We have stated our trade show position in our newsletter in the past. We usually do not exhibit in them. That is unless we find a customer, or group of customers that are in an industry that we have been successful in serving. That is the case with the chemical industry, and that is why we are exhibiting at Chemedge in Louisville next month.
Chemical companies are like all our other manufacturing customers, they have boxes, drums, or returnable packaging that they fill, store, and ship to their customers. Tracking all these products through the manufacturing process, and distribution is crucial to these companies.
One thing that they have different is the need for non-incendiary devices. In other words, electronic devices that are designed to never cause a spark or ignition. There are two levels of this rating Class 1/Division 1, and Class 1/Division 2. All fall under the description of intrinsically safe. The Class 1/Division 1 products have a much more stringent requirement than Class 1/ Division 2.
Zebra manufactures a tablet, barcode scanner, and handheld mobile computer for Class 1/ Division 2 requirements, so those are easy for us to provide, and we have supplied those products to many of our chemical customers over the years. Class 1/ Division 1 products are a little more off the beaten path to supply, but we have partnered with companies that specialize in those products to help customers who must meet the more stringent requirements.
Not all chemical customers have this requirement, some have separated explosive products into certain plants, or areas of certain plants to minimize the need for specialized equipment. But if the customer has this requirement, we are here to meet the need.
Another special need for this industry is the printing of GHS compliant labels. Several years ago, a standard was adopted to standardize the labeling requirements for any hazardous product being shipped globally. For good or bad, these labels use colors, and pictograms to easily identify the type of hazard the product poses to people and the environment.
The normal label printers that EMP sells from Zebra fall short when printing these types of labels, so we started offering color ink jet label printers. Eventually standardizing on the Epson line of color ink jet printers. Not only that, our preferred label printing software BarTender is also very capable of rendering the symbols and colors needed for these labels. And we have a line of label unwind and rewind products that work well with these printers, since you cannot put any tension on the labels as they exit the printer, or they will smear.
With this background and understanding of the industry, along with our exceptional products and services, several chemical manufacturers have reached out to us for help. And when we see a market segment that we fit well, we try to find more customers with the same needs.
If you are in the chemical industry, we hope to see you in Louisville in August. And as always, if you want to learn more about how we help all our customers, www.emptechgroup.com is the best way to reach us.