At every exhibition, the question comes back, relentlessly: “What’s new at Multi-Caisses?” And my answer, too, remains unchanging: “At our company, we create new crates… every day!”
This statement, far from being a simple marketing quip, holds a profound truth that I’ve enjoyed exploring lately. At Multi-Caisses, we’re not just manufacturers; we are, on our own scale, artists.
Think about it for a moment. Day after day, we take the same raw materials, the same faithful tools, and yet, from our hands emerge unique crates, tailored to specific needs. Isn’t that the very essence of artistic creation? The artist who, with a limited palette of colors and the same brushes, gives birth to an infinite number of paintings. The musician who, from a range of notes and familiar instruments, composes original melodies that touch our souls.
Often, our work involves revisiting proven concepts, reinventing them to meet new requirements. We change the color to harmonize with a new visual identity, we add ergonomic handles for easier handling, we change one or two measures to adapt to each transport means. It’s a bit like that artist who revisits their own songs and transforms them by performing them in different styles, from smooth jazz to energetic rock, passing through dance rhythms. The soul of the work remains, but its form changes to appeal to new ears.
And then, there are those magical days. Those moments when, without us always being able to anticipate it, a crate is born from our workshops with a particular aura. An innovative design, an unprecedented functionality, exceptional robustness… These creations, we instinctively feel it, are destined for something greater. They generate interest beyond our borders, they become references, “hits” in the world of packaging and transport. It’s the equivalent of that song that crosses continents, translated into different languages, sung by thousands of voices during world tours.
So, the next time you see a Multi-Caisses crate, don’t just consider it a simple container. See it as the result of passionate work, honed expertise, and constantly renewed creativity. See it as a work, humble perhaps, but bearing the imprint of the artist who conceived it.
Steve Sénéchal
Road cases Artist