced crew members.
  • Easier to Use: Installers can complete the rollover without rotating the entire tool or releasing tension, reducing common errors made by less experienced crew members and ensuring reliable results on every installation. Installations can also be made more quickly with confidence by relying on the drill torque setting to know when the installation is complete. 

Benefits of the Tru-Lokt Buckle:

  • Eliminates the Guesswork: The buckle wing collapses and aligns parallel with the body when proper tension is reached, making it clear when the install has reached optimal tension, reducing variability across crews.
  • Installs Faster: Reduces installation time by up to 50% and removes the need to guess or recheck tension, saving significant time and resources. 
  • Reduces Rework: Helps prevent insufficient installs, minimizing return trips and saving crews labor costs. 

Tomas Morales, Maintenance Supervisor at San Jose DOT, explains the difference he saw with his crew: 

  • “A big-time improvement in installation time and efficiency.“
  • “Our crews genuinely liked using the new products.“
  • “The new products are especially helpful, because many new hires are not familiar with the equipment.”

IMPLEMENTATION & USE 

Supplied by trusted BAND-IT distributor Pacific Products & Services, installation crews from the City of San Jose, California, adopted the Drill Accessory Banding Tool and Tru-Lokt buckle for regular field use. Crews found both products to be user-friendly, easy to train on, and well suited for large scale installation projects. Because many new hires had limited experience with similar equipment, the simplicity of the Drill Accessory Banding Tool and Tru-Lokt Buckle significantly accelerated onboarding and reduced overall training effort.

RESULTS & IMPACT

The adoption of simplified workflows significantly improved how installation crews approached large-scale signage projects. With fewer steps and easier-to-use tools and hardware, teams were able to complete installations faster.

Crew feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly from those regularly working with sign and banner hardware. The straightforward design and function of the Drill Accessory Banding Tool & Tru-Lokt Buckle reduced complexity in the field, making them easier to deploy and simpler to standardize across teams.

According to Morales, the simplicity of the solutions drove three key outcomes: faster installations, strong team adoption, and easier training. Crews required less onboarding time, embraced the new process, and were better equipped to work efficiently and consistently. 

HIGH PROFILE SUCCESS: CITY OF SAN JOSE

The city of San Jose has successfully utilized the Drill Accessory Banding Tool and the Tru-Lokt Buckle at several major events, including:

  • Super Bowl 60
  • NVIDIA GTC – Often called the “Super Bowl of AI”
  • Based on the improved productivity they realized in these key events with BAND-IT’s products, the city is now planning to use both for the upcoming 2026 World Cup signage installations.

CONCLUSION

The Drill Accessory Banding Tool and Tru-Lokt Buckle deliver measurable efficiency gains and stronger installer satisfaction in real-world conditions. Their ease of use, fast learning curve, and ability to significantly speed up installations make it a valuable tool for high-volume, high-visibility sign and banner projects, trusted by one of the nation’s most innovative municipalities, even at the world’s largest events.

To realize similar benefits in your sign & pole installations, contact us or find a local distributor to learn more today.