Pure Fishing of Columbia, S.C., had a problem. How do you ship fishing rods—some in need of a 96-inch long box—efficiently with no void fill? The company went to ProMat 2011, fishing for answers and found the solution.
William Calvert of Pure Fishing saw a pack containing, of all things, a fishing rod. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I looked down and saw exactly what we had been looking for,” says Calvert.
The patented package uses no void fill and comes ready to use. It is manufactured with a corrugated outer and has a film or cohesive paper substrate laminated to it. It is supplied flat, and can be assembled by hand or auto-erected. The substrate is folded around the product, the cohesive on the paper style holds the product firmly in place and, in the case of the film, it’s passed through a heat tunnel and held tightly in position.
A representative from the packaging provider noted that a 96-inch fishing rod was unlike anything his company had ever packaged, but he knew his products were up to the unique challenge. Within days following the show, the design process began. In addition to finding the right package, the provider considered all aspects of the packing and shipping process.
Internal design was followed by internal testing, where a design was chosen and samples were created. A shrink system was then installed, and Pure Fishing was ready for field testing. “We couldn’t believe how quickly they came up with a solution,” says Calvert. “Within five weeks of ProMat, we had a solution and the system ready to use. It was amazing.”
Field trials have delivered excellent results. Customer feedback has been positive with zero damages. Productivity has gone up and overall costs are down, says Calvert, who says he intends to convert all packaging to the new provider.
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