Glen Dimplex

2005 Starpack Award Winning Transit Pack Design

"The protective EPS packaging designed by Styropack, guarantees that the quality of our product is maintained from the point of production to the point of installation."
Graham Bonner, Purchasing Director, Glen Dimplex Home Appliances

Investing the time and money to end up with a perfect packaging solution for its high value cookers is a crucial part of the production process according to Graham Bonner, Purchasing Director, Glen Dimplex Home Appliances.

"We have an excellent relationship with Styropack - a true partnership. We worked together to design and test a new pack for our cookers that would meet all our requirements and deliver the optimum performance that we demand," says Graham.

The result is an EPS (expanded polystyrene) and timber insert composite pack. The smart design means that the packaging can be used on three different heights of cooker, it can be clamped from all sides and it is easier to handle and 20% lighter than the previous pack.

"The protective performance of the new packaging is outstanding," says Graham. "Styropack used CNC (computer numerically controlled) cutting equipment to manufacture accurate prototypes of the proposed packaging. That enabled us to put trial packs through a rigorous testing programme before we commissioned the tool.

"We put cookers in the prototype packs and stacked them six or eight high to check they stood straight and did not crush each other. Then we flung them on lorries and drove them all over the country and we sent them to retailers like Curries to be fork lifted, clamped and stacked in their warehouse. After all that, we checked the cookers and the packs to see how they could be improved even further,2 reports Graham.

The work and investment in the new pack has paid for itself, as Graham explains: "The new pack is more expensive than the old one, but the drop in damage and returns costs have paid for the pack - with the added bonus that we have increased customer satisfaction and loyalty to our brand.

"However good our product is, if it arrives at a customer's home damaged, it gives us a bad name. Our longstanding and very positive relationship with Styropack helps us to maintain our quality brand identity and, I am pleased to say, customer perception of our products is very high."

The New Styropack Design Achieved:

20% reduction in pack weight
20% saving in assembly/packing time
30% increase in pack strength
100% improvement in storage capacity (can stack up to six high)
30% reduction in customer returns due to product damaged on arrival