Gift Fulfillment Services distributes thousands of high-end gift baskets to florists, catalogers, gift shops and grocery chains around the country each year. With all those baskets in need of packaging, it's not surprising the company wanted to improve its product protection methods. The company had been using plastic packaging peanuts, but wanted cleaner, easier-to-use dunnage.

Company president Gerard Candeloro reviewed an array of packaging systems before making a final decision. One inflatable packaging system stood out from the pack. The system fills rolls of un-inflated film with air, creating 10-inch wide, sealed cushions that secure gift items in shipping cartons.

During the trial run, Candeloro says the system "consistently delivered optimum performance." But the big test came when the company's fourth quarter rolled around. That's when Gift Fulfillment experiences a sharp increase in sales, and starts pre-packing early.

"We were pleased to discover that cushions produced by [the inflatable packaging] system at the start of the fourth quarter held their air," says Candeloro.

The new system yields more packaging while occupying less space. Inflating machines are installed along with two hoppers, which hold approximately 1,200 cushions each and serve up to six people. Un-inflated film is in large rolls, and is deposited into the hoppers after inflation.

Gift Fulfillment, which previously needed 1,400 cubic feet to store 100 bags of loose fill peanuts, now needs only 55 cubic feet to store the equivalent of 482 bags of loose fill.