They say that necessity is the mother of invention, but convenience, cost savings and less aggravation could spark inspiration as well. Just ask Shane, the owner of a construction business in northern Wisconsin and a sport fisherman. He also likes to invent things like fishing accessories to enhance one of his favorite pastimes. So, one day he was working on his latest angler innovations and had an idea. Could this fishing rod component be adapted for another use, like holding drill bits?
The problem with drill bits
As head of a construction company, he knew the hassle his crew faced when working with drill bits. No matter how careful they were, bits were easily misplaced or lost. This translated into decreased productivity and a lot of aggravation and inconvenience for his workers. But for Shane, it meant lost revenue, because replacing lost drill bits was running into hundreds of dollars each season. Although there were drill bit holders on the market, none of them had the functionality and convenience Shane had in mind for the contractor, carpenter or do-it-your-selfer. So, he set to work inventing a game-changer in drill bit organization.
Shane envisioned a holder that would fit onto the end of virtually any brand of drill or impact driver. It’s unique feature would have six slotted magnetic holes to keep the bits securely in place – all within easy fingertip reach. Shane then created a new company called Nordfin apart from his construction firm to launch his invention, the newly branded NORL Drill Bit Holder.
But getting any new invention to market can take time. Shane spent three years working with a patent attorney while he singlehandedly designed, tooled, engineered and prototyped the Norl Drill Bit Holder.
Rohrer – speedy response
When it finally came time to source a packaging partner, Shane did his due diligence by researching companies on the internet. He contacted several but only one had a fast turnaround to his questions – and that was Rohrer. Shane was so impressed, he took the conversation to the next level where a Rohrer sales representative did a deep dive on his needs for a card, a blister and recommendations for a heat-seal tool. Not only could Rohrer deliver on all counts, but they could offer Shane an unexpected cost savings option. Rohrer has a limited inventory of stock blisters, and one ‘stock round’ in particular fit the dimensions of the Norl Drill Bit Holder. There was no need for the traditional tooling required for a customized blister which translated into a substantial cost savings. Additional savings were realized through Rohrer’s unique ezCombo® program that allows the production of multiple parts within the same print run. So, by sharing space with other customers on a single run, Shane only paid for the space he used. Needless to say, he was delighted!
Shane contracted a designer to do the artwork with two initial designs. The first print run of 10K had to be compliant with the trademark designation until it was fully registered.
The Heat-Seal connection
But what about the heat-sealing machinery – Rohrer doesn’t manufacture or sell them directly? That is correct, but Rohrer has a strategic partner. Rohrer was able to connect Shane with their heat-seal machinery partner to purchase a machine that would complete his in-house production needs.
The ‘Gamechanger’ big debut
The first run of the Norl Drill Bit Holder was 60,000 units and was available online by midsummer. But its big market debut is scheduled for late August at the Minnesota State Fair. Also known by its slogan, “The Great Minnesota Get-Together,” it is one of the largest state fairs in the country attracting more than 2.2M visitors. No industry trade show could ever boast those numbers, and the Norl Drill Bit Holder is in for a big product launch!
A perfect fit
Shane found the perfect fit of a packaging partner with Rohrer. Not only did Rohrer meet all of his needs, Rohrer had the ‘perfect fit’ of a stock round blister in its inventory plus the cost efficiencies of ezCombo® – saving Shane hundreds of dollars in production.
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