TriplABlog

Design & Design Tips

2011-08-31T08:03:00.000-07:00

Our design team specializes in point of purchase displays and industrial corrugated design as well as molded pulp, foam and wood. During the design process our designers will work with you to ensure the packaging meets your requirements. When designing, we focus on safe storage and transportation as well as the esthetic and marketing aspects of the packaging. An important part of our sales process is to have our design team evaluate your packaging to see if fits your handling and marketing needs as well as it could.

Platform: Mac OX
Program Proficiency: Creative Suite CS5
Use the electronic file which we e-mail you as a template for your box design. DO NOT measure the box and do the layout on your own! It will not work, because industry standard folding allowances must be added to the blank measurement of a box panel. Make sure the die line we provide to you is marked as an OUTSIDE VIEW. Copy the drawing into Adobe Illustrator. Group it as one and designate it onto a layer. Lock the layer. Now put your art onto the next layer.

Flexography Art: (Printing directly onto corrugated board)
Please provide art in Adobe Illustrator. It is the standard for the Flexo Industry. If you can't supply your art in the program of choice, we can convert it for you, but an hourly art fee will be charged.

File preparation:
Outline all fonts, rather than to include fonts with the job, since this can get tricky crossing platform from Mac to PC. Provide linked files. DO NOT imbed them. We will preflight all files prior to making printing plates to ensure they are printable and advise of any changes that are needed to make your art successfully imprint onto corrugated.

Design Considerations for Flexography:
There is some movement at press. Elements meant to hit directly on the score lines seldom will. Instead bleed past the scores or shy away by 1/4." Keep all copy 1/4" away from scores as well.
Stay away from designs where an art element wraps around and lines up on different angles of the box. Due to jump at press and die cutter the design rarely lines up perfectly.
® r-bug sizes need to be exaggerated so they won't fill in. Rule of thumb: Make them double the size you normally would. Use a screen value of 42.5 dpi for half tone images. Use only 10%, 20% and 30% line value.
Halftone images in Mezzotints are more corrugated friendly than dots.
Minimum type size is 10 point. Positive print requires a lighter typeface with smaller print, but negative print requires a bolder typeface. Non serif typefaces are preferable. The smaller the type the more undesirable serif typefaces are.
A long line across the corrugation should be a minimum thickness of 5 point or it may be lost during the plate making process. Beware; it may wobble when printing across the corrugation.

Litho Label Art: (Offset Lithography sheet which is laminated to corrugated board)
Use Vector bases programs, such as Illustrator or InDesign to assemble the job. DO NOT assemble the entire job in Photoshop. The type will pixelate and turn blurry and the file can get enormous.
If you are confident that your files are correct and ready to output to proofs, we will provide you with pre press requirements on how to create a Press Ready PDF le that enables us to preflight your job efficiently. Should pre flight issues be apparent, we will provide you with an itemized list of problems and the cost involved to fix the issues.
If you can't supply press ready files, supply them in a Vector based program such as Illustrator or InDesign. Leave them in layered format. Include all linked files, DO NOT embed them. Outline all fonts. All linked files should be 100% to size at 300 pixels per inch. We will preflight and fix any issues for you at an hourly art fee rate.

Design Considerations for Lithography:
Labels must be trimmed to the specifications provided to you on the die line. (See the red line). Make the document size the same size as the trimmed label size. Note that part of the structure may extend past the red line, because the label will not cover this area.
Backgrounds must bleed 1/4" over the outer circumference of the die cut as a minimum, but can bleed out to the trim lines.
Non background images must shy away from die cut edges or score lines by 1/8".
Limit your label size to 28 x 40 whenever possible. While labels up to 54 x 77 are available, they are much more expensive.
A 28 x 40 sheet has a printable area of 26 1/2 X 39 1/2". A 54 x 77 sheet has a printable area of 53 x 76.
Keep files in CMYK. Adding spot colors increases the cost. Also beware that converting spot colors to CMYK may change the color.
Large solid black backgrounds should have "under color" built in. C40, M30, Y30, K100.

