Cardboard Catering Sleeve (Fall 2015)
A local cardboard company came to Auburn looking for a way to grow and innovate their business. They asked the question:
"What products could we make (besides boxes) with our cardboard?"
Researching Opportunity
For this project, I narrowed my focus to catering solutions. Below is a comparative analysis to explore opportunity within this category.
Quick models
Problems to solve: transportation, strength, preserving heat, ease of use, presentation, and ergonomic carrying.
Field Testing
Local restaurants tested the prototypes. This helped me adjust sizing and strength to fit their needs.
Mock up of the "picnic basket" that Lisa from the Cup and Saucer mentioned when I met with her.
Here, I explored how I could make a pizza box have a secondary purpose of presentation. I like how nice pizza restaurants, like Mellow Mushroom, have metal stands to lift the pizza off the table to make more table room. When I made this concept I had the same idea in mind
The company ultimately decided to move forward with the simple catering pan sling. With double fluted cardboard and creases punched where it bends, it is designed for strength. The opening for the pan is slightly smaller from the top lip of the pan in order to keep all of the weight off the aluminum lip of the pan. The lip can fail and therefore I wanted to keep the pressure in the middle of the pan.
Final solutions
We visited their manufacturing site to use their equipment and collaborate with the engineers, making sure they are optimal for production
Final Cardboard Sling: 15 lbs Capacity
Below, I explored how to package the catering sling. How do we advertise this product? Why would people need this? I brainstormed scenarios in which this product would be useful, and then used those scenarios to help me design effective labels for the packaging.
Packaging Solutions
Right Option:
Takes up more shelf space
Less unfolding required
Left Option:
More compact
Bends the product more
This product would work well in the catering aisle of Walmart, Target, Family Dollar, or any place that sells aluminum catering pans.
This is Jeff Price the owner of Barbecue House in Auburn, AL. He was nice enough to test the catering sling first hand. He said that he would interested in buying this product in bulk during the fall to use in the tailgating orders; many people pickup huge pans of food and walk to their tailgates. Apparently last season, there were a few pans dropped.