Home > Adhesive Coating > Tolling Companies Can Save You Significant Money and Time!

tolling companiesIn all industries, we find that there are manufacturers who want to develop new products, enhance existing products or have a sudden need for additional capacity. There are budgetary reasons for postponing some of these activities, since they may require expenditures that are not currently feasible. This is the time when managers must make decisions about investing in new equipment or setting up a research and development department and hiring and training new staff members. When they begin to research the viable options, they may discover the value of tolling companies.


What Are the Reasons That a Manufacturer Would Need a Tolling Company?

You may be thinking, “If a well-established manufacturer has an existing facility, why would they need help with a manufacturing process?” There are many reasons why it may be more beneficial to have a partner who has the necessary equipment and personnel to handle a process than to perform the work in-house. Among the many reasons to use the expertise available at a tolling company are:

  • The existing manufacturer needs additional capacity, either temporarily or long-term.
  • A company wants to expand its product line with a new, improved offering, but has no R&D facility.
  • There is a need to enhance an existing product with a process, such as lamination or adhesive coating, but the manufacturer has neither the necessary equipment or expertise to handle it.

This is where management must begin the decision-making process. They must consider where their time and money will earn the best return.

  • Do they want to invest the time it takes to purchase and set up new machinery?
  • Will they have the budget to make the necessary investment in equipment and personnel?
  • Is there time to install the new machinery and train operators to perform what may be a small manufacturing step in the total process to produce the product?
  • Can they wait to set up an entire research and development facility or department, thereby losing precious time to get a new product to market before the competition?

If the answer to one or all of these questions is a resounding, “No,” then it is time to look for a tolling company.

How Can Tolling Companies Help an Already Successful Manufacturer?

A tolling or contract manufacturer such as Conversion Technologies International (CTI), has the facilities, machinery and equipment, engineers, operators and technicians ready to help with certain processes to ease your burden. If you are a manufacturer who needs a partner to take over any of the following processes, we at CTI are ready. Our expansive and well-equipped facilities can handle:

Laminating

Our custom lamination services cover almost any combination of materials and techniques that your product requires. Our techniques include hot roll lamination when using adhesive film or web-type adhesive in roll form. Belt laminating techniques provide the ability to laminate sheet goods. We can also laminate materials using water-based adhesives by utilizing gravure roll, knife-over-roll and Meyer rod. Powdered adhesive laminations can produce stretchable, breathable results. Working with large format and wide web toll laminations, we have partnered with companies across a broad spectrum of industries, including:

  • Automotive
  • Roofing Materials
  • Construction Materials
  • Insulation
  • Consumer Products

We handle a maximum roll weight of 2,000 lbs., maximum width of 120 inches and production volume in both medium to long runs.

Adhesive and Other Coatings

Whatever your industry or materials, we have the coating capabilities to enhance your products to add strength, waterproofing, pressure-sensitivity or surface tension qualities. We designed our state-of-the-art facility to provide flexibility through its modular configuration. This allows us to quickly re-position equipment to change from one process to another. Our custom coating solutions are possible due to our investment in equipment that includes slot die, gravure coater, hot melt spray coater and hot roll coater. Materials that we process include acrylic, acetate, latex, silicone and many more. Our coatings can make your product water-repellent, fire-retardant or adhesive in many forms, such as water-based, non-skid, elastic and water-soluble.

We handle cure temperatures up to 350° F, up to 120-inch widths, maximum adhesive thickness of 60 mil. and roll weights to a maximum of 2,000 lbs.

Slitting and Die-Cutting

Because of our diverse client base, we have the equipment to handle a broad range of solutions in this field. Whether you require sheet or roll form working with materials from cardboard or vinyl to foam, fiberglass, cloth or rubber, we have the capability to handle your project.

Our slitting and die-cutting operations work with the following specifications:

  • Medium and long-term production runs
  • Lead times of 1 to 6 weeks
  • Maximum widths of 60 inches
  • Length up to 40 inches
  • Thickness up to 5/8 inches
  • Die press tonnage up to 150 tons

What is the Difference Between Tolling and Contract Companies?

We have already described the benefits of using the services of a tolling company. CTI’s modular layout, extensive R&D facilities, experienced and knowledgeable technicians and time-tested process has proven to be a great source of added strength to a company’s production quality.

Contract manufacturing, which we handle with the same expertise as toll manufacturing services, goes just a few steps further in offering value to our clients. As a contract manufacturer, we would handle not only the manufacturing process, but also the sourcing of materials and the final shipping to the retail or distribution destination. In other words, we become a white label or outsource partner.

At CTI, we are flexible with our modular approach to all projects, so that we can fit into any space along the supply chain that your company requires. Therefore, we adjust our custom manufacturing services to fit your unique circumstances. Perhaps you don’t want to completely outsource the entire production of a product. You may want us to do everything from sourcing materials to the final production, but then you need us to return the finished goods to your facility for specialty packaging or shipping requirements.

