The Manufacturing Process of Cardboard Boxes

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Historical Relevance

The journey of cardboard boxes starts in Germany in the year 1817. It was the first time that it was used as a commercial product in England. Later in 1840, the French were the first people to use this type of packaging for shipment. The first product to be shipped was silk producing moth and its eggs by fabric manufacturers of Valreas. About a century later, with the increase in the consumption of boxed breakfast cereals, cardboard boxes became an essential item for the marketing and retailing process.

Pre-cut cardboard boxes were made without intention by a Scottish painter in America around the year 1870. The following four years saw the construction of the biggest production house of corrugated board boxes in New York which produced the type of cardboard which is used in making boxes in today’s time. The year 1900 saw the replacement of wooden boxes with cardboard boxes for shipment purpose.

Processing material

Usually, these boxes are made out of a pine tree. To ensure that the natural resources remain intact, companies are using the vast areas of lands to grow these trees. Using this technique, new plants are quickly planted when the old ones are harvested. Cardboards are usually made from softwood plants, and therefore they result in soft and bendable material for packaging. The term cardboard is replaceable as it is not vast enough to depict all types of box materials that fall under this category. Some common material names used for the manufacturing process are:

1- Paperboard - 0.25mm thick cardboard

2- Fibreboard - a corrugated box made out of paper

3- Paper – sleek material for packaging and designing

4- Hardwood – to make heavy cartons for shipment

Environmental factors

Cardboards are a good alternative for the regular material that is plastic. The time it takes for the plastic to go near decomposition is more than 2000 years. This is an alarming situation, and therefore, many companies prefer using recycled material to make cardboard boxes. The main element used in the manufacturing of a cardboard box is a flute which is placed in-between two liners. A flute is a recycled board while liners are sheets that encase it. Old cardboards or the used paper is generally used as a flute. This trick prevents the cutting down of more trees for creating something that is not even visible while also reducing the amount of smoke that will pollute the Earth during production.

Styling phase

Shaping the marketing industry with high-quality designs and patterns, cardboard boxes are making a breakthrough with each passing year. Since the year they were first produced to the latest date, new ways to beautify the packaging are being introduced in the production houses. To match the needs of the specific products, die cutting is regularly used. By shaping the box in a way that suits your demands makes cardboard boxes a flexible choice in the marketing point of view. Styling the containers with vibrant colours and quality artworks makes them stand out in the market. Customization of these boxes is the main focus of almost every brand so that the box can be recognized as their own and let the customer understand which company is looking after their needs and is aiming for their satisfaction.

Latest problems call for the latest solutions, and that is why computers are being installed in the manufacturing process to print the boxes. Digital printing is coming up in the market as the customers are demanding for it more and more every day. State of the art software and image graphing tools are at the disposal of skilled technicians who waste no time in turning the paper-based design to pixels.

Manufacturing

1- Raw form

Trees from special lands are brought down to the production houses to be processed into becoming good cardboard. This cardboard is then turned into a box. Pine and fir trees are special selections of the harvesters because of their long fibers. These fibers are entangled with each other, and thus, they provide an element of strength and agility to the cardboard. The fewer breaks there are in the wood, the smoother will be the texture of the box in the end.

2- Pulping

The timber collected is then cut down into wood chips. A batch digest is used for cooking the stripped pieces of wood. While the digester is mixing the chips in a special solution, a hint of the selected amount of sodium hydroxide is added in the process. This is an important part of pulping as it helps to hold each string of the wood firmly. A certain amount of pressure is inserted in the cooker, and when the pressure reaches a limit, it’s only then that wood completely breaks down and becomes a mass of fibers. This pulp like substance is then passed on for further processing.

The next step is to push this material to a Fourdrinier machine which converts this mush into a decent looking paper. As soon as the paper is formed, it moves on to pressure rollers that process the raw form of paper into a well-textured paper. From there, the paper is selected to become a good choice for the kraft paper.

