Efficiency is the name of the game if you want to be successful shipping any type of goods. Whether your company handles food, fulfills e-commerce or provides third-party logistics for others, waste and delays are your biggest enemies. Although it’s crucial to eradicate any inefficiencies that might exist in your supply chain and processes, there’s one area of your operations that may be overlooked.
Packaging procedures could be a big drain on how well your company may be meeting its goals without you even knowing about it. This is especially true if you package products in significant volumes. Choosing better materials, streamlining your equipment and being quicker about making decisions can have a big impact on how effective you are as a whole.
Ideas to Build Efficient Packaging Operations
There are numerous concepts that you can put to use to drive greater efficiencies as they pertain to your packages. These efficient packaging solutions can reduce your costs, shrink cycle times and bring many other benefits. Here are a few suggestions that can make a tremendous difference.
- Take advantage of technology. So-called “smart packaging” has the potential to do a lot for your business. For example, materials printed with integrated electronic circuits have the power to monitor environmental conditions and alert carriers if products are at risk of spoilage. Active packaging contains elements that can fight bacteria or absorb oxygen to preserve the contents for a longer shelf life. This technology can save you a lot by preventing loss of sensitive products, such as food or pharmaceuticals.
- Stay on top of your equipment. Even though the machines in your line may be performing as you expect them to, that doesn’t mean they’re the best for efficiency. Investing in newer technology may be painful at first, but greater speed and reliability will have a noticeably positive impact. Even if you aren’t in a position to upgrade, instituting a regular inspection and maintenance routine will ensure that you avoid more downtime and outages. This helps you cut down on labor and losses due to product damage.
- Evaluate your distribution materials. Many companies don’t realize how their distribution materials may be adding unnecessary costs. Today’s stretch films and other flexible plastics offer an inexpensive and convenient way to secure cartons on pallets and in other applications. If you’re not currently taking advantage of these, it might be time to look into them.
- Go for the green. Biodegradable flexible materials such as polyolefins are not only ecologically sound, they’re also lighter and use less space in your facility. This means they have the potential to reduce your freight costs to a significant degree.
- Think ahead. It can be easy to leave choices about your packages to the last minute in the product design process. However, this can leave you painted into a corner or give you little time to make the right decisions. The result could be bulky, costly package designs that are far from optimal. Instead, start thinking about the look and construction of your packages as early as possible so you won’t be left scrambling.
Let GWC Packaging Help You
As a leader in the industry, GWC Packaging has the widest range of solutions that can help you create a more efficient operation. Our expertise and full capabilities give us the ability to develop a comprehensive, integrated system that addresses all of your requirements. They also enable you to better serve your customers. If you’re ready to learn more about the value we can bring to your facilities and supply chain, get in touch with us today. Our representatives will be happy to answer any questions you may have.