News

Sep
10
2018

Gift Card Maker Travel Tags has had a Secret for 12 Years It Can Finally Share - It Works with Apple

Repost from the Star Tribune:

Imagine winning the lottery but having to keep it a secret. Then 12 years later, someone says it’s OK to tell everyone.

For Travel Tags Inc., a maker of things printed on plastic like gift cards for restaurants and retailers, that day came on Aug. 16, when Apple Inc. granted permission for the company to tell others that it is a customer.

Since 2006, Travel Tags’ factory in Inver Grove Heights has printed hundreds of millions of gift cards for Apple’s iTunes and App Store services and its Apple Store retail outlets. In revealing the relationship, the companies also disclosed that Apple has helped drive numerous innovations in the printing and packaging of such cards, work that has benefited other customers of Travel Tags. 

Star Tribune - Apple Gift Cards

 

Apple, the maker of iPhones, Macs and other tech devices that last month became the first U.S. company to be worth $1 trillion in market value, is known to customers as a producer of well-designed, high-priced, high-value items. But to the businesses it works with, Apple is known as a demanding partner that values innovation, quality, speed — and silence.

Apple rarely confirms the identities of its suppliers and vendors, even firms from which it buys billions of dollars of parts annually. Tech repair shops, investment firms and geek websites routinely rip apart Apple products to identify who made the chips, displays and other parts.

“Apple obsesses over privacy and control. It’s in their DNA,” said Gene Munster, the Minneapolis-based analyst whose reputation in the investing world was made by recognizing in 2004 that Apple was transforming into more than a simple maker of computers. “They are relentless about every detail.”

He said he could recall Apple confirming relationships with only a handful of other companies, including Corning, the glass maker for flat screens, and 3M, which makes a film that sharpens the display of those screens.

Travel Tags — which is owned by Mankato businessman Glen Taylor, who also owns the Star Tribune — for years has wanted to disclose the relationship to buff its reputation as a leader in gift-card production. “We had gone through an interview process and a review board to see if we were worthy,” said Al Rausch, president of Travel Tags.

The company affixes more than 1.2 million of Apple’s gift cards in multipacks on four lines dedicated to Apple each workday. With more than a 25 percent market share in North America, Travel Tags is one of the top three gift-card providers in the world with more than 300 clients.

It faces plenty of competition. The Twin Cities alone is home to several other large gift-card designers, printers and distributors, including Archway Marketing in Rogers, CPI Card Group in Roseville and Diamond Graphics in Ramsey.

For Apple, the decision to disclose the relationship with Travel Tags is part of an effort to describe more of its impact on the U.S. economy. While the company generates more than $200 billion a year in annual revenue and employs tens of thousands, mainly in California and Texas, it relies on contractors in Asia for most of its product manufacturing and assembly.

Star Tribune - Mai Yang Operating Rotary Die CutterApple will spend more than $55 billion with 9,000 domestic suppliers this year, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs. In Minnesota, Apple said it has relationships with about 200 suppliers and partners who employ about 34,000 people.

Even in disclosing the work with Travel Tags, Apple’s penchant for control was on display. The company sent two people from its Silicon Valley headquarters to sit in on interviews with Travel Tags executives. Financial details could not be disclosed, they said. And Apple asked to control photography that accompanied this story.

The care that goes into gift-card design is no different from the box for a new iPhone or MacBook that enhances the consumer’s experience, said Jodi Belden, an account executive at Travel Tags. “The printing industry has long been considered a craft, but working with Apple forced us to bring more science into it,” she said.

After the partnership began, Apple switched its gift-card material from PVC plastic to recyclable paper. It also wanted to add gift card multipacks of three, four or five. That enhancement led Travel Tags to build a special packaging machine with help from Apple’s engineers and parts and equipment from 11 manufacturers.

“Together our engineers have implemented new manufacturing processes that have allowed the company to grow its business and expand its workforce in Inver Grove Heights,” Jeff Williams, chief operating officer at Apple, said in a statement.

Munster said it is also rare for firms to work with Apple for as many years as Travel Tags. “Apple will rake suppliers over the coals and quickly end the relationship in its pursuit of looking after the customer,” he said. “It’s a testament to Travel Tags that they haven’t done that.”

Apple strives to stand out at the gift-card kiosks in stores. Belden said that meeting Apple’s standards for quality and aesthetics initially proved difficult for Travel Tags. “A lot of conversations started with ‘That’s not possible,’ ” she said.

Apple wanted to sell gift cards in multipacks as well as in single packs. It also wanted the cards perfectly spaced on the cardboard backing and to be the same width across the cardboard backing.

While that may sound simple, it took months of collaboration with Apple’s engineers to build a multipack assembly machine. Apple also developed an envelope for single gift cards that was designed so a perforated edge would not show on the envelope once it was removed from the packaging.

