Providing service with a smile

In our special Contract Converting section in February 1997, we looked at why when it comes to short runs and odd-sized orders, contract converters are the "in" thing.

By Lynanne Feilen, Managing Editor -- Converting Magazine, 9/1/1997

In our special Contract Converting section in February 1997, we looked at why when it comes to short runs and odd-sized orders, contract converters are the "in" thing. Our exclusive Guide to Contract Converting listed the capabilities of 136 outsourcing providers for the trade.

This month, in Part II, we profile a handful of contract converters from their customerís point-of-view. Our objective case history approach gives you real-world examples of the types of services these companies provide, how working together provides a "win-win" situation for all involved and a glimpse into state-of-the-art converting technology.

A contract converter is often an extension of their customerís operation. A successful relationship involves trust, communication, and a complementary vision of the future. All of the companies profiled here have these basic elements in spades.

The fast-growing Contract Converting LLC, for example, a contract slitter and cut-to-order tag and label stock provider, has installed a new slitter to meet the demanding JIT schedules of its customers, such as paper cup producer Hoffmaster. Pacon Corporation, not only contract slits, but provides its customer, Bemis Assoc., with services and information that make a positive impact on Bemisí inventory and production scheduling. Sierra Coatings provides coating and laminating services to Badger Paper Mills for its customersí packaged products. By providing successful trials of coating that improved the moisture vapor transmission rate of its paper, Sierra got a new client, Badger satisfied a valued customer, and the end user got an improved product.

Dunsirn Industries helped Avery Dennison, FRNA Group, a premier producer of pressure-sensitive materials, gain a competitive advantage in the Chicago marketplace with its next-day delivery of p-s stock slit-to-order. A new Dunsirn facility will provide service to the West Coast early next year. Last, but certainly one of the most innovative, is KT Industries, which contract slits and winds drawstring tape for Wright Plastics using an exclusive spooling technology. The company is keeping its technology cutting edge by installing, at 120 in. wide, reportedly one of the largest custom slitting and winding machines anywhere, this fall.

All the contract converters we spoke with demonstrate the willingness to bend over backwards for a customer and an innovative spirit that carries over into filling the service voids of converters ‚ a prescription for any successful business.

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