Reusable Foam Sheets: Shipping Protection and Delight

Mitsui Chemicals India Blog Series

2022.05.09

Mitsui Chemicals India Pvt. Ltd.

 

The current pandemic has altered how our world conducts its business – especially in critical sectors at the heart of the economy's growth. The companies in one such sector, the logistics and shipping industry, were having difficulties ensuring secure, durable, and efficient shipping for continuous and practical supply owing to evolving consumer expectations and stringent regulations. 

PaulowniaTM, our line of PP/PE foam sheets, is designed and engineered in response to the growing concerns of the logistics industry. This article encapsulates how our innovative and versatile PP/PE foam sheet range solves logistical issues, revolutionizing how inventory is shipped in transit.


Shipping Packaging Material: What Are the Challenges?

Logistical packaging has a direct impact on the cost of logistical activities at every stage. Selecting a packaging material that meets both short and long-term feasibility goals can significantly increase the productivity of logistical systems, both for transportation and storage.

Plywood, cardboard, PP solid plastics, and corrugated plastics have long been used as shipping containers. However, in real-life applications, these materials are both economically and practically unviable as:

1. They raise shipping and transportation costs because none of them are resistant to water, oil, and chemicals at the same time.
2. They do not demonstrate long-term reusability.
3. Some shipping materials are abrasive to the goods being shipped. This can result in both product damage and increased normal losses.

Shipping Packaging Material: What Are the Challenges?
Paulownia™ Foam Molded PP Sheet

How Paulownia Solves the Problem:

The global parcel volume is expected to exceed 131 billion in 2020, and India currently has the world's third-largest parcel density volume. With a rapid increase in consumerism, digitalization, and demand for Make-in-India goods, there was an urgent need for a superior packaging material that is reusable, lightweight, durable, and resistant to the forces that cause product damage.

PaulowniaTM, a triple foaming PP sheet manufactured by Mitsui Chemicals, is a versatile product that expertly protects inventory in transit. The distinct value proposition of PaulowniaTM is its diverse functionality and broad application scope. It is a convenient solution for package handling, from containment to protection to delivery.

Paulownia: Packed with Unparalleled Advantages

PaulowniaTM is a perfect substitute for plywood, cardboard, PP solid plastics, and corrugated plastics. It is composed of closed cells; it has a very appealing appearance as well as exceptional novel features that give it a competitive advantage over other conventional packaging materials.

1. It is highly resistant to water, heat, and chemicals, making it ideal for corrosive acid and other reactive liquid containers.
2. Since it is a bad conductor of electricity well, it is classified as an insulator, making it an ideal manufacturing material for electronic components such as displays and electronic parts.
3. It is easily moldable, with easy processing capabilities (cutting, routing, heat-adhesion). This ensures long-term reusability and moldability without much degradation compared to standard packaging materials such as corrugated plastics, cardboard, etc.

Grades of Paulownia: 

Our highly innovative engineering makes PaulowniaTM an optimum solution for the complex transportation and storage requirements of delicate, highly reactive, or sensitive goods. For this purpose, PaulowniaTM is available in the following two additional grades:

1. PaulowniaTM Super HD:

It is a closed-cell double foaming polyethylene (PE). Its proprietary technology makes it light but extremely stiff as a board, allowing for weight reduction in the packaging when used as a replacement for plywood, cardboard, or PE solid plastics. Even in cold temperatures, it has excellent shock absorption properties and is widely used as the inner layer of insulated truck boxes.

It is used in manufacturing partitions, automobile jigs, and carrier components, among other things. 

2. PaulowniaTM V:

It is a five-time foaming sheet made of closed-cell polypropylene (PP). It is lighter than PaulowniaTM but has the same workability. Its distinguishing feature is its high shock absorption while maintaining a lightweight build.

Mitsui Chemicals India: Innovating for A Better Future

Mitsui Chemicals India aims to leverage our chemical innovation to create and provide products that improve the quality of life in our society. Through our RoseTM and BlueTM values, we constantly evaluate and assess the feasibility of our products concerning the industry's expanding and diverse needs at our current time. As with PaulowniaTM, we will continue to innovate products with the same values that contribute to our planet's sustainability and ecological balance.

To enquire more about incorporating our products and solutions into your business, contact us