McKernan Packaging Clearing House (MPCH) has a unique business model in that we offer dual services. While considered a leader in the Packaging Supply Business, we actually are a service corporation. We provide smaller businesses, start-ups, and even larger businesses quality, packaging components. At the same time, we also provide businesses with an outlet to dispose of their excess packaging. We purchase unused and unbranded components such as bottles, jars, and closures. This service allows manufacturers the opportunity to recapture some of their inventory investment on their unneeded packaging. McKernan's president, Tim McKernan, is quite adamant when he points out that we do not recycle, but instead Precycle® unbranded, unused components, helping find new homes for unwanted packaging.
Excess packaging is, and always has been, a fact of life in product manufacturing. It is created by a variety of factors: sometimes marketing a specific product line requires a change in the packaging's design or color; sometimes mistakes are made in the packaging ordering process, i.e. the wrong packaging is ordered for a specific product; and sometimes the business simply fails. What results is the availability of millions of pieces of excess packaging. Again, it's top quality but no longer needed by the original product manufacturer.
For nearly half a century, McKernan has been in the business of buying and reselling that excess packaging. And business is good. Our attempts at educating businesses to the value of Precycling® have begun to pay off. We are riding a hard-won upward curve.
Over the past several years, we have tripled the number of our employees, and the size of our warehouses in the Chicago area. All of that growth is, of course, spurred by the most important increase: our gross sales have more than doubled. Foreign sales are also up by over 20% a year. If you need to reach us for any reason, we're open weekdays from 5:00 am to 5:00 pm, Pacific Time. Our professional sales staff is quite adept at searching our inventory for exactly what our customers need in the quantity they require and at the price they can afford. We also service our customers through a monthly Packaging Clearing House Catalog and a monthly "Hot Deals" mailer. In addition, our suppliers can fax in items for bid listed on the FastFax form, which is located inside the monthly catalogue.
After 47 years and two generations, the McKernan family has solidly established its extensive network of packaging suppliers, which includes major players such as Colgate-Palmolive, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, Alberto Culver, and Bristol-Myers-Squibb. Our broad definition of "excess" includes items usually thought of as outside traditional packaging, such as various cosmetic components, certain medical items, and even de-labeled aerosol cans resurrected by our can delithographing process. This patented process renders a can shiny, new, and ready for shrink labeling or paper relabeling. We even stock many food grade items. No matter what you're after, check with McKernan.
