3M Filtration Project Leads to Brand New Timestrip® 
Timestrip has achieved another product first as a result of its collaboration with brand giant 3M. 3M’s consumer filtration business arm, Filtrete, was to launch an innovative new filtered Water Station. Filtering water directly from the tap into four reusable bottles, the Filtrete Water Station would provide the convenience of bottled water, whilst reducing the sediment, chlorine taste and odour often experienced with tap water. The new water station would also avoid the cost and waste associated with bottled water.

A round Timestrip®?
3M approached Timestrip® to produce a circular version of its FilterChange™ label, to be incorporated into the new Water Station to remind customers when to replace their filter. The project presented a challenge, not only in terms of the label size and shape, but also because it needed to be able to withstand contact with water.

Back to the drawing board
To achieve the product that 3M required, Timestrip’s design team had to produce a size and shape completely new to its range. The project came to fruition involving close collaboration between Timestrip® and the technical design team at 3M’s Filtrete’s HQ in Minneapolis-St Paul, USA.

New tooling
Timestrip® produced a completely new tool and successfully manufactured a round label which would measure three months at ambient temperatures. Having established that the label would not be fully immersed in water (which would impair its performance), Timestrip® nevertheless ensured that it would be able to withstand some exposure to moisture.

Maximising customer satisfaction
Timestrip® supplied the newly developed labels to 3M’s manufacturing unit, with the finished product shipped throughout the USA. Now launched onto the market, the Timestrip® sits pre-loaded into a plastic casing in the centre of the Filtrete™ Water Station and is activated by the customer when they first use their Water Station. Timestrip ®will give a clear visual reminder in three months’ time when the filter needs to be replaced, ensuring the customer can experience continued optimum performance from their Water Station.

“This was a challenging but ultimately very satisfying project,” says Tristan Allen, Timestrip’s Commercial Director. “We succeeded in producing a completely new Timestrip® to the customer’s specifications and, as a result, Timestrip® is now a branded, integrated component of a major new water filtration system.”