Today's challenge was wrapping a cigar box for our friends at Boss Cigar. They specialize in custom cigars and needed a solution for putting the finishing touch on their product.  

For this job we used the DeltaWrap 200 Wide because we needed a film width of at least 13" and the Wide will handle up to 14".  The box measures 10"  long by 2.25" deep by 6.5" wide.  The key measurements to determining film width is the length +  depth + at least .5" for overlap. We happened to have a 14" roll of film on hand so that is what we used for this demo. Having more overlap  isn't a problem and in my opinion actually looks a little better.  You can judge for yourself in the picture below. 

So, that said, this was very easy to do. Watch the video, Donna has some great technique that is key to wrapping these larger boxes. We would have to do several to get a feel for through put but she wraps this one and explains how to do it in one minute. With a little practice we think 2 -3 per minute is a reasonable expectation. The per box cost breakdown comes in at a little less than a nickel.

There would be many good ideas that can come about as a result of being able to wrap your own boxes. Each box could actually be customized to maximize the personal touch a business like this can enjoy. Not only can the cigars be custom but even the presentation itself.  A separate piece of paper could easily be slipped under the wrap for special parties or use your imagination and come up with that marketing idea that sets you apart from the others.  

This is a great solution for folks who are looking for an economical yet effective way to package and market hand made soap.  We can effectively solve many of the problems facing this industry with our overwrap machine. These are some of the common issues facing custom soap makers. 

1. High cost of custom boxes. If you've shopped this around you know what I'm talking about. A recent shopping expedition showed that for a minimum quantity of 1250 pieces the price was over $.70/box. That works out to about $900.00 for the order. WOW! Most soap makers have multiple scents, colors and ingredients so multiply your 20 different varieties and, well you get the idea, it's expensive. With our machine you can insert something as simple as a business card under the poly film or get a little more elaborate and use ribbons and custom printed pieces and probably stay under $.05/wrap. Yes, that's correct, less than a nickel!
2. Dirt and Bacteria.  Ewww, gross right?  Think clean and fresh!  Even if you want to spring for a custom box your customers will appreciate opening that box and finding a neatly wrapped bar.   A standard bar of soap wraps for about a penny a bar. 
3. Better than shrink wrap. Not only does it look better and seal better but the amount of heat used with our machine is far less than a shrink system. The benefit to this is we don't melt and damage  your product.  
4. Capital Investment. I haven't met a lot of custom soap businesses who can afford a $30,000.00 wrapping machine. However, I have met some that want the look of a pro machine. All of our machines are less than $2,000.00 and yield as good or better than any automated high speed process. 
5. Size variances. If you are in this business you know that it's impossible to make all your bars exactly the same size.  This is absolutely no problem with our equipment. You can also use the same machine to wrap items that are vastly different. All you do is change the size of the film roll and you're ready to wrap an entirely different sized product. 
6. Branding versatility. This goes back somewhat to the high cost of boxes but it merits more discussion. You can literally make every bar of soap a custom piece if you want to. Maybe you would like to represent the local Bed and Breakfast and supply their soap. Easy to print up something custom and insert it under the film wrap. Maybe you have some other custom ideas that have been restricted because the cost of packaging is so high.