BIFA Awards
plan from 2025. For military shipments, suitable packing materials are prescribed by Defence Standards. However, said Kennedy: “We often apply military thinking to commercial packaging, too. JPI has been around for over 60 years so we have plenty of experience, and we have case patterns for different applications that we can use when designing packaging.” Plus, of course, there is sustainability to think about. “We use wood from sustainable forests and plain recycled paper. Plastic is expensive – and hard to get rid of. Customers are asking about sustainability more and more, but we have been pretty green for years already,” Kennedy said. At the time of writing, JPI was expecting to gain ISO 14001 accreditation. Stormy weather Sometimes packaging is subject to challenges of a different sort – namely the British weather. A Norfolk-based manufacturer required a large 7-tonne machine to be packed and transported to Southampton Docks for shipment to Canada, with an agreed seven-day turnaround time. But the approach of Storm Ciarán shortened that window to just four days. It was imperative that moisture be kept away from the electronics within the cabinets of the machine, but the size of the case meant packing had to take place outdoors – and the storm could have blown any packaging materials away, leaving the machine unprotected, Kennedy outlined. A team of just three worked across three different technician and engineering teams, and two different sites, to complete the build on time despite difficult weather conditions as Storm Ciarán gathered momentum. At the time of writing, JPI was busy packaging several 10-tonne ship propellers. Other unusual shipments the company has packed up and shipped include a very damaged fibreglass car bonnet for a classic car enthusiast and a 15-tonne cheese machine. “You just never know what you are going to get,” Kennedy remarked.
JPI offers bespoke packaging, including sustainable timber packing, aluminium foil wrapping and cartons
John Pipe has military contracts wrapped up
Offering bespoke packaging of anything from tiny screws to giant cheese machines, freight forwarder John Pipe International walked away with this year’s BIFA Specialist Services Award
O ne particular area of expertise at John Pipe International (JPI) is military packaging – which requires a unique skillset, acquired through rigorous training. “There are three stages,” explained Nathan Kennedy, JPI managing director. “First, you have to demonstrate awareness of the military packaging scheme. Second, there are 10 or so online modules to complete in order to become a competent packer. “You must then spend two years working in a military packaging environment before you can do the third ‘expert’ stage: five days of exams. You are assessed by a panel and have to defend all your decisions. It’s the most intense thing I’ve ever done,” he recalled. Military packaging has been likened to medical packaging: it has to work first time, every time, because items are often opened for the first time under critical conditions on the battlefield. As a member of the Military Packager Accreditation Scheme (MPAS), and holder of ISO 9001 2015 accreditation, JPI is an
approved company certified in defence and aerospace packing. For one defence client needing to ship sensitive equipment, JPI built secure cases to MPAS standard. Each component was wrapped and hermetically sealed in Defence Standard aluminium foil and charged with desiccant, and components were secured into plywood and timber batten cases. The success of this project led to repeat orders and ongoing business as part of a five-year
Nathan Kennedy, managing director, John Pipe International
Specialist Service Award
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16 | March 2025
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