Product Application… Why Not?

Tuesday, January 01, 2008 - by Benoit Jean

In day to day business, designers, technicians, technologists and engineers in charge of technical services and/or support have to answer a variety of questions relating to the technical applications of our products.

Over the years, it seems like I’ve seen everything related to technical issues; some are easy to solve and others are more challenging. Regardless of the complexity (or lack of…) all of them need to be taken care of professionally and as quickly as possible.

A recent call worth noting went like this: “On Nordic’s 1‐3/4” glulam there’s a coating, what’s the best way to remove it if I want to paint or stain the wood’... so far so good, I’m thinking… “I want to use them to increase the height on the sides of my Dump‐Truck and the paint won’t hold on to the wax”... Funny? Yes, but needless to say the question requires thought…for obvious reasons.

No lab test will reproduce the type of exposure a 1‐3/4” glulam will be subjected to on the back of a dump truck!

I then explained that this was an unusual and untested application of the product, hence no formal recommendation could be made other than the wax can be removed with a sander or planer. I mentioned that I would like to know how it performs over time; the gentlemen seemed quite happy and promised to get back to me.

Although his request made me smile (to not say frown☺)... remember this: “There are no stupid questions… only satisfied customers.”

Stay focused… you never know who’s at the other end of the phone… it might be me!

Best Regards,

Benoit Jean, A.Sc.T.
Technical Representative