Triple A Containers, Inc. is an ISO 9001 Certified manufacturer who produces RoHS compliant packaging. We maintain these stringent standards to ensure that your needs are met, and the environment will be preserved for generations to come.

Please click here to contact us and we will evaluate your complete packaging process to see if we can provide your packaging more cost effectively. We can share more recycling techniques with you. Join us in preserving our Earth!

High End Direct Flexography Print

2011-08-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

High end direct flexographic printing competes well against medium to high volume, over size label work. We have the ability to print 85-110 line screen, which give you excellent results.

This type of retail packaging is widely used in the produce and wine & spirits industry.

P.O.P Displays

2011-08-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

Well designed, high impact displays create sales. In a highly competitive retail environment you need to present your product so its benefits can be communicated to the consumer at a glance.

Our in house Design Team is available to help you from concept to finished design. Our production team can make it become a reality. We can then have it packed out and shipped, or sent to your contract packaging house for pack out.

We will work with you to create the right solution to your marketing needs.
Free Standing Merchandisers
Counter Displays
End Caps

Side Kicks
Pallet Display

Litho Lamination

2011-08-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

When you need that extra glossy, but structurally sound, extremely high end print job, we use an offset printed sheet and laminate it to a corrugated sheet, turning it into litho laminated packaging. If you need product to sell itself, or you want to build quality brand recognition, litho laminated packaging may be the option that works best for you.

Litho lamination is used for:

Product Packaging
Promotional Packaging
Display Headers

Display Trays
Retail Box Packaging
P.O.P Displays

We have the creative design staff in house, that can take you from concept to a finished product that you can have confidence in.

Moulded Pulp Packaging

2011-08-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

Triple A Containers specializes in designing and manufacturing molded pulp packaging for companies seeking economical as well as recyclable packaging solutions. Our heavy-duty molded pulp packages can be used as low-cost alternatives for foam and corrugated inserts. These biodegradable products are best suited for packaging furniture, medical instruments, wine bottles, and electric motors.

Molded pulp is made from 100% recycled cardboard boxes and paper. The wet molding and heat pressing process enables us to produce molded pulp packages up to 30" in length and 20" in width. Molded pulp packaging inserts offer resilient cushioning for product protection. Our space-saving molded pulp paper inserts can be nested and stacked for efficient storage or shipping applications. Triple A Containers’ skilled design staff can work with your existing designs or create completely new packaging concepts to meet your product packaging challenges.

Trays, window corner protectors, and containers are some typical pulp packaging products we mold. Our third-party testing partners perform diverse range of tests on these custom packaging products to ensure conformance to ASTM, and IATA standards. In addition to custom design and development of packaging products, we also specialize in offering value-added services such as assembling, consulting, warehousing, and distribution.

Lean Manufacturing

2011-08-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

In order to provide more cost effective packaging, Triple A Containers, Inc. made a decision to adopt Lean Manufacturing processes throughout the company.

We recruited a lean manufacturing consultant P Squared (P²) to help us with this continuous manufacturing improvement process because of their vast experience in our industry.

This is their story:
P² is a multi disciplined team of improvement professionals with expertise in Engineering, Business, and Organizational Psychology. The P Squared (P²) team motto; Process Raised by the Power of People is evidence in all of our work.

P² customers enjoy lasting profitability from holistic process improvement. This approach is effective because we improve more than the problem process; we also address the policies, procedures, and personalities that support the process. We provide assessment and design training, coaching, and accountability systems to ensure that administrative and production improvements endure.
We work in a variety of industries improving everything from Administration to Warehousing. We work with assembly lines, but our strength is in application of Lean strategies to job shops. The combined packaging industry experience of the team is over 100 years.

Consequently, you may find someone who knows more about Lean, and you may find someone who knows more about packaging, but you won't find anyone who knows more about Lean packaging.

Assessment

We benchmark plants on a world class Lean production standard. It is our habit to share all the opportunities that we observe with the appropriate personnel. The assessment provides a prioritized action plan for Lean transformation of both physical and cultural aspects.

The deliverables of the assessment include:
The Rapid Plant assessment, a tool developed by the University of Michigan. Overall Equipment Effectiveness calculation on key machine centers with estimated ROI for improvement. Key leverage points for the most rapid cultural improvement based on observation, industry best practices, and interviews with team members.

