Contract and Expand (Contract Converters)

Contract converters' outsourcing arm helps printers branch out.

by Kate Tomlinson, Assistant Editor

THE COMPLEXITY OF PRINT JOBS is increasing right along with the pressure to meet shorter turn-around times. Contract converters offer an abundance of services to help printers ease the deadline crush, and avoid unnecessary production expenses.

How do printers know when it's time to put out the call for converting assistance? "Any company that asks themselves, 'Do I need the services of a contract converter?' has already answered their own question," says Dan Weiss, VP, A.H. Weiss Co.

But with hundreds of potential converting partners to choose from, how can printers pick the most fitting complement to their operations? Weiss suggests assessing level of expertise; willingness to work closely on difficult substrates or prototypes; and versatility to deliver both big and small orders. Below, more converters offer tips on narrowing the field of eligibles.

Consideration #1: How extensive are contract converters' services?

• "Match equipment capability to your project. Finding a vendor that has experience with your project or a similar project reduces the learning curve and minimizes start-up problems. Look for full-service vendors. Vendors that can turn-key your project will eliminate the freight costs of moving product from one location to another and keep the responsibility all within one company."

—Lisa Boyd, director, sales/marketing, Graphic Converting

• "Finding a contract converter takes more than assessing capabilities; it requires finding a service fit. Companies are seeking partnerships with converters autonomous enough to make decisions on behalf of the account, and nimble enough to pay close attention to turn-around and service. Most converters have similar technologies. The value-added link is flexibility to respond to change and a company-wide service commitment."

—Lori Davis, VP, Contract Converting

• "Check into the types of services each company offers. If you are looking for someone to help with a unique job, don't stop searching until you find exactly what you want."

—Peter Canavarro, VP, Varo Technical Services

• "To find the best converter, you must consider capabilities, converting knowledge, turnaround times, skid shipment handling, product stacking and protection, and most important, cut off length variance."

—Mike Schwab, CEO, Schwab Paper

Consideration #2: Can you get specific about services required?

• "Know the answers to the questions the converter will be asking you: What's the material, gauge, and width you need processed? What services do you need? Coating, slitting, sheeting, laminating? Know any special considerations of the material? Is it photosensitive, dusty, large diameter, fibrous? Do you know what kind of chemistries are involved? Is it water-based, solvent, UV-cured? What price are you willing to pay: commodity, medical grade, or retail?"

—Bill Crawford, VP, Waytek Corp.

Consideration #3: How well do converters understand the industry—and your needs?

• "The converter must have a comprehensive understanding of your business. The mutual objective should be this commitment of understanding, not just an order or project. With this understanding, all other issues such as capabilities, capacity, location, pricing, turnaround time, warehousing, quality, etc., become crystal clear and ensure a successful long-term relationship."

—John Felinski, president, Filmquest

• "When looking for a company to handle your out-sourced work, keep in mind that a basic knowledge of the industry is vital. The converter should have a strong understanding of manufacturing substrates, print technologies, and various markets. Also, make sure the company is experienced in dealing with the materials you utilize the most. Finally, ask about post-print converting capabilities; this could help in quick turnaround jobs."

—James T. Carlin, VP, Transilwrap

• "Find out how much your contract converter really knows about the science of plastic film. Many converters know a great deal about equipment and the converting process, but ... a functional knowledge of film orientation, elongation, modulus, cross sectional tension correlation, and many other pertinent film properties lead to slit roll quality and low scrap rates."

—Bradley J. Smith, president, AccuFilm

• "Attention to details and cleanliness is most important. Since our materials are tough to cut, details such as really sharp, dedicated tooling are important."

—Dr. James R. Williams, director, sales/marketing, Polyonics

Consideration #4: How much should contract converting pricing matter?

• "Pricing on 'on the floor and out the door' jobs (such as film food packaging) can be very competitive, but since quality and consistency go hand-in-hand, once you've found that you can talk dollars and cents."

—Gunther Herrmann, VP, Herman Eng. & Mfg.

• "Most important are consistency, dependability, quality, and the ability to meet deadlines without compromising these attributes. Cost is the second consideration. If cost is all you care about, you are gambling with your customer's satisfaction, and the bottom line."

—Jeff Turner, owner, Foil Graphics

• "The most important thing about picking a converter is location. With the cost of freight constantly climbing, having paper converted close to the final destination is a key consideration, followed by size capabilities, and beginning and ending widths and lengths, and finally, price. Everyone wants to buy cheap and sell high."

—Doug Molhook, industrial merchandiser, Greenleaf, A Paper Co.

Check your August issue for a complete directory of contract converters and the services they provide.