CASE STUDIES

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Client: TracFone

Background

Since 2005, Tracfone has maintained a successful relationship with Plastic Ingenuity.  A key moment in this relationship occurred in February, 2007, when Tracfone approached Plastic Ingenuity with a desire to provide its customers an RF sealed package that was easy to open.

Many consumers had expressed their distaste with the inaccessibility of much of the current plastic packaging in the consumer electronics market.  This negative reaction attracted the attention of Tracfone, and prompted the company to take action.

Tracfone listened to the pleas of its customers and embarked on a project with Plastic Ingenuity that would revolutionize the consumer packaging industry, by creating a package that was capable of being opened without sharp instruments.

Objectives
Create a package that continued to use an RF weld, but would allow the consumer easy access to the device without using a knife or scissors to penetrate the weld.  And accomplish this while preserving anti-tamper and pilfer proof measures and principles.

Solution

PI created a two trim station matched metal tool that accurately locates the perforation in the flange.  The welding operation is performed outside of the perforation, and once sealed, the consumer is able to grasp the two pull tabs and break the notches away.  The pull tabs are located in very specific points to provide the proper leverage to the consumer when attempting to open the package.  When the perforations are opened, they make a highly audible noise, and are visually transformed, which preserves the anti-pilfer and tamper evident measures.    

Since 2007 Tracfone has reported a 100 percent reduction in injury reports since converting to the EasyOpen custom packages, and with over 13 million packages in circulation, it has positively impacted many consumers and enhanced the Tracfone brand.
 
 

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