Monthly Archives: December 2021

How to Lower your Logistics Costs

If you’re looking for ways to lower the logistics costs, especially from getting to points A and B, you definitely will want to adjust the logistics in order to shave the expenses down. Here are a few ways to help you do this easily, and effectively. 

Work with the Drivers 

A lot can be done about monitoring the drivers so they’re not speeding, wasting fuel, or making stops that aren’t needed. You should also though track the routes for deliveries and patterns of traffic to offer the best and most effectively safety experience. There are even apps you can use these days to help monitor traffic, so you should keep communication open so that the drivers are doing the safest, most effective routes possible. 

Keep it Running Smoothly 

If you haven’t been checking your cars, you should be doing so. You should bring in the trucks for proper checkups, and make sure that the tires are serviced as scheduled and inflated to the right levels. 

You also should check to ensure that the drivers know how to see when there are engine issues, and also the basic troubleshooting that they can do. It’s easy to think that your stuff will last forever, but that’s not the case. Keep the trucks in good condition, and not only will you have better production, but also longer-lasting services for everyone as a result. 

Monitor Goods Packaging 

If you notice that the goods you have are being sent at higher levels of loss and spoilage, you may need to monitor this, and properly use the bulk stretch wrap that’s out there packaging materials, airbags, and bracing and strapping to help with this. You should investigate whether or not you’re using them ineffectively or wasting materials for packaging. 

When this is done correctly, it offers more space to send out all of the products, while also offering better savings on different packaging materials. So make sure that if you’re not doing this, look at the packaging that you have and figure out if there’s anything specific you can do, whether it’s stretch wrap, a lot of tape, or other sorts of factors that help to minimize the chances of something breaking or spoiling too. 

Less and More 

The most practical way  to do this is to ship more items less often, and it’s actually one of the best ways for any business to lower the logistics in a lot of cases. You can message and ask customers about the habits that they have and ask them if they’d be more inclined to buy in bulk, and set up shipment that’s regular, rather than ordering stuff more haphazardly. 

You could even incentivize free shipping along with different perks if they decide to do this. Sure, it may get them the packages later, but it saves you a lot of money in shipping and of course in fuel costs. This shouldn’t be something that you change right away, but instead, budget and plan all of this in advance so you’re able to build a good idea of the project, offer better momentum on everything that you’re doing and help to offset the costs of this as well down the line. 

A little bit of planning goes a long way, and it can do you a lot of good I you’re able to properly and effectively ensure that you’re getting the packages to the customers, while also not leaving you in the hole either if you need to save money on goods, and also to ensure that you’re lowering logistics costs too.

The Benefits of Paper Tape

Paper tape is actually a new alternative to regular plastic tape that you might’ve used. For businesses that want to have an eco-friendly repute, this is probably the best thing to add along with the paper void fill and the corrugated cardboard boxes that you’ll be using. This does help get more people to support your green business.

Plastic tape does have some major drawbacks, and more and more companies are trying a paper tape option for shipment security, and also one that won’t put the planet at risk too. 

The issue with Regular Plastic Tape 

Tape used for packaging is so necessary to ensure parcel security that you want to make sur that you get from point A to point B without something being damaged or messed with. But what is the problem with using plastic tape. That’s something that boils down to it not being good for the environment, and it actually can cause lasting damage down the line too. 

A lot of plastic tape is not recyclable, and a lot of plants aren’t able to extract the plastic tape with traditional forms of recycling, so if you try to send packaging that’s recyclable but they can’t get rid of the tape, everything ends up majorly suffering as a result. This does make the process very inefficient, and you may realize that you’re spending a lot of energy just to sell items, energy that could be used to help save the environment. 

Why paper tape 

You may think that tape shouldn’t’ be paper, but it actually is a good alternative to the vinyl, or the polypropylene options for your tape as well, and it has a lot of advantages that definitely triumph over the plastic alternatives. 

First, t is pretty much just like regular tape, and it can be used like a regular piece of scotch tape. It also is very strong in terms of adhesive, and it will stick to the surfaces that you need to. You don’t have to worry about it possibly getting broken down, or the adhesion being compromised. 

It also is a much cheaper option too, since you are using less resources to make this. It also is resistant to tearing, so you don’t’ have to worry about it compromising the goods that are in there. 

It does have a natural feel too to it, so it means that when you touch it, you’ll notice how smooth and natural it is, and it can work really well with the aesthetics that are there with packaging cardboard. It also can eve be branded. With the realm of braded papering growing, it can definitely be a great way for you to really stand out as a business. 

Plus, let’s talk about the environmental benefits of this as well. Paper tape is actually something that eve amazon is using, so it actually is reducing a lot of paper waste on a whole level, so even if you don’t believe it, understand that even the biggest retailer in the world is using this type of tape, and it can really help your business. 

It’s good for sealing, and it’s something that won’t cause the box or carton to be compromised either, or when used with paper, both of these can be recycled, since well, they’re both made from the same things. As you can see, paper is a good way to really help be more ecofriendly, and for companies that do have an ecofriendly focus, this is a great way to ensure that you’re getting the results that you want. 

