CarryBar Successful Try for P4CK Design Team

Benson Group, one of the UK’s leading privately owned carton printers, has been working closely with the young designers at P4CK Ltd, the Berkshire-based packaging innovators, and stars of this Sunday’s Dragon’s Den television show, to be aired on BBC2, 9:00 p.m. November 25th.

P4CK launched its new drinks carrier, the CarryBar™, at Twickenham’s 90,000 capacity stadium on Saturday November 17th, at the QBE Internationals; England v. Australia match. The unique, patent pending cardboard carrier enables the efficient and easy transportation of four pints of beer. Some 100,000 carriers were produced by Benson Group at its Bardon, Leicestershire, headquarters, with the print-run split between Guinness and Greene King IPA branding. The Korsnäs Kraft Board products were printed, cut and glued prior to flat-pack despatch.

Trials with another major brewing company are expected to take place in the very near future. CarryBar™ is seen as an ideal solution for both sporting events and music festivals, where liquid refreshment is often purchased in larger quantities.

The team at P4CK are focused on creating innovative pack designs for FMCG, retail and leisure markets. P4CK has already assembled an impressive portfolio of portable food and drink carrier solutions that are both commercially beneficial and environmentally sustainable. Further details on this young and exciting business can be found at p4ck.co.uk

Commenting on the recent success with the CarryBar™ Chris Eves, director of P4CK, said: “We have been delighted with the initial feedback from Twickenham, who are already talking to us with regard to another order for February of next year when the Six Nations begins.”

The company has just celebrated its first anniversary, and is delighted with its rapid rise. Fellow director of P4CK, Luke Booth, details the beginnings of the business: “I got an early taste for working with cartonboard through the Student Starpack awards, where I designed a winning entry for a brief provided by McDonald’s.” The family members got together to start the business following Luke’s graduation, and P4CK started officially in October 2011.

“It has been a pleasure to have been working with Benson Group on this latest project. The team there are very helpful and have worked closely with us on the manufacturing side of the CarryBar product. The turnaround time was exceptional, and the quality of the product has been remarked on by our customers,” added Luke.

Gluing the CarryBar at Benson Group’s Bardon, Leicestershire, headquarters.

Innovative Design and Benson Group The focus on young innovative designers is nothing new for Benson Group. The company has been a sponsor of design briefs for both the annual Schools Starpack and Students Starpack awards for several years, as well as working with its own regular intake of design students from Loughborough University.

The 2013 Benson Group sponsored design brief for schools can be found here: Download Link

The 2013 Benson Group sponsored design brief for students is here: Download Link

Nikki Clark, Marketing Manager and Head of Design at Benson Group, said: “We have been working with Loughborough University’s Industrial Design & Technology Department for three years, and have taken some seven design students into our business over this time. Currently we have two students working with us, who will obtain twelve months of real-life work experience in a busy packaging environment – this is something that will hopefully form an important stepping stone for them in their packaging design career. It also brings fresh, innovative new ideas into our business which we can share with our customers.”

This educational philosophy extends to Benson Group’s focus on apprentices as well. David Midgley, Operations Manager at Benson Group’s Bardon site, said: “As a business we believe that we have an obligation to our local community to help in the development of young people in the area. By investing in young people we also believe that we are investing in the future of folding cartons, and helping to plan for our own customers’ future.”

In addition to all of this, Nikki and one of her design team are taking part in an industry day at nearby Longslade Community College in November, providing two one-hour packaging design workshops to year 10 and year 12 graphic design students. The workshops will include comment on design trends, packaging concept design, and constructional CAD design and mock-ups.

These various activities illustrate Benson Group’s commitment to creating the future in cartons, its focus on the importance of carton packaging, and the need to inspire and excite future packaging designers.