The German Folding Carton Association “Fachverband Faltschachtel-Industrie e.V.” (FFI) launches the implementation of an online cardboard database that will be available in German and English.  

This database is intended as a repository of all folding carton boards used in the industry together with their corresponding specifications and certificates. Based on the principle “one data record per supplier item per grammage”, the database will provide the publicly available specifications for each folding carton board, such as bending stiffness, thickness, moisture, whiteness etc., in a systematic and up to date manner.

These technical criteria or any combinations of them can be used in the search function to list and compare products. The database is not meant to hold data relevant for business administration or calculation, such as pricing, T&Cs, delivery times or inventories. It also contains no information that was mutually agreed between two partners (cardboard producer, folding carton manufacturer). Each data record will be complemented by technical data sheets, clearance certificates or factory certificates of the respective folding carton board.

The current start of the implementation stage was preceded by an almost two years’ period of concept and discussion within the FFI committees and with the project partners as well as an extensive legal assessment. The project was triggered by the observation of the FFI Procurement Committee that central and online-based material databases had been established in many other industries for a long time, but not in the folding carton industry.

In its utilisation concept for the database, FFI plans to offer access to the platform to all relevant actors. For example, it is intended that not only all participating cardboard manufacturers can make full use of the database but also the members of other national folding box associations within the European Carton Makers Association (ECMA). And even non-members of FFI will not be excluded, as they are also offered limited access to certain functionalities of the database. w