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CHARM2007241TheHistoryofCorrugatedFiberboardShippingContainersDianaTwede,MichiganStateUniversity,EastLansingMI,USAPapermakinginventionsinthe1800sgavebirthtothecorrugatedfiberboardshippingcontainerinthe1900s.Thispapertellsthestoryofthetechnologydevelopmentofthematerial.Itshowcasesthestrategicalliancesbetweenthecorrugatedindustryandrailroads,aswellastheanti-trustcollusionamongthecorrugatedboxmanufacturers.Thesealliancesinstitutionalizedthenewcontainerwhichhas,forthepast100years,beenindispensableformodernphysicaldistribution.Threekeytechnologicalinventionsinthe1800ssetthestageforthemassproductionofpaperbasedpackagingbytheendofthatcentury:thepapermakingmachine,theprocessforpulpingwoodandlithographicprinting.Thepaper-makingmachineandtheprocessforpulpingstraw,wastepaperandwoodprovidedthecheapmaterials.(Twede2005b)Bytheearly1900s,theseinventionsreducedthecostofpaperenoughtomakeitusefulforawiderangeofdisposablepackages.Theystimulatedtheinventionofmanypaper-basedpackagingformsandprocesses.Mostnotableamongthemisthe(now)ubiquitouscorrugatedfiberboardshippingcontainer.Thisinventioncameattherighttimetosupplythegrowingdemandforpackagingduetothegrowthofmanufacturinganddistributionofconsumergoods.Thecorrugatedboxcametoplayanessentialroleindevelopingmassmarketinganddistribution.Butthestoryofitsinventionpalesincomparisonwiththestoryofhowthecorrugatedboxwastobecomeubiquitous.Thisisastoryofstrategicalliancesandanti-trustcollusionbetweenpowerfultransportationandtimberindustriesandtheircustomers,aswellaswithpowerfulmanufacturerswithnational(nowglobal)distribution.Foralmost100years,corrugatedfiberboardshippingcontainershavealmostinvisiblycarriedalmostallgoodsincommerce.Onemightarguethatmodernmarketingwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutsuchinexpensiveandyetsturdyshippingcontainers.Onemightalsoarguethatwe’vehadpreciouslittleopportunitytoexplorealternatives.Corrugatedboxescontinuetoplayakeyroleinmarketingsystemstoday:corrugatedboxesrepresentalmost80%ofthemassandoverhalf(54%)ofthevalueofpackagingmaterialsintheUS(Rauch2002andEPA2003).INVENTIONOFCORRUGATEDFIBERBOARD[Referencenote:ThesourcesformuchofthispaperareBettendorf(1946)andHowell(1940),unlessotherwisenoted.Theywereeyewitnessestosometheindustry=searlydevelopment.HowellwassecretarytotheRobertGairCompany,andBettendorfwasawriterforthetradepressandindustryassociationstaffer.Koning(1995)presentsamorecompletebibliography.]In1856inEngland,thefirstpatentwasissuedformakingcorrugatedpaper.ItwasformedonthesamekindofflutedironsusedtomakeruffledElizabethancollars,andwasusedinmen=shatsascushioningforthehat=ssweatband.Thefirstpatentissuedforcorrugatedpaperasapackagingmaterialwasgrantedin1871toanAmerican,AlbertL.Jones.Itwasatexturedcushioningmaterialforwrappingglassbottlestoprotectagainstbreakage.In1874,OliverLong=spatentsaddedthesingleanddoublefacingstopreventstretching.TheBritishhatbandpatentwasusedasevidenceofpriorartinapatentinfringementsettlementthatledtoanallianceofthreeentrepreneurs:RobertH.Thompson,HenryD.NorrisandRobertGair.Theymaintainedamanufacturingandsalesmonopolyoncorrugatedbottle-wrappingpaperforthelifeofthepatents,untilthe1890s.TheThompsonNorrisCompanyandGairdevelopedmachinery,processes,andvariousformsofwrappers.Theearlycorrugatedwrappingmaterialsweremadefromthinstrawsheets,likethestrawwrappingpaperoftheperiod.Asheetwasdippedinwaterandthenpassedthroughheatedflutedrollers.Atypicalbottlewrapperwassingle-facedwiththefacingextendingpastthecorrugatedpapertofoldinneatlyaroundtheneckandatthebottom.Someweregummedforconvenience,andsomewerepre-madeintocylinders.Thematerialwasalsousedfornestsandpadsasdunnage(voidfiller)insidewoodenboxes.Whenthebottlewrappatentsranoutinthe1890s,ThompsonandNorrisdevelopedthefirstdouble-facedboard.Single-facedboardwouldbeunrolled,gluewasCHARM2007242appliedtothesecondlinerbyaseriesofbrushes,andtheplieswouldbecombinedastheywerepulledthroughthemachine,whichwasstoppedtocutoffthesheet;inlatermachines,gluewouldbeappliedonlytothetipsoftheflutes.Theyinventedarudimentaryprocessforsettingtheglueunderpressure:themachineoperatorspiledupseveralsheets,coveredthemwithboardsandAwouldtramparoundthisboardtogivethenecessaryweighttomakethelinersadhere@(W.G.Chapin,quotedbyHowell1940).In1894ThompsonandNorrisproducedthefirstdouble-facedcorrugatedboxesforlightexpressdeliveriesinNewYorkCity.ThenewboxwastestedbyaWellsFargoofficethatwasApleasedtosayhasbornewithoutdamage,suchhandlingasitwouldprobablybecalledupontostandinordinarytransportation,@andtheiragentrecommendedthemtootherWellsFargoshippers.(W.B.Lindsay,quotedbyBettendorf1946)ALLIANCESWITHRAILROADSThroughouthistory,themakersofshippingcontainershavealwayshadastrongrelationshipwiththetransportindustry(eg.Twede2003and2005a).ButthemarriagebetweentheUSfiberboardshippingcontainerindustryandtherailroads,whichcametoensurethesuccessofcorrugatedboard,didnotstartoutasaloveaffair.Thefirstseriousefforttousecorrugatedfiberboardboxesforrailtransportwasabout1903,whenacerealmanufacturersecuredanexceptiontothewoodenboxrequirementoftherailroadsintheCentra