Steady change has been a constant for marketing material printing specialists Holland & Crosby for more than 80 years. Based just outside of Toronto, Canada in Mississauga, Holland & Crosby specializes in the design, manufacture, and distribution of point-of-purchase signage and displays to brand name retailers across North America. Through the years, Holland & Crosby has helped its clients face changing environments, purchasing behaviors, and rapidly evolving technology.
In the midst of this change, Holland & Crosby resolves to stay on the leading-edge of technology to meet the dynamic needs of its diverse client base. An early adopter of high-volume digital printing, Holland & Crosby strives to deliver the best quality and competitively priced product with the shortest lead-time.
The cost-of-time equation has become a critical factor for Holland & Crosby in fulfilling complex, retail-based promotional and event signage programs. According to the printing specialists’ Operations Manager Max West, “Our industry requires very fast turnaround times. We want to be responsive, and that means being able to react to requirements that may change after an initial order is placed.”
While shipping between 500 and 1,000 boxes each day, the company’s carton requirements change daily as well. Over the years and despite a faster turnaround by its box suppliers, the challenge for Holland & Crosby remained finding the right box for the job in the correct quantities. “We may need only 10 or up to 1,000 cartons for any given job,” said West.
In mid-2013, Holland & Crosby adopted Packsize On Demand Packaging®. The company brought carton production in-house to make boxes in the exact size and quantities needed by installing a Packsize EM7-25 automated packaging machine. This immediately improved response times, measurably reduced shipping costs by doing away with rush charges, and eliminated box outsourcing altogether.
The right size carton now also ensures the customer’s displays arrive undamaged. Among the features most attractive to Holland & Crosby was the ability to address specific package design requirements as part of the company’s overall packaging needs. The Packsize field representative who assisted with the installation, Marcus Flannery explains, “We were able to develop built-in packaging bumpers that eliminated the need for corner guards to rigid materials that would otherwise get damaged.” As a result, Holland & Crosby immediately experienced a decrease in product shipment damages.
West explains: “By having the right size box every time, we don’t need unnecessary fillers or to deal with a box that ends up too small. We have eliminated so much waste in packing, deliveries, and corrugated. I really can’t reiterate how helpful the Packsize machine has been for us. It takes the stress out of our carton production.”
