Tag Archives: packaging

Shrink Wrapping Chocolates

If you’re someone who loves to bake chocolates and make them, you’re not alone. But, if you’re someone who likes to ship these, you’ve probably run into the issue of making sure that they don’t melt. Well, one solution to do this is shrink wrapping them with heat. This can actually be done without them melting as well.

It’s vital to make sure that the chocolates get wrapped either with a bit of chill to them, or if they’re at room temperature. However, you don’t want to pop these bad boys in the freezer, as this will create condensation too. The correct machines, and the materials used, offer a more professional appearance, and it secures different products, and provides an easier opening, and better clarity that comes with this too.

A good idea of the type of finished product that you’ll get also determines the equipment that’ll you want to buy from this. you want to make sure that you wrap this correctly, because with anything that’s heat-sensitive like chocolate, there’s a specific sort of way to do it.

How to Do It

The best way to use this, is to have some polyolefin shrink wrapping, as this is approved by the FDA to be used with contact from foods directly. You should go for the thinner type of film, as this is better when coming into contact with the chocolate directly, as it requires lowered levels of heat, and a better opening that’s easier too.

There are other materials that also change as well, based on the film and machines which are needed. You can use a box to help create a bigger packaging length, but it also requires more types of equipment, and bigger ones too.

There are paper types of products that do fold as well, while the film shrinks, so it’s important to be mindful because this might cause the packaging to be distorted and uneven. If you’re going to use packaging materials that are uneven, you should consider many things before you buy these supplies.

Bulk or Individual

If you’re going to shrink wrapping these, you usually need to also consider whether you’re going to shrink wrap both of these, or individually. If you’re going to do this with bulk, you’ll need a bigger machine and bigger film too. The machines and the materials that help with the bulk pack offer a chance for the product to shrink packs which are smaller too.

As for how many you can get, this ultimately depends on the demand, and the equipment that is there. it’s imperative that you’re going to want the correct types of equipment, as the wrong kind will create issues with the labor, and also might slow down the entire process that’s there.

When you’re looking to get into shrink wrapping items, you also need to focus on the budget that’s there. you should make sure that you have the size and the efficiency to make this work. If you have a machine that’s slower and smaller, it’ll cost a bit less than anything that’s bigger and faster, but also, you need to make sure that you have the right ideas in place.

When you’re looking to have the correct shrink wrapping process, you need to factor in all of these. The machines that are there also do play a part of this. It definitely is important to make sure that you have something that prevents the melting of the chocolate. Usually, tunnels and heat guns are the way to go, to help shrink wrap the item, while also maintaining form.

Digital Printing: Turning Packaging into Art

Have you ever thought that packaging could be art? Have you wondered how to do this? With more and more boxes getting the art treatment, it makes sense why people will want to create product packaging that impresses people. With different companies including Michaels doing this, you might wonder if there is a way for you to get the most out of this. Here, we’ll go over how you can do so.

More than Just the Cardboard Box

Cardboard boxes are good, and they do the job. There is just one problem. They’re kind of bland.

They usually are super boring, and plain, not really distinguishable. How can you make this become even more amazing?

Well, the artwork will definitely make it different, and it’s something that a lot of people have moved towards, as the packaging that’s eye-catching offers numerous benefits. A branded box that’s stylish will not only make the appearance better, but it also makes the first impression unique, memorable, and the like, especially when you deliver this along with some of your competitors.

The benefits aren’t just for one customer and their impression either. With the digital age coming forward, ecommerce has offered marked support from different efforts that have made marketing different. Some of these include unboxing, and also affiliate marketing, and influencers. In the age of social media, being able to offer a package that looks good, and definitely makes this work, will definitely offer a better result.

This is something that you’ll want to do, as the packaging of the product is what sells it. This is what gives everyone the first impression. You want it to be unique, memorable, and look super different.

We also want to make sure that we hit the attention of those who arne’t buying from us, in order to get the sales even further. This is something that’ll definitely make things easier.

If you’ve been involved in B2B ecommerce in any sort of way, then you know about how important the design of this improves the chances of a purchase being made.

Look at the packaging industry, and how it’s started to embrace the usage of printing digitally. It certainly will change the way that you look at this, and how it’s done.

How it’ll advance Packaging with a Packaging Supplier

The best way to get a chance to get a leg up in the industry, is of course with a packaging supplier.

This is because, they make sure that the package is ready to go, and it allows you to talk to customers, to find out what options they want, and they also can make it so that the package not only looks good, but communicates all of the branding points.

