Home Guard Inc., Cornelius, NC, enlisted the services of Sonoco to get the kits out in time. The kits contain items such as a backpack, biohazard waste bag, gloves, radio, water bag, flashlight, water pouches, batteries, and tear-and-pour packets of water—in point-of-purchase displays and in custom-designed corrugated boxes.
Home Guard contacted Sonoco after it learned that its original P-O-P display designer could not deliver assembled kits or displays in time. About half of the kit pieces were shipped from overseas. According to Sonoco, the sea containers with those pieces were re-routed to Sonoco CorrFlex’s Rural Hall, NC, assembly facility. Between 500 and 1ꯠ temporary workers put in overtime during the Labor Day weekend to ready the kits for shipping and distribution. Kits were available for sale at major media outlets, Coast Guard Exchanges, and Discovery, Wal-Mart, BJ’s, Costco, and Sam’s Clubs stores by September 9.
“We couldn’t have done it without Sonoco’s customer-centered fulfillment, P-O-P displays, product-packaging knowledge, and distribution know-how,” exclaims Bob Confoy, Home Guard’s president. “The first shipment won’t begin to meet what the need seems to be, so we think this is just the beginning.”
