“Overall, the most highly rated wine shipper is molded pulp, which earned a 3.9 rating in 2013, followed closely by corrugated cardboard with a 3.8 rating (Chart 6 ). EPS received a 2.6 rating and plastic inserts a 2.2 rating.”

Western Pulp is introducing a revolutionary product to the nursery industry: our new clip-on nylon hanger. Until now, hanger installation was often a bottle-neck in the process of planting molded fiber hanging baskets. Our new hanger removes that bottle-neck, increasing installation speed by as much as 50 percent.

In the past, installers needed to go through a time-consuming process of separating hangers. The barbs used to attach hangers to baskets also tended to grab other hangers in the bag.

Now, workers need only remove hangers from the bag and grab one off the pile. A lengthy separation process is no longer needed before installation.

With other plastic hangers for pulp baskets on the market, attachment involves locating an eyelet in the side of a basket and carefully inserting a barb through that eyelet. Then the process has to be repeated 3 more times.

The ease of attaching our clip-on hanger significantly outpaces the old way. Just attach 2 opposing clips at once and snap on the other 2 and you’re done. Notches we’ve built into to the new rolled rim make positioning easy.

Growers who sleeve their baskets before shipping love how our new clips don’t snag the air holes in their sleeves, saving time in yet another step of the process.

We tested this new hanger around the U.S. for an entire season in a variety of conditions. It received glowing reviews. And Western still has the highest maximum weight of any plastic hanger in the molded fiber market at 26 pounds.

Western’s new clip-on hanger changes the game for molded fiber hanging baskets. Just ask for clip-on hangers this year when placing your basket order. Increasing efficiency by up to 50 percent is rarely so easy.

Contact us to get more information or find a distributor in your area.

“Amy is one of more than 1,000 customers who planted 1,250 hanging baskets during Pahl’s 15th annual Moss Basket Day, an event that lets consumers design and plant their own large hanging basket (a moss basket in the beginning, but today they use Western Pulp fiber baskets). Amy, her daughter, two sisters and a niece have made this a 10-year family tradition.”

Video Script

Here at Western Pulp, we have updated our line of premium hanging baskets and extra strong nylon hangers. Our molded-fiber baskets now have a rounded or “rolled” rim, de-nesting lugs, and an optional reservoir bottom.

The old flat rim sometimes interfered with nylon hanger installation, but our new rolled rim does not, making installation easier and more secure while improving the strength and appearance of our basket.

To further increase speed and ease of hanger installation, we made 3 improvements to our hanger. First, we added a larger thumb contact area to disperse the pressure required to push connectors through our brass eyelets. Second, we added a pilot tip, which helps each connector find an eyelet faster. And third, we increased the barrel length to ensure the barb end of each connector gets inserted securely in the basket.

Our wax permeated hanging baskets were at times difficult to separate. In response to customer input, we added de-nesting lugs, which together form a shelf preventing baskets from seating too tightly when nested for shipping. The baskets now come apart with relative ease and less time is required to separate baskets on the planting line.

For customers who want a built in internal saucer, a reservoir bottom option is now available as a special order for no extra charge.

If you have questions, want to request samples or need help finding a distributor, visit westernpulp.com.

“When it comes to image and consumer perception of a shipper, molded pulp earned the highest rating, closely followed by corrugated cardboard (chart 8). While all four shipper types earned similar ratings for bottle/label protection, foam/EPS led the group by a small margin.” … “In terms of environmental friendliness, wineries of all sizes rated molded pulp the highest (4.1 percent), closely followed by corrugated cardboard (3.9 percent). Plastic inserts and foam/EPS rated much lower at 1.9 and 1.6 percent, respectively.”

From the Abstract: “We designed a trial to test the effect of biocontainers on shoot and root growth, and for the degradability of the pot in the soil. We tested four types of biocontainers, DOT pot, CowPots, paper pulp pots and coconut coir pots and compared them to black plastic pots.

“Pack n’ Ship will use whatever materials the client requests, but a conversation with Jeff Weiss, operations manager, and Rick Gant, from the company’s supplier Landsburg Packaging Plus, revealed a strong bias for old-fashioned, biodegradable molded fiber “laydown” inserts. Pack n’ Ship sources the familiar “egg carton” trays from Western Pulp Products Co., which uses a minimum of 99% post-consumer recycled paper, verified by Scientific Certification Systems, for its patented Vintner’s Choice wine shippers.

Gant, introduced as “more partner than supplier,” said bluntly that while his company can provide wineries with any current shipping option, “I would recommend pulp.” Though bulkier than corrugated inserts (a serious consideration for the smallest wineries), Weiss said that all-corrugated shippers are heavier, weighing down the bottom line and the carbon footprint by as much as two pounds per shipment. Corrugated manufact urers also have imposed “three major price increases this year,” Weiss said.”