Fast and automated, customised packaging is reaping big rewards for environmentally conscious outdoor-pursuits specialist retailer, Internet Fusion Group…
Internet Fusion Group is a fast-expanding online retail business with a portfolio of niche brands specialising in life-style apparel and products. Established in 2006, the business has quickly grown through acquisition, retaining the skills and knowledge unique to each enterprise and realising economies of scale with a common marketing resource, finance team, and a shared 146,000 sq ft warehouse in Kettering.
The problem Internet Fusion Group had been facing was similar to that of most businesses manually packing at high volumes into fibreboard boxes. The process required multiple packing desks with numerous staff and a wide range of box sizes for packers to select from. However, as with most manual packing operations, the match was often far from exact and void-fillers were usually required to cushion the goods.
To this end, minimising its environmental impact is a perennial focus for Internet Fusion Group. Like much of its customer base, the business shares a passion for creating a sustainable future, free from single-use plastics commonly used in packaging. Pursuing its dual quest for sustainability and productivity, the retailer has recently invested in a state-of-the-art automated packaging solution that would accelerate throughput and lessen their environmental impact. Adam Hall, Head of Sustainability of Internet Fusion Group, found the CVP Impack from Packaging by Quadient. The CVP Impack is an inline auto-packer that measures, constructs, tapes, weighs and labels each order every seven seconds, while creating a custom fit parcel using only one operator. Packaging by Quadient, formerly Neopost, provides innovative automated packaging systems that empower companies in all industries to efficiently auto-pack parcels in smart, fit-to-size packaging.
“We are very much front runners on sustainability and packaging,” says Adam Hall, Head of Sustainability at Internet Fusion Group. “Across the group our packaging is now 91% plastic-free and next year that percentage figure will look even better. The first rule of sustainability is reduce… and when you reduce, you save money as well,” Hall says. “In terms of shipping volumes, our calculations indicate that the two machines will offer a reduction of 92 truck loads a year, due to the space savings of fit-to-size packaging.”
The two CVP Impack systems have given Internet Fusion Group the capacity to expand on the same footprint and cope with peak at optimal performance. “It’s not a complex machine to use so staff were quick to pick it up. But importantly, the backup and support from Quadient is fast. We have no complaints whatsoever,” according to Adam Hall.
Facts & Figures
- Two CVP Impack’s in operation
- Over 50,000 parcels produced each month
- Reduction of 92 truck loads a year
- No void fill required.
- Eco friendly packaging
https://packagingbyquadient.com/customers/case-study-internet-fusion-group/
Image courtesy of Internet Fusion Group
