Several large producers of hoses and fittings for firefighting vehicles

Industry

Rubber hose manufacturing

Problem/Challenge

• A leading manufacturer was having problems with the marking inks used on the outer jackets of their fire hoses.
• The problem was critical since the markings were prematurely wearing, smearing and fading – not good characteristics for hoses that must be immediately recognizable to firefighters under extreme operating conditions.

Solution

• APV displaced the previous supplier of marking inks with a superior product delivered within 72 hours.
• The APV ink completely impregnated the fire hose’s outer jacket, and easily passed the critical 15,000 cycle abrasion test for certification.
• Ultimately, the APV marking ink was still stable after 43,000 cycles when testing was finally halted.

Results

• Subsequent generations of this marking ink have allowed the hose manufacturer to offer an industry-leading solution for hose differentiation.
• The customer has long since switched to a blanket P.O. system allowing APV to produce to stock, thereby eliminating the risk of product shortages during peak hose production cycles.

Timing

The initial batch of ink was engineered, produced and delivered to the customer’s plant within 72 hours of the first call to APV.