How Small Changes at UBEECO Manufactured Big Impacts

What’s in a name?

We started our company in 1970 as a box manufacturer under the name of ‘United Box Company’. We would collect off cuts and second hand materials to manufacture lettuce boxes for the fruit growers. In May 1974, we made our final lettuce box and, at this point, our company had grown to become a strong force in industrial packaging in New South Wales. We introduced onsite packing work to the market and promoted ourselves as a one stop shop so that our customers knew we could offer a complete packaging solution. Fast forward some years later, we sought another change for United Box: changing our name to what we are known as now.

So, what does UBEECO stand for? Apart from excellence and innovation, the letters don’t actually stand for anything. Rather, it’s the phonetic acronym of ‘United Box Company’. ‘U’ for ‘United’, ‘Bee’ for ‘Box’, and ‘Co’ for Company. We knew that we needed change and we wanted our name to be more reflective of the entire packaging suite we offer. Although it took a while to adapt, the change of business name was a valuable move. It was a way to renew our company while still paying homage to our origins. This change was a true highlight of the value of our company: recognising when change is needed – whether it be bringing in new products, designing innovative packaging solutions or changing the business name. It’s also a reminder that we are prepared to take risks and run on board with it.

Small Changes, Big Impacts

What are some of the improvements over the last few decades that don’t seem like a big deal but have helped the business a tonne? Of course, technological development plays a huge part in any business, especially for large-scale ones like ours. Back in the day, something as simple as a nailing gun made production a lot easier:

“When we first started, we had no nailing guns. So, we had a fork, loose nails, and a hammer. That’s how we made all our pallets. Literally a fork. We used it to spoon [the nail] up and carry 100 nails with our fingers and [hammer] them one by one… That’s why we’ve all got stubby fingers!”

These days we have a number of pallet making machines, and of course our production team are equipped with the right tools like nailing guns; forks are only found in our lunch room now. With improved equipment and processes, we’re able to make a huge range of timber goods in a matter of time – from various types of pallets, to large custom-made boxes.

Automation is another pivotal influence in our company. Equipment and other items that make us more efficient and speed up man-power on the factory floor make all the difference in a high-demand business. Whether it be investing in machines like the Pack Saw that cuts timber in just a few minutes to manufacture goods in a timely manner, or bringing in innovative products for our customers such as the Air Bubble I.B Void Fill System to improve their own production system – we knew that we can only grow from welcoming and investing in change, no matter how big or small they are.

Having grown from manufacturing vegetable boxes in a small part of Western Sydney to supplying packaging solutions to a broad range of industries nation-wide really makes us proud to be where we are now.