New Over-Packaging Record? 17 Boxes For 32 Pages
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.21.08
Ever Heard of These Things Called Envelopes?
HP really cares about paper. Technology site The Register received a email from Stephen Strang, one of its readers, about a delivery from HP. A large box containing smaller ones... 17 of them. All of that for 32 pieces of A4 paper (wrapped two by two in pink foam). We're not suggesting this is standard practice at HP, but if this is real, they probably should have a closer look at some of their processes.
This beats our previous over-packaging entries: Is This Too Much Packaging, You Think? (which, depending on who you ask, might actually have been justified) and Dell's big box for a USB thumb drive.
Update: We just got a comment that seems to corroborate and explain the photos. Check it out here.
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Acorn/ Deck/ Empyrean Born 1947 Died 2008
- An Earthquake-Ready School for China (Just Add Cardboard Tubes)
- 9 "Green" Gadgets of Questionable Repute
- HP Trading Cash for Old Gadgets
What a waste. It's not heavy, but the packaging materials and the pace it takes in planes and trucks is totally wasted.
this seems fake.
"this seems fake. "
I know huge bureaucracies, and while common sense might seem to tell us it's fake, it is actually quite possible that it is genuine, just like the $600 toilet seats bought by the US government.
I would imagine that this is either a hoax a prank between friends or this guy really made someone mad at hp
Such a waste of resources!
If you see any ridiculous packaging as above, or with anything else, send it to me at packagingprobe@gmail.com. I have posted some ridiculously packaged items at packagingprobe.com and will send it back to the manufacturer, with feedback on how to improve it.
"I know huge bureaucracies, and while common sense might seem to tell us it's fake, it is actually quite possible that it is genuine, just like the $600 toilet seats bought by the US government."
"huge buereaucracies" do not tape together boxes and grab random boxes around the office to send documents.
'"huge buereaucracies" do not tape together boxes and grab random boxes around the office to send documents.'
Really? Bwahaha, man, if you knew what I've seen.
I see this happening. HP probably keeps each license (2 sheets) in a box which is fairly big for that size of document, but not outrageous and probably a bit cheaper than a bubble mailer. Each of those is seen as an individual unit in the warehouse, and then the shipping guys get the order for 17 of those licenses, and pack them all in the box. It's probably not allowed for them to open the boxes, which would save space for shipping, and they might not even be thinking about what's inside. As it's HP, they could be printer parts.
I'd say the root of the problem is that these pieces of paper were not in thin envelopes to begin with, making it a systematic problem. Also, a volume license would be even better, but maybe HP didn't make it obvious to the user that they were available, or maybe for 17, it's cheaper to buy individual licenses.
These seem like RMA boxes that will carry a part or computer peripheral back to the company. Big company or not... it is simply dumb to use a whole box to ship a few sheet of paper and i don't see it happening with Dell.
I am certain this image was taken out of context.
I've been an HP customer for 30+ years, and it is 100% true. Each license has a product number, and they are stocked in a warehouse just like a piece of hardware. When you order a product that needs a license, a warehouse drone picks the item, puts it in a bigger box, and ships it.
This practice was in place back in the 1970s, and change doesn't happen easily in a big organization. HP has committed to making changes, and many software products are now licensed online.
You also need to keep in mind the regulatory environment. HP does most of it's business outside the US. Lots of import laws require that 'goods' be physical entities. In order to meet worldwide requirements, the software needs to be represented by a box of something. Would a small envelope have worked? Sure, but envelopes are tough to integrate into an automated warehouse that's configured to handle boxes of hardware.
Whenever I see something like this from other companies (others have spoken about HP above,) I think part of the issue is time. I've heard of Amazon doing similar things, and think the many delivery deadlines might have a lot to do with it. If a warehouse worker didn't send something promised on a certain day because the right size enveolpe/carton wasn't available, chances are that worker would be an ex-employee long before that item was to be delivered.
I've worked for a printshop, and it's not always easy to know how many cartons a job will take. They could predict pretty well, and usually did a good job of it. A business like Amazon has hardly any control of what the demands will be, and have deadlines that are measured in minutes rather than days. They usually predict things very well, but the exceptions certainly stand out.
I can believe this -- A few years ago I ordered some additional screws for a Dell server I bought for my company. I received 4 boxes (each about 30cm x 30cm x 10cm) each containing two screws wrapped in packing material.
Companies with practices like this should be named and shamed.