For many people, this type of packaging experience can change the way that the person sells the items. The right packaging can hit the right high notes,, and anything that this low notes will certainly get tossed to the side.

If you’ve ever thought about possibly getting some new packaging, it’s better to do that now, than wait too long. Your best option at this point, is to also look at the different ways that you can channel this through customers, into many businesses. Getting customers interested in the packaging that you offer, providing a fun packaging experience that’s branded and cool, will bring your packaging abilities to new levels.

When you build a custom packaging experience, it’s more than just a pretty package, you’re bringing art to life, and digital packaging lets you do just that, and more!

How to design a good Packaging Strategy

The functions of packaging is really important, and most of the time, the packaging operates at above a tactical sort of level, and usually, the activities get addressed, and success happens for the long term due to goals. Packaging needs to look at the way that the function of this improves the organizational goals, and that’s where a packaging type of strategy comes in. This is in fact, essential for building this.

Departments that are trying to do this without a good idea do fail, because they’re not properly aligned, and no objectives are met with this, and you have to understand the objective and goals of such. There are certain steps for you to take, and we’ll go over the three major ones here.

Discovery

This is where you look at what’s currently happening, and also, it determines the overall goals that the organization might have as well. This is usually the goals and missions, and they tend to be known. Plenty of companies make it very easy to see the statements, and what’s carried through.

To create a good packaging strategy, you need insight, and you need to understand the right industry, and the strength of what’s going on within, and you must understand the stakeholders and also the goals that are there too.

Understanding all of this is vital, and it also requires an industry analysis too, looking at the different nuances of each industry, and what’s important for each.

The statement of goals

This is the point where you’ve done an analysis, looking at what matters to the organization, the goals of this, and the needs of such.

This is where goal statements get made, and of course the idea of mission and vision statements are utilized.

Vision statements of course, are the big types of pictures of what the organization is supposed to accomplish, with the mission statement being a more general aspect of this.

At this point, there also might be other mission statements put in place too. Some of them include the business processes to manage this, the equipment and resources that are used, the engineering services that are there and also the technology that’s being used to reach all of these goals. They all come together, to build the vision statement, the big picture, and it helps with developing a strategy.

Determine the objectives

Finally, once you’ve got the statements that are there the goals of the organization, the next step are the activities that are used to create goals. This flows through different parts of the organization, and the activities since then become more precise and further defined too. There are also other tactics that occur too, in order to help reach this.

Every single organization utilizes different types of forces so right now, there is no specific standard for this. the experience from different organizations and their types might be helpful with determining the overall objectives that are there.

You essentially need to set up the exact processes that are needed to fix these issues, and also other protocols that’ll hit these goals.

The objectives will discuss the roles and responsibilities, along with the tactics.

This is a lot, and it might be a very long road to go on, but when you do this for your packaging strategies, you’re building the focus that you want to, in order to meet those objectives and success that you want for the long-term, and also building that organizational competitiveness that puts you over the others, and gives you that vital edge over the other people that may offer similar things.

Why You Should Get a Sample Box

If you’re someone who has a specific type of packaging, you might want to consider sample boxes. While it might seem like a good idea on paper, when you get a box and attempt to put it together, it may require a bit of tweaking. We’ll go over here, why you should get a sample box for your packaging needs.

Test the fit

Another thing to check before you ship it out is to test the fit. It’s hard to determine those dimensions that are exact, especially for products that are shaped weirdly. A sample box is a great way to evaluate the design and the structure, and also ensure that the packaging fits the product in a secure manner. When a box leaves room to move around, there is a chance that it will break. Plus customers will see that as a waste of space.

If it’s too small, then you risk product damage because you can’t offer any sort of cushion. You want to test this early, so that you can accommodate this product, so that it fits the needs that are there in a comfortable manner, and to help you get the best results that you can.

Check Quality

You want to make sure that the printing, the finishes, and the like look good. While it might be good on paper to have some kind of finish, when you get the finished product, it might not look good. This is important, because a good printing output helps to showcase the brand to others better.

If your artwork wasn’t actively converted correctly, you can work with the designer to help with this. You may need to fine tune the details, and produce samples so that it’s good, and appealing to the customers. Checking quality early on, before you order boxes, will help you spend less down the line, and improve the way that the box communicates to others.

Add Finishing Touches

Finishing touches are good, because they let you find the flaws you didn’t see within the proofs. Sometimes, the proofs might look good, but when you get the sample box, you may want to tweak the fonts, adding some minor modifications to ensure that the product that you get at the end does look good. A lot of businesses blind themselves to the errors, and they may not care about it. but you know who will care about it?

