Jewel and anglers benefit from Mustad process
Jewel Bait Co. is the first fishing tackle manufacturer to take advantage of a new Alpha Code standardization process implemented by O. Mustad & Son A.S., the world's largest hook manufacturer. Jewel president Gayle Julian says the trial run was perfect and that all their customers will benefit from a better product as a result.
"It's only human nature to try something for the first time with reserve and skepticism," Julian said. "But we just got our first run of Mustad test hooks made according to the procedure and they fit our mold perfectly. That's really special because we built our precision aluminum mold in advance using only their Alpha system information. What we got was a hook built to our highest specs for style, size, strength and sharpness that fit our tight-tolerance mold exactly; what fishermen get is a better Jewel jig head."
KG Enterprise, of Mountain Home, Arkansas, is the affiliated manufacturer for Jewel products and is known for its precision engineering of quality lead-cast products. Unlike most who work with lead, KG uses only self-made CNC-machined molds that aren't as forgiving as the popular silicone molds. That leaves no room for error in mold design, and the end result is a higher quality product.
The inaugural effort for the Mustad Alpha system involved a totally new hook design for a brand new Jewel jig. The same hook is also being used for Jewel's new "Squirrel Head" shaky head jig as part of the Jeff Kriet signature series.
"This hook didn't even exist before we had a fully finished mold waiting for its arrival," Julian added. "We couldn't be happier with what Mustad delivered. We're believers in this being a better mouse trap."
Mustad officials say it was Geir Sivertzen, their global products manager from company headquarters in Norway, who recognized the need for consistent hook proportions six years ago while developing the world's first and only proportionally correct fly hooks known as the Signature Series.
"Geir visited manufacturers in the United States and analyzed the production process," explained Harry Simmons, Mustad's North American OEM accounts manager. "He returned home frustrated that companies were using 'available hooks' instead of proportionally correct hooks that accurately fit the molds. By implementing the Alpha Code system, we can now produce jig hooks that will accurately and consistently fit the production molds.
"Mustad is the only hook manufacturer that draws its own wire, and each of our hooks has its own unique wire diameter," Simmons continued. "Controlling this process allows us to use a proprietary blend of high carbon steel and draw it down at slower speeds to greatly reduce the possibility of stress cracks in the steel's surface. No other hook manufacturer is doing this. Product standardization is a huge competitive advantage for Mustad and our OEMs."
Simmons went on to say that everything in the hook making process benefits from the Alpha system, including tempering, forging, finishes and sharpening. He says that's why Mustad gets high marks for quality, as symbolized by the brand's popular Ultra Point range featuring a proprietary mathematical sharpening process known as "4.3 Technology."
"Mustad's Alpha Code system and 4.3 Technology have made us a better company," Julian reinforced. "We're now enabled to build the finest Jewel products ever, and that simply reinforces what has always been our driving force ... the pursuit of excellence in products and customer satisfaction."