Training

P² delivers public workshops and custom in-house training for all of the necessary skills for the Lean transformation of an organization. These are a few examples of public and private workshops:

Lean Champion Training for the packaging industry held at Clemson University.
Organize for success, creating a visual workplace with 7S.
Value Stream Mapping
YGWYM (you get what you measure) Overall Equipment Effectiveness and other key score cards.
Quick Changeover
Total Productive Maintenance for Operators and Maintenance personnel.
How to hold a Kaizen Event in Production, Sales, or Administrative.

Implementation

We spend the bulk of our time showing companies how to implement Lean strategies. Most consultants Recommended and Run. We diagnose the problem and stay to show our customers how to carry out the prescribed action plan. We are implementers of Lean. During the implementation we replace ourselves within the organization by training local personnel.

Coaching

P² team members constantly gather best practices as they work with all aspects of business. Each of us has also prepared, through education and experience, to provide specialized service. We know that our success is directly tied to the success of our customers. We often coach for free, as we just can't hold back, but more extensive coaching in groups or individual appointments are available at a contracted rate. Dr. Ellis provides leaders with specialized Executive Coaching to help them manage change and develop their skills for an accelerated Lean transformation.

Custom Pallets & Crates

2011-08-10T08:17:00.000-07:00

Manufacturing custom crates as well as pallets for automotive, electronics, and marine applications is our specialties. Our custom pallets and crates are best suited for safe shipment of heavy-duty products such as engines, pumps, and aircraft components. Adhering to RoHS standards, we produce custom crates to ensure maximum usability and protection.

Depending on your specific product type, size, weight, and handling requirements, Triple A Containers produces custom crates from heat treated lumber, plywood, steel bands, and various reusable materials. We can also supply wooden pallets with corrugated packaging and foam inserts for protective shipping of fragile components. Our design team specializes in creating industrial corrugated designs and custom graphics for packaging.

We collaborate with Performance Testing Labs LLC, a company that specializes in drop testing, to inspect our packaging designs’ conformance with ISTA shipping standards. To facilitate efficient and safe material handling, we manufacture crates with a wide range of features, including handles, lock latches, and vapor barrier bags.

Culture of Servanthood

2011-08-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

At Triple A Containers, Inc. we stress equally the development of the person and the development of the program. It is our belief that a well developed and cared for person will enable the success of any program, objective, or goal.

All decisions we make in our life are based on our own value system and the degree with which we care for one another. That is why we at Triple A Containers have developed Company Values that guide all of the decisions of the day. We have also instituted a Servanthood program of caring for each other and the community.

Our Servanthood Values:

Being God-based, heart-led, and people motivated
Exhibiting value-driven behavior in all interactions
Caring for the personal and professional development of all employees
Focusing on community needs

We Will Serve our Employee by:

Providing an environment that promotes helpful and compassionate employees. Success will be measured equally between attitude and job performance. This is accomplished by equally weighing adherence to the Code of Conduct against job performance when defining success.

We Will Serve our Customers by:

Having purpose-driven employees serve their needs. As a result of our employees, the trust, respect, and loyalty of our customers will be realized.

We Will Serve our Community by:

Being a purpose-driven company that strives to achieve servant and value-based leadership. We will make a commitment to our faith, our family, and our community by committing a portion of company resources back to the community to support purposes bigger that our own.

Sure Stacker Corrugated Pallets

2011-08-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

Triple A Containers, Inc. manufactures a corrugated pallet designed for multiple uses in all types of industries. This patented design provides a custom-made, economical paper pallet that can easily be handled because it is light weight. This design is durable and safe enough to be racked in a warehouse and at the end of its use be recycled because it is environmentally safe. With availability of both two and four-way entry, these made-to-order cardboard pallets can be tailored to your application.

