Crownhill Attends the Pregis Foam 101 Training Course

Crownhill recently had the opportunity to attend the Foam 101 training course at the Pregis facilities in Plymouth, Illinois. We sent Brad, Sales Manager, and Pranav, Packaging Designer, to absorb and share all the latest in foam development.

Brad said from the moment they arrived on-site, the energy was fantastic and welcoming. The conference room was filled with seasoned sales, design, and marketing experts, all eager to learn from Pregis and their team.

The Foam 101 course was broken down into multiple sections, each one a concise, smart, and digestible piece. Matt Heil, Vice President of Engineered Products, led the way, demonstrating his vast knowledge into packaging innovations and industry advancements. The presentation itself offered up an impressive depth of insight.

Did you know… Pregis has over 30 North American facilities offering a wide variety of protective packaging materials and systems?

Next up, Brad Wiley, Sales Account Manager, was an engaging and informative host during the plant tour of the Pregis facilities.

Pregis then introduced our team and the other attendees to The Hub. It’s an online resource for account managers, sales representatives, and technicians to access valuable information about both Pregis and its services. They stated the information on offer, including tools for foam density calculations, have been a key part of their success, both for in-house and client relationships.

Pranav said he enjoyed exploring the Plymouth facility and found it quite impressive, citing one of his favorite stats: their ability to output over 2400 finished foam extrusions in less than an hour. But the part he enjoyed most was the design workshop when everyone split into small teams for a design contest.

Brad and Pranav were joined by Eddie Bannister, Sales Manager from Altex Packaging, Marc Webster, Sales Representative from Sterling Manufacturing, and Fran Guinan, Outside Sales Representative from Keystone Foam.

Each team was assigned a product with size and weight parameters—in their team’s case, it was a stereo receiver weighing roughly 30 lbs. The challenge was to consider all factors and design packaging that would provide adequate protection. Now was Pranav’s chance to shine as the only packaging designer in the group.

Calculating the foam density, their team determined approximately 24 square inches of foam would provide the protection needed. Considering other factors, like ease of assembly and overall appearance, their team tied for first place. Starbucks gift cards for everyone!

Brad added that he and Pranav were struck by the combined expertise brought together not only for their team, but for everyone attending the training course. There was such depth of knowledge, insight, and even humor on display, it was hard to not be wowed again and again.

The Foam 101 training was packed full of workshop sessions and real-world applications. It’s clear Brad and Pranav thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Crownhill is excited to share in the knowledge they picked up during the course.

Thanks to Pregis for arranging such a valuable and insightful training opportunity. We look forward to attending – and hopefully hosting – more opportunities like this in the future.