Case study: Heathrow custom bins used by 16 million passengers

When project managers at London’s Heathrow Terminal 2 struggled to find bins to fit new check-in desks – and with a high-profile opening date just weeks away – they turned to GWP Correx to quickly solve their problem.

The resulting design process enabled GWP to create a prototype and then manufacture the more than 100 bins required to meet the incredibly tight timescales.

In preparation for its grand opening, project managers at Heathrow Terminal 2 were putting the finishing touches to the infrastructure.

Those working on the launch identified an area of concern, realising that the 126 new check-in desks had an unusual shape. Whilst their design added to the impressive aesthetics of the new terminal, it meant that standard waste bins would not fit underneath them.

With no solution for waste ticket stubs and luggage tags that visitors and staff discard during passenger check-in, and with as many as 16 million travellers expected over the course of the first year, Heathrow felt that the only option was to develop a custom design.

The challenge, however, was that the terminal’s opening date was only three weeks away.

The typical process when undertaking such a project would be for a member of GWP’s design team, particularly lead Correx designer Stephen Mann, to visit the customer. Doing so would allow us to fully understand the requirements, take measurements, listen to the challenges the organisation was facing, and discover how the end users would ideally like to use the solution.

However, with no time for a site visit, Stephen worked from rough sketches and photographs supplied by Heathrow, which he used to develop a prototype bin made from Correx (a corrugated plastic material more often used for reusable packaging).

He then quickly produced several pre-production samples, shipping them to Heathrow Terminal 2 to ascertain their suitability. It was quickly apparent that the custom bins would work perfectly.

GWP then produced the tooling before manufacturing 150 bins (including some spares) at our production facility in Wiltshire. The bins were then shipped flat, ready for assembly by Heathrow staff in time for the official opening.

Whilst it is difficult to quantify all of them, Heathrow benefited in numerous ways from the custom Correx bins.

Firstly, GWP successfully met the incredibly tight three-week lead time. Doing so meant that Heathrow could manage the waste generated by ticket stubs and luggage tags from launch. Over the course of its first year, the bins catered for around 16 million passengers and the tags and stubs they discarded.

The design of the bins allowed them to be positioned in a way that prevented a messy appearance around customer check-in desks. The bins themselves were also well concealed, using a black material to make them inconspicuous to visitors.

The positioning under the desks also ensured that disposal of the waste was quick and efficient for check-in staff, and the bins did not encroach on the space under the desks (ensuring comfortable seating positions for employees).

Finally, the low weight of the Correx material ensures the bins are easy to empty, while the material’s longevity means that the bins have (and will) last for many years before needing replacements.

Paul Wilson, Project Manager at Heathrow Terminal 2, said

It may have been a minor issue in the context of a four-year, multi-million-pound redevelopment of the terminal, but sourcing the check-in desk bins had become quite a headache. GWP really helped us out. They quickly devised a simple yet highly effective solution. We’re very pleased with the outcome, and we had a fun and successful team-building session putting all the bins together!

GWP’s flexible design approach, plus unique expertise in Correx material, allowed Heathrow Terminal 2 to source a custom solution to a very specific problem (resulting in a solution that simply wasn’t available anywhere else).

If you have an unusual design challenge or feel that using Correx reusable bins or packaging could benefit your business, please get in touch with one of our team members today.