The reinforcement of flat surfaces by corrugation, used in the 16th century in clothing (piped collars), has been the subject of various patents since 1819 (sheet metals, textiles). The first patents concerning paper were American: use of corrugated paper (1871), single-face (1890). The first (English) corrugator was installed in France in 1888 by an American firm. The first French corrugator was built between 1891 and 1893. The first cases with flaps appeared in North America, hence the still common name of American cases.
The first automatic case-making machine was created in 1914. Corrugator speed rises from 5-6 m/min in 1903 to 20 m/min in 1920, 90 m/min in 1939, and up to 300 m/min today.
In terms of sales, corrugated board is the market leader compared with other packaging materials. It is used in all industries and professions, including agriculture and services.
70% of the paper used to manufacture corrugated board comes from France. French corrugated board paper production uses 86% recycled paper. In addition, almost 70% of used corrugated board packaging is recovered.