Jim Lei
ArchivesBrief History of Packaging BoxesModern people have been born to enjoy the convenience brought by various packaging materials. Probably we’re too familiar with their presence to realize how important a role they have been playing in our daily life. Most people would simply dismiss them as insignificant materials or accessories. But if you look a little back into its history, you may have a second thought about it. You never knew that packaging materials such as cardboard boxes have such a wonderful and dynamic history. Did you ever watch old-time war movies and notice the scenes where all the supplies are packed in bulky wooden cases? Or have you seen or heard about your grandfathers dragging heavy wooden boxes during? Putting yourself in the shoes of times when there were no such modern packaging material would help you get aware of how happy we are with the benefits of those packaging materials. As many advanced technologies we get used to today were first introduced by army and war applications, so was the development of modern cardboard packaging boxes. Actually, packaging as we see today can be traced back to war uses as well. is the result of long developmental process. With the view of protecting army food supply in battle fields during WWI and WWII, modern folding cartons began to develop and become popular. But looking further back, it was Robert Gair, a printer and paper mag maker, who invented the very first shipping cartons by accident. This idea of making prefabricated cartons was developed and utilized by E. S. & A. Robinson. With a long developmental process, came into being the modern packaging industry. As such cardboard boxes are cost effective and easy to transport, they became the most widely used method of packaging entering into the 21st the century. The world economic boom and globalization wave further boosted the use of cardboard boxes and vice versa, the advantages of such packaging greatly facilitate the globalization and commodity circulation.
As times change, more sophisticated packaging methods have been introduced. And nowadays, packaging boxes have gradually become more of an art form with the emergence and boom of consumer economics. Dull regular packaging boxes became deluxe or elegant gift packaging or gift boxes. Manufacturers tend to design custom-size plastic boxes and cardboard gift boxes for every specific new product to better appeal to their consumers. Packaging boxes have played their inconspicuous yet important role in the process of the social development. It allowed us to conserve precious resources at minimum cost. Modern packaging has completely reshaped the logistics industry and the whole supply chain of the global economy. They make it possible to transport almost everything over long distances and make sure they reach in good condition. by Jim Lei on 2020-12-13 08:22:40 |
