Sam Smith and Nikki Bratherton with The Box Factory’s MBM Knife Management System tooling cabinet

Zero Rejects, 70% Lower Tooling Costs: The Box Factory’s Knife Management System Case Study

For Leamington Spa-based The Box Factory Ltd, keeping three converting lines stocked with the right knives and tooling used to be a reactive scramble. Operators would discover they were down to their last set of blades exactly when they needed them — triggering last-minute panic, unplanned downtime, and a stockroom nobody could fully account for. Twelve months after installing MBM’s fully managed Knife Management System (KMS), the picture looks very different: standardised tooling across three casemakers, a vendor-managed inventory cabinet on the shop floor, and — according to Managing Director Neil Price — zero customer rejects due to slotting accuracy in a full year of production. Here’s how a comprehensive operational audit turned reactive tool replacement into total stock control, and what the numbers looked like once it did.

From Reactive Replacements to Total Stock Control

The catalyst was a comprehensive operational audit carried out by Nikki Bratherton, MBM’s Managing Director, together with Harrison Smith, MBM’s Senior Project Engineer. The Box Factory runs three similar Latitude casemakers, and it was Harrison Smith who spotted the opportunity the audit had opened up: many of the tooling components in regular use could be standardised, particularly across the two machines running side by side. Instead of three separate, loosely tracked sets of consumables, the plant could move to one standard specification wherever the machines allowed it.

That single change — standardising components across near-identical machines — is what made a shared, centrally managed cabinet workable in the first place. It’s also a good illustration of what MBM’s audit process actually looks for on-site: not just a stock problem to manage, but an engineering opportunity to remove complexity before a cabinet ever goes in.

Harrison Smith, Senior Project Engineer at Mansfield Board Machinery

A Fully Managed Tooling Cabinet, Built for the Shop Floor

To put the standardised tooling into practice, MBM installed a bespoke, heavy-duty Knife Management System cabinet directly on the factory floor. It runs as a complete vendor-managed inventory (VMI) system: MBM maintains a mirrored inventory at its own headquarters, so replacement parts are almost instantly available, and the cabinet itself is organised on 5S principles, with drawers customised so that “parts can only go in one place.” Stock is checked through regular audits — in person by MBM technicians, or remotely via scheduled digital checks and calls — to keep restocking and organisation on track.

Sam Smith, Operations Manager at The Box Factory, put the change in plain terms: “Before implementing the Tooling Cabinet system, tool management was far more sporadic and reactive. Operators would realise they were down to their last set of blades right when they needed them, creating last-minute panic. Now, it’s completely out of our hands in the best possible way; MBM manages the stock, the drawers are customised so parts can only go in one place, and our team always knows the exact tooling they need is instantly available.”

Foam-lined, labelled tooling cabinet drawers organised using 5S principles at The Box Factory

Cost Engineering: Standardising on SHOK BLOK® Blades

Beyond continuous stock availability, the switch delivered a direct cost-engineering benefit. Moving from legacy stitched pad blades to standardised SHOK BLOK® blades reduced consumable replacement costs by nearly 70%.

MBM also built a closed-loop maintenance and refurbishment service into the ongoing support. Worn blades and tooling components are collected regularly, taken back to MBM’s workshop for precision re-sharpening and inspection, and returned fully restored to OEM specification — extending the working life of every piece of tooling in the system rather than replacing it outright.

The Results: Zero Rejects and a Cleaner Balance Sheet

For senior leadership, the commercial and quality returns mattered more than the operational tidiness. Neil Price, Managing Director of The Box Factory, summed it up as a threefold win: “We no longer hold unused or redundant blades or tooling in our engineering departments, which improves the balance sheet. Secondly, the VMI concept means we only pay for what we use, when we use it. But maybe the biggest win for us is that since implementing the Tooling Cabinet system from MBM, we have had zero customer rejects due to poor slotting accuracy from the Latitude casemakers in the 12 months since we have been using the service. That is a massive win for any box plant.”

Having organised, high-precision tooling ready for immediate swap-out also supports the plant’s wider operational standards — including 5S organisation and BRC compliance requirements that most UK box plants are measured against.

Neil Price, Managing Director of The Box Factory

Could a Managed Tooling Cabinet Work for Your Plant?

The Box Factory’s setup — three similar casemakers, high-volume corrugated production, a need for consistent slotting accuracy — isn’t unique. MBM’s KMS framework is designed for box plants running any make or model, and where a plant runs bespoke or non-standard configurations, MBM’s in-house design and manufacturing team can build tooling to match rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all cabinet onto the floor.

FAQs

What is a Knife Management System (KMS)?
It’s a fully managed, on-site tooling cabinet for slotting knives, stitch flap tooling, creaser rings and related consumables, organised on 5S principles so every part has one place, and restocked through a vendor-managed inventory model rather than ad-hoc ordering.

How does vendor-managed inventory (VMI) work for converting tooling?
MBM keeps a mirrored inventory of your cabinet’s stock at its own headquarters, checks it through regular in-person or remote audits, and replaces what’s used — so the plant pays for consumption rather than holding its own buffer stock.

Do I need identical machines to benefit from standardised tooling?
It helps, but it isn’t essential. The Box Factory’s biggest standardisation win came from two casemakers running side by side, but MBM designs each KMS cabinet around the plant’s actual machine mix — any make or model — rather than requiring a uniform fleet.

How much can standardised tooling and refurbishment actually save?
In The Box Factory’s case, switching to standardised SHOK BLOK® blades cut consumable replacement costs by nearly 70%, on top of no longer carrying redundant stock on the balance sheet. Savings will vary by plant, machine mix, and current tooling spend.

Running a multi-line converting operation and still managing tooling reactively?

Tell MBM your machine make and model, and the team will run the same kind of operational audit that started The Box Factory’s transformation — no cost, no obligation. Get in touch