FOCUS Roll Handling Fiber cradles protect with care
A speciality films manufacturer is making considerable savings with the installation of recycled fiber cradles from Rollguard which are used to protect rolls in transit
Nitto Europe makes specialty films and tapes for use in the automotive, electronics, paper and printing, building and construction, aerospace and medical industries around the
world. The company was looking for an alternative to the wooden block cradles it was using to ship rolls horizontally on pallets. An ocean away, Rollguard, part of Great Northern Corporation’s Specialty Group, has provided the solution. “First we went from pyramid to block packaging because then the load is stackable,” says Danny Timmermans, purchasing and logistics packaging specialist for Nitto Europe. “What we were using for our block packaging were wooden blocks with cradle diameters that were customised for our rolls. The wooden cradles were put under and between the layers of rolls on pallets.”
Maximising space The stackability allowed them to maximise the space in the trucks, rail cars and ships that carry the rolls to customers in North America, Europe and south east Asia. However, the wooden blocks sometimes caused product damage. “If you put two or three pallets on top of each other, the weight on the blocks could
www.convertermag.co.uk
crush the core the film was wrapped around,” explains Timmermans. “That would make the roll unusable for the end customer who could not fit the misshapen core on their machines. Looking for alternatives, I found Rollguard cradles on the internet and was intrigued. It’s hard to find cradles of comparable quality in this area so I had some samples sent to us. When the cradles arrived, everyone was amused because the material looked like egg cartons and they were used to the wooden supports; they said: what are they trying to do now? But these fiber cradles hug the rolls better so the pallets became a lot more stable. The production personnel were won over and we switched in February 2010.” Rollguard is well known in North America as the leading developer and supplier of sustainable protective packaging systems for rolled and cylindrical products. Its signature product line of recycled fiber roll cradles offers strength, protection and cost efficiency in a ‘green’ packaging solution that can be easily customised to fit nearly any roll or cylindrical protective packaging situation. Nitto Europe is using three different sizes
of Rollguard recycled fiber roll cradles in configurations that allow three, four or five rolls per layer. The rolls typically range in length from 1000 to 2600 centimeters (394 to
1024 inches); in diameter from 160 to 350 millimeters (6 to 14 inches); and in weight from 10 to 30 kilograms (22 to 66 pounds). “Rollguard helped me with advice on the
best way to configure the strapping bands so that the rolls are hugged very tightly,” says Timmermans who has been pleased with the resulting load stability. “We have been able to use email and pictures to overcome any challenges encountered.”
Customised solution The nearly 4000-miles between Belgium and Wisconsin has not prevented Rollguard from working out customised solutions and providing support. The company’s experience in exporting and working with distant customers has proved valuable to international clients including Nitto. “We are proud of the international expertise we have developed,” says Rollguard’s general manager Rob Swannell. “With our export experience and growing reputation for reliability and customer service in Europe, we try to make customers such as Nitto Europe feel they are working with a partner who is not far away - just around the corner.” Any initial concerns about the geographic distance and shipping the molded pulp cradles in 40-foot containers across the Atlantic were quickly put to rest.
October 2012 25
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36