Please Follow Directions!

Some funny instructions written on packaging: 

On a Sears hairdryer:
"Do not use while sleeping."

On a bag of Fritos:
"You could be a winner! No purchase necessary. Details inside."

On a bar of Dial soap:
"Directions: Use like regular soap."

On some Swanson frozen dinners:
"Serving suggestion: Defrost."

On Tesco's Tiramisu dessert (printed on bottom):
"Do not turn upside down."

Marks & Spencer Bread Pudding:
"Product will be hot after heating."

On packaging for a Rowenta iron:
"Do not iron clothes on body."

On Boot's Children Cough Medicine:
"Do not drive a car or operate machinery after taking this medication."

On Nytol Sleep Aid:
"Warning: May cause drowsiness."

On most brands of Christmas lights:
"For indoor or outdoor use only."

On a Japanese food processor:
"Not to be used for the other use."

On Sainsbury's peanuts:
"Warning: contains nuts."

On an American Airlines packet of nuts:
"Instructions: Open packet, eat nuts."

On a child's superman costume:
"Wearing of this garment does not enable you to fly."

And my absolute favourite
On a Swedish chainsaw:
"Do not attempt to stop chain with your hands or genitals."

New Chicago!

Temple Inland plans a new graphic facility in Chicagoland, Chicago. and should be open in Jan 2012. Good Luck!

cBoxBid.com Managed Services: Save Time and Money by Letting us do the Legwork for you!

 Think of it as consultant level service without the consultant level pricing. 

(PRWEB) September 19, 2011 

As a cBoxBid.com Managed Services client, you’ll get all the benefits of sourcing your corrugated packaging through cBoxBid.com without having to post RFQs, constantly check your account, or give out your information to member manufacturers.

Here’s how it works:
If you don’t have a cBoxBid.com account, we can create one by giving us your information via phone or email.

• Once your account is created, you call or email every time you want to post an RFQ – or multiple RFQ’s. We’ll get your specs and deadline, then post and monitor the RFQ for you.
• You set the parameters. Notifications can be set for weekly, monthly, or quarterly reviews. Target pricing can be established, so that your notified when a price has been met. You can also check on your RFQ’s anytime by simply contacting us or logging into your account.
• When you want more information from a specific manufacturer or manufacturers, tell us what you want to know and we’ll get the answers for you without disclosing your identity.

It’s that simple!
cBoxBid.com makes no purchasing decisions on your behalf, nor do we serve as an official buyers agent. We simply do all the legwork and present you with the data you need to make a decision – all for a nominal fee much less than other sourcing sites or fee-based corrugated consultants.
###

http://cboxbid.com/ManagedServices.aspx

"how in the hell did you think of this?"

Many people have asked that question and I really enjoy explaining the journey called cBoxBid!

From a 3AM revelation, to a diagram on a napkin, to white sheets, to a website. Keep moving Forward! 

Experience:
Like many corrugated sales reps, I knocked on doors, spied on the loading docks, and followed delivery trucks! Each 'no' got me closer to 'yes'. Some days it felt like two steps forward, one step back! Then it hit me at 3AM one night. North America has at least five thousand corrugated manufacturing facilities ready to fold, cut, glue, print and deliver. Why not put what corrugated buyers requests online and in a format where manufacturers can submit a price?

Website Development:
My experience with selling corrugated to buyers AND selling those requests to the manufacturing team are evident when you sign on to cBoxBid.  I realize buyers are a tough group and wear many different hats. So we gave the website a level of autonomy that buyers really like:
 

 Buyers contact information and requests get turned into a RFQ number. The manufacturer just sees the  details to offer a price. The platform gives the buyer the ability stay behind a closed door but still get competitive pricing. 

Manufacturers can view buyers RFQ's and submit a price or not based on quantity, type, or colors.

The great thing about cBoxBid is we want and encourage buyers and manufacturers to discuss the order before a purchase order is placed. Small details like production dates, double stacking, strapping, even warehousing have to be discussed because this may affect final pricing. And we do this buying giving the buyer the ability to contact the manufacturer. 

Thanks for looking! 

If you have an idea and think I could be a resource, just contact me. Happy to help. 

Marc

 

 

 

Think recycling doesn't pay?

