3M Canada - who to contact?!?!?!

[Browner]

I need several different materials. Engineering grade reflective 5100 Series or 3200 Series - whatever, intermediate grade vinyl 50 Series, 3690 Series, and more. No one in Canada has it. It's readily available all over the US. Problem is - the US sellers aren't 'allowed' to sell it to us:

"Have found out that we are unable to sell to you in Canada. This material must be purchased from 3M Canada."
"You will have to visit with 3M Canada. We have to abide by our restrictions with 3M."

HOW DO I BUY YOUR PRODUCT?!?!?!?!?

 

[Dan360]

Where are you trying to buy from? ND Graphics carries some of that stuff.

You can send a message to 3M via their website and ask to get a rep, might just take them a bit to get back to you.

 

[Browner]

ND has told me repeatedly that 3690 was discontinued, as well as SC50. Was told that the 3200 Series I had ordered was on backorder since February. All of these are readily available 'Stateside. Someone needs to get their act(s) together.

 

[Dan360]

That's odd, I wonder if 3M just isn't providing it to Canadian dealers.

Have you tried Mediatech (Quebec) or WRI Supply?

 

[CanuckSigns]

Try emailing Jeff

juzbalis@mmm.com

 

[ikarasu]

You can't buy direct from 3m unfortunately, they have a minimum of like 30-100k a year.

It's true that a lot of products are on backorder. Have you tried wri supply? They carry more reflectives and traffic products than ND does... Pretty sure they have 3290

I just checked 3ms site -

3290 backordered until July 20. Usually it takes them a month... But they've been doing stuff in batches, so on July 20 they will fulfill all backorders... Then on Aug 20 they will do all backorders again.
5100 is months away.

I don't believe USA has any stock either. We are allowed to order and bring in from USA, but they're having issues with all their glass bead reflectives - they've been on the chopping block for 3 years and we were told they are trying to price it into discontinuation... Then covid hit and now it's a buy months in advance situation.


And if you do get an account with them, they won't sell you commercial graphics... As they have an agreement with Grimco / Nd graphics and they don't want to piss them off. We can buy it through our portal, but it's cheaper to buy from grimco...


What 3200 series are you looking for? We use it a lot and keep a hefty stock, so may be able to help you out. I'll have to double check our inventory.. but we have a ton of blue / red yellow in 24/30 inch, and we usually keep a roll or two of white in each size.

5100 we don't use... We use 680. It costs more... But you may want to look into that as I'm 100% sure that's available at most suppliers.

Sc50 - we only use cast so I can't say for sure. They have issues getting the pigments in for their 7725 / 7125 vinyls... So I imagine they're not making sc50 right now. If you can find Geber brand it's the same thing. Personally I'd go with Avery or orajet... Right now you have to take what you can get vinyl size.

Same with 3690. Never used or heard of it, look for an alternative unless you're specced into it! In which case ask to be allowed to substitute. We've had to do it lots these days and between "can we use xx, or would you rather wait 6 months" we always get told as long as it'll last as long go ahead and switch.


Which suppliers in USA are telling you this? Grimco I believe can bring in material from their USA branches - they even ship me ink directly from their USA branch when the Canadian one is out... I don't see why vinyl would be different.

 

[ikarasu]

Heres the guy you'll want to talk to. Winnipeg is still considered western Canada... Right? I doubt he can sell to you unless you meet the requirements of opening up an account. But he can point you to a supplier / vendor that has it. You can. Order from grimco as a backorder... It'll just take a month or two for certain vinyls.... Our inventory of 3m went from 20k to 100k product on hand since covid because of all the supply issues. Keeping more stock than you need right now is the only way to not run out. I

Tye Lougheed | Account Executive
Transportation Safety Division – Western Canada
3M Canada Company
tdlougheed@3M.com | www.3M.ca/RoadSafety

 

[Patentagosse]

One weird thing: WRI is owned by ND Graphics but operate separately. Here in Quebec, we get our 3M from ND Graphics, Grimco, Médiatech and Federal Transformateur but I'm also using WRI when I found nothing around here. Everytime I called at WRI, they told us to call ND and hang up (!!!) but I made a contact there and I'm able to buy there now. Not easy these days to spend our hard earned money, damn it. I think they've been told something by the headquarter at ND about selling to us in QC... They answer the phone, the lady is polite, happy to talk to you until she finds out you're from Quebec so from there, she says that you must call ND, that they don't have that serie, that she have to hang up and BAM she's gone. The worst thing: I know they have it in stock...

 

[Browner]

Thanks for the suggestions. Swamped here at the moment - but will try to get on the horn with people mentioned above in the coming days!