Here at PlastiCert, we have the same issues as any service provider in any marketplace, staying relevant to our customers and abreast of where we stand in relation to our competitors.
We feel we do a good job of both, but the prior is a matter of relationship. We feel we have great relationships with our customers and can just ask them how we are doing and are we of service to them.
Competitors are not so easy. We constantly monitor what is going on in the marketplace, but at the same time, we don’t obsess with it. While keeping up with technology and abilities is necessary, keeping tabs on competition can lead to straying from what it is that makes us, well us. Mission creep is what some call it, losing sight of whom you are while trying to keep others in sight.
We specialize in low and medium volume; molding, and insert molding complex parts. I was quoted one time in an article saying, “we hate high volume” and it is true. I have seen many a molder be lured by the appeal of high volume. Leaving a mold in the press for extended periods means fewer set-ups. It also means that you see less volatility and variability on the production floor. I see the desirables of volume too. Yet, higher volumes take from us that which, like I said earlier, makes PlastiCert who we are. Skills like our flexibility, responsiveness, and focus, the things that our customers like most about us. In addition, not utilizing those skills also makes them atrophy, and is a wasted resource in my book.
So yes, we do know what offerings you are seeing out there and while we are more than happy to discuss your needs and service requirements , do not be surprised if there is some push back. The discussion around offerings that may make us act like someone we are not when we can accomplish what you need with the offerings we have right now. I don’t think anyone has ever commented that we were trendy, and in my book, that is what I am after.