Conney Safety Products in Madison, Wisc. ships 12,500 cartons weekly to customers of its hard hats, back supports, safety glasses and other industrial products. A switch to kraft paper dunnage has made packing of these items easier, reduced the storage required for dunnage supplies and provided a cleaner work environment. It has also addressed customer demands.

"We had concerns from customers in dealing with the loose fill foam peanuts we had used before. Some even sent us back notes telling us not to ship anymore products with the peanuts," recalls Mourad Elyafi, warehouse manager.

Elyafi says some of these customers are in states such as California where restrictions limit the sending of used foam products to landfills.

The kraft paper now used by Conney is friendly to the environment and can be completely recycled. The paper itself is made from 100% recycled materials. Kraft paper also is a much cleaner material to handle.

"We have a very clean facility here," adds Elyafi. "We had noticed that before moving to paper, the only place in the facility that was constantly dirty was the packing area due to the dust from the peanuts."

Storage of the foam peanuts was also a problem. Elyafi would receive 100 bags of peanuts each week in two deliveries. Finding room for these near the packing lines was not easy. Today, the kraft paper is shipped flat in only five to six pallet loads every six weeks.

Two pack lines at Conney feature the new packing systems (FP International, 650-364-1145, www.fpintl.com). They consist of a dispensing machine controlled by a foot pedal. A worker steps on the pedal to release the proper amount of kraft paper at speeds up to 6.5 feet per second from 27-inch wide rolls. The machine automatically crumples the paper and then cuts it to a pre-set length. The speed and amount of paper dispensed can also be easily adjusted.

Most of the paper used in Conney's packing operations is for top fill, though the paper can also be used for blocking, bracing or lining within the cartons. Kraft paper can also be used to wrap products for added protection.

Elyafi says the new system is faster than the previous foam system and eliminates the static electricity associated with foam. It also provides better protection than other systems he investigated, such as air pillow systems, and is more cost effective.

"We are very pleased with the new packing system," he adds. "It has been a very good fit for us."