Well, enough whining on this thread for now. Cav, offer something constructive or please take a short breather.
WalMart film (enough to fill 100,000+ cases of juice) has been printed and is undergoing a 3-4 day curing process, at which time it will undergo the laser scoring (Rip-it) process.
I previously guessed that WalMart would select a four color design for their container, but as it turns out, WalMart changed from an earlier 4-color design to an 8-color (8-drum) design. Cool. I've never heard of so many colors in one beverage container.
After scoring, the film is destined for Toronto (about Nov 3-5) where two Volpacks are tuned-up and waiting to pump out the entire WalMart initial order in 1 to 2 weeks. As WalMart will only accept the order when production is completed, it is expected that WalMart distribution warehouses across the country will be fully stocked in the first week of December.
Note: The automated boxing mechanism is installed on the Volpaks, so manual packing is not required in early production.
(Please recognize I am a scribbler, and may not have exactly transcribed all the notes that Scott and Jon stated just now. I think it's dang close if not right on, though.)
Winn Dixie is due to start their Pak-a-Lunch production at Cliffstar in Joplin Missouri in November. I wrote down '11-25', but don't recall if this means Nov 11 to 25, or if the first order will be completed by Nov 25. Oops. I hope to be visiting Scott in a couple days to straighten out the facts.
Two more Volpaks will be installed at Cliffstar in Fountain CA by the end of November, and another Volpac is destined for, I believe, Cliffstar in Joplin MO in December. I recall Jon mentioning there would be three sites with two Volpaks each.
Jon spoke of four more machines in early '99, but I didn't write down the details. Hey, I was busy.
I like the looks of this ramp-up. There's more cool news, but I'll try to get better details before spouting off.
Shoe. |
