It’s not until the time comes to scour the market for adhesive tape converters that any business really gets a grip for the gravity of the decision. Depending on the application and business areas, making the wrong choice of converter can be detrimental to say the least. From watching vast sums of money plummet down the drain to shipments being made late to projects running behind schedule and even the outright failure of projects, choosing the wrong converter is almost guaranteed to have quite serious repercussions.
Of course, the good news is that once you’ve found a converter you can both work with and trust, all subsequent dealings are made a thousand times easier. There are certain brands and businesses up and down the UK that have earned a reputation for pure excellence over the years and tend to be the go-to names for those in the know. In terms of finding them in the first place, it’s technically as simple as bearing a rather basic checklist in mind which is guaranteed to help you find a professional partner of proven prowess.
So, when the time comes to take your pick of the adhesive converters on the market, consider the following essential points to ensure an ideal outcome:
1 – Choose 3M Preferred Converters
3M is of course the world’s most reputable name in adhesive products and has a long-standing reputation for excellence. As such, 3M isn’t in the habit of giving its own unique ‘badge of honour’ to just anyone – in order for an adhesive tape converter to earn 3M Preferred status, they indeed have to earn it. As such, along with other essential accreditation and affiliations, it’s a good idea to keep a look out for those that are 3M Preferred.
2 –Full Service Conversion Packages
The last thing any business wants is to find itself having to deal with multiple service providers just for the sake of getting a single job done. This is often the case with adhesive tape converters, which is why it’s always beneficial to opt for a provider that offers full service packages covering all bases from start to finish. Everything from the first consultation to provision of samples to full-scale manufacturing and aftercare, the more of this that comes from a single port of call, the better for the business on the whole.
3 – Track Record
It’s one thing for any given business in the field to speak with pride of its capabilities and prowess, but it’s another entirely for them to have a long-standing track record of true excellence. Establishing this is technically as easy as looking how long they’ve been in business and scanning for examples of success stories and case studies. In addition, any partnerships or affiliations they’ve built with other businesses along the way can help set in stone their strong track record.
4 – Quality Control
Any service provider on the market worth working with should be fully ISO Certified – another stamp of approval that guarantees a robust quality control system and assures the client of output of a high standard. It’s also reassuring when a provider goes into greater and more specific detail with regard to its own-house quality control processes, so be sure to look into these when researching the options on the table.
5 – World Class Engineering Team
In an ideal scenario, you should be looking for an engineering team with world-class skills and experience in order to help bring to life the ideal solution for your business. This means the creation of unique and bespoke adhesive products as opposed to just simply using ‘off the shelf’ prefab products. Finding the ideal solution for any business is not about one-size-fits-all, but rather about working from scratch to build the ideal solution from the ground up.
6 – Essential Innovation
Last but not least, it’s one thing for an adhesive converter to tick all of the right boxes and do as it’s told, but it’s another entirely for a converter to be a true innovator and think way outside the normal lines. The latter is the option that should be sought when and where possible for the simple reason that the most obvious solution isn’t necessarily the best solution…in fact it rarely is. A good adhesive tape converter will explore a world of possibilities above and beyond those that may have come to the mind of the client beforehand. And what’s more, the essential aftercare offered is guaranteed to be of a higher standard when working with passionate innovators.
John Smith 