Total solutions, not just materials
Forever Green doesn't just sell packaging materials, we offer the whole package!
This considers the bigger picture of your products, packing operation and objectives. And then the bigger picture of how best to achieve it; the material; the equipment that makes or dispenses it; and the support that makes it work.
Across our three main product categories, that means;
- Air cushion systems, which turn compact rolls of film into best-fit protective cushions at the packing station
- Paper void fill & padded paper systems, which dispense paper in the quantity and form each pack needs
- Gummed paper tape dispensers, which deliver tape cut to optimum length, in any size or thickness, including custom-printed
Our 1 System: Many Jobs piece showed how one system can flex to many applications. The same underlying benefits apply to all three categories, and they are the reason we put the 'system' and 'material' on equal footing.
Systems mean;
- Right amount, not the nearest approximation. The system makes or dispenses what the pack needs, so there is no under or over-packing. The exact amount of material can be standardised for repeat orders, also allowing cost-management per pack.
- Made or dispensed on demand. Material comes off the machine at the packing station, so there's no stock of pre-made material to store, decant, reorder and/ or eventually write off if not used or spoiled. (Piece 8 covers the enormous savings in storage and deliveries.)
- Less handling, more consistency. It becomes easier for operators to develop their packing technique, meaning quicker packing and the same result each time. This consistency promotes protection and fewer damages. (Piece 11 explains why that matters more than it first appears.)
- Support built in. Demos, pack comparisons & tests, installation, system training, packing technique advice and ongoing site visits turn a machine into a solution that works for a range of orders.
Put simply, each of those benefits comes down to the same three things: Greener, Quicker, Cheaper.
To show what that looks like in detail, the rest of this piece takes one system as a good example: our Shadow Boxer Mk2 air cushion machine -in the attached graphic. We chose it because it's the most affordable machine and offers so much more than it costs, for a wide variety of packing operations. Our paper and tape systems bring the same principles, with their own specifics, and we'll cover those separately.
Greener
The environmental case rests on two things we've covered already.
The material. Throughout Series A, the independent life cycle evidence proves Polyethylene film has the lower environmental impact of all other materials including paper in over 90% of packaging applications. That’s based on like for like material. But then, when air cushion packaging is inflated you’re effectively packing with just air. Aka nothing, and the best cushioning and protection. Our film carries recycled content and is recyclable, with our Free Return 2 Recycle service, so it’s easy for the material to be disposed responsibly and used again in new products. We also supply Paper packaging as it suits some customers and wins for some jobs. In this post we explored when Paper wins. Recommending the right material for the job is our whole approach, while also following a customer’s lead.
The system. A system changes how much material is made, moved and stored before being used, and then supports the right amount and style of material when used:
- Optimum material. The cushion, bubble or quilt size is matched to the parcel. More air, less material, lower cost.
- Fewer, lighter deliveries. A roll of film is compact until it’s inflated when needed. One roll gives the void fill of 5+ bags of peanuts, so a business needs fewer deliveries of far less bulky material. Part 1 of the spotlight covers the detail. Packing with air also means no weight added to your parcels keeping freight costs down.
- Fewer damages. Better protective packaging saves the environmental cost of a damaged product. The impact saved by the right packaging hugely dwarfs the impact of the packaging itself, yet a system will still ensure the least material is used to avoid damages. Piece 11 explains why).
Quicker
Speed is where a machine and a roll of film differ most from shelves of pre-made material.
- Produced on demand. The packer doesn't fetch, unpack, shake out or top up bulky bags. The material comes off the machine at the packing station, in the size the parcel needs. The occasional quick roll change on the system is far quicker than the manual handling of bulky materials.
- Less handling. For example, a small roll for the machine replaces many bags of peanuts or rolls of pre-made bubble wrap that have to be stored, moved and decanted. Fewer deliveries to receive and put away means less time spent on that too.
- Throughput. For example, the Shadow Boxer Mk2 runs 16 metres of film a minute. The quicker throughput can mean multiple packers using the same machine.
Cheaper
The cost case comes from three savings that add up.
The film itself.
On an equivalent order quantity, ours cost 4.8p a metre (£24 for a 500mroll). versus Kite's equivalent which works out at 5.8p a metre (£26.22 for a 450m roll), so FGP film is about 17% cheaper per metre. FGP also has no minimum order beyond a single roll, where Kite's minimum is four rolls (£104.88). A business can order what it needs without tying up cash or storage space in stock. The machines themselves are similar in price, but the Shadow Boxer offers more, and the real savings are ongoing with the lower costs of the film. If using similar, let us know your current film usage and we’ll tailor lower prices than our website.
Against traditional materials.
Compared with peanuts and bubble wrap, our figures put FGP film at around 70% less expensive on like for like material used for the same packing. There will also be savings in fewer deliveries and more hidden savings such as saved storage or saved damages. At the lowest usage level in our payback table, the equivalent of 5+ bags of peanuts a month, the £295 machine pays for itself in about two months. At higher volumes it pays back in under a month.
The same logic applies to bubble wrap and any other bulky, pre-made material. Their large pre-formed nature means their intensive storage and transport costs, prior to being delivered, are factored in to their cost. Then you have the operational impact once they have been delivered. Also because it’s hard to control how much bubble wrap is used, invariably more is used than needed. It’s usually meant for wrapping but for ease it’s also used for void filling which is a very inefficient way of packing. Our machine bubble, however, is also good for wrapping and has bigger bubbles so more air, less material and less cost. And if there’s void filling needed too, a simple roll change will mean the right material used from the same machine.
The service
Free demonstration, Try Before You Buy option, free installation & training, free Return 2Recycle for film, and free loaned equipment for higher-volume users. These all lower the cost and the risk of getting started. The Shadow Boxer Mk2 and all our air cushion systems comes with this support.
The three reinforce each other
The three benefits aren't separate. Less material made and moved is cheaper and greener. A machine that makes cushions at the pack station is quicker and needs less storage space. Fewer damages are greener and cheaper. That is why we talk about a system rather than a product, whether the system is air cushion, paper void fill or gummed tape. A system changes the whole chain from delivery to you, and then to your customer's front door.
If you'd like to see whether the numbers and practicalities work for your own operation, pls get in touch. We'll talk through your volumes and, where it makes sense, arrange a demo and site visit.
