When it comes to the film your facility uses for packaging, you probably don’t spend much time thinking about it. Cost is key and you expect dependability from both the film and your supplier. But is there anything else your film supplier can provide?
We recently spoke with Tanner, our film product manager, and Tyler from our service department about the unique way they’re working to tie our film sales and service departments together. Watch our video to learn how they are working together to turn your film purchases into investments in the operability of your manufacturing line:
Are You Buying the Best Film for Your Products?
The purpose of using polyethylene and stretch film together when roll packing foam and mattresses is to keep air out and maintain the integrity of the package. Whether you’re shipping foam to a converter or mattresses direct to consumer, you need both types of film to hold tight. “Your package is the first thing your customer is going to see,” says Tanner. “How you want your product to be perceived is important to consider.”
When choosing either type of film, you want to be sure you’re using the right film for your machine. A poly film needs to react to heat sealing without damage. If the film is too dense, it could crease. This damages the film structure and could allow air to seep in. If it’s not dense enough, the heat seal bar will damage the film, also causing air to enter the package. Stretch film can’t be too sticky, or it will stick to the machine and not the package. Not sticky enough, and it won’t hold the roll.
At C³, we’ve tested dozens of films to find what works best with our machines. The types of film we supply are the ones we know work best with our equipment. “We take pride in the products that we offer,” says Tanner. “Our machinery is top-notch, and we want to make sure that everything else that goes in it is top-notch, too. When I talk to customers, I always tell them they can trust the products C³ recommends.”
What Else Can Your Film Vendor Provide?
Not all vendors are equal. When looking to form a partnership with your film vendor, learn about other services and options they might provide. Do they take returns of unused inventory? How much do they keep readily available in stock? Do they have technicians that can help you set it up in the machine? Where is it stored and shipped from?
Besides offering high-quality film options, Tanner and Tyler have been working together to create another added benefit to purchasing your film from C³: our Partnership Program. The program started by recognizing a need for film vendors to help customers use films successfully in their machinery. Most often, consumable vendors do not service the client when film issues arise or help them guarantee they’re creating the best package possible for their products.
Tyler explains how the C³ Partnership Program benefits customers: “When you purchase film from C³, a percentage of each sale goes into your film rewards account. This is a key difference from other suppliers. When you purchase film from someone else, you don’t get anything back.”
These credits are real dollars that can be redeemed for things like:
- Remote support during and after business hours
- Onsite maintenance
- Operator training on your C³ machines
- Installation costs
- Machine upgrades
- New recipe development as needs and goals change
- Spare/replacement parts purchases
You may think that this doesn’t sound like much, but these credits add up quickly and could help you avoid dipping into your maintenance budget. “With maintenance budgets being tight, we can use those rewards to schedule a preventative maintenance trip where some – if not all – of the cost of that trip is covered,” Tyler says. For example, there have been times where a customer’s machine needed a technician on-site and they were able to pay for it entirely in film credits. While the technician was there, he also did a few preventative maintenance tasks that saved them thousands in potential damage to their machine.
Alternatively, as Tanner explains, you could use your film credits to upgrade your compression machine to accommodate our new Traversing Stretch feature. An upgrade like this would also reduce the SKUs of stretch film needed down to one if you’re packaging beds from 50 – 100 inches in length.
The service department will also make sure you are up to date on what credits you have available and advise you on the best ways to use them. “Whatever your needs are, we’re focused on making sure that those dollars are spent to ensure the asset is running at its peak performance,” Tyler says.
Want to start turning your film purchases into investments with our Partnership Program? Contact us today. We’re happy to supply you with film that will keep your production bursting at the seams – not your products.