Kewdale business a cut above the competition

WHEN Troy Hughes turned his mind to more than the just production of cardboard boxes he charted a new course for his Kewdale business.

And that direction has taken him into a new realm altogether – cardboard cutting to cater for kids.

His business, Design Cut, has been commissioned to produce a 2D Cinderella carriages, a Santa sleigh, and church pew and an FJ Holden.

 “We saw that there was a hole in the market for box cutting but the kids toys was something I was interested in,” Mr Hughes (pictured right) said.

“I started teaching myself to think outside the square and soon designed products including indoor cubby houses, cars, puppet hats and even rockets.

“Parents think they are great because they are entertaining and inexpensive and portable.”

However, while toy manufacturing is the more enjoyable part of Mr Hughes’ day, it’s certainly not the most profitable.

“Our revenue comes from manufacturing cardboard boxes and point-of-sale material, but the fun part is the kids toys,” he said.

“We start with a blank screen and a concept and we can design anything.”

The bulk of Design Cut’s business comes from producing cardboard items such as competition boxes, pamphlet stands and display trays.

“We basically solve problems for people who want cardboard products but don’t need a lot of them,” Mr Hughes said.

“That was something that was difficult to find before we came along. 

“For one particular company we designed heavy duty cardboard boxes that they could use instead of pine crates. They ended up saving $100 per box in freight costs.

“One company we did some work for had an event with a Mexican theme, so we designed green cactus cut-outs for them.”

Design Cut entered the market 18 months ago after Mr Hughes identified a market need for a cardboard products supplier to fill small to medium size orders.

Its main competitor is global paper products producer Visy Industries.