Innovation
We collaborate with you to develop innovative packaging solutions tailored to your business. Our approach works because it’s focused on one thing – delivering solutions that drive real value.
Revolutionizing the industry, one product at a time.
Our state-of-the-art Innovation Institute®, located in Norcross, Georgia, simulates real-world retail and packaging environments to test concepts. It also features materials and packaging testing labs that are maintained at Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) conditions.
We partner with you to analyze your entire supply chain using a proven 5-step process to develop innovative packaging solutions that deliver real business impact.
Our method works because everything we do is focused on adding value. From start to finish, our actions, tools, and processes are designed to help your products stand out and move off the shelf.
And the best part? We get to do what we love – create smart, effective packaging solutions that make a difference.
Every innovation needs consistency…
By applying our reliable 5-step process to guide ideation, product development and design, we free ourselves to create within a set of parameters we decide on together.
Our 5-Step Innovation Process includes the following:
Step 1: Research
Review all existing options – including competitive packaging; establish design, supply chain and end-use requirements or constraints. Develop success criteria.
Step 2: Ideation
Generate and develop design concepts. Check initial filter of concepts vs. success criteria. Present for initial evaluation and discussion.
Step 3: Evaluation & Alignment
Iterative design development of selected concepts including prototype production and testing feedback to refine designs. Gain alignment on concept selection.
Step 4: Validation
Conduct lab testing to simulate difficult supply chain scenarios and confirm design features. Then, scale up and perform production trials, customer trials and supply chain trials.
Step 5: Implementation
Set functional specifications. Begin production. Gather ongoing feedback from supply chain to refine specifications.
Research & Development
We believe there are always new opportunities to reduce supply chain costs, boost shelf velocity and drive meaningful sustainability improvements. And we’re committed to finding them, whether they’re new to us, our industry or the world. From concept to design to testing, we bring ideas to life in our all-in-one facility featuring an ISTA®-certified lab. That means we can quickly develop, test, and deliver packaging solutions that work for you – and your customers.
Education
Our Packaging Fundamentals class offers the essentials of corrugated manufacturing processes from the forest to the paper mill to the finished package. You’ll leave with an invaluable understanding of the vast array of corrugated packaging options.
Innovation Platforms
Materials Innovation
Get down to basics – we strive to get the most out of every fiber, to make better paper, better board and better boxes. We’re continuously innovating with raw materials, coatings, compositions, assemblies and structures, so your custom solution performs optimally – it’s basic.
InstiFlute® is a new corrugated flute profile that delivers optimized print quality and logistics efficiency while maintaining strength. InstiFlute falls between B-flute and E-flute in caliper and flutes per foot.
Greenshield® is a family of packaging solutions that offers a recyclable and printable line of moisture barrier corrugated packaging that is specifically designed to resist moisture.
Process Innovation
Push the envelope – we aggressively challenge and re-think our production processes and equipment to drive out costs while continuing to deliver high quality products for you.
Performance Packaging combines advanced analytical tools, proprietary substrates and advanced measurement technology tools that gives you the confidence that you are getting what you need from your packaging – delivering improved consistence with the strength and reliability that you need.
Packaging Design
Strong by design – smart engineering yields strong and efficient boxes that meet customer requirements, protect products and optimize total cost. Our engineers, scientists and structural designers use state-of-the-art modeling, testing and simulation capabilities to deliver superior structural designs that drive step change improvement and box functionality.
Engineered Packaging (EP) is a family of structural design techniques that optimize box or system compression performance. Compressing a box through it’s point of failure allows us to evaluate what design techniques may be the most valuable to a unique solution.
Successful EP solutions are based on applying patented Strength Reinforcement Technologies (SRTs) at strategically-identified areas to enable the individual panels to function under load as a unit which optimizes total box performance.
Supply Chain Optimization
See-Find-Save – we develop innovative solutions and practices that drive out costs within GP’s and our customers’ supply chains helping us both meet the demand for more efficient and effective supply chains.
Brand Solutions
Cut through clutter – your package can be the best billboard for your brand. It influences how consumers shop and builds loyalty for your brand. Our understanding of insights informs how we apply the latest print and graphic technologies to speak to shoppers and meet retailer specifications, with durability at its core.
Brand Ready Packaging (BRP) is our innovative packaging platform that incorporates innovative design and new technology. BRP moves your secondary packaging from a cost of goods to an element of the marketing mix. With high-quality appearance, real merchandising functionality and dramatic on-shelf brand impact, BRP makes the money you spend on packaging work harder. Similar to Retail Ready or Shelf Ready, our branded solutions meet your retail needs as easy to identify, easy to open, easy to replenish, easy to shop and easy to recycle. We have display, eComm and high graphics capabilities that will Let Your Packaging Tell Your Story.
Clean and Easy-Perf® is the perforation solution for your on-shelf packaging needs. A proprietary process uniquely designed to deliver superior performance and shelf appearance makes packages easier to open with a cleaner edge for superior shelf display. Our custom suite of solutions combines design know-how to promote box strength and supply chain survivability for perforated cases.
Packaging Systems Optimization (PSO®)
Packaging Systems Optimization (PSO®) is a proven consultative process designed to uncover opportunities that save you money and enhance sustainability across your corrugated supply chain. As a branded, process-based service, PSO® is uniquely built to optimize key areas of your packaging operations. We offer customized scopes of engagement – each tailored to deliver targeted, measurable benefits.
E-Commerce Solutions
Our dedicated eTeam works alongside packaging customers to help identify cost-saving opportunities and navigate the challenging eCommerce environment. We begin by understanding your goals, needs and constraints, and have a variety of services to meet your needs.
Evaluation & Testing
At the Innovation Institute® labs, we put your packaging to the test – literally. Our state-of-the-art facility is built to evaluate performance through rigorous, real-world testing. Our skilled technicians and designers work together to develop the right solution for your needs, using precise testing, data analysis, and design validation to ensure your packaging performs where it matters most.
Materials Testing Lab
Our Materials Testing Lab is maintained at TAPPI-standard test conditions to ensure consistent, reliable results. Here, we perform a wide range of critical tests on liners, mediums and combined boards. Using advanced testing protocols and proprietary packaging strength software, we can predict structural integrity and optimize board performance – helping you achieve the right balance of strength, efficiency, and cost.
Transportation Testing Lab
Our Transportation Testing Lab is where we put your packaging to the test – simulating real-world supply chain conditions to make sure it holds up every step of the way. Maintained at TAPPI-standard conditions, the lab can replicate the forces your product experiences during handling, transportation, and warehousing – whether as individual packages or full pallets. As an ISTA-certified facility, we conduct a wide range of ISTA, ASTM, and other transportation testing protocols to validate packaging durability and performance.
We’re also a proud member of Amazon’s APASS network, which means we can test and certify your packaging to meet Amazon’s requirements.
Environmental Chambers
Our environmental chambers provide packaging with exposure to real life environmental conditions with three different walk-in chamber environments. They provide the ability to simulate freezing to high temperatures, low to high humidity, and everything in between. We can handle everything from small samples to multiple pallets of product.