Helping a cardboard manufacturer by thinking outside of the box

Cardboard and moisture don’t mix. So, when our customer, a manufacturer of cardboard for all types of industries, was experiencing severe problems, they contacted us. They had identified that when their cardboard went through the production line, it would absorb heat and moisture. The issue was exacerbated in the loading and storage areas. The damage was already costing our client hundreds of thousands of pounds paid out in customer credits – while the threat to their reputation was equally concerning.

Other companies had already offered a quick fix, but we recommended a lasting solution. One that required thinking outside the box.

Time was against us, the longer the problem remained unsolved, the greater the damage to our clients reputation.

We needed to identify the problem to develop a quick fix – while analysing every other aspect for a lasting solution. Despite the obvious urgency, we had to proceed with care.

Drawing the moisture out too quickly, could damage the product. While different thicknesses of cardboard were being produced at different moisture levels, so batch testing was essential.

Longer term, we needed to analyse seasonal fluctuations. To surmise, here was our approach:

• Scope project and problems to gain in-depth understanding
• Analyse every product batch for greater product insight
• Install live monitoring system to analyse fluctuating temperature and humidity
• Create bespoke, lasting solution
• Maintain year-round monitoring and quarterly reports to identify any additional seasonal problems

We installed a live monitoring system to understand the different fluctuations in temperature and humidity across the production line and storage areas. This gave us a detailed understanding of the exact issues and locations.

We monitored the site all year round, logging the measurements and producing quarterly, data-rich reports. This helped us understand whether this was a seasonal or permanent problem.

The results eventually showed the benefits of thinking outside the box. Moisture was not the main issue - cooling was.

We are now working with the client to modify an existing cooling system or install a new one to help with the process. The impact of our collaboration with our customer was felt in many ways:

• Long term savings – by thinking about the cause of the problem, we helped the customer avoid wasting money on ineffective solutions
• Problem diagnosis – our monitoring system helped identify that the real problem was not the obvious one
• Minimal disruption – we carried out our work while the factory continued at full capacity
• Full transparency – by providing quarterly reports and full measurement logging, our client retained full project control
• Peace of mind – remote 24/7 live monitoring system alerted to parameter changes
• Lasting solution – the client could finally fix the problem that had been causing so much damage