Sure, American Paper Optics has filled large orders for its 3D glasses before.
For example, the Bartlett-based company manufactured some 40 million sets of spectacles for last year’s “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour” DVD.
But that pales in comparison to APO’s latest project.
Employing Intel’s new InTru 3D technology, APO created 125 million sets of glasses to be used during Sunday’s Super Bowl XLIII broadcast on NBC and Monday night’s episode of “Chuck” on the same network.
At the end of the second quarter of the game between the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers, NBC will televise what is being billed as the first all 3D commercial break in Super Bowl history.
Wearing the exclusive ColorCode 3D glasses created by APO — available for free at Memphis-area Dollar General, Kroger and Target stores — viewers can watch a 90-second trailer for DreamWorks’ new animated feature film, “Monsters vs. Aliens,” and a 60-second commercial for SoBe Lifewater in all their three-dimensional glory.
The glasses will be available at a variety of grocery stores and retail outlets across the country.
On Monday at 7 p.m. CST, viewers can use the same APO-made glasses to watch “Chuck.”
“It’s going to be a great experience for us,” said APO president and founder John Jerit, whose company also produced 3D products in conjunction with feature films such as “Journey to the Center of the Earth” and “The Polar Express.” “This thing is all about advertising and marketing, and our name is going to be on the back of the glasses.”
Jason Lewin, director of marketing at APO, described the project as “a huge undertaking, but certainly one we were prepared for.”
Beginning in October, APO manufactured 72,000 pairs of glasses per hour, at a rate of 20 per second, over the course of 90 working days.
By the time they were finished, there were 858,000 pounds worth of the paper glasses — enough to fill 30 tractor trailers.
While Jerit would not disclose financial terms of his manufacturing deal, he said it could account for about 30 percent of APO’s total revenue in 2008.
In the course of filling the order, APO surpassed the 1 billion mark in glasses manufactured since the company’s founding in 1990.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to be part of this deal,” Lewin said. “It lets us show everybody what we can do.”
Employing Intel InTru 3D and ColorCode 3D technology, which updates the old red-blue Anaglyph system, APO’s glasses promise full-color reproduction and compatibility with all display types (TV, CRT, LCD and LED).
Lewin says the new technology will let viewers see the color spectrum better and limit “ghosting,” meaning viewers without glasses will still be able to see a high-quality picture in 2D.
APO, which increased production by 50 percent to fill the order in time, will soon be moving to a larger facility a few blocks from its current plant in Bartlett.
“I’m just blown away every day,” Jerit said. “Being able to look on TV and see people using your products and seeing that we were the ones who made them, it’s a great feeling for sure.”
Scripps Newspaper Group — Online
© 2009 The E.W. Scripps Co.
For more information about John Jerit and American Paper Optics, please contact:
Jason Lewin – Marketing Director
American Paper Optics, LLC
2995 Appling Road, Suite 106
Bartlett, TN 38133
Phone: 1-800-767-8427
Fax: 901-381-1517
email: Jason@3dglassesonline.com
