^Innovations POINT-OF-PURCHASE AWARD

The point-of-purchase display for the “Scarecrow,” an automatic outdoor animal-deterrent device, was designed and manufactured by METHOD. The Scarecrow, equipped with a motion-activated sprinkler, releases a burst of water intended to startle and scare away an unwelcome animal near a garden or fishpond. The point-of-purchase display for the Scarecrow demonstrates its function–within a watertight case–allowing the consumer to view a working demonstration of the product in an indoor retail setting. As the customer walks past the display, the motion detector is activated, triggering the sprinkler to spray water against the inner wall of the display. The sound and sight of the display attracts the customer’s attention and demonstrates the Scarecrow’s function. The twin-sheet forming process uses two simultaneous vacuum or pressure-forming operations to force two plastic sheets against the side of a mold, resulting in a twin-walled part with a central airspace. METHOD engineers designed a plug-assist tool that allows a thinner gauge material (clear acrylic supplied by Cyro Industries) to be used without sacrificing the quality or durability of the display. Total Industries International made the tools.