Locally made, more sustainable packaging

The Background

Sonatest is the leading manufacturer of Ultrasonic inspection equipment, recognised around the world for the quality of their products since 1958.

Among their wide selection of products, they offer a comprehensive range of portable ultrasonic flaw detectors, providing unrivalled flexibility and high performance in the field of Non Destructive Flaw Detection.

The Brief

Sonatest were looking to buy local and directly from the manufacturer, and the company being based in Milton Keynes made Reedbut Group an ideal choice.

They approached us with several key objectives that the updated packaging needed to meet. These included the removal of plastic and foam with the goal of more sustainable packaging overall, and a reduction in both packaging and transportation costs.

Sonatest also wanted to improve their customers’ experience, with simplified branded packaging that was easy to open, use, and store upon receipt.

The Solution

The previous packaging for Sonatest’s flaw detectors contained two different sizes of foam inserts, designed to hold the different detector shapes. Because the old packaging was utilising a regular 0201 case, the foam pieces were needed to protect the product parts during transit.

We developed a new, more compact bespoke box which eliminated the need for the foam pieces. Each part of the product is now held in place by the corrugated interior sections of the box itself, saving Sonatest significant storage space in their warehouse compared to the bulky foam inserts.

This new box is easy to assemble, free of glue and tape, and fully recyclable. Printed with simple branded graphics inside and out, it offers a compact, sustainable solution to transporting and storing flaw detector products.

“As a company committed to sustainability, finding a packaging solution that is both environmentally friendly and safe for transportation was a top priority for us.

Reedbut not only delivered on this promise, but exceeded our expectations with a fully recyclable box that was also branded to our specifications. The attention to detail and quality of the box was impressive, and we felt confident in its ability to protect our products during transit around the world.

From the initial design phase to the final product, they worked closely with us to ensure we were fully satisfied with every aspect of the box. They were receptive to our feedback and offered innovative solutions to any challenges we encountered along the way.

Overall, we are extremely pleased with the partnership we have formed with Reedbut and look forward to working with them on future projects. We highly recommend Reedbut to any company looking for a sustainable, high-quality packaging solution.”

Chris Dix, Warehouse and Logistics Manager, Sonatest

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