Protect and Inform

In addition to the streamlined process it maintains with its sister companies, Rondo-Pak also differentiates itself with the complexities of its folding cartons. Dixon explains that Rondo’s packaging is a 100 percent paperboard solution that can replace packaging such as plastic clamshells and Styrofoam inserts.

Some of these innovations include boxes with nesting elements to hold syringes, cartons with built-in shelves, and cartons with additional safety elements such as an added protective layer of paperboard, or a tamper evident solution that can be added through diecutting.

“We make highly complex boxes with inner partitions, shelves and other unique and innovative features,” Dixon relates. “Many of our customers, such as the high-end biotech companies, have advanced therapies. So the container could be for syringes, vials, or auto-injector devices.”

Though many of Rondo-Pak’s innovations appear on the inside of its cartons, the company has also developed some creative design qualities to the exterior of its cartons. Dixon points to a folding carton produced for a nutraceutical item that was a complete turnkey solution for the customer. Though the product is a nutraceutical, the company wanted to make it look like a pharmaceutical product. To do that, says Dixon, Rondo-Pak designed a carton with a glossy finish enhanced with a UV coating. After adding some metallic inks and embossing, the carton looked ready for retail. But, there was still one more problem to solve. Understanding the tendency of the bottom of a folding carton to develop a curve, Rondo-Pak added a system of stabilizing tabs to keep the carton upright on the shelf and make it more attractive to consumers.