Jul 20, 2023 - 3-5 minutes
Bostik Spotlight Q&A: Troubleshooting Technical Expertise
Learn how our technical support team can provide the knowledge and recommendations to enhance your production efficiencies with Bostik's Field Technical Service Respresentative Jared Steed.
Q: Can you tell us more about the expertise you bring to your role at Bostik?
A: My role involves regular visits to speak with converters at their facilities and assist in diagnosing production line issues. By going to the location, I can help converters find a fast, reliable solution so they can run efficient operations. Another critical part of my job is serving as primary operator of Bostik’s pilot laminator and coater, which helps our customers test materials with our adhesives in a small batch while they’re still running day-to-day operations.
Q: What are typical areas converters need help with when you visit their facilities?
A: It really varies on the plant, especially when you consider the size of their operation. Larger plants may ask us for guidance on a small part of their production, while smaller companies may have limited internal technical support, and so they rely on us. The companies’ needs can span from R&D, internal testing, qualification processes to troubleshooting; no matter what they are looking for, we’re happy to provide our technical expertise wherever they need assistance.
Q: What can converters expect if they work with the Bostik technical services team to trial a product or material?
A: We’ll have a conversation to better understand what the converters have currently, and what they want to achieve. This often relates to the films currently being used, the product they’re trying to package or coating different chemistries. We can use either use our stock films, or customer provided films for fabricating a prototype laminate. We also like to test ink compatibility with our adhesives in our lab before the converter uses it in production so we know it offers a seamless lamination. Once rolls are provided by the customer, we’ll then run a trial and either ship the finished products to the customer for them to review or provide data from our internal testing.Q: When it comes to troubleshooting, what are common issues you help address?
A: When troubleshooting, we come across bond performance, visual clarity and ink/film compatibility. This can involve testing materials with a quality issue to determine a root cause or screening new materials for compatibility. We also receive many questions on application specific performance, which can include the package being exposed to high temperature or containing hard to hold materials such as oils or detergents. If we haven’t already tested our adhesive solutions under these conditions, we can conduct application testing. We aim to provide high-performance products without interfering with inks or optical clarity.Q: What is the typical process when you visit converters on site?
A: When we visit a customer on site, we often conduct a line assessment to identify any problems that may not have been brought to the converter’s attention before. For example, when running a trial, we’ll make sure pumps are working correctly, and converters are using the right mixed ratio and coat weights. This will help ensure their lines run efficiently with the finished product. If we do find any adhesive-related problems that need to be resolved, we’ll work with our Bostik team back at our facility to shift product recommendations or customize adhesive formulations to make sure the adhesive works properly with their equipment."Converters know our technical experts are reliable and responsive; rather than calling another company in hopes they’ll get in contact with the right person to help, we build relationships with our customers so they have a go-to expert they can call, text or email to receive recommendations whenever necessary."
Q: How does Bostik’s troubleshooting assistance set it apart from competitors?
A: Bostik is known as a go-to source for troubleshooting for several reasons:
- Bostik experts build trusting relationships. Converters know our technical experts are reliable and responsive; rather than calling another company in hopes they’ll get in contact with the right person to help, we build relationships with our customers so they have a go-to expert they can call, text or email to receive recommendations whenever necessary.
- We provide extensive knowledge. There have even been times when I’ve been able to help converters resolve production issues when they were previously using a competitor’s adhesive. We want our customers to succeed, so we want to serve as a solution provider wherever they need guidance.
- Our team saves converters valuable resources. By relying on us to help whenever they need it, our customers save time and costly resources to fix issues and keep their production lines moving.
Q: Part of your role also involves primary operation of the pilot plant’s laminator and coater. What testing methods can converters conduct with this equipment?
A: Our pilot laminator and coater is compatible with solvent-based, water-based and solventless applications, allowing us to offer multiple forms of testing for a customer. We find this is especially helpful to smaller companies that would otherwise have to take time from their regular production to test products. By using our pilot equipment, converters can:
- Complete their testing efficiently while still delivering products on time. They have a range of options, and we’ll help them decide the best method in our initial conversations.
- Receive detailed results and suggestions about which technologies were most successful and why.
As the primary operator of this equipment, I can provide our customers with process engineering so they know the right machine settings to run our adhesive through their lines thoroughly. Sometimes, l go to the plant site and provide training to their workers as well; I am happy to help where it’s needed so converters can reduce the learning curve on new applications.
"I feel that our technical service experts are a valuable resource to converters’ overall production. It doesn’t matter what phase they’re at; from trials to troubleshooting, we can provide application insight, prototyping, failure analysis – basically, if they have a problem, we are here to help them find a solution."
Q: Overall, what is a key takeaway you want converters to know about Bostik’s technical services?
A: I feel that our technical service experts are a valuable resource to converters’ overall production. It doesn’t matter what phase they’re at; from trials to troubleshooting, we can provide application insight, prototyping, failure analysis – basically, if they have a problem, we are here to help them find a solution. Along with that, we also will provide recommendations to help converters prevent any potential issues down the road. Our technical expertise is part of their investment in our adhesive solutions, and we want to work with them to take advantage of that support so they can run an efficient operation and deliver high quality end-use products to their brand owners.Is your package manufacturing stuck in a certain phase without answers? Or, are you looking to optimize an already well-oiled machine? Contact our Bostik team to get in touch with an expert today so you can alleviate concerns and move your production processes forward. You can also contact Jared directly if you would like to know more about testing on our pilot laminator and coater.
All information contained herein is believed to be accurate as of the date of publication, is provided “as-is” and is subject to change without notice. To review our full U.S. Legal Disclaimer, visit: https://bostik.com/us/en_US/privacy-policy/legal-disclaimer