Independent Can Company Wins IMDA "Grand Award" for Eukanuba Dog Food Promotional Package

Independent Can Company Wins IMDA "Grand Award" for Eukanuba Dog Food Promotional Package

Independent Can Company Wins IMDA "Grand Award" for Eukanuba Dog Food Promotional Package

Independent Can Company's printed six-and-a-half gallon metal can for Eukanuba dog food recently won the "Grand Award" at the 2006 Excellence in Quality competition presented by the International Metal Decorators Association during its annual convention in Chicago.

Entries were submitted for review by a host of metal lithographers from around the world. Each entry was evaluated by an impartial committee of judges. Criteria for evaluation included the quality of printing, degree of difficulty, appearance of the coating finishes, registration and technical expertise required to achieve the desired results.

“Pet owners want a handsome place to keep their kibble, and this project delivered,” said Kurt Iverson, Iams spokesperson. “The Eukanuba dog food container commemorates the 60-year anniversary of The Iams Company and celebrates our mission to enhance the well-being of dogs and cats.”

Independent Can also won a Best of Category and an Award of Merit for "Liberty Chopper" and "Budweiser Clydesdales" metal signs for Desperate Enterprises.

About The Iams Company

For nearly 60 years, The Iams Company, a division of Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG), has enhanced the well-being of dogs and cats by providing world-class quality foods and pet-care products. To learn more about Eukanuba® and Iams® Dog and Cat Foods and the Eukanuba Veterinary Diets® line of canine and feline therapeutic diets or general pet care and nutrition information, call the Iams Consumer Care Center at (800) 446-3075. You also can visit us on the Web at http://www.iams.com or http://www.eukanuba.com.

For more information contact:

Ryan D. Huether

Independent Can Company

1300 Brass Mill Road Rd., PO Box 370, Belcamp, MD 21017-0370

Phone: 410-670-6239

Fax: 909-923-6052

Ryan@independentcan.com

www.westernspecialty.com

Author Information

Kurt Iverson
Iams

Holiday Tin Orders

We can tell that the 2010 Holiday Season is in full swing! The Holiday designs are flying out of the warehouse and this is a great sign that the economy is truly in a recovery.

If you have been planning on using tins for the 2010 Holiday Season make sure you order as early as you can so you can be sure to get the designs and sizes you want in time.

Call us at 909-923-6150 or visit us on the web at Westernspecialty.com or Shopindependentcan.com

Independent Can Company's FIRST Cyber Monday!

Well today is the first Cyber Monday where Independent Can Company has a Online Store. So in the true spirit of Cyber Monday we are also offering a discount / coupon code. If you place your order today or tomorrow (Monday Nov. 29th or Tuesday Nov. 30th) enter the coupon code "cybermonday" to received a discount off your full order.

If you have any questions please call us at 909-923-6150. This discount is only good for online purchases through Http://www.shopindependentcan.com

Article From: http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Packaging/Food-cans-reach-two-hundredth-birthday 

For more information on Tin Cans for packaging CLICK HERE. 

"Food cans reach two hundredth birthday

19-Aug-2010

Related topics: Packaging

The US Can Manufacturers Institute is inviting the world to celebrate the two hundredth birthday of the food can on August 25 2010.

It traces the advent of the food can to the patent granted to British inventor Peter Durand on August 25, 1810 for his idea to store preserved food in tinplate vessels.
Two hundred years later, there are more than 600 sizes and styles of cans being manufactured, according to the institute. Consumers worldwide buy more than 1,500 different food items from all over the globe at any time of year.
Innovative design still continues in the form of molded and shaped cans, cans with multiple graphic capabilities, easy-open cans, and microwavable cans, said the institute.
Meanwhile, US consumers alone diverted more than 1.5m tonnes of steel cans from landfills, contributing to the more than 82 million tons of steel recycled last year
The institute estimated that the can manufacturing business to be worth $14.9bn each year. "

For more information on Tin Cans for packaging CLICK HERE.

Article From: http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Packaging/Food-cans-reach-two-hundredth-birthday

New Dimensional Weight Factor to Boost Shipping Costs

THIS IS A REPOST FROM JIM TIERNEY: (Click Here to see the original artical on http://multichannelmerchant.com)

New Dimensional Weight Factor to Boost Shipping Costs

Nov 4, 2010 12:26 PM, By Jim Tierney

A new factor in determining dimensional weight to calculate delivery charges on ground shipments will add significant costs for most parcel shippers.

Dimensional weight is calculated by multiplying the length by width by height of each package in inches and dividing the total by a specific factor. Effective Jan. 3, both FedEx and UPS will change the factor from 194 to 166 for Ground and Air packages that are 3 cubic feet (5,184 cubic inches) or larger for shipments within the U.S., and from 166 to 139 for International Ground shipments to Canada.

