How to Choose a Custom Materials Converting Partner

As the world continues to innovate, product designers and manufacturers are challenged to develop new and complex components. Whether they are creating automotive products, medical devices, or anything in between, these professionals need to alter and form materials to fit their unique designs. However, customer demands and the competitive manufacturing industry are some of the big challenges that they are currently facing in today’s world. Many forward-thinking companies think outsourcing these tasks to a materials-converting partner is a great way to overcome these rising challenges. 

What Is a Materials Converting Partner?

A converting partner specializes in combining and transforming raw materials such as adhesive tapes, adhesives, felts, foams, liners, plastics, polyesters, rubbers, silicone, and other materials, into new products. Converters craft new products from raw materials through various processes such as adhesive coating, die cutting, finishing, forming, laminating, roll slitting, and many more. 

A converting company can help customers in three essential ways:

• It can supply product manufacturers with new parts and components for OEM applications.
• It can supply many types of businesses with MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) parts and components to keep equipment and machinery running.
• It can provide product designers and engineers with the development and prototyping of parts and components for new products.

Benefits of Outsourcing to a Converting Company 

Manufacturers across many industries are finding that outsourcing converting tasks is an effective approach to achieving better profitability. Outsourcing converting tasks to a trusted converting company can offer the following benefits.

• It can reduce labor and equipment costs.
• It can develop better productivity by enabling your core team to focus on what they do best.
• It can enhance the quality, durability, or functionality of your products by using innovative materials.
• It can establish better-manufacturing flexibility, including the ability to convert solutions from prototype to production.

How to Choose a Custom Materials Converting Partner

Once you have decided that outsourcing a materials-converting partner is the perfect choice for your company, it’s essential to be selective of the company you choose. Selecting the right outsourced converter is an important task, so you must have a guideline when picking the right one for your organization. Here are four essential factors to consider when choosing a custom material converting partner:

1. The Converting Company Must Be Reliable 

When evaluating an outsourced converter, it’s important to determine if the company is trustworthy. How well does the converter company understand your project proposal? Do they listen to all of your concerns before recommending the right solutions? Once the production begins, will you receive regular updates? These questions can help you determine if they are reliable and trustworthy. 

2. The Right Partner Provides the Best Converting Solutions

Different converters have different capabilities, so it’s important to choose a partner who can meet your specific needs. Make sure to check their past and ongoing projects to determine if they are providing the best converting solutions. By doing that, you will know if they can do various converting tasks such as laminating, slitting or spooling, die cutting, laser cutting, and many more. 

3. The Custom Converting Company Has the Latest Technologies

It’s also essential to consider if the company has the latest technologies suitable for your projects. A custom converting company may need financial resources to upgrade its equipment set. Does the converter have the type of die-cutting machinery that can convert materials in the most effective way? You can ask questions about the equipment they use and evaluate the capabilities of their overall system.

4. The Materials Converter Company Offers Quality 

Make sure to choose an outsourced materials converter who shares your commitment to quality. For instance, if you’re a medical device manufacturer, look for a partner with an ISO 13485:2004 certification. Quality can also mean protecting your intellectual property and computer data. You can also check their reliability by asking their past and present clients about the quality of their products.

To realize the full benefits of an outsourced converting partner, the company you pick must have a collaborative approach, not just a transactional one. This means having the people and processes in place to add value and dedication to your final product.

Furthermore, choosing the right materials-converting partner is an important factor in today’s changing world. Not only they can provide you with an extra hand to produce quality products but they can also give you a new relationship that will help your organization attain greater profit than ever. Since the experience and capabilities of converters can vary widely, you should choose the right converting partner wisely. Making an informed choice can save time, costs, and headaches.

If you are looking for the perfect converting company, maybe we can help. ABLE is the right place to find customized, intelligent solutions for your flexible material needs, across many industries. You will have access to our material experts to help you identify the best components for your custom-converted part. So, what are you waiting for? Talk to us now!

References:

https://www. interstatesp.com/how-to-choose-an-outsourced-converter

https://www.tapecon.com/blog/benefits-of-using-a-materials-converter-for-your-manufacturing

https://www.canadarubbergroup.com/en-ca/blog/choosing-your-converting-partner

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