At LINDAR, we want to make your project and the thermoforming process as simple as possible for you and your team. The LINDAR Experience is our proprietary workflow that guides clients through the custom thermoforming process from start to finish.
We believe that superior communication leads to superior products. As such, communication and continual improvement are central to the LINDAR Experience, which ensures transparency and accountability throughout every step of the production process. By fully understanding our clients’ needs, using our expertise to select the best materials and equipment for their projects, and empowering them with knowledge, LINDAR clients enjoy a clear understanding of each production stage and a streamlined, stress-free process that results in an outstanding finished product.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through each stage of the LINDAR Experience, so you can learn more about our process and visualize your partnership with us. Explore everything you need to know about our custom thermoforming process below!
Listen
The first—and perhaps most important—part of our process is listening. We believe that, in order to be the best partner to our clients, it is vital for us to approach every project from a place of listening to understand. In our first conversations with you, we’ll listen to your needs and the challenges you’re facing with your project and begin brainstorming solutions. We want to learn as much about your requirements as possible, so we’ll ask questions like:
- What are your goals for this project?
- What are your concerns about this project?
- Who does it need to appeal to?
- Who on your team do we need to stay in contact with to ensure all necessary parties are involved at the right time?
- What is your timeline?
- What is your budget?
The more we understand about your needs and desires up front, the better we’ll be able to avoid communication gaps and provide a solution that meets your requirements and exceeds your expectations. There’s no project too complex or unwieldy for the LINDAR team to tackle. We’re well-versed in providing innovative solutions to clients whose needs introduce challenges to the manufacturing process.
Here’s a great example of our team’s ability to listen well and overcome challenges: We used our custom thermoforming abilities to create Simply Secure hinged food packaging materials for a client who had several unique requirements. To merchandise single-serve bakery items, the client required tamper-obvious food packaging that could withstand the rigors of production automation, automated labeling, and hold the product in place—even if tipped upside down. The LINDAR team got to work, and the resulting packaging materials won us the gold in the roll-fed, thin-gauge, food-packaging category at the 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) Thermoforming conference.
Initiate
Once we have a comprehensive understanding of the size, scope and complexity of your project, we’ll collaborate with you on a proposal. In this step, we’ll assess which of our custom thermoforming capabilities will best serve your project and lay out these options for you in a clear, structured plan. We’ll present this proposal to you for approval and, once you’ve signed-off on the project plan, initiate the next steps of the thermoforming process.
Next Steps
Your project has officially kicked off! We’ll be communicating with you consistently about both the current stage of your project and the next steps in the process, from assigning a project manager to establishing a timeline and identifying key milestones.
Using your project plan as a roadmap, both our team and yours will be able to track the progress of your project and view accurate status updates. You’ll be kept informed about your project’s progress every step of the way!
Deliver
It’s time to begin production, but before we do, we’ll double-check your satisfaction with the part or mold design and PPAP. At LINDAR, we prioritize transparent communication, so regular project updates will be given in addition to expected completion time frames for key milestones throughout the thermoforming process.
We understand that certain industries and applications may have additional, unique performance requirements. LINDAR has experience meeting and exceeding these standards, from construction and industrial equipment components that will hold up under the toughest jobsite conditions to medical-grade components that must meet extraordinarily high safety standards. You can trust that our team will continue monitoring your project for quality and performance throughout the entire manufacturing process. As production finishes up, your project will be tested to your specifications in addition to our rigorous standards of quality before it is delivered.
Analyze
Delivery is complete, so now it’s time for the LINDAR team to take a step back and analyze your project from beginning to end. What worked well? What could improve? By making note of challenges overcome, successes achieved and lessons learned, we’re able to continuously improve and innovate our processes, ultimately resulting in better service for our clients.
Relationships
For us, a project is never truly “done.” We take great care to continue our client relationships well beyond the delivery of a project. We’ll keep in touch with you to follow up regarding your satisfaction and, as necessary, offer solutions to any needs you may have in the future. We know our success relies upon strong, positive client relationships, and would be honored to be your trusted custom thermoforming partner for years to come!
Ready to form an incredible partnership? The LINDAR team is eager to work with you. Contact us about your project today to get started.
