Kyocera Document Solutions Receives the Industrial Packaging Category Award at the 2024 Japan Packaging Contest

Kyocera Document Solutions Inc. (President: Hironori Ando) announces that “Karugaru Joint,” which solves four problems, won the Industrial Packaging Category Award in the “2024 Japan Packaging Contest” sponsored by the Japan Packaging Institute. This is the 17th time that MOL has won an award in this contest.

The Japanese manufacturing industry is facing various challenges such as labor shortages due to a shrinking population, reduction of CO2 emissions from the product design stage to waste disposal, and supply instability due to soaring raw material prices.

Joint parts used to secure the opening and closing parts of corrugated boxes used to transport products have not been developed for many years, although there is room for improvement in terms of automation of manufacturing, material usage, and transportation efficiency.

To address this situation, we have developed a joint part called “Karugaru Joint” that solves the above issues by taking advantage of our in-house MFP/printer parts design technology.

All of the packaging materials used in the products we sell have been developed and designed by our own company, and our technological capabilities have been highly evaluated both domestically and internationally. We will continue to actively develop packaging materials to lead the packaging industry.

■Four issues solved

[1] Automation of assembly in preparation for the return of production to the domestic market and a declining population.

Joint parts can now be delivered to the factory stacked on top of each other, making it easier to remove parts. This has made it possible to automate assembly and greatly improved transportation efficiency.

[2] Reduced CO2 emissions from production to logistics for a sustainable society

Through strength simulation design, we reviewed the shape of the product to reduce the amount of materials used while maintaining the conventional strength. In addition, the use of recycled plastic materials has reduced CO2 emissions.

[3] Toward the 2024 logistics problem - Reduction of transportation loading space (66% reduction compared to conventional products)

By making the joint parts stackable, we have eliminated wasted space and realized the ability to fit more joint parts into a shipping box, thereby greatly improving shipping efficiency. This has also greatly contributed to the reduction of CO2 emissions during transportation.

[4] Easy to understand how to remove the joint parts, reducing the force required for removal

The newly adopted joint parts have a shape that makes removal easy to understand. Furthermore, a new mechanism has been adopted that allows the lock to be released with light force while maintaining the lock function performance.

Japan Packaging Contest

The Japan Packaging Contest is a packaging contest held in Japan to determine the best of the best and the group of excellence in packaging of the year, from design to logistics. The Japan Packaging Contest is an important event that promotes development and innovation in the packaging industry, and contributes to the spread and evolution of packaging excellence. Winning entries are allowed to use the “GP Mark” established under Japan's Packaging Recycling Law as a sign of excellent packaging. This mark indicates conformity to the recycling of packaging materials and is intended to promote environmental friendliness and sustainable packaging. In addition, the winning entries will be simultaneously qualified to enter the World Star Contest, a global packaging contest.