How to increase corrugated recycling revenue Step 1: Determine how much waste corrugated (OCC) you generate. Collect at least a week's worth of OCC in one location. Use a tape measure or a ruler to measure the volume of corrugated that is (pick one or more): Manually flattened and stacked. Compacted by machine and stacked. Baled by machine. Determine if the week's sample is representative. If not, sample over a longer time period. The volume of OCC collected in an average week multiplied by 52 weeks will show the volume you generate in a year. Make a list of contaminants in the corrugated, such as tape, foam padding, and plastic- or wax-coated corrugated. The more contamination, the lower the value of the OCC. You may also work with your suppliers to find alternative packaging methods or materials that eliminate these contaminants. Once you have estimated the volume of the waste OCC, you can calculate its weight with the following conversion figures. One cubic yard of OCC: Flattened and loose weighs about 300 lbs. Compacted weighs about 500 lbs. Baled weighs about 1,100 lbs. One cubic yard = 27 cubic feet = 46,656 cubic inches Now you know the approximate volume, weight and amount of contamination of the corrugated you have to sell. You also can see the reduced volume of waste still needing disposal in dumpsters. Step 2: Determine who should pick up the OCC. When you contact a hauler or recycler, ask: What is the price for recycling (your collected volume of corrugated)? What is the disposal cost (for your remaining volume of waste)? What can you do to increase the value of your waste corrugated? How often will the hauler pick up? Does the hauler provide any training materials or containers for recycling? If you generate large amounts of corrugated, some "end-use" manufacturers may provide large containers or trailers to store your baled material on site. If you generate small amounts, consider self-hauling to a drop-off center or cooperating with other nearby businesses to arrange joint collection. Step 3: Identify equipment needs. Is a baler in your future? Is it more cost-effective for you to supply your hauler with loose, compacted or baled corrugated? Loose or compacted OCC does not maximize value of the material like baled OCC does, but a even a basic baler will cost upwards of $5,000. Depending upon market conditions, you can expect about $20-40 more per ton for baled as opposed to compacted OCC. Does it pay to bale? The higher your volume, the faster the payback. There are two basic types of baling machines for OCC. Vertical (or downstroke) balers, which range from $5,000-40,000, are generally used by small- and medium-sized generators (minimum of 20 tons/year). Horizontal balers – which start around $20,000, but can range up to $700,000 for the largest syst–are often used by larger generators of OCC (125-300 tons/year). These balers are faster, have greater capacity, and make larger bales than vertical balers. The periodical Recycling Today did a special Baler Guide as a supplement to their February 1997 issue. This supplement goes into great depth about baler technology, includes a glossary and a vendor list, and is intended to help a company make an informed purchase decision. For a free reprint, call the OEA at 651-296-3417 or 800-657-3843 toll free. If the cost of new equipment is prohibitive, look for used or remanufactured equipment. Lease options for equipment are sometimes available from a hauler or processor. Organizations can explore having the equipment donated. Step 4: Implement recycling. To establish an effective recycling program, or to optimize your existing recycling efforts, consider the following measures. Designate specific locations for collection and storage. Clearly label locations and containers, listing both acceptable and non-acceptable materials. Pictures and samples of materials are effective teaching tools. Inform and train current employees, and include education about recycling and source reduction in the training of new employees. Keep material clean. Contaminants decrease its value. Keep recycling containers free of such things as wet, wax- or plastic-coated, and rice-husk fiber corrugated boxes; boxboard, like cereal or soda pop boxes; plastic, rubber or metal bands; and other paper types. Step 5: Ensure results. Once you have started a recycling program, continue to support your efforts. Create and post an environmental policy. Make recycling and resource conservation a part of everyone's job description. Have an "answer person." Provide a staff contact for answers to common recycling and waste reduction questions. Share these answers company-wide; many others may have the same question but weren't willing to ask. Track and publicize progress. Document the environmental and cost savings to motivate employees and to apply for recycling awards. For a list of local, state and national award programs call the OEA at 651-296-3417 or 800-657-3843 toll free. Recognize employee efforts. Include an "environmental" section in the company newsletter, or present certificates, letters of recognition, plaques or a free lunch to high achievers. Share the good news! Trade associations and the local media often want the leads. Let your employees and community know you care about the environment as well as the economy. Join Minnesota Waste Wise, a voluntary program to recognize and help business prevent waste. Remember source reduction A growing number of companies are finding that elimination, reduction and reuse of corrugated boxes is even more cost-effective than simply recycling OCC.

corrugated roller coaster

spent six months in Atlanta GA designing a roller coaster built entirely from corrugated boxes. "We expect the top speed of the roller coaster to be seventy three miles an hour, of course if it rains before the inaugural run, it will be considerably less, says Deye". Corrugated pricing has been up and down for the last year and that was the inspiration for the project.