The customer. A lot of times, customers have eyes like hawks, and they will notice those design flaws. When you get a box, make sure that all finalized tweaks are done so that you’re not getting customers upset. Plus, if you do have a good box, but a customer has a suggestion, you can add it down the line.

First impressions matter, and it’s vital to have a box that looks good, and one that showcases the best work possible. A sample box allows you to properly judge the box before it’s shipped out to customers.

There are tons of options for samples too, and you can ask for existing samples, which are there to help you determine if the thickness, the stock, and the printing or cutting is best for this. You can also test the package durability as well with existing samples.

You can also get custom ones from certain retailers, and these are made with you in mind, giving you an idea of what this will look like when it’s produced, giving you a feel for the quality, and it can also help you determine whether you need to change things or not. Overall, get a sample, and make the changes now before it’s too late.

Considerations for laminated standup pouch types

Pouches that stand up and are laminated are a unique way to both display and also store the products of your choice. You can choose the size of the packaging, the color, even the lamination you wish to add to make it creative and fun. What should you determine when you’re choosing this kind of packaging? Here is what you need to know.

How it’ll Show off the brand

Being able to recognize the brand is super important. If the product justifies purchases that are repeated, it’s important to make sure that you offer pouches that are customized, in a manner that offers a packaging that customers can see, and then choose the product that you have.

How you want to Sell and Promote It

The biggest focus of a pouch is making sure that you use it in the manner that you want to. There are smaller pouches which we call sample or promo pouches, which are basically a way to get people to try out the product before they decide to buy it. Your ultimate goal with this, is to get customer favor, and usually, this alone will sell the products that are there.

The Way they’re displayed

Pouches are used for display reasons that show the products that are there.

Sometimes, pouches that are made in smaller, simplistic ways earn the favor of others, because instead of something huge and obnoxious crowding the shelf, this can stand neatly on its own, making it easier for you to showcase the product, allowing you to improve the makeup of this.

It also prevents packaging that’s distracting too, since they usually are made in ways that are simpler, so customers can see those, and there is ultimately far less demand. There is now more emphasis on the way that the products work, and the actual item inside.

Preserve and Protect

The main goal here is to protect this pouch, preserving it.

This gauge is the main factor for ensuring that the product protects everything in a way.

If you have objects that are sharp, or even big and bulky, you might want to choose the gauge that’s bigger for this.

You also might want to consider this factor when you’re looking to freeze the items.

The right gauge and the features of the bad, and also materials and additives are great for ensuring that everything that’s frozen is preserved and protected over time as well, ensuring the proper freshness for the item, no matter how long it’s on the shelf.

You may want to consider this factor for those products that do need freshness. One example of this is coffee. Some of these pouches offer what’s called degassing valves, so that all of the excess gas that’s in there, and it offers a chance to keep the beans nice and fresh.

There are a lot of great ways to use this, not just with coffee, but other means too. If you’re choosing a product that’s good for you to enjoy, and one that’s important to sell, you should always make sure that you start with the needs that are important, and you should also focus on these features that are custom as well.

A lot of people can benefit from this, and the cool thing about these pouches is how easy they are to use. With these standup pouches, the future is here, and you’ll be able to, with this, offer the top experience that you can to customers of all types.

Pouches are the future of packaging, and something to keep in mind as well.

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.

The Costs of Packaging

When you’re looking to budget out your packaging, you should also look at the options that you have. Custom packaging is something that’s become super popular, but that doesn’t mean that it has to completely destroy your wallet.

It’s important to make sure that this is part of the costs of your product. With about 10-40% of the price of packaging being what people spend on this, it can definitely cost a lot. Here are some factors that you may want to consider when you’re choosing packaging, and how you can prevent this from totally wrecking your budget down the road.

Fixed Vs. Varied Costs

Fixed costs are going to be what the manufacturer will charge no matter how much you’re going to be printing.

These include:

The setup of the machinery
The printing plate costs for flexo and litho printing
The mound costs for foil stamping, die cutting, embossing, and other types of means
The costs for renting if you don’t have the equipment

This ratio is usually based on the units that are produced, based on the type of options and the volume that’s there.

Now the varied costs include those that change over a period of time. larger volumes tend to have a larger cost of variation.

These costs include:

The costs of the materials
The production wages for those making it.
The lamination and ink.
The shipping costs

The costs that are fixed and the costs that are varied are what come together to make the packaging.

