Liquid Diamond high-end appearance products include (L-R) 22-oz. UV protectant, 64-oz. self drying car wash, 13-oz. paste wax container, 32-oz. battery-powered liquid polish sprayer. The motorized spray polish bottle and liquid spray container lid feature an angled, faceted design communicating the diamond theme.

BOLTON, CT — After years of concentrating on professional car wash and auto refinishing and detailing products, Simoniz Corporation re-entered the consumer car-care market in 2005 with a family of six high-end appearance products: Liquid Diamond spray car polish, Liquid Diamond Paste car polish, Liquid Diamond liquid car polish, UV protectant, Flash Black tire dressing and Self Drying car wash.

Developed by Simoniz R&D, the Liquid Diamond product is a high-performance polymer formulation engineered for extreme gloss. Simoniz management felt that the key to a successful introduction would be to create packaging consistent with the performance of the product.

The design of packages was critical to the success of the Liquid Diamond rollout. "We knew that we could not achieve our retail market goals with any me-too product," said Chuck Tornabene, president of Simoniz Retail Products. "We had to develop technically advanced products that could be positioned uniquely, and we especially wanted our packaging to reflect that positioning."

Design reflects diamond theme

"The product family's vivid yellow containers communicate the wax's gloss and value," says Tornabene. An angular, faceted design distinguishes the 32 oz. motorized spray polish bottle and paste container lid, reflecting the diamond theme.

The lead product is the 32-oz. motorized push-button spray polish bottle with battery-powered pump. The PVC container is custom designed and blow molded by Novapak Corporation in a beveled, faceted shape. The transitions between facets are rounded for a comfortable grip, and to prevent "stress risers" caused by sharp transitions that can fracture during shipping and handling.

The Liquid Diamond 13-oz. paste wax PVC container was also custom designed and blow molded by Novapak in a low profile. Deep undercuts allowing the jars to nest on retail shelves were achieved using an innovative slide mechanism on the blow mold tooling. The container's transparent lid features the faceted design.

The Liquid Diamond paste and liquid spray polish containers are blow molded on a flexible schedule, in lot sizes tailored to retail demand.

The other product family members include the UV protectant in Novapak's stock 22-oz. angle ribbed trigger sprayer PET bottle, and the self drying car wash in Novapak's stock 64-oz. handled oblong PVC bottle.

Collaboration at three levels expedites development

For assistance in the design, production and labeling of the packages, Simoniz turned to Total Pac, Lemont, IL , a consulting and brokerage service firm founded in 2002 by Randy Boitz who brought 30 years of supply chain management experience with major corporations to the project. For the design, tooling and blow molding of the liquid and paste containers, Boitz recommended Novapak Corporation, Eatontown, NJ.

"I felt that Novapak would bring overall value to the project," Boitz says, "because it has the engineering in house, and the resources to take things from concept to full engineering drawings. The company can also provide mockups of relatively finished pieces. Design ideas that you can pick up with your hands — prototype samples — make it much easier for the customer to evaluate a design and confirm that the pieces fit together."

Tornabene says. "We started conceptually in January of 2005, developed designs and went into production. We showed full prototypes to customers by June, and by January 2006 we were shipping final product."

Total Pac
1201 Notre Dame Dr.
Lemont Illinois, 60439
630-257-1996
info@totalpac.com
www.totalpac.biz