Getting Better all the Time
As a custom house, we continually fabricate new items. Most of these are for a customer who has an existing job and is having difficulty getting that job done. We come up with a way to make that happen and often these needs have a wider audience. Examples of this would be our Gator pouch board, matte film large pouches and Bubble-Free boards. In each of these cases, we start with a solution which works, but has certain deficiencies. The customer who we are working with happily works around these deficiencies because we are able to solve their immediate needs, but as we move further afield, these can become issues. Examples would be with gator board where black is more difficult to stick to than white gator or that the process which creates the veneer surface sometimes is not as smooth as required.
Because of the internet, franchises and associations, we get demand to remake certain products for others because they feel they have the same need as the first customer we spoke to and believe our approach will work for them. We also believe these products will work for them, but because they may use different materials we run into issues. As we review these, talk with suppliers, learn by doing, we make changes which address those issues. If you look at our gator products, our process has evolved and includes sanding boards and cleaning them with tack cloths and we worked with our supplier to modify the adhesive. Compare to a year ago, we now have a smoother product which has a more consistent adhesive. In our pouch products, we have a film which is top-coated, mapped and matched top and bottom which is easier to process and achieve flat results and by applying the adhesive with less pressure, our buuble-free boards have a deeper texture which lets more air escape.
There are times when I wish our products were as bullet-proof as say 3M, when they were introduced, but I know our customers have immediate needs which requires us to act fast. I know that as we go forward, we always work with our customers and make them whole if there was something we should have foreseen and they appreciate that. They also know that each time they re-order, they are getting a better product and over time these products become solid.
We are not a 3M, but as long as our products keep getting better all the time, I know we will be successful and our customers happy they came to us to fabricate a product for their needs.