LSI had two ink vendors making essentially the same product for the past thirty years. The qualification process for a new ink system is tremendous with the number of certifications required in the wallcovering industry. I heard over and over again that these two vendors were the only ones who could ever make an ink system that would fit the stringent requirements for certifications. It was essentially a Duopoly in the industry.
We were in the middle of putting in new equipment to run both embossing in line and out of line so we decided to investing a combined ink vehicle that would cope with vastly different line speeds in both processes versus having to use two separate systems. I had no experience with Quantum prior to inquiring with them if they were interested in taking on a challenge that would require tremendous up-front costs to them with no guarantees of any return other than the knowledge they gained.
Quantum having a local facility with a lab and quick technical support allowed them to be extremely efficient in determining the characteristics required to fit the requirements. Their ink system passed every single test within a month of trials and it was the only system that could deliver the performance requirements in all printing conditions.
Once we made the decision to move forward with them, the next hurdle was switching the systems and minimizing downtime. We were very concerned about not sustaining any meaningful downtime in the transition. I was shocked that the number ended up being zero. We had no downtime, I mean none. I have never seen that happen before. They formulated a plan with us and then executed it. They were here 24/7 to make sure everything went as predetermined. They turned a lot of doubters in to advocates in less than a month. It was incredible. Winning the hearts and minds of people can only be done in one way and that is by showing them you have their backs and you can provide a better product that will help them meet their daily metrics. Quantum came through in every area. You should have no hesitation on downtime because they can execute what is planned.