Kraft paper is used as a medium and a liner for the making of corrugated cardboard. The choice of the type of paper lies with the customer, and their requirements as the selection of this ingredient determine the strength of the box.

3- Corrugation

A corrugator is a machine that is used in this step. It takes a roll of corrugated cardboard at one roller and rolls it with the liners from another roller only to be glued together into a flat surface. This surface is known as a bridge. Automated machines are designed in such a way that process is continuous, thus confirming the quality of the final product and resulting in no loss of speed.

To integrate the cardboard, liners, and mediums altogether, a certain amount of set heat is applied in the final stage of corrugation. About 350 to 365 degrees Fahrenheit is applied to the cardboard mixture.

4- Sculpturing

Finally, the cardboard is ready to become a box. It is time to cut the card according to the requirements of the box that the client has asked for. Machines are set up in a particular order to cut the cardboard according to the demand. Once cut, a device called trimmer takes the pieces to it for stencilling the flaps, cuts, or designs that are required on the customized packaging.

Here the final product is also monitored in order to score it. Once the box passes the test, it is forwarded to an assembly line.

5- Integration

Here the final touches are made in the box. All the unnecessary pieces are cut off and sent to the recycling process to be used in the making of other corrugated cardboard packages.

Standardization

If not unique, the manufactured product should at least meet the industry standards that are being set by the companies already working in the market. For this, a number of tests are designed at almost every phase. The rules and benchmarks are set by market experts and capable design teams that have a detailed knowledge about the production of the boxes as well as what the customer is looking for in their packaging. All these rules make sure that when the cardboard passes through that particular field, it touches the set standardization bars.

Tests like The Cobb test are used to ensure the moisture intensity of the box whereas for steps of gluing, bursting, and compression, a separate test is designed and implemented. All the boxes are different in their size and nature. Therefore, all the containers take a customized dimensional test to prove their worth. After being through all these automated assessments, boxes move on to the possession of skilled workers at the near end of the production cycle. Before going to the final step, people check that no disrupted or damaged box is passed on.

What’s next?

New techniques are being pondered upon in order to make the manufacturing process even more advanced. Improvement in the material and steps can get the production to take a positive step ahead in the future.

With the Earth being on the verge of warming up a considerable number of degrees in the coming years, elimination of haphazard materials has become necessary. For this corrugated boxes are the preferred choice in the current market. Opposing the use of plastics and big wooden crates that serve the same purpose as these biodegradable boxes, the choice of opting for a reasonable material is very obvious. A significant drop in the consumption of plastics in leading countries has ultimately made the world turn towards this form of manufacturing.

It is a relatively smart solution, like the use of trees from specified areas is always encouraged. Those farms help to balance the equation and not let the cutting of trees make a lot of changes in the environment itself. It falls down on the shoulders of leading pioneers like yourself to take this initiative seriously and lead the world of marketing to a better place.

9 Tips for a Smooth Initial Interview

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Job interviews are stressful for both the applicant and interviewer alike. It’s in everyone’s interest to keep things running smoothly, not only to improve the applicant’s chances of getting the job but to avoid any bad impressions later on.


Here are 9 tips to keep that initial interview running smooth and (mostly) stress-free.

1.) Look up the most common interview questions

Regardless of the position you’re interviewing for, make sure to look up the most common job interview questions and the usual answers to them. Chances are, the interviewer will ask at least a couple of them and you want to be ready with something in case they do.

2.) Practice

Ask a friend or family member to help you practice being interviewed. This can help a lot more than you might expect by allowing you to be in the right mindset ahead of time. You’ll also be able to look for gaps in your preparation and fix them before the real interview begins.

3.) Research your target companies extensively

Check out the organization’s website and social media pages as well as third party sites to get a good idea about the company’s current and future projects as well as the general culture within the company. This will come in handy later in the interview, as the interviewer will likely expect that you have questions.

4.) Dress appropriately

“Appropriate” doesn’t necessarily mean you will have to wear formal attire, though that might be a must in a few companies. More often, it means dressing up close to or slightly above the standard employee dress code. If in doubt, though, it’s always better to be overdressed rather than underdressed for your job interview.

