The Blog

Protective Packaging were asked by an Italian customer to assist in packing some equipment here in the UK that was being shipped to Italy.

As it was oversized it would not fit into a standard shipping container or road trailer so had to be shipped on a low loader.

We supplied and fitted the Barrier Foil Bag and we used our ProDriPole Desiccant inside to protect the equipment from any moisture ingress during transit.

It was then covered in Heat Shrink Polythene by one of our Export Packing customers before being secured to the trailer.

It went on a roll on roll off ferry from Southampton to Italy along with some other equipment which was packed in a standard shipping container.

We had a report back some weeks later that the equipment had arrived in excellent condition and was being commissioned straight away.

Can you guess what is was?

At Protective Packaging we supply self adhesive cushioning which is a closed cell polyethylene foam generally used to prevent damage to the foil bag from the goods inside rubbing against the bag. The foam is usually used to cover up any sharp or rough edges on the product or used on the inside of timber packing cases to protect the outside of the foil bag. When used inside the foil bag, it does not affect the amount of desiccant required because of its closed cell structure and therefore does not class as dunnage.

Protective Packaging stock two standard widths of cushioning: 5cm and 10cm, both are 6mm thick. Non-standard widths are available on request. A ‘bundle’ of 10 rolls at 10m long each is purchased at a time.

The foam is very easy to use and does not require stapling or gluing – just peel off the back of the foam and get sticking!

Do you know that one of Protective Packaging’s barrier foil suppliers produces enough printed metallised Easter Egg foil to wrap around the World twice?

We at Protective Packaging would like to wish everyone a very Happy Easter and an enjoyable bank holiday weekend!

Did you know how many languages the staff of Protective Packaging Ltd have mastered so that they can advise, inform and assist with all enquiries, quotes and orders from clients and potential customers from overseas?

Our new Commercial Manager not only can speak English but is also conversant in French, Italian and Arabic! Our presence abroad is also strengthened by our trilingual representatives, who operate in France and Spain. Back home, they are ably supported by our Customer Support Foreign Specialist who is also confident to communicate in any of three languages.

There are no language barriers either when it comes to ordering products from abroad; our website is now featured in French, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish.

So whether it’s English, Irish, Welsh, Arabic, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, or Swedish, we can help you pronto!

Here are some tips on what to ask for! If you want:
Heat Sealing Equipment in Hamburg – heißsiegelausrüstung
Foil Pouch in Paris – sachet en complèxe aluminium
Barrier Foil in Barcelona – papel metalizado de protección
Foil Bag in Florence – sacchetto in lamina metallica

Don’t worry if all these sound Greek to you; our Chief Engineer, born in Corfu, can provide simultaneous translation of that as well!

Whatever you want, we are here to help; there are no frontiers when it comes to our quality products, made just for you; reliable, safe and competitively priced.

Communication is the key, Protective Packaging can turn it. Simples!

Each ISO9001:2008 certificate has a life of 3 years – Over these 3 years the quality management system is challenged periodically by Knight International Inspectorate against the ISO9001:2008 standard (Fourth edition 2008-11-15).

This year sees the end of our current certificate and the company is now preparing for our re-certification visits in October.

During this audit all aspects of the standard will be challenged to ensure the company is still meeting and surpassing all the requirements of the standard.

The Quality team will continue to coordinate our procedural audits to ensure our continued certification is maintained and ensure the effectiveness of the Quality Management system here at Protective Packaging.

We were contacted in 2008 by the Manchester Museum with a very interesting requirement. They were exhibiting Pete Marsh – aka Lindow Man, and needed some Protective Packaging barrier foil bags for protection of the 2000 year old artefacts that were travelling to the museum with him.

The “Lindow Man” was discovered in 1984 in Mobberley, Cheshire. As this is where I live I was very interested to find out more.

From his preserved remains, it has been estimated that “Lindow Pete” was 25 years of age when he died, he was approximately 5ft 7 in tall and weighed 9 ½ – 10 stone. His torso, head, arms were discovered in 1984 in a peat bog on Lindow Moss – though his body below the waist is still missing apart from his right leg. The body was found by a peat-cutter who was extracting peat from the Moss for use in gardens. Lindow Man was lying on his back, leaning to his right, with his head on his right shoulder.
It is believed that he suffered a violent and brutal ‘triple death.’ He was struck on the top of his head twice with a heavy object, perhaps a narrow bladed axe, driving a sliver of bone into his brain. He had a thin cord tied around his neck which was used to strangle him and break his neck. By now he was probably dead, but then his throat was cut. Finally, he was placed face down in a pond in the bog. The acidic, oxygen-free conditions in the peat bog meant that the man’s skin, hair and many of his internal organs were extremely well preserved, Since the discovery, Lindow Man has been freeze dried for preservation and his cabinet is the most climate controlled in the British Museum.