While there are simplistic ways that come with this, most of the time, fixed costs can definitely make up a lot of the costs, especially if you don’t have too much variation.

Scaling Economies

Have you ever noticed that suppliers give you prices that are lower when you have more items, and a lower volume means a higher cost. This is because of the scale economy that goes with this.

The scale reduces the costs of this, since the fixed cost is spread through more and more units that are there.

So let’s say that you are going to have 100 different units printed. Maybe your cost is $1 for every unit. But let’s say you 10X that, and then, it’s 1000 units. This will then cost about 10 cents for every single one.

If you ignore the variable costs, you will see that the 1000 units does mean that it costs lower.

Now, let’s say that we take this, and you also factor in the variable costs too, which may still be the same, but the fixed cost is lower, as it’s spread out.

While it may seem a little bit textbook, the variable costs do change, as the more production means that it’s more efficient. Yes, you’re saving money if you purchase more.

This also allows for your brand to use the cost that’s reduced into other types of functions, or even step this up, with the way that the printing is included, or the other packaging materials that offer a competitive advantage for the business.

There is also the factor of the returns that are there, which means that when you increase the volume within the short run, it gets the optimal capacity. Before this, it meant smaller price increases. However, when it’s done optimally, it starts to even out.

This is helpful for you to learn, because it can play a major part in the packaging that you put together, the state of your packaging needs, and also lets you get a full feel for the type of result that you want to get from this.

Why You should Use a Tape Dispenser

Tape dispensers are a godsend for packaging for various reasons. They improve how efficient you are in all sorts of areas, and for a lot of businesses that are still growing, tape dispensers are the answer. Here, we’ll go over why you should invest in a tape dispenser now.

The types

There are tons of different types of tape dispensers, and each of them have a variety of functions. They include:

A handheld tape dispenser which saves you money and literally just requires you to use your hand to dispense the tape.
Pistol grip, which is great for wider tape rolls, and they can be up to a couple inches wide.
Carton sealing dispensers, which are made from high-impact steel and plastic, which uses heat-treated blades and a roll-on sort of mechanism to seal your packaging.
Definite length, which is one that’s good for accurate tape measurements, and this is great for ones that want something super accurate, as this is equipped with different controls, and it can dispense multiple rolls.
Semi-automatic applicators, which are some of the most advanced, and they can dispense up to enough tape for 40 boxes a minute

Obviously, there are a ton of different kinds, and there’s a reason why you have a lot of different options for dispensing the tape that you have.

Why Use a Tape Dispenser

There are tons of benefits that come to this whenever you do use a tape dispenser.

First and foremost, it increases your packaging speed, letting you get through a lot more packages in less time. regardless of whether the dispenser is semi-automatic or automatic, this is one that’s definitely efficient for the packaging that you have.

It also reduces the product waste that’s there. Anyone who has used tape and scissors before knows that there is waste when you do it like this. But with a tape dispenser, this is one that also gets rid of the excess waste, and tape dispensers are great for higher packaging volumes.

It’s also much more consistent. Regardless of the efficiency of an employee, they aren’t able to get it correct and consistent each time. with a tape dispenser, you’re able to be consistent, and really be able to hit the margins that you’re going for with each dispenser, making it easier for you.

It’s also much better in the long haul too.

Think about it, if you have consistent, accurate, and simple results on the regular, you’ll be able to save yourself some money over time. a tape dispenser offers you a chance, especially with the high-quality ones, to be consistent with it every single time.

Instead of messing up the amount of tape that you use for this, a tape dispenser takes out the guesswork, and it takes out the inconsistency, and instead it will help you be able to easily and effectively create the perfect tape dispensers that’ll aid you and your business.

With that said, not all tape dispensers are created equal. Some people may like to use tape dispensers that are big and bulky, which is fine if you have a lot of projects. If your projects are few and far between, you don’t need a big ol’ tape dispenser for this.

With that said, look at all of the options that you have for tape dispensers, and see for yourself just what kind of tape dispenser you might need, and what will provide you with the exact needs that you have for this sort of product packaging as well, and help you seal your boxes too.

Why Get Packaging Now

If you’re looking to figure out whether or not buying packaging is good to do right now, the short answer is yes. This is something that should’ve been purchased otherwise. While it may seem lie you can’t, cause you can’t turn back time, but buying packaging at the last minute is not something that’s encouraged by many.