Six reasons you should consider switching to corrugated pallets:

1. EXPORT. Countries around the world are adopting the ISPM standards requiring that all solid wood packaging material be heat treated or fumigated. This raises the cost of wood packaging. Corrugated pallets are absolutely exempt from these restrictions, and are competitive in price with treated wood pallets.
2. CUSTOMIZATION. Corrugated pallets are designed to your particular specifications for size, weight, and entry. Whether you're shipping beer or auto parts corrugated pallets can be customized to carry the load economically.
3. RECYCLABLE. Corrugated pallets can be easily recycled into paper. The disposal of the pallets is easier and far less expensive. Wooden pallets usually end up in landfills.
4. FREIGHT SAVINGS. By air or over the road, the added expense of wooden pallets can be considerable. A 48" trailer holds 28 standard size (48" x 40") pallets, or 56 double stacked pallets. 56 wood pallets = 2520 lbs. 56 corrugated pallets = 1064 lbs.
5. ENVIRONMENTAL. The World Trade Organization estimates that about 1.1 billion of product moves hourly through world airports and harbors and most of this product moves on wood pallets.
6. HEALTH & SAFETY. Weighing an average of only 19 lbs each, corrugated pallets are easily lifted by most people. The average wooden pallet weighs about 45 lbs. Unlike wooden pallets, corrugated pallets contain NO nails, splinters, jagged edges, boards or bugs.

The SureStacker™ pallet can be customized to the exact needs of the following industries:

Export Packaging
Air Freight
Industrial Manufacturing
Automotive

Electronics
Pharmaceutical
Grocery and Trade Displays

High Standards, Part 2

2011-08-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

Triple A Containers, Inc. Company Values and Definitions.

Our desire for Teamwork and Dedication is reflected by a Positive Attitude of Open Communication, Honesty and Respect.

Respect: To treat people in a way that demonstrates that you are mindful of their feelings, needs, thoughts and wishes.

Teamwork: Working together cooperatively to set and achieve sustainable goals.

Positive Attitude: Being of the sincere belief that "We can make it Happen"

Dedication: Putting in the effort required to "Make it Happen"

Honesty: To communicate and act openly and truthfully.

Open Communication: To communicate in a way that embodies respect and honesty without fear of ridicule or reprisal.

Any questions? Please click here.

High Standards, part 1

2011-07-29T08:10:00.000-07:00

Triple A Containers Inc. was founded and still adheres to two basic principles:

Integrity Policy
Everyone that is employed at our company has to be of the belief that they will do their absolute best every minute of every hour of every day.

This belief of continual improvement is the ingredient that builds successful people and therefore a successful company. We will only hire and continue to employ people that have this belief...

Quality Policy
Triple A Containers strives to provide excellent quality products to every customer on time and every time. The production of quality products will be accomplished through Triple A Containers founding principles, code of conduct and commitment to quality management.

This commitment will ensure our success and future growth.

Any questions? Please click here.

Custom Foam Packaging ~

2011-07-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

Triple A Containers Inc. has over four decades of experience in developing custom packaging products, but we also manufacture fabricated foam inserts for packaging applications that warrant protection against shock and vibration. Our foam inserts for packaging are also used to protect electronic and other fragile products in addition to cushioning in pallets.

Through die cutting, gluing, and heating processes, we manufacture custom foam inserts in various types, shapes, colors, and densities. Depending on the fragility of your products, our designers will create custom foam packaging to ensure safe shipment. Polyethylene is used as foam packaging material to package heavy products. For products that weigh below 20 lbs, we use polyurethane.

Triple A Containers adopts Lean Manufacturing processes to provide cost-effective packaging solutions to customers in various fields such as automotive, biomedical, and marine industries to name a few. Through partnerships with third-party testers, we perform vibration, compression, impact, and drop tests on our custom packaging products to ensure the packaging can sustain shipping and handling so that your product arrives intact at its destination.

Please click here to contact us and we will evaluate your complete packaging process to see if we can provide your packaging more cost effectively. We can share more recycling techniques with you. Join us in preserving our Earth!

What IS Corrugated?

2011-07-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

single wall/open face

What is corrugated packaging?