5.) Eat a nutritious breakfast

You might have to wait a long time for your turn to be interviewed. Make sure you have enough energy to get through the day. Bringing a light snack might not be a bad idea either, so long as you observe proper etiquette.

6.) Avoid being too passive

Many Filipinos tend to be passive in professional settings. Unfortunately, in the context of many multinational organizations, this passivity is often misread as a lack of interest or understanding. Try to make it clear that you are interested in the job and that you are prepared with good questions during the interview.

7.) Take control over your responsibilities as an applicant

Applicants should be on time, be prepared with the right questions, have a pen and notebook on hand, and be prepared to own up to any mistakes they make. If you follow through with all the things you are responsible for, chances are the interviewer or hiring manager will notice. Even if they don’t, they will certainly notice it (for all the wrong reasons) if you show a lack of responsibility during the interview.


8.) Don’t lie

Many interviewers expect applicants to lie to them, which can often lead to an adversarial, though short, relationship. Be as truthful and as forward as you need to be without giving away any personal details. This will help both you and the interviewer stay positive, which can mean a better chance for a second or final interview.


9.) Be on your best behavior

It’s too bad it has to be said, but many HR professionals have noted that many applicants often exhibit all types of inappropriate behavior, ranging from making sexual comments about employees to failing to throw away their trash properly. Rudeness will probably cause your interview to fail, quite spectacularly.

With your amped-up interviewing skills, it’s time to find your perfect job with Mynimo. Mynimo’s localization makes it simple to find the right job close to home, wherever you are in the Philippines.

Fashion Favors the Bold

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Let your style reach new heights with the SM Woman Plus collection.

As far as fashion is concerned, sky is the limit, and SM Woman Plus has endless possibilities to a world of style. SM Woman Plus does three of fashion’s most massive trends, turning classic themes into of-the-moment pieces that still withstand trend and season.


BLACK AND WHITE

Opposites attract, and this classic non-color fashion duo will attest to that. Whether worn separately or as a tandem, blacks and whites set the tone of the look, tempering a vibrant matching piece or polishing an otherwise rugged combination. However you wear it, you can’t go wrong with black and white.

Style tips:

Elongate legs instantly with a pair of black pants.

Use optical illusions to your advantage! Achieve a glass-shaped figure by cinching a black and white dress with a slim black belt.

Freshen up a black and white look by topping it off with a dark denim jacket.

Make black and white separates pop with a crisp white top.

DENIM

What’s a girl to do without denim? Fashion’s legendary neutral fabric, denim offsets just about any piece in your wardrobe—sparkle, flounce, even denim itself! Universal in function, denim looks are acceptable in just about any function. Take it to the beach, to the boardroom, and even in formal occasions—if styled correctly! Trends may come and go, but this trusty textile is here to stay.


Style tips:

Monochromatic denim isn’t all about blue! Pair green denim overalls with a green tee and green denim jacket

Add a feminine touch to your denim pencil skirt with a ruffled cold-shoulder top.

Make your denim on denim outfit look fresh by pairing different denim washes.


PASTELS AND NEUTRALS

It’s 2019—have no fear with color! Nail the ultimate millennial shade palette: muted pastels and nudes. Building a colorful wardrobe is an uphill climb: start with casual tops, invest in safe bottoms, then play your way to all kinds of frills and details! Don’t even worry about logically matching colors—these pretty tones have a way of sorting (and styling) themselves out.


Style Tips:

No brainer monochromatic pastels are a must—they make your five minute look instantly look put-together!

Milk the millennial pink craze: a pastel pink jumpsuit is the perfect go-to piece you never knew you needed.

Afraid light colors might be unflattering? Throw rules out the window, happy shades make you look easy on the eyes.


Follow @SMWoman on Instagram and Facebook for more fashion inspiration, and to find out about their latest collections and amazing deals