Monthly Archives: November 2022

What are the True Costs of Repackaging 

One thing that’s incredibly frustrating for companies is repackaging. When products are wrongfully packaged, or defective, this causes repackaging. While a lot of packaging suppliers do like to have repackaging, since it increases revenue, the best way to do this is to not have to repackage the products. Most places want to see you save some money. When you repackage stuff, it costs more labor, time, and money, which is why a lot of companies would like to avoid this sort of thing. But a lot of companies don’t even think that it’s a huge deal and repackaging usually only costs a couple hundred dollars. 

But that’s going to happen every so often, and that causes a lot of things to add up super quickly, and you can have thousands over the year lost from this. When it’s not unchecked, it’s very costly.

So now that you get the costs of this, what can you do to save yourself money with repackaging, and how can you prevent it from happening?  How costly is it? It’s much more costly than one might think when they first look at this.

First thing is that it causes materials to be wasted. This is usually a self-explanatory cost, but   when you repackage stuff, you have to get new materials, new products, and the like, and that adds up.

Another place where it’s wasteful is the labor. For most packages that must be done over, you’ll have to waste more labor, costing double or even triple what it normally should, especially if you have to fully repackage everything that’s there. It also diminishes productivity.  If you’re repackaging 5% of the products for example, you’re wasting 5% of that time that could be for packaging new stuff on this. 

It also wastes energy in an environmental sense. You’re wasting the materials, spending more energy to get the package redone. This is actually harmful for the environment, whether you want to admit it or not. It also creates frustration, which for humans, impacts the morale of people, and reduces productivity.

Finally, you’re also creating a lot more trash too. Those scraps that you accumulate begin to get a lot worse, and that includes storage, handling, and even disposal, so it can also, along with the environmental impact, just be incredibly wasteful for a lot of people too.

So what can someone do? The best way to prevent this, is to do a line audit. That way, you can look at the source of where the problem is, handle this wherever you can, and do something about it too. 

Do you need stuff repackaged 

If you’re constantly repackaging things, or wondering why that’s going on, the first thing you must do is figure out where the problem is coming from.

You’ll want to look at the package itself and figure out exactly the location of where everything’s going wrong.

Depending on the line size, and the like, this also may require you to do other things to help reduce the labor costs, but it’s an investment.  You should always make sure that you check the packaging line, resulting in finding, fixing, and also replacing the issues.

The best thing to do, is to get a supplier on this, and have them look at everything with a fine-toothed comb, in order to ensure that any bottlenecks and the like are then refused, and also fixed before they get worse.

Fix the repackaging line, do something about it, and you’ll begin to notice the changes that happen with your packaging line. 

Ways Small businesses can Save Money 

A lot of businesses are struggling because of many challenges they now have, including inflation, and a whole lot more.How can you prevent the rising inflation costs from destroying the business? Here are a few ways for you to do this, and also fight against the ever-rising cost of such.,

Consolidate your Suppliers 

You’re probably spending way too much on the packaging partners. Having someone who can handle all of the aspects that packaging creates will save you a boatload of money. That way, you’re not paying a ton of people to get the job done. It also takes a lot less time, and exposes a lot of great things. 

Process and Audit Packaging 

If you’re having issues with packaging, consider auditing the packaging and the processes to get the best kind there. This includes how the packages get handled with the supply chain, moving faster with a lot less touches, and getting the products to the market much sooner. You may also want to look at places where the packaging might be done off site, or through third-party suppliers that are there improving the efficiency of this. 

A lot of times, doing this as well will help to identify the opportunities to save costs, and a lot of times, this can be revamped to make it a lot better. You also might want to see if there is a LEAN type of operation going on there, helping to make sure that the processes that are used are ideal, and so they’re saving you a boatload of money. 

Redesign the packaging to evaluate this 

You also might want to look at how you’re packaging the products. There are times when you may have packaging that’s too over packaged, which is a fancy name for way too much filler or something else that’s not making it necessary.

You can redesign this, saving you a lot of costs and also reducing the costs of shipping due to eliminating the weight. There is also the possibility of SKU  consolidations, which actually save you some money because you’re not leaving the items all over the floor, preventing it from possibly getting harmed as well.

Sometimes, there are also types of packaging that get run on different equipment, offering a leaner packaging process that’s automated to save on the labor and the materials.  There are definitely benefits to this, especially since labor costs are rising, and if you can, automating the packaging process will save you a ton of money. You should also look at product samples, offering better labor costs, rates for shipping, and lowers the returns that are there too.

Sometimes as well, “tweaking” your product dimensions of some cartons, or even changing the flaps will change the costs that are there, and even eliminate the unnecessary costs that sit there too. 

Review It 

Finally, review the techniques for printing. This is something that a lot of ecommerce brands will realize, especially as they start to make this work. You should look at the printing and cutting and see if there is a way to possibly get digital printing. You also want to make sure that you’re not using too much of this, but instead, you want to make sure that you send them out with the right kind of printing that looks good.

