The North Face FlashDry Display

We manufactured this retail display for The North Face to launch their new FlashDry fabric. Produced over a year ago; it surely was one of those challenging projects we all run across every few years. Not  only were many operations required but the client was out-of-state. 

 (click to enlarge)

The primary specification from the client for this project was to utilize a honeycombed paper-based graphic display board as the main support structure. This light weight corrugated product is environmentally friendly, 63% recycled, rigid and 100% recyclable. This material is available under several trade names “BioBoard” and “Falcon Board” are the two most popular.

For this type of project, a client should typically specify the general shape, size and style of the display.

Questions will certainly arise and such answers will help the vendor meet the client’s expectations:

* How long will the campaign last?

* Will the display’s structural style meet the client’s lifespan requirements in a retail environment?

* How much weight is the display required to support?

* Will the display be refilled?

* Will the display be shipped flat or assembled with product?

* How will the display be distributed? What about drop shipping?

* Who shall be responsible for the display assembly, store personnel or retail reps? Displays assembled by store personnel generally need to have very clear and concise assembly instructions. Professional setup teams can generally handle more complex displays with less supervision.

After the set of specifications were received we generated the first round of CAD structural samples. This particular display was complex because the honeycomb board (side and center supports) and the display strips require CAD cutting while the corrugated shelves can be traditionally die cut. Honeycomb board can’t be die cut and thus is more expensive to trim/finish. We produced an unprinted blank display for the customer to review. I recall we produced a couple of rounds of samples and eventually produced two rounds of digitally printed samples for approval. One of the biggest challenges with this project; the shelves had to angle inwards a few degrees to keep the product from spilling onto the floor. This affected not only the shelf holes but also the side support holes and the position of the center support slots. Three crucial alignment points that needed to match using different cutting methods and machines.

The BioBoard was a custom order size a) it was a mill order quantity anyway b) the custom sizes allowed us to keep the budget intact and reduce waste.

Once we received structural approval, the race was one. Color approval proofs were produced and sent to the client. Due to the quantity of displays ordered, digital printing was not an option. Oversized 4 color litho sheets were printed and mounted to the BioBoard on two sides. The outside facing sheets had to be mounted consistently in the same position which reduced the need to CAD align each board during the cutting process. The inside support panels were 100% rich black ink and the register was not important, there was simply plenty of bleed.

The trays were printed and mounted in a similar fashion as the vertical supports; however after die cutting the standard B-Flute corrugated tray covers they were sandwiched around a middle layer of ½” BioBoard. This created a very strong shelf with accurate positioning holes.

The CAD cutting of the vertical supports and the shelf sign panels required production time on two different ZUND cutters to meet the client’s schedule. The BioBoard material can’t be cut using a spinning router bit; an EOT “electric oscillating tool” must be used (which holds a knife blade with a special profile). Of course these are expensive as compared to traditional die cutting and take time to cut properly. 1-1/2 weeks of ZUND cutting was required. There were 600 panels to cut @ about 11 minutes per panel. My next blog post will be about the ZUND cutting system.

Once the panel and shelf sign production was started, the schedule required us to start the pack-out and shipping. Each panel was foam wrapped and secured to protect the printed surface, the additional parts (fasteners etc.) were gathered and all the elements were placed inside a large one piece shipper.  Don’t forget to insert the store premises assembly instructions which were provided by the client.

A word on the little black fasteners (the round dots on the sides of the image); they are inter-locking snap-fit fasteners (64 per display, bagged).

The shipping addresses were furnished as an Excel file. Some shipments were individual while others were multiple sets to the same address. And of course bulk sets were sent to The Northface distribution warehouse.