CUTTING AND CREASING FOLDING BOXES.
ONE of the most important branches of the paper box industry is that devoted exclusively to the making of all kinds of folding boxes and cartons, and this branch of the business has been growing wonderfully during the last few decades. The manufacturers of folding boxes are in a class by themselves, and as a general rule, they have nothing to do with the making of set-up paper boxes, although some of the larger plants are producing both folding boxes and set-up boxes.
There are good reasons why it would not be advisable for the average box maker to handle both folding boxes and set-up boxes in his factory, and the principal reason is the matter of mechanical equipment. The folding box plant must be equipped with machinery which cannot be used for the production of set-up boxes, and in a like manner, the set-up paper box plant calls for machines that cannot be used for the manufacture of folding boxes. Another fact to consider is that operators on folding boxes are usually skilled only in that line of work, while operators on set-up boxes know but little about the work on folding boxes.
Henry Ford, the automobile king, declares that specializing is the main reason for his great success in business. Says Mr. Ford:
“Any manufacturer or merchant, to be successful, must specialize. Do one thing. Do it well. Sell at one standard price—and you’re just bound to succeed.”
Tooth Pick Carton.
No gluing required. Holds together when folded.
Plain lines represent steel cutting rules.
Dotted lines represent steel creasing rules.
There should be a “tip” here for many a box manufacturer.
Folding boxes are now being used for holding a great variety of merchandise such as, for example, bottles containing medicines, cakes of soap, toothpicks, tubes of tooth paste, bottles of perfume, many different kinds of drugs, brushes, cough drops, cakes and crackers, safety razor blades, powders of various kinds, tools, grass seed, herbs, dried raisins, butter, spices, rice, sugar, absorbent cotton, bandages, etc. This list gives merely an idea of the many different uses for folding boxes, and it would be possible to add to this list hundreds of other articles which are packed in paper cartons. The drug trade alone uses great quantities of the smaller-size folding boxes for holding pills, tablets, medical goods, etc. Countless numbers of the larger size cartons are used for holding cereals, cake, tea, dozen lots of cigarette packages, dry goods, etc.