Customer Commitment Center

Creative/ Technical Resources

International Paper’s Customer Commitment Center in Memphis, Tennessee, and the Packaging Consulting Center in Oak Brook, Illinois are totally focused on corrugated containers. Staffed and equipped for rapid response to customer needs, the multi-disciplinary centers include graphic designers as well as structural engineers to ensure that your packages will not only work well in the field but also stand out in the marketplace.

 

Structural Design
From innovative original designs to ultimate palletization configurations, our highly qualified structural designers concentrate on cost-effective packaging solutions while the facility’s distribution testing lab ensures their full functionality. Systems within our individual corrugated

container plants are networked to integrated structural design CAD systems across the country, enabling the company’s designers to produce accurate package prototypes at any plant and reduce cycle time.

Performance Testing

To ensure optimum performance, samples can be subjected to free-fall drop testing, incline impact, fork-truck handling, instrumented shock testing, environmental conditions (from freezer to desert to tropics), compression testing (from small to bulk-size containers) and truck and rail vibration transport testing. A Voluntary Protection Program Star site, the Customer Commitment Center is certified by the International Safe Transit Assn. (ISTA) and the National Motor Freight Traffic Assn. All packaging lab technicians are also ISTA certified.

Graphics

International Paper graphic designers have enhanced customer visibility all the way from creating new product logotypes to impacting how a brand develops. Graphics team members interface with their peers at customer companies to achieve optimum creative results – usually at lower costs than those associated with independent agencies and design firms. The designers’ approach is reinforced by targeted research and shelf-impact studies. Their thorough understanding of manufacturing realities offers another distinct value – a reduction in process costs and time- to- market because there’s no need to experiment. Integration with IP’s converting facilities ensures that all artwork that appears on boxes will be faithful to the original rendition.


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Cost Reduction Surveys
Under the umbrella of International Paper’s Total Cost of Ownership program (TCO) Packaging Professionals provide cost reduction surveys that are focused on providing the most cost effective packaging for our customers. Specially trained teams conduct these surveys as part of a supply agreement. The teams review current practices to develop an understanding of the users needs and then analyze and identify opportunities for savings. The team reports back on its findings, empowering the decision makers to implement the changes that reduce their packaging cost on a continuing basis.
Box School
Many customers have gained a greater understanding of packaging at our Box School. Sessions are scheduled twice a year at the Customer Commitment Center. The two-day format encompasses everything from the papermaking process to freight regulations, with emphasis on corrugated package design, performance dynamics through the distribution cycle, visual impact utilizing graphics, and maximizing value.