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Alleviating case material inventory pressures

Automated fanfold shipping case former saves furniture manufacturer time, labor, money, and storage space.

Shipped in stacks to maximize full trailer loads, the fanfold corrugated automatically unfolds as it feeds through the case forming machine.
Shipped in stacks to maximize full trailer loads, the fanfold corrugated automatically unfolds as it feeds through the case forming machine.

Lloyd/Flanders, Menominee, MI, specializes in the production of all-weather wicker furniture that is latex-coated and painted with polyester resin-based paints. A video demonstrating the furniture production process can be viewed at www.lloydflanders.com.


To package furniture for shipment, Lloyd/Flanders first applies 1.75-mil film bag covers to prevent the furniture from rubbing against the corrugated case walls during shipment. By making each shipping case the precisely correct size, the furniture company is able to eliminate the need for extra shipper filling and cushioning materials.


Lloyd/Flanders had been purchasing bundles of off-the-shelf corrugated case flats in some 300+ sizes. Case flat inventory maintenance, sorting, and case set up were very time-consuming. And when a particular box size was out of stock, the furniture order would sit on the plant floor, waiting for delivery of the new case flat shipment to the facility. Sometimes, the wait could be up to two weeks.


Realizing the inefficiencies of this situation, Lloyd/Flanders pursued a cutting-edge, lean manufacturing alternative and found Box On Demand. The automated, pre-programmed Box On Demand system enables the furniture maker to produce the exactly right-sized shipping case to mate to the furniture piece exactly when needed.


Installation and start-up

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