by Dale Malcolm
Editor’s Note: Below is the first blog in a series featuring validation tips from adhesive manufacturers. The first in the series is authored by Dale Malcolm, technical manager at Dow Automotive Systems – Aftermarket. He is based in Dayton, Ohio.
When the Auto Glass Safety Council™’s (AGSC) third-party validation program started a few years ago, we all wondered how it would go. As an adhesive systems manufacturer, my company was just as apprehensive as the Registered Member Companies were. It was a learning experience for us all.
The validators took some time to get used to the demands of a retail glass shop. The Registered Member Companies, for the most part, had positive experiences and learned something about themselves in the process.
As an adhesive manufacturer, we learned to look at the support documentation and product usage instructions with a fresh eye. We have worked hard to keep our instructions simple and easy to remember. Sometimes we have found that, in our efforts to simplify, we might have left a few points open to interpretation or misunderstanding. I believe the validation program has made my company better at documentation as we now look at our instructions with new perspective.
We believe this process has made many of the glass shops that use our products see their businesses in a new light as well. I personally have seen shops update their inventory control procedures and they are now doing a better job at rotating their primers and adhesives. Technicians are doing a better job of keeping track of required information and being more careful about checking expiration dates before using primers and adhesives.
From an adhesive manufacturer’s perspective, here are a few tips to help stay in compliance with the AGRSS Standard™ AND be more efficient with the use of your adhesives.
Open Life on Primers
1) Write the date you opened the bottle on the bottle OR the date when the product should be disposed of. Just be sure everyone in the shop does it the same way;
2) In a shop, only open the minimum amount of bottles to maintain an efficient shop. When business slows down or as the weekend approaches, open only what is needed to finish the week instead of having multiple bottles aging over the weekend; and
3) In a mobile unit, keep track of open bottles to keep them from rolling out of sight and having an expensive product going bad needlessly.
Documentation
1) Have tech data sheets or appropriate product literature on hand for all products being used;
2) Keep a current set of manufacturer’s product use instructions in each mobile unit and with every technician;
3) Give a current copy of the ANSI/AGRSS Standard to each employee and hold several meetings to review the Standard so everyone understands it; and
4) Make sure everyone is recording the required information, such as product lot numbers and DOT and NAGS for each part used on each job completed in the same way and in the same place.
Other Items
1) Have your adhesive systems manufacturer come in every 12 to 18 months to provide training to ALL employees on the proper use of its system;
2) Take full advantage of available AGSC marketing materials and explain the purpose of ANSI/AGRSS and the AGSC to as many customers as possible; and
3) Don’t just fill out the AGSC registration forms and file them in a drawer. Refer to them often, until the Standard and the steps needed to adhere to it are an everyday part of running your business. It can make us all better at our job and ensure a safe end product you can be proud of.