A Basic guide to corrugated boxes

Have you recently started a business and want to learn more about packaging? Well you’ve come to the right place. There are a variety of questions that come with these boxes, and you may wonder what the right type of this is for you to choose from, and which will benefit you. First, let’s go with the high level boxes. While you might think packaging is just carboard boxes, cardboard along with corrugated boxes are not one in the same. Cardboard is very heavy duty stock of paper, and it isn’t really used for shipping anything too strong. Cereal boxes are an example of this, and you can easily see that they’re kind of flimsy. 

Corrugated is the stronger type, and it has a much higher strength because there is a liner within this, and a medium. The liner is the flat part that’s on the outside and surfaces but also on the inner part, and the medium is what’s sandwiched between this, creating the arched kinds of shapes, or what they called “flutes” between these. They play a part of the strength that comes with the board too, and the sheets are then glued to make a corrugated board that’s converted to a box that can handle long and arduous journeys various bumps, and the like. The difference does matter because there are beginners who end up shipping stuff with the wrong kinds of boards, and it’s worth mentioning for a brief moment or two. 

The Basics 

Now, let’s talk about what kind of box that you should use. There are a ton of factors that go into how these are made, and they’re considered some of the most customizable types of media out there of you to use and allows you to create a box that’s perfect for whatever product you have. First, you’ve got the flute profiles, with the A, B, E, C, and F flutes being the most common. The flute size does talk about the wall thickness, with the A flute being the original type, and is the thickest, being 5 mm thick and is good for products that need a bit more cushioning or strength. B flutes are the next one and are good for canned goods and other products that don’t need a box for support and is about 3.2 mm thick and is a good choice for those die cut boxes. 

C flutes are basically 4 mm and is used for all purpose boxes. They are thicker then the ones in the B flute, but they still do a great job. Then there is the E and F, which are the two smallest, and are used mostly for packaging retail products, because they can be used for printing to offer a clear image. You also have different board faces too. Single face is where one liner sheet is put to one medium of corrugated product, sued to wrap around different products for cushioning. Single wall is where one corrugated is between two liner sheets, and these are used for retail displays out there and shipping boxes. 

Double wall is for those products that need a bit more strength, since it’s tow corrugated medium between three liner sheets. And finally we’ve got triple wall which is three corrugated medium sheets and between four liner sheets, and they’re the strongest, used for bins and industrial parts as well. You want to make sure that you choose all of the factors, and the grade as well, which offers the pressure and numbers for that, to give you the best box experience. 

Innovations that Could End plastic Packaging Waste

Plastic packaging is something that more and more companies are trying to figure out alternatives to. That’s because there are big problems with plastic packaging, and a lot of people don’t realize just how much it can affect things. But in this, we’ll go over some of the big solutions that you can use, in order to help with plastic packaging, offering real alternatives for this so that you’re able to really make sure that you’re getting enough from your packaging. 

Nanotechnology 

Some alternatives to plastics include nanotechnology, which involves small little particles and other little additives that offer an alternative solution. These small particles end up breaking down into tinier little amounts compared to regular plastics, and of course, this allows for you to really improve your waste, offering more sustainability without the need for pollution.  

Nanotechnology is one that’s really good if you want something alternative to plastic, since in a lot of cases, the particles eventually become so small that usually they end up becoming nothing over time. Nanotechnology is still in the formative stages, but it could be a way that can be used over time. There is also the fact that nanotechnology can be used for breaking down and composting, since it is considered a valid alternative to the different types of particles that are out there. 

Magnetic Platelets 

Some options also include tiny platelets of magnetic structures, and this is used to help with breaking down a lot of the plastics that are out there. The magnets from this will break down the top layer and allow for the recycling of these materials. The one downside to some sustainable packaging is that there is rarely any use after they get recycled, also usually, this is becoming a new option for a lot of people. The multilayer structures of packaging are typically what causes the particles to not be broken down easily, but if you decide to use this type of new packaging trend, it could give you an option so you can recycle this again, long after it is over. 

Alternatives to Plastic 

For a lot of compostable packaging, the biggest thing to look for is something that’ll easily break down over time. Some alternatives are considered, including wheat and sugarcane, but probably best to use wood since wood, when you don’t coat it with anything that doesn’t make it biodegradable, it’s actually a really good alternative to traditional forms of packaging. 

Wood can also be broken down further with the use of cellulose, since this is a highly sustainable and great sort of means to help break down and reuse some of the products. Wood, although it’s been used a lot for packaging already, is considered a sustainable alternative to plastics as well, since it does go through a longer life cycle than normal plastics and it can be recycled, not polluting our oceans as much.

Cellulose packaging is becoming more and more exciting with time, and a lot of people definitely enjoy the difference this makes in their packaging. Being able to find alternatives to this is really important for some, simply because it means for them, the chance that they can as well try to ensure that they are definitely getting the most they can out of their packaging. Going green and getting better at alternative packaging is a good one, and for a lot of people it’s an option that allows for you to create a truly sustainable, truly green sort of packaging that you can most definitely use as well for a long period of time.