Check out some of the coaster specs:

Length: 5315'
Height: 239' 6"
Drop: 219' 10"
Inversions: 0
Speed: 72.9 mph
Duration: 4:00
Max Vertical Angle: 68.5 Degrees
G-Force: 4
Elements: 239' 6" tall Lift Hill with a 219' 10" drop
Hill with a 160' 9" drop
Hill with a 134' 6" drop

How it started.

The cBoxBid.com seed was planted in 2006. The "what if" question popped into my mind and the wireframe/architecture was drafted on 8 1/2 x 11 sheets of paper. The seed was planted and the roots soon took. The name came to me while dead asleep. Corrugated Box Bid, then who'd want to type that out, but I know I wanted both buyers and manufacturers to visit to get the best deal. See Box Bid: cBoxBid.com Consequently cBoxBid.com became the US's first regional marketplace when other marketplaces were going to China. cBoxBid.com only deals with North American manufacturers.

brown paper!

cBoxBid.com's ONLY focus is the corrugated packaging business.

Still think corrugated is a regional marketplace?

China will make corrugated packaging a non-regional business. Manufacturers will have to employ the power of LTL shipping or outsourcing their delivery.


http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_GX/global/industries/manufacturing/process/841dbaf8497cd210VgnVCM1000001a56f00aRCRD.htm

Price Increase

Just in case you haven't heard - Longview Fiber announced a price increase for March 2011.

The corrugated industry needs the increase, but does yours?

a little PR for the cause...

New Managed Services from cBoxBid.com make corrugated sourcing
easier than ever.

cBoxBid.com, the online marketplace for corrugated packaging, introduces Managed Services – a new suite of services designed to further streamline corrugated sourcing. Perfect for purchasing professionals who need to source multiple packages but don’t have time for the legwork, Managed Services assigns a representative from cBoxBid.com to post and monitor RFQs, send updates, and even obtain answers to questions buyers may have for bidding manufacturers. The representative does not make any purchasing decisions or act as an official buyer’s agent.

Cost for the service is less than other sourcing sites and fee-based corrugated consultants.

cBoxBid President Marc Deye explains, “We developed Managed Services for purchasing professionals who:
• buy more than three different sizes of RSC, HSC, or other shipping containers,
• buy for several different locations,
• don’t have time to meet several different corrugated manufacturers, and
• want to maximize the value they get for their corrugated purchases.”

-more on page 2-



PAGE 2 OF 2

In exchange for a flat fee per part number (or individual package) sourced over a six month period, a cBoxBid Managed Services Representative does the following:

Posts RFQs to cBoxBid.com based on specs received via telephone or email.
Provides weekly email reports on live RFQs that can be filtered by bid price, manufacturer quality rating, potential delivery date, manufacturer proximity, and customer service rating.
Obtains answers to buyer questions from specific manufacturers and relays them to the buyer without disclosing the buyer’s identity.
Sets up direct contact between buyers and manufacturers when necessary.

To learn more, visit "http://www.cboxbid.com/BuyerSubscription.aspx" http://www.cboxbid.com/ManagedServices.aspx

cBoxBid.com is an online marketplace for corrugated packaging designed to
connect buyers and manufacturers of corrugated packaging. The site provides
value to buyers by giving them the best available pricing on the market while
giving them more control over the buying process and their time. It provides
value to manufacturers by providing qualified leads ready to buy now.
cBoxBid.com currently serves buyers at 194 companies in 36 states nationwide.

Rock Tenn - Smurfit Stone

Having worked for Smurfit and sold against Rock-Tenn, this is the best thing that ever happened to Smurfit. Watch for the mass exodus of management people leaving Smurfit, especially in Atlanta. Just my opinion.

estimating

Manufacturers watch your internal spend. Exspensive estimating systems won't do much good IF there is nothing to estimate.

Great new tool for purchasing corrugated packaging:

cBoxBid.com has a solution for purchasing professionals who don't have time to meet with multiple corrugated manufacturers but want real savings.

http://www.cboxbid.com/RFQManager.aspx

e-RFX and the corrugated packaging business

Hey corrugated manufacturers - Get out of your box and into the "cloud"!

The days of the "regional" box manufacturer are over. Old school sales methodologies are going the way of the horse whip; no solicitation, no receptionist, purchasing done at the corporate office, appointments only, hiding behind voice mail. "But wait, they buy boxes, I can see them on the loading docks". If you think your manufacturing facility is going to serve a radius of one to 150 miles, or a town, or one specific customer because of your equipment your doomed. If you believe a buyer won't change supplier because your a good guy, just wait. Competitors are shipping hundreds of miles into your backyard and you have no idea its happening. Those competitors are quoting your accounts right now.

The new buyer is online and building an e-RFx, RA, or a list of qualified bidders right now.