According to the Association of Independent Corrugated Converters,

Corrugated board is a combination of at least three sheets of paper, collectively called containerboard. The paper layers on the outside are known as the liners, or linerboard, while the fluted or wave-shaped material in the middle layer is called corrugating medium.

single wall

According to this site, the difference between corrugated and cardboard/paperboard is this:

Cardboard is a stiff and thick single or multi-ply paperboards. Cardboards are typically made from bleached pulp and use recycled fiber.

double wall

Corrugated board is a pasted single or double-faced multilayered type of board in which the bottom or middle layer is fluted. Flute is made from unbleached pulp. Liners are also mostly made from unbleached pulp. Various types of corrugated boards.

triple wall

Triple A Containers, Inc. is a custom corrugated packaging company with the ability to manufacture a wide range of packaging products. Contact us today for your packaging and display needs.

Custom Corrugated Packaging & Pallets

2011-07-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

In 1956, Triple A Containers started with 2-bar slitter, a Gang Saw (for slotting), a Band Saw, an old Thompson Die Cutter (33x47) and two tape dispensers. We had no press for printing and used a hand stamp for BMC and ident.

Today, is a different story. As our customers needs have evolved and grown, so have the products and services we offer. Above and beyond the brown corrugated box, Triple A Containers specializes in: conventional corrugated boxes, POP displays, and trays are only some types of corrugated components we design and fabricate. Our other area of expertise is in corrugated pallets primarily used for export. Corrugated pallets, available in a standard size of 48” x 40”, are recyclable and easy to transport.

Triple A Containers produces for a variety of products for diverse industries such as communications, electronics, and the biomedical industry. They use our custom packaging services for sensitive products such as audio equipment, medical instruments, as well as cosmetics. We are equipped to run either high or low volume production.

In addition to corrugated packaging fabrication, we also provide flexography printing and litho laminating services to customize your packaging design to your exact specifications. In-house graphic design, labeling, warehousing, and distribution services are offered as well. The normal lead time for our products is two-three weeks, but we also quote on a job-by-job basis. Rush production services are always available for especially hot jobs.

Recycling to Preserve our Earth

2011-07-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

Triple A Containers, Inc. is committed to being a good steward in all aspects of our business practices.

Before being 'environmentally friendly' became a fad, we have sought after ways to make the impact on our environment as little as possible. We are aware of the manufacturing boom that is happening world-wide and we also know the standards for each country, state, city vary greatly. Because of this, we took initiative to make sure that our own practices were the most effective for our customers with the least amount of environmental impact.

Triple A Containers, Inc. has teamed up with Ricoh Electronics, Inc. (REI) and we adhere to their Zero Waste to Landfill system which states this:

REFUSE to buy anything that becomes waste.

RETURN packaging materials to suppliers.
REDUCE waste at the source.
REUSE everything possible.
RECYCLE any remaining waste streams.

Triple A Containers, Inc. is an ISO 9001 Certified manufacturer who produces RoHS compliant packaging. We maintain these stringent standards to ensure that your needs are met, and the environment will be preserved for generations to come.

Please click here to contact us and we will evaluate your complete packaging process to see if we can provide your packaging more cost effectively. We can share more recycling techniques with you. Join us in preserving our Earth!

Welcome!

2011-05-23T14:57:00.000-07:00

Triple A Containers is committed to giving our customers the best service possible, and has been for over 55 years. One of the ways we accomplish this is by making sure we are growing and adapting with the latest in technology, being responsible with our resources, and maintaing a level of excellence that makes us a trusted name for your business needs.

So, without further adieu, we would like to welcome you to our blog! Here you will see a glimpse of what Triple A Containers does on a day in-day out basis. We may even introduce you to something new by showing you unique behind-the-scenes occurrences that make Triple A Containers a leader in the corrugated packaging and marketing industry.

We also would like to re-introduce you to our website. We have updated it and given it a slight makeover so that the information you are looking for is right at your fingertips. You will notice that we are now on Facebook, as well as Twitter. We invite you to add us to your network so that we will be available to service any of your packaging and marketing needs as they arise.

We welcome all questions, comments and general feedback on this blog. We ask that you be courteous and respectful as we will respond in the same manner.

Please click here to contact us and we will evaluate your complete packaging process to see if we can provide your packaging more cost effectively. We can share more recycling techniques with you. Join us in preserving our Earth!