Understanding Converting and Application Requirements
It may be useful to begin by differentiating the meaning of the term "end user" as it relates to this discussion. While an adhesives supplier may regard its customer as the end user, that customer has a very different point of view. To him, the end user refers to the company supplying a consumer with a finished product. For example, an adhesives supplier may sell products to a company that produces label stock. To the adhesives supplier, the label-stock company is the end user, and the label-stock company may regard a specific consumer-goods manufacturer as the end user. However, all parties involved understand that the consumer is the true end user and that product design must begin and end with the consumer in mind.
This means that an adhesives supplier may only be aware of a fraction of the ultimate end-use requirements. For example, an adhesives supplier may sell the film supplier an adhesive that features excellent adhesive properties (tack, peel and shear). However, the product may ultimately be selected because of its ability to dampen sound and vibration. In this case, the adhesive may be intended for use as part of a constraint layer (adhesive sandwiched between two rigid substrates). It may also need to withstand grueling environmental conditions, such as high heat and chemical exposure. Perhaps the adhesive will be used as part of an automobile's disc brakes or in a computer's hard-disk drive. In fact, the adhesive properties may only be an afterthought.