Distributorship Protects Refrigerator Schematics
Network Imaging Solutions, Davenport, Iowa,
works with a wide range of customers in the appliance industry.
One client, a refrigerator manufacturer with whom the company
has worked for three years, relied on the distributorship to
supply schematics and technical information that’s
shipped with the products. The information was folded and
tucked under the refrigerator, behind the tow grille and near
the drip pan. When servicing the refrigerators, technicians
could access the documents by removing the tow grille.
Over time, the manufacturer received
reports from technicians and consumers who found the documents
damaged. Often, spilled liquids would seep into the documents.
The manufacturer sought Network Imaging Solutions’ help.
“They challenged us. They said, ‘How can we improve
this,’” says Jeff Schwarting, account manager. The
distributor researched various options and finally recommended
that the client use SmartPacks® to package the technical
information and adhere it to each refrigerator.
Schwarting describes SmartPacks, a product
designed and sold by Lauraville Specialty Products, Geneva,
N.Y., as “envelopes slit down the middle.”
Custom-made and manufactured on a continuous liner, they
protect paper documents and adhere to the refrigerator like a
label. When Network Imaging Solutions proposed using
SmartPacks, “It was the obvious solution,”
Schwarting says. But the manufacturer still had questions about
how well the product would withstand a refrigerator’s
unique environment. “There’s a certain amount of
heat and moisture, so they were concerned with the
adhesive—that it wouldn’t become brittle and fall
off,” Schwarting says. “The material it’s
made of has to be able to withstand a certain amount of heat as
well.” Network Imaging Solutions convinced the
manufacturer the product would meet their requirements. The
company supplies the manufacturer with one million SmartPacks
with technical information per year.
—Andrew Brown
Quote
“They were concerned with the
adhesive—that it wouldn’t become brittle and fall
off.”
Jeff Schwarting, Account Manager
Network Imaging Solutions, Davenport, Iowa
Distributorship Network Imaging Solutions,
Davenport, Iowa, supplies a refrigerator manufacturer with one
million SmartPacks® per year. The SmartPacks, manufactured
by Lauraville Specialty Products, Geneva, N.Y., are see-through
slips that contain technical information and schematics. They
adhere to the bottom of the refrigerator and protect the
information from moisture and heat.