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Archive for July, 2011

• Willis Tower Glass Balconies – Since opening in 1973, the Willis tower has been undergone various renovation projects. One such project was the addition of an observation deck called the ‘Skydeck’, starting in 2009 when glass balconies were installed, making the building into a popular tourist attraction. The glass balcony is on the 103rd floor of the tower and which extends 4 feet from the side of the building. It can sustain a massive 4.5 metric tonnes in weight, making it a lot safer than it looks. The Willis Tower is not the first building to use structural glazing as a platform, but it is the highest, which is why it makes this list.

• National Centre of Performing Arts – The National Grand theatre in China is truly a visually stunning building made completely of titanium and structural glazing, making it highly bespoke and distinctive in its design. The theatre spans over an area of 12,000 m² and is surrounded by an artificial lake. The total cost of the building project was over £27 million (or 3.2 billion Yen), which caused quite a stir among the community as many believed it would be impossible to ever recuperate a return on the investment, however since opening it has been announced that the theatre is not for profit. Despite the negativity surrounding this, we believe the building itself is an architectural phenomenon which is why it makes this list.

• The Louvre Pyramid – If you want to experience the Louvre Pyramid then you have to travel to Paris to enjoy the structure in all its glory. The structure is made up of glass and metal and is accompanied by three similar, yet smaller pyramids in the courtyard of the Louvre Palace. The pyramid is made up of glass segments which stretch up to 70 feet in the air, with square base sides each stretching 35 metres in size. Since it has been created there have been many other museums which have tried to duplicate its features, but due to its originality, appeal and popularity, we feel it deserves a place on this list.

• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art – The Nelson-Atkins museum of art is known for its neoclassical architecture as well as its distinctive artefacts, including large shuttlecocks around the building. What we wanted to concentrate on is the five new Bloch buildings which are coated in frosted glass and illuminated in light from corner to corner. The buildings are museums for contemporary, photography and African exhibitions, which in combination with their visual appeal, makes the buildings an increasingly popular tourist attraction.

Whatever you may call them, poly bags are here to stay; and for good reason. This light weight, water resistant, economical packaging option is now the modern way to display, ship, and protect your products. Depending on their purpose and usage there are a multitude of names available (i.e. plastic bag, plastic shipping envelope, poly mailer, poly pak, plastic mailer, poly envelope, heavy duty poly bags), the list goes on and on. Call them what you will but more and more companies are recognizing the value of upgrading their operations to include this brand centric, economically sound, eco-friendly poly bag option.

Companies have made the switch for many reasons, with each having its own motivations and goals in mind. But there are a few reasons they all share when making the change and upgrading their operation.

Reason #1: You can put your Brand anywhere. So you should!

A first of many reasons is that poly bags can be fully customized and used as a platform to market your brand(s). The packaging your product is displayed and arrives in is yet one more avenue to get your name out, and your brand recognized. This is a huge opportunity to differentiate your brand since many companies still use plain poly bags or bulky boxes that give no brand value. Packaging is the last thing a customer will see after making a purchase, it should make a statement.

Branded packaging is a strong advertising platform that many are not taking advantage of. Using custom branded poly bags gives you a larger advertising reach without a huge initiative or budget. By something as simple as their company name, logo, and website you give all who see the bag the necessary information to reach out to you.

Reason #2: What do you mean we can get better packaging for less money?

What do you and your competitors have in common? Well yes you probably have similar products. You also likely examine every avenue to save money and keep overhead to a minimum. A successful business is always looking to reduce costs, streamline processes, and increase efficiencies. An often overlooked opportunity is in custom packaging.

Would it surprise you to know that poly bags don’t register on a freight scale? Added freight costs, due to packaging, are virtually eliminated. Since the poly bags are customized to your products the packaging fits much better compared to a standard size box. You might as well eliminate the cost of filler or foam to fill the open spaces in a box. While you’re at it why not get rid of packaging tape as well. Since most poly bags have self sealing adhesives there’s no need for it anymore.

Poly bags also cost substantially less to make than corrugated boxes. Not only in terms of production and delivery to your warehouse, but in the man-hours to use (no box building required). For comparison, a corrugated box has approximately 17 motions to build and seal, a poly mailer has 3. In addition you don’t even need packaging or return labels since you can write directly on the bag if desired.

Reason #3: Will You Need This Planet When I’m done With It?

What does “Going Green” mean to you? For most it means you and your company are committed to being responsible residents on this planet. And you should be proud of that commitment. So why not display your efforts to produce and promote environmentally responsible products and operations. It may not be readily apparent but poly bags can help.

A majority of plastic shipping envelopes and poly bags are made with LDPE or Low Density PolyEthylene. You’ll know this when you see a small recycling triangle with a number four “4″ in the middle. This means that with the proper processes these poly bags are 100% recyclable. And many producers provide poly bags that are made with post consumer recycled (PCR) content. This is plastic that is already on its second life but blended to maintain many of the same qualities and standards of virgin resin. Using this environmentally friendly packaging option, your company can promote its environmentally conscious initiatives on the bag, website, products, etc.