Twist Off Cap : A Worldwide cooperation for a Worldwide success Twist Off is an efficient and safe system for closing glass jars which has had worldwide success. Used for products such as jams, honey, sauces, vegetable and meat preserves, the cap is the preferred closure by glass jar packers, despite efforts by their competitors to offer alternative systems. Getting off to a flying start Not to be confused with the Wright brothers, the White Brothers of Chicago were flying high when they had a vision that led to the development of the Steel White Cap or Twist Off Cap. Seventy-five years on, the user friendly concept is perfectly adapted to the pasteurisation and sterilisation process, enabling easy opening, reclosability and guaranteeing an extended shelf life. These advantages are still the critical issues which packaging technologists specify for modern steel packaging and it is no wonder that the cap was a tremendous success. A total package and a worldwide standard The strength of the White brothers concept was their recognition that a cap without a filling and closing process was of no value. Their aim was to offer a complete package. Working in partnership with the international glass producers, they achieved worldwide standardisation of the thread profile which was the final link in the total production chain. International food packers such as Unilever, Heinz and Nestlé quickly complete package. Working in partnership with the international glass producers, they achieved worldwide standardisation of the thread profile which was the final link in the total production chain. International food packers such as Unilever, Heinz and Nestlé quickly realised the advantages of an international standardised process and world class can-makers including Metal Box, Schmalbach and Thomassen & Drijver negotiated manufacturing licensing agreements for the manufacture of the steel caps. A specification was established by the steel industry in co-operation with the can-makers and the new quality was made available worldwide for the production of the caps. The Strength of the Heinz Twist Commenting recently on the success of the Twist Off, Van Olderen, Research and Development Manager of the Heinz R&D Centre in Elst, the Netherlands said that they were probably the first European packer to use the cap system following its extensive use in the USA. «It is a perfectly reliable closure but needs very precise closing equipment running at production rates today in excess of 600 caps per minute, a long way from the initial 50 jars per minute when the Twist Off was first introduced», he continued. The success of reclosability Vegetables, fruits, and sausage packers immediately adopted the new closure which resulted in increased sales in this segment of the processed food market. With the acquisition of White Cap by the German can-maker Schmalbach Lubeca in 1980, a major research investment programme was initiated to adapt the closure for use in other segments of the market. The "PT Closure" and the "Flip Button", variants of the original cap were subsequently introduced designed specifically for baby food, to meet the high quality safety and tamper-proof standards imposed by the industry. market. The «PT Closure» and the «Flip Button», variants of the original cap were subsequently introduced, designed specifically for baby food, to meet the high quality safety and tamper-proof standards imposed by the industry. The Schmalbach Twist Alfred Lohrengel who is currently President of the White Cap Group said «the Twist Off cap caused a revolution in the last century and will continue to play an important role in packaging in the future». In the year 2000, 32 billion Twist Off steel closures were used on a worldwide basis. The result of the close co-operation amongst the steel industry, can-makers and fillers to offer a complete packaging process of filling, closing and processing adapted to the individual market requirements, worldwide. «To sum up» he said, «despite competition from plastic closures in isolated cases, the advantages of steel with respect to high quality decoration, strength, and the unequalled production rates we obtain during the closing operation puts steel Twist Off closures in the leading position». Contact: Alfred Lohrengel - President White Cap Europe GmbH Schmalbach-Lubeca AG Kaiserswertherstr. 115 D-40880 Ratingen GERMANY Tel: +49 210 213 0330 Fax: +49 210 213 0134 Website: www.schmalbach.com