Working as a true partner with our clients, they understand that we work to fit in as needed, with the unique circumstances of every project.

What Makes CTI the Best Choice for Your Tolling or Contract Needs?

The answer is simple…it’s our 5-step process!

Over the years, we have refined the way that we handle every project, large or small, to provide a superior response to the needs of our clients. We developed a 5-step approach to every project. This creates an efficient, focused organization of the work to achieve a superior end result. The goal is to meet with the client upfront for a frank discussion of the project details. After that consultation, we work to efficiently produce the end result and exceed the client’s expectations at every step along the way.

An Overview of Our 5-Step Process:

INITIAL CONSULTATION:

We designed this first step to fully understand the customer’s needs, expectations and timeline. These factors allow us to establish a partnership mentality so that we become an extension of our client’s business, with the same goals and expected quality for the finished product and related services.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT:

During our consultation, we may notice an opportunity to enhance a product that would make it more attractive to ultimate buyers. We may offer our ideas for improvement, since we have the capability to produce a product that exceeds the original plan. Most manufacturers do not incorporate a full R&D department within their operations, since it is an expensive operation to staff and support. Results, however, can boost sales when competition gets tough. We are proud of our ability to help in these situations. Clients appreciate that we are there when they have a need for these services. Our services usually result in a cost savings to our clients.

LAB TESTING/SAMPLE:

We strongly believe in the old adage about the bird in the hand! It is better to actually touch and see a sample of the product during the early production stages than to wait until the finished product is in your hand. When you first see a sample, you may realize that you want to change the design or substance. Better to find that out early than at a later stage of the process.

PILOT RUN:

If a sample is important, a pilot run is critical. Anytime you can solve a potential problem before the finished product is on the production line, you should. It can save both time and money. Any changes that a customer wants to make usually involve minimal cost at this point. It also provides peace of mind that the final result will be perfect and exactly as they anticipate.

PRODUCTION:

Because we have implemented so many safeguards and evaluations up to this point, our production runs are the smoothest part of the process. There are no surprises and the clients always appreciate that our thorough process helped them achieve their goal.

How Does CTI Handle Problem-Solving for Clients?

Not every project is straightforward, with a detailed plan of the finished product requirements. Sometimes, a client has run into an obstacle in trying to produce a new product for the market. Or, they’ve found a roadblock while trying to enhance an existing product.

We are proud of the ways in which we have helped major companies in a wide variety of industries tackle these problems. The results speak for themselves…we have helped clients implement new techniques or utilize new materials to achieve their goals.

There are many examples of these accomplishments here.

Just one of the case studies involves, for instance, an automotive company that had an issue involving laminating a non-woven material to aluminum. Since they had tried several other sources before approaching CTI, they weren’t sure that their goal was achievable. Let’s just say that they are no longer skeptical about the quality of CTI’s solutions!

In record time, we resolved the issue and created a solution. This allowed us to meet their huge volume demand of 400,000 parts per year. The parts ranged from 20” to 48” wide and 30” to 60” long. Our final product description is that we laminated the aluminum to a high-loft, non-woven material with adhesive. We compressed the high loft material 80%, as specified by the automotive client.

As you can see, we love a good challenge!  These case studies prove that we have the experts, equipment, and facilities to meet our challenges. Better yet, we often exceed expectations!

Do You Handle Custom Manufacturing or Toll Manufacturing Only for Large Corporations?

We are unique among tolling companies and contract manufacturers. For instance, our clients range from local companies and start-ups to national and Fortune 500 businesses. All clients have the same basic requirements; “Produce our product on time, on budget and at the quality level that we expect.” Customer service is at the core of our focus. That is why we spend time upfront getting to know every client to understand their business and their expectations. We always want to be sure that we are the right fit for their manufacturing process requirements. There is no point in wasting anyone’s time. We developed our five-step process so that every project will have a successful outcome.

Clients also appreciate that we provide a back-up when they require extra capacity, specialized equipment or help with product development. We want to be a true partner to enhance your products and increase your revenue.

Among our satisfied clients are:

  • DuPont
  • Ford
  • Owens Corning
  • Kimberly-Clark
  • General Motors
  • Steelcase
  • Firestone

Why Should You Choose CTI as Your Partner in Contract or Toll Manufacturing?

As a leading national contract and toll manufacturer, we have the expertise to fulfill the needs of companies large and small. Customer service is as important to us as the manufacturing process. If you are wondering about the cost for a current or future project, please give us some basic information on this simple form and we will get back to you with a free, no-obligation quote. Or, you may speak with one of our experts by calling 419-924-5566.

We look forward to hearing from you and learning about your manufacturing needs.