Which BOX is Best For Your Product

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	AMRAT PACKAGING

WHY ARE CORRUGATED FIBRE BOARD BOXES BETTER.

For the past century, the corrugated box has been accepted as the preferred shipping container for nearly all goods , replacing wooden boxes. Today a new contender is vying for attention in selected markets: the plastic crate.

Plastic crate manufacturers claim they reduce shipping container acquisition and disposal costs through repeated use. This new product may seem attractive because the recipient of goods seems to be absolved of container disposal costs. However, in many instances these costs creep back in and even multiply when plastic crates are adopted without assessing the total system impact of switching containers.

Myth: Plastic crates are more environmentally friendly than corrugated.

While plastic crates are reusable, they are made from a non-renewable resource: fossil fuels.Also there is wide awairness about depleting green cover all arond the world and need to conserve wood. A significant percentage of plastic goods are ultimately deposited in landfills where they do not degrade.Wooden packaging materials do not ever get recycled .

Corrugated boxes are made from a renewable resource, and this fiber is reused over and over again. In fact, corrugated has one of the best recovery and recycling records of any packaging material. Currently, 75 percent of all corrugated is recovered for reuse. The corrugated industry needs to recover its product to make more boxes—which almost always include substantial recycled content—and end users derive revenues from the sale of UCC (used corrugated containers).

THE HIDDEN COSTS OF PLASTIC CRATES

Less Product Protection
Inherently rigid plastic crates provide less product cushioning and protection from scuffing and bruising. These containers have only a small number of standard sizes; not all products fit well into these sizes so dunnage (typically corrugated) is required to keep product from shifting. The additional expense of dunnage can be significant.

High Initial Investment
Considerable costs will be incurred to produce enough to support a plastic logistic system. Packing methods and equipment may have to be modified to accommodate the new shipping container.

Increased Shipping Cost
Plastic crates have higher weight and poor shipping density, which tend to increase shipping costs vs. products shipped in corrugated.

Back-Shipping
Plastic systems incur the cost of shipping containers back to the original user (including trucking, gas, mileage and labor). It has been estimated that when products are shipped in plastic crates, one out of every four to five truckloads is dedicated to returning containers to the original user.

Increased Storage and Handling
The packager and end user are likely to have additional handling and storage costs associated with plastic crates. It may be expensive for the packer to install this storage space close to manufacturing operations. Growers must redistribute the crates back to harvesting areas, which change on a daily basis.

Mandatory Cleaning
Plastic crates cannot be reused if they are contaminated with food and other refuse. Somewhere in the system the crates must be washed, creating up-front costs, ongoing labor and possible sanitation concerns.

Tracking and Inventory
It is time-consuming and difficult to keep track of where the plastic crates are in the distribution system. The crates can be returned to the wrong user, creating a shortfall of containers elsewhere. To ensure the availability of containers for just-in-time delivery, some manufacturers carry back-up corrugated boxes—at additional expense in capital and space.

Replacement Costs
Due to loss, theft or breakage, it has been estimated that up to 25 percent of the plastic crates in use during a given year will have to be replaced. That means the initial capital investment in plastic containers never really ends.

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES OF CORRUGATED

Product Cushioning
The fluted construction of a corrugated box protects products with built-in air cushioning.

Low Initial Cost
One-way corrugated containers are a small fraction of the cost of plastic. Users incur no costs to fill the distribution channel or replace inevitable shortfalls. Subsequent package design changes are inexpensive. It’s an economical, pay-only-for-what-you-need system.

Custom Design
Corrugated boxes are computer designed to maximize protection and shipping density, create shelf appeal and minimize product handling, to name just a few.

Fast to Market
Corrugated containers can be available in days or even hours. Even when product designs are changed last minute, the container will be ready to meet shipping deadlines.

Low Shipping Costs
Corrugated’s light weight, high stacking strength and space-efficient packing geometry provide for lower shipping costs than plastic crates. In fact, the end user will be paid for recovering used corrugated. And there are no back-shipping expenses.

Marketing Benefits
The corrugated box is a billboard for brand identification and product information. Many products have enhanced corrugated containers with high-end graphic labels or direct printing to make corrugated the primary package all the way to the sales floor. This reduces packaging costs for the manufacturer and handling costs for the retailer.

Easy Breakdown and Storage
Before use, corrugated lies flat for space-efficient storage. It also easily breaks down to store for subsequent recovery.

Problem Solving
Because of corrugated’s inherent design flexibility , it’s easy to have a corrugated container designed and supplied to meet your particular packaging or shipping needs.