Builder's merchants deal with cardboard in a way that most operations do not. It arrives wet, it arrives dirty, and it arrives in large quantities. The board that protects bricks, tiles, and timber is thick, often double or triple-wall, and nobody has time to sort it.
One merchant we spoke to operates a yard on the edge of a town. Deliveries go out to building sites across the region. Their packaging needs are straightforward: protect tiles, protect finished timber, protect anything with a surface that can be scratched.
Their previous approach was to buy void-fill and pay for cardboard removal. Both costs were rising. The cardboard pile in the yard was becoming a problem, particularly in wet weather when it turned to pulp.
The machine they installed is the Aircosan P80. It is positioned under a canopy at the back of the yard, near the loading area. Specifications are 55cm width, up to 20mm thick, 15 metres per minute. That thickness rating is the reason they chose it. Much of their incoming board exceeds 15mm, and they needed a machine that would not jam on it.
The output is used for outgoing tile and timber orders. The mesh wraps and cushions without the mess of foam.
Practical notes from the yard manager. The machine is built for outdoor-adjacent environments, but it still needs cover from direct rain. The blades need checking regularly because grit from the yard accelerates wear. And the cardboard should be shaken out before feeding-stones and debris will damage the cutting mechanism.
On cost, the numbers are simple. Void-fill purchases stopped. Cardboard removal charges stopped. The machine paid for itself within the first year.
Aircosan manufactures these units and produces models up to 120cm wide. For a builder's merchant, that matters less than reliability. So far, the P80 has delivered both.