Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/101495
PACKAGING ���Automatic-application machines have improved and become faster,��� according to Wilson, whose company supplies semi-automatic machines where an operator applies one wire at a time. ���The equipment for applying the four-post wires is very specialized. The machine is what gives the natural sparkling corks the ���mushroom��� top as the machine hydraulically applies pressure to the cork above the bottle while pressing the wire down; it then twists the wire before releasing,��� Wilson explained. The circular plaques atop the hoods are typically made of steel, because its magnetic properties aid in application, Wilson said. ���The vast majority of what we supply is plain silver disc with silver wire, or gold disc with gold wire. However we are now finding more and more are looking for custom-printed discs. The minimum quantity from our supplier has come down to allow this for the smaller producer: 30,000 units. Not too long ago, the minimum was significantly more,��� he said. Although wire hoods are made from steel and/or tin, commodities that can fluctuate wildly in price, ���The wire hood is a very minor cost of the overall package���.The costs do not fluctuate much, as the amount of metal in the product is minimal,��� said John Dixon, chief operating officer of Waterloo Container in Waterloo, N.Y. ���Wire hoods have not changed significantly in our market in many years. Some customers look for custom designs, but mainly we still sell stock ware. Very few in the East Coast go to the added expense of adding custom decoration (to the top disc); the capabilities would be embossing or printing on the disc.��� Alex Scott at Scott Labs in Petaluma, Calif., confirmed that the cost of wire hoods, though heavily dependent on the prices of steel, tin and the euro, has been somewhat mitigated by continued increases in efficiency. ���Cost is driven in large part by the com- 74 W in es & V i ne s JANUARY 20 13 plexity of the artwork and volume.��� Scott���s wire hood supplier, ICAS, now offers embossed, engraved or digitally printed discs. ���In addition, ICAS can orient the disk to create a uniformity of look,��� Scott said. ���Sales of wire hoods have continued to increase as the market for sparkling wine has grown. Of interest, growth in the use of wire hoods for other products such as beer and cider have been significant,��� Scott said. Demand has inspired improvements to wire-hooding machines with high-speed automation for speed, easier loading, more accurate dispensing and orientation of the wire, according to Scott. ���Applications now exist for the receipt of pallet quantities of wires to be unloaded box by box, stick by stick into feeding channels by pick and place robots. These applications significantly reduce labor and damage to wires when speed is a major consideration.��� Arguably, the most difficult process in the application���separating and accurately placing one wire on one bottle at Custom-printed discs are now an option for smaller runs. SEE US AT UNIFIED, BOOTH #1029