Personal service and rapid turnaround cement relationship

Is finding a vendor that can adjust its schedule to meet yours and your customers' needs only a fantasy?

By Sharon Spielman, Assistant Editor -- Converting Magazine, 9/1/1997

Is finding a vendor that can adjust its schedule to meet yours and your customers' needs only a fantasy? If you are Hoffmaster, a custom converter of paper tabletop products, Contract Converting is a dream come true.

Contract Converting LLC, Greenville, Wis., specializes in ëround-the-clock cut-to-order tag and label stocks and outsourced custom slitting of film, paper, foil, laminates and specialty substrates. Contract Converting's ability to meet a demanding JIT schedule and slit to specific customer specifications cannot be emphasized enough, says Mike Marquardt, materials manager at Hoffmaster, a div. of The Fonda Group, Oshkosh, Wis. Fonda has myriad plants across the U.S. Its two operations located in the Midwest ‚ Oshkosh and Appleton, Wis. ‚ use the slitting services of Contract Converting for specific needs. Its Oshkosh operation uses Contract Converting on an on-going basis to slit a large quantity of portion cup stock each week.

"I have a very consistent operation that requires slit ribbons of this portion cup stock. I provide Contract Converting with weekly slitting requirements, and they consistently meet those requirements," says Marquardt.

Contract Converting helps coordinate the material flow of paper so that everything stays on the demanding JIT schedule that Hoffmaster demands.

"We keep no more than a week's worth of inventory," says Marquardt. "We turn that [over] every 3 to 4 days. We need an operation that can meet those kinds of stringent requirements ‚ and not everybody can do that."

Upstart leaps into the big leagues

Hoffmaster's relationship with Contract Converting began when Bill Schnettler, president, and Lori Davis, executive vice president, started their own business ‚ now almost three years old. Prior to that, both Davis and Schnettler had worked for Hoffmaster, so they both knew the product lines well. "It was through fair competition that Contract Converting came in with competitive pricing. We trailed them, and they did a good job," Marquardt says. He also uses Contract Converting for various slitting projects to meet ever-changing inventory requirements.

Contract Converting's 150 percent sales increase over its two-year history and its expanding cus-tomer base forced the company's move from Appleton, Wis., to its current 50,000-sq-ft facility in Greenville. The new facility allows it to carry more master roll inventory for on-demand custom slitting as well as carry more stocks for its CC Roll Expresse program ‚ cut-to-order rolls of non-pressure-sensitive tag and label stocks, including litho, coated board, tag, offset and film with ëround-the-clock service. The new facility features an ergonomic work flow that cuts cycle times and increases process quality. It contains an expanded customer service center, an incoming material and inventory control area, master roll warehousing, highly automated slitting, rewinding, roll packaging and outbound distribution.

With a blend of two-drum surface and duplex center-surface slitters/rewinders, Contract Converting is able to consistently deliver a high level of precision and quality on-demand, regardless of material or specification. The recent addition of a new Conweb 84-in.-wide duplex center-surface slitter/rewinder has enhanced Contract Converting's ability to provide professional slitting services to a growing customer base.

Hoffmaster uses contract converters for those services it cannot perform in-house. When working with any contract converter, its ability to be flexible is key. "In this type of an operation, you truly need to have a vendor that can adjust its schedule to meet yours and your customers' needs," says Marquardt.

Contract Converting LLC, 414/757-4000.
Conweb, 201/808-9052.