This isn’t just a bad idea, it’s a costly one, as this is one that causes a ton of headaches that you don’t want. Plus, if you’re struggling to get things sent out, the last thing you want is some packaging to not be there. We’ll go over why this is important now, and also the best ways to buy in our current world.

Why buy it Now?

If you’ve been living under a rock, you probably haven’t heard of the supply chain and labor shortages. But for most of us, we know about all the shortages, the conflict that is happening internationally, and a sea of other issues. The packaging that you need for the future should be grabbed today.

This is something that may seem like a bold claim, or just a cheesy marketing tactic, but that isn’t the case. You should get the packaging that you need for the future today, up to about 12 months or so.

The reason for This

The pandemic, the war with Ukraine, and other black swan events have been causing a lot of problems with the materials and machinery that is needed. In many cases, the supplies and equipment that you need have a ton of lead times which can impact when you get it. That’s why, you need to buy the materials that you need today, and this is something that prevents it from getting off weeks, even months too late. So what are the factors that are causing all of this.

The availability of packaging and the materials for packaging are important. This is one that’s become a major snafu due to the major material shortages, and right now, the current machinery has practically no availability. The demand for this is starting to increase, but if you get the future purchases done now, you can avoid paying the premium prices down the road.

How do you know what’s availible though? Well, talking to someone to help you with this can help you find alternatives if there is nothing, or where to buy the actual packaging that you may need.

The second thing is the lead times. While the materials and machinery may have lead times that seem normal, some items are so out of stock that it can take up to 13 months to get these. But if you talk to someone to help you find the right packaging that you need, you can get the best packaging based off the lead times and the feedback that’s there to ensure when you’re ready for this. Ignoring this does impact the ability to get items when you absolutely need them.

Before Buying

With that of course, you should also make sure to ask questions about the machinery used for packaging and get all of the information that you need right away to make the purchase possible.

Plenty of people benefit from this, and there are a lot of great ways to find packaging ahead of time. lots of times, the right packaging is there, you just have to go and look for it. With that said, if you think that there is a chance that something is going to be out of stock, then you should make sure to get it to them sooner than later.

Proper Packaging to Use in Our Current Climate

There are many challenges in the current world, and even sustaining proper packaging especially with disruptions, it’s been quite the challenge. Plus, managing the materials and packaging has only grown harder than ever.

The supply Chain issues

There were already issues with your supply chain before all of this, and with continuous conflicts, it’s something that you definitely will want to look at, and it’s going to only get worse before it gets better.

Planning this does require an approach to this, and the supply chains will only get worse as more and more unintended incidents and consequences happen as a result of the war, pandemic, and also the ongoing disruptions of the petroleum industry.

Material shortages

Most current vendors have certain clients that support them, and when supply chain issues happen, getting it from the vendors is a challenge, and many times, they either don’t have enough, or they have to charge more, and it’s a challenge for plenty of people, in order to serve the clients that are there.

Many vendors are turning to different vendors as well to help with this, and even inventory is different from what it was even a couple of years back. So how do you calculate all of this, especially with the current climate.

How to calculate current inventory

The best thing to do, is to do a little bit of calculating, and math problems to help with this.

The formula is something that you should keep on hand, in order to keep your business running as you should.

The formula is as follows:

The demand daily +the safety Stock x lead time = the packaging minimum materials that are needed, and that inventory level. This formula is something that helps you see just how much you need in order to get ahead, at least for the next 30 days.

It’s important though, that with the current packaging needs, you also multiply this by 1.5. for example, taking all of this and say it comes out to 3000 widgets, you want that number to be 4500 instead of an extra buffer. This lets you continue to be in business even if your local suppliers are a little bit slow with those lead times.

There are other components that you also need to look at too, critical aspects of items that you can’t fully empty your stock of.

Looking at the critical

You want to make sure that you know the critical aspects of packaging. That means, if something is ran out, it will shut down everything, and you can’t work. You want to make sure that you have double of these critical components, in the even that there are inventory snags.

This can cause issues with space at your warehouse, but with all of this, you can get about 2x the time for leads to ensure the abundance of this.

It’s important to make sure that you do factor in space, which does become an issue, but also think about it, this can make a difference between your business working, and your business having to shut down.

You also want to add in other waste factors, and also look at continued supply chain and labor issues. You also may find that the goods quality is going down, and you’ll want to factor that into the calculations at hand in order to compensate all of this.

Keeping ourselves informed of all of this is incredibly important, and with this, you’ll be able to prepare your supplies for any problems that may get in your way as well.