Of course nobody knows for sure the reason for Lindow Man’s death, some people have argued that he was the victim of a ritual murder and sacrificed to the Gods by Druids. It’s also possible that Lindow Man was a scapegoat of his local community who blamed him for the failure of crops, disease or famine.
I was very glad that I picked up this interesting call, I have since visited the area in which “Lindow Pete’s body was found.

Caroline Davies
Customer Support Manager

I recently went to visit the company who manufacture the print plates for our printed barrier foil on the reel and printed pouches. The company have provided top quality flexographic repro for the packaging industry for over 44 years, specialising in photopolymer printing plates. In 1998 they were the first company in the UK to install a Creo Thermoflex Imager for the production of digital printing plates to the flexo trade. They have invested heavily in computer to plate technology (CTP) which is supported by their Creo thermoflex installation that uses the latest “V” speed laser imaging technology to produce a squarespot thermal image directly onto the printing plate. By eliminating the film contacting operation, the thermoflex replaces the various film based inaccuracies with a consistent, controlled digital manufacturing process. As a result, CTP technology produces the most consistently repeatable product possible.

Since joining Protective Packaging in November 2011, my training has taken me up and down the country on customer visits. I am amazed at the diversity of industries we sell into; From Export Packers who often require same day delivery on bespoke foil bags to package anything from small spare parts up to a 40 foot container size machines to compound manufacturers storing and shipping various compounds from a tiny 50gram bag up to 1000kg foil lined Octabins or FIBC’s.
Protective Packaging’s reputation is built on the back of its ability to react quickly to the demands of the market. The most often repeated statement to me from customers is “reliability is critical” and we go out of our way here at Protective Packaging Ltd to make sure that we offer full customer satisfaction.

Siobhan Collins
Commercial Manager

A remarkable survival product, which makes drinking water from almost anything containing moisture, has been awarded an Alufoil Trophy 2012 for Technical Innovation. The Survivastill solar still, has been manufactured by Protective Packaging Limited on behalf of the inventor and is used for the aid industry, military, outdoor pursuits and life raft sectors.

“The judges agreed this was a really innovative and potentially life-saving product which relies on alufoil to trap heat in order to distil drinking water from an amazing variety of sources. As a piece of innovation technology it is outstanding, while its potential uses are clearly of major benefit in many extreme or disaster situations,” explained head judge Antoinette Devine, global packaging consultant to SABMiller.

The still can produce up to 2 litres of drinking water per day from salt water, contaminated water, urine, wet soil or even vegetation such as moss, grass or leaves – in fact almost anything with moisture content.

It operates by trapping heat from the sun within an inflated chamber where the alufoil sheeting reflects the sun’s rays back into the chamber to increase the internal temperature of the distilling reservoir. The efficiency and output of the process is greatly improved by the sheeting.

The alufoil offers four essential properties to the success of the still: resistance to permeation or leakage; reflectivity for signalling location; radar reflectivity to assist location finders; and heat reflectivity (radiant heat from the sun) to create the right environment for water evaporation. Even in extreme cold the Survivastill can be used as a personal protection sheet against the onset of hypothermia.

Simon Jolly, Director at Protective Packaging stated, “Once again we are delighted to be awarded an Alufoil Trophy for Technical Innovation. The Survivastill project was an unusual and challenging development which confirms our ability to constantly manufacture new and innovative applications and support our clients manufacturing requirements.”

A quick update from Protective Packaging Ltd, the leading provider of climatic packaging solutions.

Whatever the requirement, whatever the application, whenever required, we are here to help! Within our ranks we have the knowledge, the enthusiasm and the ability to ensure all your packaging needs are met. From 3D bags, drum liners and rolls to humidity indicators, pouches and desiccant, here at Protective Packaging we have it all.

If you require our professional assistance in providing a solution to any of your packaging needs why not call us now on 0161 976 2006 where our Customer Support team will be more than happy to assist you.

Ben Lewis