Short answer
Call-off stock separates the manufacturing quantity from the delivery quantity. You agree a total volume so the box can be made in an efficient run, we store it, and you take deliveries in the amounts and at the intervals that suit your production or despatch. You free up your own floor space and stop paying courier prices for emergency top-ups.
Why it exists
Corrugated is cheaper per box the longer the run, because most of the cost sits in setting up: board, tooling, plates and machine time. But a box that is cheap per unit is no use if it fills your warehouse, ties up cash and gets damaged because it has been shuffled around a busy floor. Call-off gives you the run rate benefit without the storage problem.
How it works, step by step
- Forecast: you give us an honest estimate of annual or seasonal usage, ideally by SKU.
- Agreed quantity: we agree the total to manufacture, and the run size that gives the best value for that forecast.
- Manufacture: the boxes are made in one or more runs, so every delivery is from the same specification and the same board.
- Storage: the stock is held in our warehouse, palletised, labelled and traceable.
- Call-off: you order against the agreed stock as you need it, and we deliver on our own vehicles within our local area.
- Review: we look at usage against forecast and adjust the next run before you get to the end.
What we need from you
| Information | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Annual or seasonal usage | Sets the manufacturing run and the storage period |
| Typical order size | Decides how the stock is palletised and labelled |
| Notice you can give | Sets the agreed lead time for each call-off |
| Delivery point and access | Whether it is a tail lift, a dock or a hand offload |
| Peak periods | So we build the buffer before the busy weeks, not during them |
Storage, traceability and condition
Stock is held in our warehouse in Letchworth Garden City, which is certificated to the BRCGS Storage and Distribution standard and independently audited. That matters if you supply food, drink, pharmaceutical or personal care customers, because your own auditors will ask where your packaging has been kept. Traceability from goods-in to despatch means a query can be narrowed to a pallet rather than a month.
Board conditions with the air around it, so we store on pallets, off the floor, in a dry building and rotate stock first in, first out. It is also why we would rather agree a sensible storage period than sit on stock for years.
When demand changes
Forecasts move. That is normal and it is not a problem if you tell us early. If demand rises, we can bring the next run forward. If it falls, we can stretch the schedule, reduce delivery sizes or hold the balance longer. The only difficult case is a design change part way through, because board already converted to the old specification cannot be turned back. Where a change is coming, we will usually suggest a shorter run until it is confirmed.
Is it right for you?
- Good fit: steady repeat usage, limited storage space, seasonal peaks, or a pack you cannot afford to run out of.
- Good fit: bespoke boxes, where you want the run rate benefit without holding the whole run.
- Less useful: one-off projects, or products where the specification is still being developed.
Most customers start with one or two high volume lines and add more once the rhythm is established. If you would like to see what a call-off schedule would look like for your packaging, send us your usage and we will put a proposal together.
Frequently asked questions
- What is call-off stock?
- You agree a total quantity of packaging up front, we manufacture and store it, and you call it off in smaller deliveries as you need it. You get the price of the bigger run without having to find space for it or pay for it all at once.
- How much notice do you need for a call-off delivery?
- For stock we already hold for you, a normal call-off is short notice, often next working day within our local delivery area. Talk to us about your usual pattern and we will agree lead times in writing so there is no guesswork.
- How long will you hold stock for?
- We agree a period at the start, based on your forecast usage. Corrugated is best used within a reasonable timeframe because board conditions with humidity, so we would rather agree a realistic schedule than store a year of stock indefinitely.
- What if my demand drops?
- Tell us early. We can slow the schedule, change the delivery quantities or hold the balance longer. What we cannot do is un-make board that has already been converted, so a conversation at the forecast stage is worth much more than one at the end.
Want us to hold your packaging stock?
Tell us your usage and delivery pattern and we will propose a manufacturing run, a storage period and a call-off schedule to suit it.
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