Pizza Hut is now using the same material as space blankets, winter jackets, and home insulation to keep pizzas up to 15 degrees hotter than existing boxes during the delivery process.

The brand’s new delivery system contains a pouch made with 3M Thinsulate Insulation thermal technology and a pizza box with crisp sheet inserts.

Pizza Hut spent more than two years looking at the entire delivery ecosystem, from the box to the pouch to delivery dispatch at the restaurant. In addition to a reengineered pizza box and a new crisp sheet, the research sparked the development of an all-new pizza delivery pouch featuring three different thermal insulation materials to help ensure the pizza stays oven hot, the cheese stays melted, and the crust stays crisp:

  • The first layer is 3M Thinsulate Insulation, the same technology that is commonly used in ski jackets
  • The second layer is a PET Aluminum Radiant Barrier, which reflects heat from the pizza  back into the pizza, and is the same material found in space blankets
  • The third layer is a polyester fiber padding like insulation found in homes that traps heat inside

“By implementing the unique power of our Thinsulate Insulation, which is warmer than almost every comparable material on the market, we’re able to help Pizza Hut achieve their goal to deliver customers a hotter pizza than ever before,” said Mindy Murray, brand communications Manager at 3M, in a statement.

Pizza Hut has put a recent emphasis on delivery, announcing plans this summer to hire 14,000 new delivery drivers by the end of 2017 and unveiling a “delivery network algorithm,” intended to improve the accuracy and reliability of Pizza Hut deliveries. The technology system is capable of predicting how long a delivery will take, and will account for variable factors such as weather, construction, traffic, and other factors.

“We are serious about this, and this focus and commitment to the best experience will hopefully help some customers re-assess the brand if they haven’t tried us in a while or haven’t had us deliver a pizza before,” says Nicolas Burquier, Pizza Hut’s chief operating officer, in a statement. “This is about accuracy and consistency, giving our customers a trusted experience. We think these changes enable our team members even more to deliver a hot, delicious Pizza Hut pizza when the customer expects it.”

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