“We made the switch in November 2000,” says Debra Wells, marketing and product manager of the do-it-yourself retail channel for Bloomington, MN-based Toro. “The adjustable-pattern SingleStream sprinkler is the first product of its kindfor which we’ve used a shrink label. It saves us 25 percent in cost compared to the folding carton it replaces.”
The 2-mil polyvinyl chloride label for the sprinkler is supplied by Integrity Seal (Wilkes-Barre, PA). Gravure-printed by Integrity Seal in eight colors, the label is sourced through Xpedx (El Paso, TX). Xpedx also applies the labels over the products. “We outsource packaging to Xpedx primarily because we don’t have the machinery to shrink-wrap the sprinklers ourselves,” says Wells.
The sprinkler is sold at select retail outlets nationwide for about $12.99. “We conducted considerable research into different types of labels, and had various vendors make proposals, and we selected the one from Integrity Seal,” Wells recalls. She says the company has not had any product damage reports due to the change from the carton to the label. “The product has done great with the new label, and there’s a definite possibility that we could switch other lawn sprinklers into the shrink label.” (JB)
