Packing materials are to a removals company what food is to a bar. They’re certainly not the only thing that matters, but without them, there wouldn’t be a removals company.

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In all honesty, I think this is an often underestimated issue, almost seen as secondary. But in reality, it should be a primary focus for all moving companies. It seems obvious, but you’d be surprised at how little attention is paid to the process of sourcing packing materials.

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I’ve probably seen more of these materials than anyone else. I’ve seen them arrive from all over the world in containers and cargo ships. And I have to admit, the packing materials used in the United States and the United Kingdom are some of the worst in the world. Surprising, isn’t it?

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Where do the best packing materials come from?… Southeast Asia and Italy. I’m not trying to be patriotic or biased (as some of you know, I was born in Italy), but I have rarely come across materials of such high quality as those produced in Northern Italy. Swiss and Austrian manufacturers are also excellent, and they’re just a few hundred kilometres away. Why is this? I can’t say for certain, but I can tell you that Bolliger makes good use of this advantage. We’re fortunate to have our lorries in Northern Italy every week, and we’ve bought so much material from Italian companies that we now get excellent prices.

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Interestingly, the best packing tape, on the other hand, comes from southern Italy. But that’s a story for another time.