This ‘Rapid Packing Container’ video posted on Youtube has gone viral and even made it to the online news section of Manufacturer’s Monthly. But will this device really replace the humble cardboard box?

According to its inventors, the Rapid Packing Container:

  • requires 15-20% less material to make a box of equivalent size
  • is quicker to assemble
  • is easier to open
  • is easier to take things out of once you’ve opened it
  • auto-collapses to almost flat for easy storage or disposal after use

On the other hand, we (and many other online commenters with relevant experience – see the discussion here) think that:

  • similar boxes are available already, although the design does not scale well to larger box sizes
  • the material and cost savings are debatable in a real-world manufacturing environment
  • many boxes are machine assembled so the assembly time issue is debatable too
  • it’s too easy to open and is likely to open by mistake in transit
  • the ‘open-to-flat’ feature will spill any packing peanuts or other filler material everywhere

Maybe we’re not going to see the whole shipping industry revolutionised just yet!

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All the same, we like the ‘open-to-flat’ feature for certain kinds of products:

Have you ever tried to lift a cake covered in icing out of a tight-fitting box?

What about gift-boxes (made of a beautifully finished card rather than cardboard and protected by a sleeve or outer box during transit) which pop open easily and fall away to showcase a beautiful item?

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So what do Hornet think?  In short, we wouldn’t use something like this to bring goods in from China, but it could be the base of some fantastic custom packaging.

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