Distributorship Protects Refrigerator Schematics Network Imaging Solutions, Davenport, Iowa, works with a wide range of customers in the appliance industry. One client, a refrigerator manufacturer with whom the company has worked for three years, relied on the distributorship to supply schematics and technical information that's shipped with the products. The information was folded and tucked under the refrigerator, behind the tow grille and near the drip pan. When servicing the refrigerators, technicians could access the documents by removing the tow grille. Over time, the manufacturer received reports from technicians and consumers who found the documents damaged. Often, spilled liquids would seep into the documents. The manufacturer sought Network Imaging Solutions' help. "They challenged us," says Jeff Schwarting, account manager. "They asked, 'How can we improve this?'" The distributor researched various options and finally recommended that the client use SmartPacks® to package the technical information and adhere it to each refrigerator. Schwarting describes SmartPacks, a product designed and sold by Lauraville Specialty Products, Geneva, N.Y., as "envelopes slit down the middle." Custom-made and manufactured on a continuous liner, they protect paper documents and adhere to the refrigerator like a label. When Network Imaging Solutions proposed using SmartPacks, the manufacturer still had questions about how well the product would withstand a refrigerator's unique environment. "There's a certain amount of heat and moisture, so they were concerned with the adhesive—that it wouldn't become brittle and fall off," Schwarting says. "The material it's made of has to be able to withstand a certain amount of heat as well." Network Imaging Solutions convinced the manufacturer the product would meet their requirements. The company supplies the manufacturer with a million SmartPacks along with technical information annually.