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MARCH 1999

Stylepack Proves There's More To Corrugated Board Than Meets The Eye

The next time you cast an admiring glance over a particularly stylish piece of furniture gracing the window display of your nearest high street store and make a mental compliment to the carpenter who made it you might have to think again. Because it might be made out of Abbey Corrugated board.

If Letchworth based StylePack have had anything to do with it, then you can be sure that what you are gazing at definitely started life on an Abbey corrugator - because quite simply StylePack do things with corrugated which are unusual to say the least.

"We started out as a corrugated case manufacturer like everyone else but then a few years ago I decided to experiment with what we could do with corrugated over and above producing packaging," said managing director Noel Curedale.

"I am a structural designer by profession so I wondered whether my talents in that direction could be of help."

The transition from packaging company to something distinctly different then received a boost when oil giant BP needed a giant pair of scissors to cut a ceremonial ribbon at an opening ceremony.

"They somehow had got our number and asked if we could help. The only trouble was that we only had a few hours to complete the job."

Working flat out Noel and his team managed to produce the desired results and the company has not looked back from there.

"I hate right angles and corrugated board gives me just what I am looking for when I am creating new ideas. It is such an easy material to work with and you can do things with corrugated that you could never do with any other material."

Noel's creations now grace many high street shop windows and he operates on behalf of a considerable number of well known names - either producing window displays, units for exhibition stands, or creative ideas for advertising and brochure photographs.

A particular advantage has been the development of a secret coating process. Once coated it is virtually impossible to tell a piece of corrugated from a piece of wood or metal so that in Noel's creative hands furniture, picture frames, boxes and units can be produced which defy the eye.

"From the customer's point of view corrugated is the perfect medium. We can produce units for a specific campaign and because they are in corrugated they are obviously produced at a fraction of the cost of wood or metal, and then when the campaign is over, the units are simply scrapped."

The board is provided by Blunham, Bedfordshire based Abbey who has had a long association with StylePack over the years.

"The thing I like about Abbey the most is the level of service I get," commented Noel.

"They are always keen to help us with our problems and make suggestions - and they never refuse to supply small quantities if we need them for a specific job.

"All in all they provide us with the perfect service and that is perhaps the most important thing in the supply chain."

StylePack tends to use E flute for its creative ideas but Noel is now looking forward to the introduction of the new F and N flutes, which are due for release from Abbey very shortly.

"I've never worked in these flutes and am looking forward to getting my hands on a few samples as soon as possible so that I can see what we can do with them. From a design point of view I think they could be very exciting."

Abbey Corrugated is one of the leading producers of corrugated sheet in Europe. In recent years the well known company has been the subject of a multi-million pounds investment programme which has transformed into perhaps the most efficient, customer service orientated operation in the UK, capable of servicing virtually any corrugated board requirement.

The company offers perhaps the most comprehensive range of grades and in addition to the new N and F flutes is also planning to offer a wide range of light grades of its existing range of products.