This is going to result major rate hike for shippers, says consultant Rob Martinez, president/CEO of Transult. When parcel carriers applied the 194 express dimensional divisor to ground shipments four years ago, he says, “we estimated it generated $195 million in additional revenue to the carriers. So taking both express and ground to 166 will have an enormous impact.”

How exactly will shipping rates will increase? Let’s say you’re shipping a lamp using FedEx’s two-day service, going to zone 6, Martinez says. The parcel’s actual weight is 6 lbs, and shipping list rate is $29.50.

At a factor of 194, the package “dimensionalizes” to 14 lbs. The cost is now $55.90—an 89.5% increase. At a factor of 166, it dimensionalizes to 16 lbs., and costs $65.40, for a net increase of 17%. Overall, from actual weight to dim weight at 166, the increase is 121.7%, he notes.


Indeed, says Gerard Hempstead, president of Hempstead Consulting, the new dim-weight factor is “a pretty massive hit for shippers, and one that's going to require some creativity in package design and or mixing commodities with better density to items that lack density, to avoid being hit with this new formula.”

Item density is hard to re-engineer, Hempstead says, but shippers can look at packaging and see if the package size can be reduced without compromising the safety and integrity of the item. Or they can try to divert packages to regional carriers who don’t ordinarily apply a dimensional rule, “or explore the many flat rate options now being offered by the USPS for smaller items,” he says.

But Martinez believes the majority of shippers will do nothing and accept the rate increase. Why is that? 

Because they either don’t think it will impact them; they don’t know about it; they are unaware it is negotiable “and they don’t think they have any alternatives,” he says.

Independent Can Company - NOVEMBER NEWS

2010 has been a much better year than we had expected it to be; although the markets do remain fragile and everyone is cautious as we approach the busiest gift giving time of the year.

I am writing this update to the What’s New about 1 week before Thanksgiving and I must say that we are very busy fulfilling orders for stock tins. Business has been good although everyone is waiting until the very last minute to place their orders. We have been able to handle most all of the rush orders with very few substitutions. We want to thank everyone for their patience and cooperation as we all know the Holidays can be very stressful.

The new added capacity in the printing department has really been a life saver. This is the first year in my career where our lead time in season has not extended beyond 2 to 3 weeks. Repeat orders have gone very smoothly.

 

As the fall begins to wind down and you are working on a cleanup order you may want to think about adding a few Easter and spring tins to your last order. By doing this you may be able to reduce the freight cost by combining seasonal volumes and achieve better price level on the price list, and beat an anticipated price increase that is expected in the first quarter of 2011.

Custom tin and packaging buyers: As you consider packaging for the next year or two you should look closer at TINS Made in America. Over the past few years there has been silent inflation building in the goods coming from the (believed to be) low cost countries. In addition to the subtle increases the logistic costs and Home Land Security issues have posed some challenges. While the costs of buying from overseas has been increasing, we have been investing in more productive equipment and systems to respond to your needs more quickly, accurately and more cost effectively.

New product development: In addition to improved productivity we have a number of new products under development. The first to arrive will be a new heart tin (See Below) just in time for Valentine’s day. Please check with your sales representative about other new additions to our product lines.

The tin can is one of the GREENEST packages in the market place and one of the only packages you can use that gets reused over and over and over again. When the tin begins to look a little beat up it many end up being sold in antique markets or ultimately recycled. The tin can is 100% recyclable and will be reused as a tin can again or one of the hundreds of applications that steel is used for from buildings to ships to bridges and you know what; steel never loses its exceptional properties of strength and durability.

We all must think globally and act locally to make sure our strategies are relevant long term.

Activities to think about and respond to:

Ø Customers want their products now, not in 8 weeks.

Ø Customers want answers today not tomorrow.

Ø Quality is assumed and built into the product.

Ø As a supplier you must be knowledgeable about the global market.

Ø You must be aware of the strength of your supply chain.

 Our Mission Statement:

To Be the Best - Not the Biggest

We thank you for your continued support and please do not hesitate to call and challenge us to respond to new projects and ways of thinking.

From all of your friends at Independent Can we want to wish everyone a wonderful Holiday season.

Sincerely, 

Rick Huether

Visit us at http://www.westernspecialty.com to preview of our new items for 2011!

Independent Can Company's NEW HEART TIN

Independent Can Company Is now one of the first companies on the Maryland Green Registry!

Independent Can was one of the first companies to be a part of Maryland's registry of green companies. Maryland Green Registry Web Site

For more information and a complete history of the company, contact Ryan D. Huether, Business Manager, Independent Can Company, 2040 South Lynx Place Ontario, CA 91761.
Phone: 909-923-6150 Fax: 909-923-6052.
Email: Ryan@independentcan.com Web: http://www.westernspecialty.com/sustainability/

Promotional Tins Increase Sales

As seen in this article published on G&M's website Promotional Tins can increase sales.

