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Staples are instrumental in better packaging for musical accessories

Musical instrument accessory provider D’Addario switches from blister packs to an elastic stapling system that reduces costs and allows consumers to see and touch the product at retail.

A black elastic staple is applied to a backing card to hold a hand exerciser in place.
A black elastic staple is applied to a backing card to hold a hand exerciser in place.

Founded in Italy around 1680, Farmingdale, NY-based D’Addario & Co., Inc. began as a provider of musical instrument strings, and over the centuries has grown through acquisition to now provide a range of musical accessories and instrument components. According to Steve Santoro, Automation Engineer at D’Addario, “service and quality are the main reasons D’Addario enjoys success today.”

D’Addario operates three facilities in the U.S., each focused on different product categories. In Farmingdale, the company packages strings, drumheads, and accessories. Beginning five years ago, D’Addario began a transition from blister packaging for its Planet Waves-brand musical accessories to elastic staple systems from Avery Dennison, supplied by Texpak.

“Blister packaging was used for Planet Waves products since the company was acquired 12 years ago,” says Santoro. “The downsides of blister packaging included the need for expensive two-part cavity fixtures for each product, heat transfer affecting the color of the cards, and lots of bulky blister stock.”

In 2010, D’Addario installed the first of eight Avery Dennison IndES® Elastic Staple® Systems in its Farmingdale plant, with the last system purchased in 2015. The units are installed in four work cells that package 50 different accessories—with that number continuing to grow. Among them are products such as tuners, hand fitness tools, and cables. “Now, 90 percent of the packaging for those products has been converted to elastic stapling,” says Santoro.

Less expensive and quicker process

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