At the end of the day, getting a packaging partner can help with this, and if you’re someone who is struggling to hit the margins with the product packaging, consider these techniques, and use them today to improve your packaging experience as well too

How to Make the Perfect Holiday Packaging 

Looking to create the ideal packaging this holiday season?  You’re not alone. Packaging is made to make the thing look better for customers and increase their interest. There are tons of packaging that you can look at too, including paperboard, boxes, mailers, tubes, and a whole lot more. Packaging is a way to look different for companies during the holiday season, communicating the package contents, the volume of this, and really get the festive feelings going. The right packaging is great, and there are a lot of great printed kinds of packaging that’ll help to celebrate the season and impress those around you. 

First, find the Prints and the Budget 

Your first step, when designing holiday packaging, is to find the ideal image for your product, and how you’d like to print it. Some packaging looks good with it on there, others may look better with the packaging being more holiday themed.

You also need to look at the budget too. Your budget may include the amount allocated to the custom packaging, the cost for a unit of this, how complex it is, and the like. Make sure that you fully clarify all of these before you set the number and order anything, as it’ll help you get the most that you can from this. 

Look at Your Products 

You also need to look at the types of products that you’re selling and consider their packaging too. We mean any sorts of small items that you are going to be selling. For instance, let’s take cosmetics.You can sell these in the normal packaging, but if you’re looking to create sleeves that do fit over this, it can help to boost the way that this looks. You may want to consider different kinds of packaging though, and unique boxes and the like. 

This is a great way to improve the exclusivity of the product. If you’ve got holiday collections, you need to have exclusive packaging for this. 

Types of Boxes 

So you’ve also got the boxes to factor in as well. Mailer boxes are a good base point if you’re someone who doesn’t want to spend too much, but also would like something that looks good. Have a bit more money in the budget? Consider rigid boxes. They even come with lids too, and they also come in unique kinds. This is much more premium, compared to the other kinds of packaging, so it’s best if you make sure that you consider this for any luxury products. 

You can also look at different additives that you want on this. For instance, do you want something that’s got a unique shape? Maybe some magnetic locking on this? Or maybe, inserts that are made of foam.

These are much more high-end, but for the big tag products, you’ll want this. 

Finally, create it 

Finally, you want to just create the box. Follow the composition basics that go into this. You’ll want to balance images with figures to create better symmetry within the designs, and also, you’ll want to look at colors too. Contrasting colors make it look better. For different colors, this is much more appealing visually.

Artwork and designs are some of the biggest parts of this, especially when creating the holiday packaging. To make stuff stand out and offer the right connection, make sure that you mix all of these together in a unique way.

Master this, and you’ll create holiday packaging that really shines, and you’ll get customers who will want more and more from you, and want to get extra packages, even outside of the holidays. 

All About Void Fillers 

For packaging and shipping, you’ll want to make sure that you fill the box correctly as well. Void fill is something that’s used to aid with this, especially when it comes to both shipping, and packaging the products correctly. 

What they Are 

They’re basically a kind of material that’s used for one reason: to fill those gaps that are left within your packaging, used to protect your products as they’re transported, and to protect them from moving about, and being a natural shock absorber.  When you see this for a practical use, you’ll notice that it also offers a natural aesthetic too to the packaging.

The right void fill must be determined by how you’d like it to be cushioned, and the protection along with the padding that’s needed, and the packaging weight. 

Paper Void Filling 

This is very cost-effective, and it’s more than just using paper. Even packaging or newspaper, or crinkled paper or tissue paper is a kind of void filler. While it’s not as strong as the rest, this is the most eco-friendly of the items for the sole reason that it can break down, so if you want to utilize older scraps this is the best way to do this.  It also isn’t as visually appealing, because it can look dirty and messy. 

Filler Wraps 

This is a filler wrap that allows for your products to be protected. The most common one of those is bubble wrap, and it’s used as a protective and cheap means.  It’s got the downside however, of this is not as sustainable as the paper options, so it’s why some people don’t really like it. 

Craft or corrugated paperboard is another one, and this is a more eco-friendly sort of means, and they’re much prettier than bubble wrap, but they don’t absorb the shock as well, and they’re not very malleable. 

Foam Sheeting 

These are sheets that aren’t around just the product, but within the box, and they’re basically a type of protection that’s there between the box itself, and the product that’s in there. 

It’s absorbed in the shock, and while it’s usually good for fragile cookware and glass, this can sometimes cause scratches and dents in some cases. 

Another big thing is that they aren’t very eco-friendly, and they tend to be a waste after you’ve used them once. They also tend to make the packaging much bigger, so if you’re trying to save some money on shipping, you may want to look elsewhere. 

Peanuts 

Peanuts or packaging peanuts are usually known as packing popcorn and are basically loose-fill kinds of packaging that fill up those empty gaps, especially ones that don’t feel uniform. 

They tend to be made either through Styrofoam, or biodegradable options, and are made from cornstarch and wheat types, and they’ve become a new, popular way for you to use this type of filling. 

The packaging peanuts tend to be a lot more eco friendly when made this way, and also cost less energy for you to make them. They also dissolve in water bodies easily, so you don’t have to worry about polluting anything.

The biggest downside, however, is that they tend to be a lot more costly, so if you want to use this, discuss it with your business, as they can sometimes take a lot more out of your budget.

It’s good to get void filling but making sure that you have the right one will help improve your chances of the packaging being safe, and worth it, so assess your options and make a decision from there.