Wine Opinions now offers clients an alternative to in-person or online focus groups. The Vintrospectives service sources participants from the Wine Opinions consumer or trade panels by running a brief online screening survey. Carefully selected participants then take part in a three-day moderated online discussion on the Vintrospectives website.

Maverick acquires Australian assets
Maverick Enterprises of Ukiah, Calif., has completed the acquisition of all the capsule producing equipment previously owned and utilized by All Industry Packaging Solutions Pty. Ltd., a leading producer of high-quality PVC, polylaminate and sparkling wine capsules for the Australian wine market. Maverick has already begun shipping the equipment back to the states and plans to have a substantial portion installed and production ready before the end of the year. Details: maverickcaps.com.

Sparflex Rivercap names Niderost
Sparflex of California & Rivercap USA Group welcomes Aaron Niderost as the new CEO for North America. Niderost will be responsible for all aspects of the North American business and will be located at the manufacturing and distribution facilities in Ukiah, Calif.

Steers-Greget named business development manager
Wine Intelligence Ltd., based in Seattle, Wash., named Joyce Steers-Greget its U.S. business development manager. Steers-Greget holds an M.B.A. in international marketing management from UCLA and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from UC Berkeley. Wine Intelligence is a research-led strategy consultancy. Details: wineintelligence.com.

Jamak launches Sil-Cork
Jamak Fabrication, Fort Worth, Texas, launches a new cork technology with Sil-Cork. Jamak, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of silicone products, has introduced Sil-Cork, a premium wine closure made with a proprietary silicone and natural cork compound. Details: sil-cork.com.

Lean Labeling fat on options
Labeltronix expands its Lean Labeling program with the installation of a new state-of-the-art servo-driven press, one of the first of its kind to be delivered in North America. Label designs can incorporate several foil colors, embossing and de-bossing and multiple varnish finishes. Details: labeltronix.com.

Yale raises dependability standard
Yale Materials Handling Corp. has improved its Veracitor VX truck series with a choice of engine options designed to deliver maximum performance with low fuel consumption, minimal noise and reduced maintenance and operating costs. The series also offers a maintenance-free, built-in, patented-design stability system. Details: yale.com.