Exal Corp. wins metal decorating award

Exal Corp., a manufacturer of extruded aluminum packaging, has received the 2009 "Best In Category" Quality Award for Excellence in Metal Decorating from the International Metal Decorators Association (IMDA). Competing in the Miscellaneous Products category, the container Exal developed for Boulevard Brewing's Unfiltered Wheat Beer was the only aluminum bottle package to be honored at the IMDA Annual Convention held in Chicago on May 20 - 23 of this year.

Unique in its innovative design and bold graphics, the container is a recyclable aluminum bottle that features a distinct neck profile topped with crown finish, a closure initially used exclusively with glass. Boulevard Brewing Unfiltered Wheat Beer is the first brewing product in the world to be packaged in Exal's new 66mm impact-extruded aluminum beer bottle.

The Missouri-based brewer chose the aluminum bottle for its top-selling beer in order to offer it where glass is prohibited and beer on tap unavailable such as golf courses, swimming pools and concert venues. Boulevard's president and founder, John MacDonald, states that the environmental advantages of aluminum were also an important consideration.

Started in 1933, the IMDA is a trade organization that encourages improvement and advancement in the art of metal decorating and in the industrial progress of the metal decorating trade. The organization boasts membership from over 30 countries and is recognized as the global leader in metal decorating advocacy and annually recognizes outstanding achievement in the area of metal decorating.

"We are extremely pleased that we were able to meet our customer's need with such spectacular results," commented Exal's President and CEO Delfin Gilbert. "This project demonstrates the best of Exal—the drive for innovation, the resolve that enables us to meet new challenges and the spirit of collaboration that ensures an outstanding product development process," he added.