"Promotion Increases Sales by 30%

The results turned to cool cash when the Danish company Vital Petfood Group A/S chose to use a decorated can as sales promotion for their exclusive cat food ”Bilanx”.When buying 2.5 kg of Bilanx the cat’s owners received a nice looking black can to store the food in – an offer that the consumers clearly considered as value adding.  Not only were the sales increased by 30% during the campaign period but as product manager Kent Mikkelsen says:”The campaign has created a continuous increase in sales”."

- G&M Website (Study on Promotional Tin Usage in EU)

 

To see how promotional tins can help increase your sales call 909-923-6150 or visit http://independentcan.com/products/customtins.asp

Independent Can Company now has a new E-Commerce Site

Our customers have been asking us for years questions like:

Where can I purchase your tins online? 
Do you have an online store? 
I would like to purchase a few cases of tins can you help me?

For years we have had to tell our valued customers that we did not have a place where they could purchase online and we did not have a efficient way to service smaller accounts. I am happy to say WE NOW HAVE A SOLUTION!

Independent Can Company is proud to present http://www.shopindependentcan.com our new online store specifically focused on our smaller customers who would like to purchase 1 - 10 cases of tins at a time.   Use the coupon code " Blogger " and you will receive 5% off your first order.

We have already been asked; What if I want to purchase from the site and order more then 10 cases. If you will be purchasing often and can meat a $350 minimum order we will be happy to set you up with a traditional wholesale account by calling 909-923-6150.  If you have questions let us know.

Independent Can Company Partners with TOOTHSTIX on their new tin packaging

Independent Can Company has now partnered with Toothstix on their new and innovating toothpick packaging. This new pocket pack tin was designed to add to the value of the Eco friendly bamboo Toothpicks that Toothsix is marketing. "Bamboo is one of the strongest and most renewable resources found on the planet" and when you combine that with the 100% Recyclable tin (25 - 55% recycled material in the raw Steel) you have a great Eco Friendly Product.  

Toothsitx.com

Toothsitx is also a company on a mission to help the Pandas. They are working hard to sell enough ToothStix to “Adopt a Panda for a Lifetime” which costs $50,000. Help them save the Panda's with every purchase of ToothStix. Save the Pandas




To learn how Independent Can Company can help you to bring your custom tin idea to reality, call 909-923-6150 or visit http://independentcan.com/products/customtins.asp

Oprah's Ultimate Favorite Things 2010 - GARRETT'S POPCORN TIN

QUOTE FROM OPRAH'S FAVORITES WEBSITE:

"Garrett's Special Limited-Edition Favorite Things Tin  People line up down the block in Chicago, no matter the weather, just to get a taste of one thing: Garrett popcorn. "It's the best popcorn on the planet, I think, and you don't have to fly to Chicago to get it," Oprah says. Garrett, a favorite things all-star, has created a special limited-edition tin exclusively for The Oprah Show. It's filled with their famous cheese and caramel popcorn and can be shipped right to your door."



Independent Can Company manufactures Large Tapered Popcorn Tins right here in the USA. We have the largest selection anywhere and can normally ship within 2 - 3 days from the time our customers place their order.

Small Quantities: http://www.shopindependentcan.com
Wholesale or Custom: http://www.westernspecialty.com

Online Catalog of Designs: http://www.westernspecialty.com/onlinecatalog/

New Designs for 2011 from Independent Can Company

Each year Independent Can Company updates our stock program with new designs, shapes, and sizes. 2011 is no different and in fact is pretty exciting. We have the addition of our new 3 Heart Tin which we have now tooled in our Belcamp Maryland Factory, A full line of Rectangular and Square Window Tins, and we also have our new PET Side Wall Pails in Green, Red, and Platinum. Attached to this blog you will see many of the new tin designs, shapes, and sizes.

Call us at 909-923-6150 for more information on the availability of the items you see here.




http://www.westernspecialty.com
http://www.shopindependentcan.com

For more information on custom tins please call 909-923-6150

In 2010 customers are looking to order later than they did in the past. This is so they feel more comfortable with the demand for the holiday season and have less inventory that must be discounted or held over to the next year.

This year Harry and David had chosen to work with Independent Can Company for the development of their 2010 Moose Munch Tin. Independent Can Company is able to offer our customers the highest quality printing in the world due to our investment in the latest printing technologies. We are also able to turn around orders in as short as 6 weeks allowing for later ordering & making reorders possible to take advantage of late season customer orders.

Some people underestimate the power of fast turnaround time for reorders. A reorder can often be complete in 4 weeks. This can allow our customers to continue taking orders later in the season instead of removing items from their websites or stores, and this maximizes the holiday season retail opportunities.

Take a moment and visit the Harry And David Moose Munch Tin! online.