Wilson Golf thinks outside of the tee box: shrink-sleeve packaging

A leader of premium golf equipment, Wilson Golf came up with a new marketing campaign in 2003 called Velocity Matters. The campaign showcased different Wilson golf clubs, existing lines of golf balls, and a new brand of golf balls called Jack and a women's golf ball called Jill. The Jack and Jill product lines offer long distances and a soft feel, but also provide consumers with a new golf package. The new package discards the traditional paperboard carton and uses printed shrink sleeves for the golf balls.

"The package's unique shape is instantly recognized, and this appeals to a growing segment of consumers," says Doug Sellers, senior manufacturing engineer, Wilson Golf. The package appeals to consumers across the board, but it targets males, age 25 to 45, Wilson tells PD. The Jack three-golf-ball sleeve retails for $4.99.

Wilson's golf ball factory in Humboldt, TN, manufactures, packages and distributes the golf ball line. Wilson produces the shrink-sleeve package with Axon Corp.'s EZ-100 shrink-sleeve applicator and the EZ-48-SR8 heat-shrink tunnel. "The system offers high-speed capacity for a low initial investment and has quick changeover times," says Ed Farley, sales director, Axon Corp.

The quicker, the better

Due to the new packaging, conceived by Fort Dearborn Co., Wilson Golf is also producing quick turnarounds for golf balls with logos. The package allows them to tap into the growing niche market for promotional golf balls. The quick changeover of printed films allows the company to offer a variety of packages to their customers, including seasonal, promotional and event packaging, such as NFL and MLB team logos. In addition, the cost of materials is significantly reduced. The 2-mil, polyethylene terephthalate glycol shrink sleeves are used for all of the packaging applications. Supplied by Print Flex and Century Digital, the sleeves are flexo-printed and use five colors for the Jack and Jill sleeves, while the promotional sleeve colors vary based on artwork.

With the new shrink-sleeve packaging, the company also saw an opportunity to reduce inventory expenses associated with traditional paperboard carton/clear-window packaging. Before the new packaging, Wilson stocked precut and preformed paperboard carton sleeves. "The new shrink-sleeve application offers 3,500 individual sleeves on a individual roll, which is much easier to stock," says Sellers. Also included in the rollstock film is a tear-strip that allows for easy opening.

Two packaging lines are set up to handle specific applications at the Wilson plant, both utilizing the EZ-100 shrink-sleeve machine. Line 1 is dedicated primarily to custom logo products and also handles short-run and seasonal promotions. The shrink-sleeve machine for Line 1 was integrated into an existing application with a racetrack-style conveyor configuration. Line 2 is a hybrid line running production shrink sleeves for the Jack retail product line consisting of five, three-ball sleeves per package.

The shrink-sleeve film is provided in many sizes–smaller rollstock for promotional product runs–but the maximum rollstock size is 15 in. dia. The film unwinds and travels through the shrink-sleeve machine, which is powered by a stepper drive system, and then passes over a forming device called a bullet. From there, the film is cut by a guillotine knife system. The system utilizes a fiberoptic print registration system to ensure that the label is cut in the correct location.

The individual shrink sleeve measures approximately 2.80 x 5.15 in. for a three-ball package and 2.80 x 7 in. for a four-ball shrink-sleeve package. After the correct length of film is cut, the sleeve is held in place by the film gripper system. As the steel fixture approaches the system, it crosses a photoeye that triggers the machine to discharge the label into the fixture. Steel fixtures are comprised of four prongs that eventually hold three or four golf balls.

For Line 1, four golf balls are hand-loaded into fixtures–by three operators–after the shrink-sleeve machine discharges the individual label to the fixture. Tests on the fixture and sleeve discharge determined that it was easier to load balls into the shrink-sleeve label and fixture, rather than tamping the sleeve over the balls.

After the fixtures are filled for both lines, they enter an EZ-48-SR8 dual-zone shrink tunnel. The dual-zone setup on the shrink tunnel allows the application to be initiated at a lower temperature. The first zone is set at a lower temperature to gradually start the shrink process, and the second zone finishes the application at a much higher temperature. The shrink ratio is 65 percent. The higher shrink ratio provides a more secure fitting on the ends of the package, PD is told. The shrink tunnel uses convection heating.

Line 2 is producing approximately 25 sleeves/min, five days a week with two shifts per day. Line 1 fluctuates due to the packaging of promotional products. Currently, Wilson is adding a third line that integrates automation into a complete line using Axon components, including an automatic ball-loading system. Installation of the third line will occur in the first quarter of 2004. "We are all very excited about the new line," says Sellers. "There are three main factors in our continuing use of Axon equipment: ease of creating custom packaging with registered film, cost savings with reduced paperboard consumption and an excellent working relationship with Axon.

More information is available:

Label applicator, shrink tunnel: Axon Corp., 800/598-8601 www.axoncorp.com . Circle No. 216.

Package design: Fort Dearborn Co., 773/774-4321. www.fortdearborn.com . Circle No. 217.

Film converting: Print Flex, 937/847-2334. Circle No. 218.

Film converting: Century Digital Co., 800/537-9429. www.centuryultralabel.com . Circle No. 219.