Before we delve into the birth of Static Intercept-2, let's pick up on the winners for the 2014 Apple Design Awards announced last week.

Past winners of the awards include Where’s My Water, Guitar Hero, AOL Radio, and a World of Warcraft release.

Each of these won for a different reason. This is due to Apple’s criteria stating that winning designers “combined design and technology in creative, compelling, and powerful ways.”

Design and True Functionality

I have seen speculation on these criteria elaborated upon using words like intuitive, elegant, engaging, and exciting. All of these ring true when I remember the first time I picked up an iPod. Its pinwheel interface enabled me to figure it out within seconds of toying with it. I would again experience this upon my first encounter with an iPhone. Its touch screen and "one button" navigation system would again prove to be user-friendly. It seems like the leading companies are the ones that figure out the balance of usefulness and these other adjectives.

Apple has become a staple of this type of design. As such, Apple continues to build its brand by celebrating this type of design with awards like this. When thinking about design -- simplicity and elegance come to mind. However, the true test of greatness are these virtues combined with true functionality.

The Intercept Technology Group focuses on functionality and consistent, dependable performance.  We have a variety of products and structures that have different and specific roles. The roles of course, depend on the customer's design criteria, and/or the environmental demands.  Our mission is to use our technology to reshape the perception of how parts, assemblies, and goods achieve protection. This holds true whether stored on a shelf, facing demanding inter-continental shipments, or stored outdoors in severe environments.  We stand by our commitment to do this in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way.

Innovative Design Meets Copper Infused Reactive Barrier Packaging
THE BIRTH OF STATIC INTERCEPT-2

One of the projects that we are especially proud of is our design of a new product for Volkswagen. The product was specifically for use in one of their South African plants. The goal was to protect their engine blocks during transit from their South African plant to a plant in Germany.

By choosing Intercept protection they were able to protect their blocks from rust and corrosion during transit and storage. Intercept made this possible without the use of oils or volatile bags. One advantage of eliminating the need for oils is that they no longer needed to clean the oils off the blocks at the receiving end. As a result, they could eliminate the need to use solvents and additional labor to their processes.

VW wanted to get the properties of Intercept but did not need the longevity that our normal products provide. Depending on the application the effective life of our normal products can be more than fifteen years. Initially, this was the time required by the German Automotive Association for long term storage -- for which Static Intercept meets approval.

With the limited reuse and the cost constraints of the VW project in mind, our technical staff re-imagined our standard Static Intercept product. Ultimately, development occurred and produced a new product named Static Intercept-2, or SI-2 for short.  Static Intercept-2 is a multi-layer extruded film. Our standard Static Intercept is the inner layer, to create the micro-environment inside our reactive barrier bag. The outside layer is a high strength plastic. This provided the protection they needed, and the structure that we designed for them was fully recyclable and re-usable.

A Star is Born
STATIC INTERCEPT-2 RISES TO PROMINENCE

The capabilities we allowed them to achieve with this new product led to VW winning an environmental award. They received the award for eliminating harmful materials from their manufacturing processes. This product was so well received that we have continued making it and it has become a mainstay. Static Intercept-2 provides the same protection as our standard Intercept films and bags, just for a shorter period of time, and reduces the cost.

It was our pleasure to help Volkswagen eliminate costs, oils, and the necessary cleaning processes for their manufacturing operation as well as helping the environment for all of our sakes.  We enjoy challenges because it pushes us to better serve our clients.