Teamwork Overcomes Label Alarm Two years ago, Kevin Ferraschi O'Malley received a call no distributor wants to hear from a customer. "Your manufacturer has a big problem," said the contact from a security alarm company. The company orders yard signs and door labels that alert would-be prowlers that a property is protected with an alarm system. The security firm didn't receive its latest label shipment, and four boxes of signs arrived in poor condition. "Someone at the manufacturer literally slammed the signs in a box and out the door," says O'Malley, owner of Proforma All-Source, a distributorship in Tualatin, Ore. The outside of the boxes were covered with tire tracks. The signs were damaged because the company neglected to add packing popcorn to protect them. O'Malley contacted the manufacturer and discovered it had been bought and the plant was going to be shut down and moved. "At that point you scramble to recover quickly and get the customer identical products," says O'Malley. To supply the labels, he turned to Gill Studios Inc., a manufacturer in Shawnee Mission, Kan., from whom he'd ordered screenprinted labels since starting his business in 1991. Gill Studios was able to provide the 2-way custom labels, which normally require a 4-week turnaround, in two weeks. "Every manufacturer talks about being responsive," O'Malley says. "But when the rubber meets the road, can they do it?" Gill Studios did. Proforma All-Source provided the manufacturer with a sample of the label, a 4 x 4 1/2-inch Mylar label custom die cut in the shape of a shield. The 2-way label adheres to windows on residential and commercial doors so its security warning can be read by people approaching the door from the outside and leaving the building. The printing of the label is complex: The security alarm company's name and warning are printed in three colors on a clear Mylar label with permanent adhesive on the face. Then the manufacturer adds a barrier, either made of a distinctive material or using a special printing technique, that ensures the image on the reverse side isn't visible. Next the manufacturer prints the mirror image of the company name and warning in three colors on the opposite side. Users peel off the liners and place the labels on door windows. The security alarm company had strict requirements for the labels, which serve as prime advertising pieces for the firm. For instance, it insisted the three ink colors exactly match its specifications and they don't fade over time in the sun. Gill Studios met all requirements and delivered the labels on short notice. The security alarm company orders approximately 10,000 labels annually. It is just one of many security firms that O'Malley serves. When the former manufacturer closed, several of O'Malley's customers were affected and the distributor got a wake-up call. "We all rely on a prime supplier and some back-ups," he says. "But when a prime supplier fails in a niche market with custom orders, it can be a disaster." Fortunately, Gill Studios helped Proforma All-Source recover, and the two companies maintain a close partnership today. Have a solution? Click here to be featured as an E-Weekly Solution of the Week