With summer ending, several high school graduates will be taking the next big step in their academic and adult lives, departing for college. Many times during the hassle of modern day life, it is easy to forget about the small things that make life so easy for all of us. Parents, imagine moving your children to college without the help of the ever present corrugated cardboard box. It might sound silly, but the humble, yet highly versatile cardboard box is not only an essential part of any major move, but many a time serves as interim dorm and first apartment furniture as well.
In fact, corrugated cardboard manufacturers account for the largest portion of the packaging industry. While the idea of putting together several pieces of paper into of the form of the box seems like a no-brainer, consider what the alternatives would be. Imagine having to do your big weekend move using only wooden crates, think of all the splinters, not to mention your aching back. Or how about only using plastic bags for storing your valuables away, besides from it looking highly dubious, you could forget about savings space or including any items that might be the slightest bit pointed. Hopefully the importance of the industry of corrugated boxes manufacturers is becoming more clear to you, if not here is a little bit of history about the humble beginnings of the world?s favorite packaging solution.
Paperboard Box Inserts Were the Predecessor of Corrugated Cardboard boxes
The of the first pre-cut paperboard box was invented by Robert Gair sometime in 1890. This pre-cut idea is the closely related to the flap system of modern times. Gair, a printer, actually came up with the idea of the paperboard box insert by mistake during the course of creating a run of paper bags. As the saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, at least it is to the beginning industry of corrugated boxes manufacturers. Much of the demand for the technology of cardboard boxes came from the new breakfast cereal market. This idea was applied to the corrugated cardboard box after the invention of the corrugated cardboard around the end of the 1800s.
Corrugated Boxes Manufacturers Were Spurred On by an Unlikely Industry
Corrugated cardboard basically means that the cardboard has pleats which give it extra strength and durability. The first patent for corrugated cardboard was taken out in England sometime around 1856. You might be surprised by the first widespread use of cardboard, it was actually used to line tall hats. In fact, according to a New York patent, corrugated cardboard didn’t make the leap to a packing material until the end of 1871 by Adam Jones. Jones’ initial use for the cardboard was to pack glass goods such as bottles. The corrugated cardboard that we are familiar with today was actually invented by Oliver long. His innovation was to add pleats to both sides of the cardboard. After that widespread American cardboard boxes were manufactured around 1895, shortly after that the corrugated cardboard box replaced the more unwieldy wooden box and wooden crate, thus significantly reducing the cost of packaging.
Moving is one of the big annoyances in life, just like finding a new job or a new beau. But as you are helping your friend move their seemingly never ending boxes of belongings up seemingly never ending steps, in between your muttered curses, be grateful that instead of hauling a prickly wooden box or crate you only have to schlep a few, relatively light, cardboard boxes.
