Laboratory equipment, including chairs, has to meet exacting demands. Lab chairs must be robust, disinfectable, gapless, and antistatic. Cramer Inc., based in Kansas City has been a specialist in special-purpose seating furniture for nearly 90 years and recently chose PolyScript labels from Schreiner ProTech to mark its products.

The team at Cramer Inc. was frustrated because for years the company was constantly encountering problems caused by the labels on its high-tech lab chairs. They either failed to stick properly and would sometimes come off even during the manufacturing and assembly process or the print would not resist the chemical cleaning agents. However, without precise identification of the production batch it was difficult for the company to provide technical after-sales support. That posed a serious problem not least because Cramer offers warranties of more than 15 years on its products.

In 2022, Cramer, together with its long-time contract manufacturer Nuvar Inc. from Holland, Michigan, had finally found a solution—Color Laser Film (CLF) from Schreiner ProTech—that reliably adhered to the chair frames and resisted cleaning according to the strict protocol in the healthcare sector. The solution worked superbly but then sale of the laser printer that was planned to be used for printing the new label was unexpectedly discontinued. Now a perfect alternative had to be found quickly.

Eric Binnendyk, Senior Development Engineer at Nuvar, turns directly to Schreiner ProTech. His message reaches Sales Account Manager Doug Stubbs at the US plant in Blauvelt, who immediately gets in touch with the customer and proposes a new plan: “Since commonly used CLF printers can easily cost as much as $50,000, we decided to check thermal transfer materials and TTR printers as an alternative,” he recalls. Initially, Cramer and Nuvar are highly skeptical of the proposal because many TTR labels have previously failed to meet the requirements even before their use in the field. But the requirements in laboratory settings resemble those for industrial and automotive labels—a field in which Schreiner Group has many years of extensive experience. Schreiner’s solution convinces the customer!

The quest for a perfect solution for Cramer additionally involves a unique, aesthetic wish: a black label with white print, just like the CLF. “We almost exclusively manufacture black chairs and don’t want a large, white sticker to take center stage on the back of the chair. We deliberately applied the previous, white labels in covert places so that they wouldn’t distract from the overall aesthetics of the chair. However, the new label is coordinated in every detail and blends well with our holistic design initiatives for creating innovative and high-end laboratory seating furniture,” says Kyle Waggoner, Design Director at Cramer. “We definitely no longer have to hide that.”

The first batches of Helix® chairs with Schreiner’s PolyScript labels left the assembly line in spring of 2023, which was a major relief for the people at Cramer and Nuvar. “You know,” says Kyle Waggoner, “after all those setbacks, we were on the verge of throwing in the towel, but now we’re looking forward to the future.” Putting the outcome in a nutshell, Christe Foster, Director of Operations at Cramer, says, “Finally, a problem was solved that we’ve been struggling with for years. Even though we’re just a comparably small fish in a big pond Schreiner ProTech took the time to address our special needs, and we’re really thankful for that.”

High-end and long-lasting laboratory chairs that are state-of-the-art in terms of design, ergonomics, and functionality, equipped with the proven and extremely durable PolyScript label: that’s a promising combination and the perfect basis for further projects between Cramer, Nuvar Inc., and Schreiner ProTech.