Price: 10.00
In 1987, at Douglas-Hanson, we found ourselves struggling with the same
problems confronting the biggest companies -- our products needed to be
differentiated. Somehow we had to find a way to add value to our offerings if
we were to gain a compelitive edge and spur the company's growth.
Fortunately, at that precise point three critical factors converged which would
change our company dramatically: a veiy innovative customer with a problem
demanding innovation from us, a tecimology that would provide a solution in a
big way, and two suppliers who worked with us as a team to make it all come
together.
Until then, our primary. business had been supplying plastic films, such as
polyester and polypropylene, to small- and medium-sized users. As part of this,
we were also doing contract slitting of the films (with nine Dusenbeiy slitters,
handling films up to 80 inches wide) for a number of customers. One of these
customers was 3M, which was using the filth in a development project
involving building products. They were unsuccessfully iying to coat the thin
polyester film we supplied on a heat-cured line not designed for thin films.
The type of coating involved was a silicone release coaiin& which meant
that it had two basic properties: it allows a self.stick adhesive label or tape, or
any adhesive-backed product to be peeled from the co ted film àasily after a
period of storage time; and then it allows the label or other product to adhere to.
another surface with en adhesive valuà that is unchanged from its original.
