Historic Trivia

15th century China ~

Cardboard, a heavy wood-based paper, was first invented.

England 1817 ~

The first commercial cardboard box was produced.

England 1856 ~

A patent was issued for corrugated (also called pleated) paper for use as liners in tall hats. It was not patented for use in shipping materials until 1871.

America 1890 ~

Robert Gair invented the corrugated cardboard box. These were pre-cut flat pieces manufactured in bulk that opened up and folded in boxes.

1940-1946 ~

United Airlines launched a pre-warexperiment in air cargo. After the war both American Airlines and TWA entered this new transcontinental air freight market. In January, 1946, there were two rate options: 26¢ per ton-mile for air freight and 61¢ for air express.

Cuba, April 1945 ~

The IATA was founded.

Post World War II, 1945 ~

Federal Industries sold its first box during the “Brown Box” era. The box itself was made primarily of corrugated box-board, using many variations of paper inserts commonly known of as “mousetraps” for cushioning the product.

1948 ~

Breakage of porcelain and other fine products was costing shippers millions of dollars. In 1948 the National Safe Transit Committee (NSTC), later known as the ISTA, put together the first ever standard shipping test “to predetermine a packaged-products’ ability to withstand average transportation shocks”.

1950s ~

Federal Industries found new ways to improve inner packaging, replacing cumbersome mousetraps with simplified, die-cut forms. These new designs offered significant savings in the labor of packing the box and in lower costs of shipping.

1957 ~

The first United Nations Model Regulations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods were published, establishing minimum requirements applicable to the transport of hazardous materials by all modes of transport. shipping materials until 1871.

Federal Industries was quick to recognize the potential of foams and discovered a way to manufacture convoluted urethane foam for the protection of fragile products shipped within a corrugated box.

1960s ~

The printing industry added increased capabilities for printing finer 4-color graphics on boxes, increasing the demand for white corrugated.

1970s-1980s ~

As the computer industry expanded, the demand for protective packaging increased a thousand fold.

The demand for UN Certified Packaging also increased. New regulations required training the personnel who would actually pack the material into the shipping containers. With all the possible ramifications, very few package manufacturers were willing to get involved.

1987-present ~

Federal Industries established itself in the hazardous materials packaging industry, developing a specialized line of packages to meet the rigid UN shipping standards. Today our CHEM-TRAN ^®and VISA-PAX^®shipping systems safely carry hazardous chemicals throughout the world.