A converter is a great tool to have in your stationery arsenal. 3M has created a list of its preferred converters to help make your life a little easier. In addition to having a quality product, you can rest assured that these products are safe and eco-friendly.
3M™ Preferred Converter Program
- Supplies must be ordered from the 3M Store by the agency, not the individual employee. Your own personal orders do not count as an order from 3M™ required for participation in this program, nor will orders from other companies or via catalogs brought into your office by individuals be applied as an order through the 3M™ Preferred Converter Program.
- All orders must be shipped directly to you, and all shipping charges should be billed back to the agency account being used for acquisitions. You may choose any carrier available, but our carrier of choice is UPS.
- The Preferred Converter program runs from October 1 through September 30th, annually. Any orders placed during the annual period will count as a conversion for that year.
- 3M™ reserves the right to audit any purchases and/or shipments at any time, with or without notice to the agency, if suspected price-gouging or other abuses are suspected or occurring, in violation of this agreement between 3M and your agency/company regarding its participation in this Preferred Converter Program. If such occurs and is found to be true by audit or investigation, then either monetary compensation may be given back to you for your errors (under certain conditions), reprocessing might occur before the program begins the next year, or your agency/company might be asked to discontinue participation in this Preferred Converter Program (which would include all agencies and companies worldwide).
- 3M™ does count conversions for its own private label number of one-time use products purchased in quantities of five (5) or more cases per item. These items include Any Tape, Adhesives, and Mounting Squares purchased with a private label (TP317-9J; TP217; DT2315; HP2030; 2285; MX487; etc.) when purchased with five (5) or more cases of tape per item will contribute toward the yearly preferred converter goal(s). This rule applies equally to all users worldwide.
- As an agency, if you are to participate in this Preferred Converter Program, it is expected that the same terms and conditions will be applied to all your sub-agencies.
- The program begins each year on October 1st, at which time existing order(s) for these products can be submitted via fax or email to 3M™ to ensure credit towards the preferred converter goal(s) for that year assuming buying volume keeps pace with historical patterns. This does not mean you have to place any orders by this date; it is just a date when all existing purchase orders are eligible to receive preferred converter credits toward their yearly quotas.
- As an agency/company participating in this Preferred Converter Program, please do not submit your order(s) in advance of the beginning date each year, as this will only cause confusion with the 3M™ account management team.
- The price-gouging rule mentioned earlier is set up to protect you, the agency/company purchasing these products, from being taken advantage of by any supplier selling them to you at any time during December through September. This means that once a Preferred Supplier has been established for program participation (October 1st), we do not allow agencies/companies worldwide to potentially take advantage of other preferred suppliers outside our list. We do this because we want all agencies and companies who participate to be on equal footing and get equal pricing throughout the yearly cycle (October 1st – September 30th).
- Participating Preferred Suppliers will be announced by 3M™ each year, and all such Preferred Suppliers for this program are listed on their website. Your company/agency is not allowed to initiate contact with any of our Preferred Suppliers without prior written approval from 3M™ (via fax or email). Doing so might jeopardize your participation in this preferred supplier program and result in loss of preferred supplier status at any time during the yearly cycle; it also may cause problems with pricing terms for other possible orders throughout the future.
- No price protection exists after the Preferred Supplier list has been announced for any given year; therefore, agencies/companies cannot rely on this as justification for preferential pricing.
- Since our company’s return policy is limited to thirty (30) days; please be sure that your order(s) placed are accurate and complete. This means that the product descriptions must match exactly what you have agreed to purchase from us, especially regarding product numbers that have more than one meaning due to their number of digits in length.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a 3m preferred converter program is a program that offers companies an option to purchase products with preferred supplier status. Preferred suppliers are carefully chosen large companies that have shown strong buying patterns over the years. The program requires businesses to work within certain parameters in order to maintain their preferred supplier status, but it ultimately benefits all participants because it ensures that they will receive the lowest prices for these items on an annual basis. Other than that, becoming or remaining a 3M Preferred Converter Program participant is up to you and your company’s discretion.