Even the glue that keeps the gift card stuck to its backing came under intense scrutiny. Apple didn’t want the glue to stretch like a rubber band when the card is removed. “It’s a special glue that affixes the card but leaves no sticky residue,” Rausch said.

After the card is removed from its backing, the consumer may notice that the “soft touch” feel is unlike any other gift card made from recycled paper. “It took weeks of qualification to get it right. It’s so the consumer can have that type of experience,” Rausch said.

Late summer and early fall is high season for gift-card manufacturers as they ramp up to supply gift cards for the holidays. As many as 200 additional employees may be added to Travel Tags’ core staff of 415. With the Twin Cities’ low unemployment, the company has expanded its use of robotics to reduce dependency on hard-to-find temp workers.

It’s unclear whether disclosure of the Apple relationship will yield a bump in business for Travel Tags, but Rausch said it’s possible. “It helps promote our brand to be associated with one of the major brands in the world,” he said.

For now, there’s a party to be had.

“We’re doing a company picnic for employees as recognition of the honor,” Rausch said.

TAGS:   Al Rausch, card manufacturing, Global, Star Tribune, Taylor Corporation

May
02
2017

Merry & Bright Holiday Pack Wins at Print Industry Midwest Awards

We're honored to have been chosen "Best of Class" in the Cards category at the 2017 Star of Excellence Awards presented by Print Industry Midwest for the Merry & Bright Holiday Pack! This piece, completely designed and produced by Travel Tags, Inc., served as the company holiday card for the 2016 season. Customers and vendors received this multi-piece pack as a way to thank them for their continued service, to enjoy the holidays, and to remind them of the various printing capabilities and services TTI provides all year round.

For a complete list of PIM Star of Excellence 2017 winners, check out the May issue of Graphic News.

 

Creative Process:

TTI wanted their card to be fun and festive but also demonstrate some of their capabilities. As a gift card manufacturer, we decided to demonstrate several of our various printing capabilities and services: in-house design, card manufacturing with scent, lenticular design and print, and digital printing. When customers opened up their holiday card, they were pleasantly greeted with the scent of rustic pine.

Next, we decided to design the card/carrier piece. Our design team wanted to carry a rustic, classic design throughout all of the elements of the pack. Using craft paper with hand lettered elements kept it fun but neutral.  Along with the card/carrier was a lenticular (3D motion) ornament to hang on their tree, as well as some gift tagss for them to use in their gift wrapping.

 

The Merry & Bright Holiday Pack includes:

 

  • 5" x 7" carrier made of 80# Neenah Environment Grocer Kraft, handlettered by Sara Hynes Designs
  • 3.375" x 2.125" (CR80), pine scented, laminted, affixed to carrier
  • 3.125" diameter circle lenticular ornament with a 3-dimensional side-to-side visual effect
  • Set of 4 gift tags, digitally printed on 24pt. Tango C2S paper, diecut with 1/8" holes for string, perforated for easy seperation

 

Like what you see? We'd love to discuss design and execution with you for any upcoming campaigns! Shoot us an email at info@traveltags.com.

 

MEDIA CONTACT:
JEFF HORST, Creative Director
JJHorst@traveltags.com
651.288.8494

TAGS:   Awards / Recognition, holidays, Printing Industry Midwest (PIM), trends

Apr
24
2017

TTI Launches Short-Run Quick-Turn Manufacturing Cell to Complement Large Production Orders

INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, MN – April 24, 2017 – Travel Tags, Inc., a worldwide manufacturer of unique card services, announces the debut of their streamlined solution for short run, quick-turn production. The streamlined program provides clients a 3-day turn time for short run orders, ideal for a variety of marketing, promotional and regional campaigns that require customized solutions quickly.

In alignment with TTI’s current print quality, the short-run quick-turn program has G7 Master Qualification from the world’s leading print facility validation association, Idealliance. This certification ensures color expectations are met and exceeded by upholding specific international standards in printing press calibration and proofing systems. Furthermore, clients can expect color consistency when printing on multiple formats to support brand management.

“The integration of the quick-turn short-run program has expanded our ability to serve small and large brands with highly customized projects that build consumer engagement and ultimately grow brand passion,” stated Timothy Lebens, vice president of sales and marketing. “With our streamlined process, the short-run quick-turn program is the answer to reacting quickly to market needs and being ready for the unexpected.”

For over forty years, TTI has held a passion for improving processes to maximize efficiencies while maintaining a high quality product for a variety of merchants, big and small. They do this by staying current on new technologies, developing applications, investing in new and improved equipment and listening to the needs of their customers.

To speak to a sales representative about our printing capabilities or to request a quote, email info@traveltags.com.

 

MEDIA CONTACT:
TIMOTHY LEBENS
VICE PRESIDENT, SALES & MARKETING
TRLebens@traveltags.com
651.276.6134

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