also benefit from a wide range of on- site services, which are not related to claims. editor: what kind of services? benz: for instance, we offer a training program on how to evaluate a bond, and support our customers when they use a new adhesive on their ma- chines. at our symposia, we regularly organise different workshops in which we proactively discuss failures in the bonding process and their causes, to provide a learning experience. be- yond that, we support our custom- ers in bonding-related issues during the manufacturing process. the basic idea here is that we are prepared to face any problem, regardless whether the cause of the failure are our adhe- sives or other circumstances. editor: in the wood-furniture-con- struction section of this magazine, dr matthias staudt explained how to choose a suitable adhesive before the actual bonding process can start and all the parameters that have to be taken into account. that approach could also help prevent potential fail- ures in the process. benz: definitely. in fact, we start even earlier, when the adhesive is still in development. once the formulation has left the laboratory, we test the adhesive to see whether it fulfils the demands of the customer, or, more precisely, if it fulfils the requirements of the end product for the intended use. in discussions with the client, our technical sales personnel establishes a framework to define all the require- ments which need to be met. with this framework we then go to the customer to define the other demands for the adhesive, the processing parameters, the engineering technology, the appli- cation method, etc. as well as all sub- sequent test series. all those criteria determine the suitability of the adhe- sive and the quality of the end prod- uct. with this approach, many failure causes can already be eliminated at an early stage. therefore, this ap- proach is the key for a successful development of new products as well as for choosing a suitable adhesive. editor: in the event of a claim, spe- cifically how does jowat assist cus- tomers? benz: most claims are caused by the application of the adhesive – this was also the main reason for the devel- opment of the din 2304 standard. therefore, claims are processed cen- trally by the application technology department. a team is formed, con- sisting of application technologists, product managers, and, potentially, also developers. the first objective is to request a sample from the customer for an analysis and to understand the issue. this is essential to determine if, for instance, there have been any changes in the characteristics of the adhesive. however, the sample analy- sis is only to determine the next steps. whether, for instance, the tests are continued at the customer. our appli- cation technologists will analyse the processing parameters and samples, provide assistance during tests, and cooperate closely with the customer until the claim has been settled. this also includes providing advisory ser- vices for the customer when an ad- hesive with different characteristics is needed. due to an extensive know- how and broad experience in the field, our application technologists are able to precisely point out the problem and solve the issue. editor: does your department serve as a central contact point for claims from all around the jowat world? benz: each manufacturing site in the jowat group has a local claim management department to process claims. however, products from det- mold are shipped worldwide, and, as a consequence, we receive claims from all locations in the jowat world. therefore, our department plays a major global role. annual global qual- ity meetings on topics such as ad- hesive application ensure a regular knowledge exchange and provide the basis for a learning experience. this also gives us the opportunity to react fast and process claims from globally active customers in a global expert network. interview partner ina benz director application technology 21