Carrier Development

In 1950, Lawrence Holmberg visited ITW to demonstrate a device for multipacking cans. ITW became interested enough to obtain an exclusive license under Mr. Holmberg's patent with the intention of improving it for practical application. The device was turned over to O. Jules Poupitch, a Project Engineer for ITW Fastex, who designed metal spring clips with deformable grabbers to engage the chime of each can to form a 6-pack.

A test was conducted with Campbell Soup Company at a supermarket in Chicago to determine package integrity. However, when the 6-pack was picked off the shelf, the clips failed to hold the cans securely and they fell to the floor. A second test was conducted by shipping a truckload of Budweiser beer to the West Coast. Upon arrival, over 50% of the clips had disengaged from the can chimes. This second disaster convinced ITW that metal clips would not perform with the consistency required to be considered a viable product. Accordingly, ITW gave Mr. Holmberg's patent back to him, together with the patents ITW had developed with clips, the tooling, and several hundred thousand clips in inventory.

Several years passed. Jules Poupitch continued to work on clips at ITW Fastex. One day Mr. Poupitch walked into Silas Cathcart's office with a sheet of plastic which looked like a six cylinder gasket, inserted six cans in it and pushed the package off the table. Surprisingly, none of the cans fell out of the plastic sheet. An idea was born.

Subsequently, money was allocated for Mr. Poupitch to build a crude machine which stretched carriers over a series of cans by engaging ears of plastic on the outer margin of the carrier. In 1957, Mr. Cathcart commenced negotiations with FMC Corporation to build a prototype applicating machine which eventually became the Model 200 series. A minimum speed of 1,000 cans per minute was essential if the product was to compete with the "bikini pack" of the Container Corporation.

For several years Anheuser-Busch had experimented with a variety of ideas to form 6-packs in an effort to reduce their packaging costs. Most of these ideas revolved around snap-on metal clips. Considerable sums of money were spent by them on these programs, but none of them proved to be practical. Finally, in 1958, Anheuser-Busch became aware of the work being done by ITW in testing a plastic 6-pack can carrier. Samples were dispatched to their St. Louis office and a cost analysis indicated that $1,000,000 could be saved if the carrier, officially registered "Hi-Cone", were to replace the paperboard carrier then being used by Anheuser-Busch.

The early Hi-Cone carriers were white in color and punched from low density polyethylene with a thickness of .025". They also contained two slits, one each between the middle series of holes and the end series of holes. These slits allowed for the insertion of an injection molded high density polyethylene handle with pointed arrows on each end which penetrated through the slits. When a consumer picked up a 6-pack by the handle, the arrows engaged the plastic carrier, much like a fish hook, enabling the consumer to carry the 6-pack comfortably. When stacked on shelves, the handle merely dropped down between the cans.

In June, 1958, both ITW and Anheuser-Busch conducted independent market studies of this unique packaging device to determine consumer reaction. George Fry and Associates conducted interviews for ITW. The Anheuser-Busch studies were conducted by their Market Research Department and other outside sources. Consumers were interviewed in supermarket parking lots in East Chicago, Indiana, Des Moines, Iowa and Norfolk, Virginia. This survey indicated a 10 to 1 preference for the Hi-Cone carrier. The ITW survey revealed virtually identical results. Consequently, Anheuser-Busch requested that the prototype machine be installed in one of their plants (although promised in March 1958, extensive testing by FMC and ITW designers delayed availability until April, 1959).

While waiting for the prototype machine to be delivered, Anheuser-Busch authorized a second market research study. This study, conducted by the Alfred Politz Research Company of New York, was more scientific. The study took place in Tampa, Florida and indicated that 87% of those interviewed preferred the Hi-Cone carrier, while 80% found no disadvantages to the plastic carrier as 1) ease of disposal, 2) ease of opening, 3) ease of carrying, 4) faster cooling, 5) not affected by moisture and 6) handier and more convenient. This survey convinced Anheuser-Busch that the Hi-Cone carrier was the way to go and arranged for a market test to be conducted in St. Louis. The market test took place in May, June, July and August of 1960. The results of the survey indicated that the carrier was a tremendous success.

In the meantime, numerous design changes were made to improve the speed and efficiency of the applicating equipment. In addition, insertion of the handle was changed from reciprocating motion with a limited speed potential to a higher rotary type mechanism with continuous motion and handle insertion. Over 1,000,000 carriers were applied during this test.

Beginning slowly in March, 1962, Anheuser-Busch gradually replaced its existing paperboard 6-packs with Hi-Cone carriers in the Florida market. This was completed by early May.

While this market test was being conducted, Anheuser-Busch embarked on another survey to obtain information on consumer acceptance in the Florida market. This survey, conducted by Market Facts, Inc. of Chicago, set out to determine which package type was preferred by beer drinkers in the six major Florida markets - Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Fort Lauderdale and Key West. All Florida distributors were visited and the new package was explained. The test covered a period of two weeks and 84% preferred the plastic carrier.

On the basis of this survey (the third conducted by Anheuser-Busch) they were convinced that the plastic carrier would be accepted by the beer drinking public. They, therefore, decided to install a Hi-Cone machine in the St. Louis plant and expand 6-pack distribution to the Midwest. The machine was installed in St. Louis in November, 1962 and a second unit was installed in April, 1963. The capacity of these two machines was such that two-thirds of Anheuser-Busch's can production was being handled by Hi-Cone carriers, covering 22 states. Revisions in the equipment were constantly being made to improve reliability and efficiency. The carrier was also improved to provide better handling and less plastic shrinkage and warpage. This combination saved Anheuser-Busch approximately one cent per 6-pack, amounting to $1,000,000 annually.