Blocking Wand (tm)

This RFQ was sourced on www.MFG.com in USA for Wire Forming

Wire forming of a blocking wand.

Approx. 550mm long x 58mm wide using 3.2mm steel wire.

The Blocking Wand(tm) is a wire form hand tool which was developed to assist retailers (and/or their employees) in the blocking and facing of merchandise. In retail- speak, "blocking and facing" refers to the important practice of bringing as many products as possible to the front edge of display shelving and facing the labels forward. This helps customers find the items they are looking for more easily, which translates to healthy sales and a clean, bountiful store appearance.

For a more in depth description of the Blocking Wand’s applications, please view the attachment "Meet the Blocking Wand." Please view the attached document "mfg_specs_letter2" for drawings and approximate measurements of the product. The document "blockingwand techdrawing" is a technical drawing of the product which may be of assistance.

Photos: The jpeg file "newbwhandle" is a photo of the handle end of one manufacturer’s rendition of the product. (This should be taken as an interpretation only, not the final word on exactly how the product should look.) The jpeg file "bw_full view” shows the entire blocking wand with a #2 pencil and a doorknob demonstrating scale.

Please take note of the following:

1. The extreme ends (tips) of both the grabbing arm and the end of the handle construct need to be refined (or deburred) enough so that no sharp edges exist. Earlier protoypes revealed that sharp edges on the grabbing arm tip causes unwanted tearing of product labels and scratching of paint on shelves. Likewise, sharpness on the handle tip seems to cause the metal to poke through the plastic coating.

2. The tack welds located in the handle, as demonstrated in the photos, would be ideally less evident, and better concealed by the plastic dipping. Smaller, cleaner- looking, but sufficiently strong welds would be desirable.

3. The material used in the unit pictured was 1/8" wire (aka "galvanized basic 125 wires"); however I am open to other options provided that the dimensions do not change too much. A shinier, smoother, or brighter finish may be good enhancement.

Final word: Buyer is looking for a manufacturer who is willing to assist in finalizing/rendering prototypes before requiring a sizable order. The reward for such an investment in could be substantial. The potential market for the products is staggering, considering that there isn’t a supermarket, dollar store, hardware store, pharmacy, or convenience store that wouldn’t benefit from having a few of these. The responsive from my focus group was very encouraging. In general, retailers say that the product performs very well. Buyer has a contact at a major retail supply catalog who has expressed interest in carrying the product, and buyer has other industry contacts which could also be utilized to generate sales.

Wire Forming: Forming is a common wire forming process performed with a variety of techniques depending on the wire diameter. Wire diameter determines the bend radius and tolerance for deformation at the bend. The type of wire or rod used and its diameter also determine whether the wire can be bent manually with a hand tool or whether the use of a press and die are required.