Pharmaceutical and Medical Packaging News Magazine
PMPN Article Index

Originally Published May 1998

CASE HISTORY

Manufacturer Turns to Paper Packaging

When Cottrell Ltd. (Englewood, CO), a manufacturer of infection control products ranging from disinfectants to medical gloves, expanded its business to foreign markets, it found that its packaging materials didn't meet the needs of its European customers. "As we began to move into foreign markets, we realized that what is acceptable packaging material in the United States isn't necessarily so in Europe," explains Mark Frampton, director of manufacturing.

Paper pads for cushioning items in any size or shape can be created in seconds by PadPak Jr.

Cottrell had tried shipping its products with bubble-wrap and expanded polystyrene (EPS) peanuts but did not meet with success. "Most of our customers required that we not ship any of our products with EPS peanuts," says distribution manager Kevin Murray. "They are messy when unpacking and leave a dusty film on the products. Those kinds of results totally go against what our products are meant to do. From production to packaging, it is important that we maintain the integrity of our products. And we just could not produce those results with peanuts."

So Cottrell's packaging engineers went in search of an effective packaging alternative to EPS peanuts and bubble-wrap that could withstand shipping, meet European and medical market demands, and still be cost-efficient. What they found was the PadPak Jr. packaging system from Ranpak Corp. (Concord Township, OH).

PadPak Jr. is the compact, portable, and lightweight version of Ranpak's widely used PadPak, which creates protective packaging materials on a just-in-time basis by converting rolls of multiple-ply kraft paper into flexible pads. In just a few seconds, the PadPak converter creates 8-in.-wide pads made of multiple layers of paper and air. The pads cushion items in any size, shape, and weight. They are also recyclable and biodegradable. "Paper is the only packaging material that is acceptable both here and in Europe, so PadPak Jr. was really able to provide us with what we needed," says Frampton.

Cottrell also found that use of the system enabled them to reduce shipping, storage, and labor costs. Unlike with the use of EPS peanuts, PadPak Jr. only creates packaging that is needed and requires no cleanup. In most applications, operators use approximately 10 to 15% less material than do other packaging techniques, and they can use packing cartons that are generally 25% smaller. And a 36-roll pallet of PadPak paper requires only 20 sq ft of storage space. Each roll is 30 in. wide, weighs about 35 lb, and yields 60 cu ft of void fill. According to Ranpak, it takes approximately 107 14-cu-ft bags of loose fill to equal the yield of one pallet of PadPak paper.

Cottrell also found the cushioning pads to be more reliable than EPS peanuts. "PadPak pads don't settle like peanuts do," explains Murray. "So when we use them for cushioning or bracing, we know that the products will arrive the same way they were sent."

In addition to providing both the paper-converting equipment and the kraft paper, Ranpak maintains a staff of packaging engineers who show clients how to use the system effectively.