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What to Know about Cardboard Packaging

If you’re someone who is familiar with cardboard, you’re probably wondering a few things about it. Here are some unique tidbits you might not know about when you’re considering cardboard packaging.

It was an Accident to make

This was something that was discovered back in 1879, when an employee started to notice that the printing rule was far too great, and he ended up cutting thousands of seed bags rather than folding them.

Instead of throwing these away to stop the production, the owner, a man named Robert Gair, realized that by changing the blade height, he was able to achieve a result that was far different.

After that, he realized that cutting and folding the cardboard created a box that was prefabricated.

Before this point, making a box required some money and time, and the primary reason for this was to craft some luxury products. Because of Fait, these boxes were produced in series, and thereby made them cheaper.

He then patented during the same year the machine that manufactured boxes that were foldable. He moved the headquarters over to Dumbo, created a method to serialize the production of this, and then, provided these containers to Nabisco and Kellogg for them to use commercially.

Cardboard Boxes are Inside Out

This was something else that was discovered. In a recent TikTok viral video, it showed how the current cereal box is sealed easily, and quickly too. In 1950, Kellogg’s was one of the first companies to eliminate the use of wooden boxes, and they moved to a far more convenient and way cheaper cardboard box to distribute on a larger scale.

Cardboard Packaging Creates Emotions and expectations

Almost everyone does agree that the tearing and the unwrapping of boxes is exciting. One of the most popular things is unboxing. Why is that? Well, since they’re much bigger and take a bit to open, these boxes create expectation and interest.

This idea that’s further decided by promotion along with advertisement, oftentimes cardboard lets you print out some logos, designs that are attractive, and various product information without a ton of effort. For buyers, packaging that’s designed well protects the items, and from there, allows you to determine both the success, and the reputation that the brand offers.

Cardboard is Creative

For children, cardboard is very creative, as they can make spaceships, race cards, even submarines in this. some studies have discovered that children are able to create and communicate better through the use of these boxes.

Manipulating these materials refines the senses on a physical level, further raises questions, and offers them a chance to think in creative, more innovative ways. Building different toys in cardboard and wood also increases the awareness a person has for themselves, and the objects that popular this spatial dimension around where you are, so it’s good for them to learn spatial awareness through this.

Cardboard is Art

There is actually a museum that actually does trace the history of cardboard, and it showcases the history of cardboard that’s there. It’s something that showcases the boxes that were used in order to transport silkworm and moth eggs, and also illustrates the more modern usages of cardboard as well. This is something that’s located in France, which might be cool if you’re dropping into the area and need something to do in between seeing the Mona Lisa and everything else that’s there.

A lot of packaging benefits from cardboard, and here, we went over some of the cool aspects of cardboard, and why it’s a great product to use as well. ‘

How Packaging Companies are rewarding Designers

Packaging research and design. With graphics and packaging style being a large subject of debate and study, there are some companies that are taking it a different way. Brisa, which is a bakery in bologna, has created an incentive for packaging design of the different products that they offer.

Die cut templates can be downloaded, and every designer, creative, and artist can choose formats, apply the different graphics that they feel are appropriate, and from there, win over 25 packs of the goods that they sell, and this is a box that they’ve been allowed to design too!

Pizza and bread are two of the major items that this offers to their customers. That’s because Brisa is made primarily from wheat that’s grown in the area called Abruzzo. Right now though, they’re looking to expand to new ventures, such as coffee, chocolates, and other products. They also offer Colombia and panettone too for people to purchase.

Examples of This

There are other companies as well besides Brisa that are taking advantage of this.

Starbucks is one of them. The coffee giant encouraged people to draw their type of choice on their paper liners, and it can be printed as a limited edition incentive. With over 4000 drawings there was an involvement that was unprecedented as well.

Ikea is another one. This one asked creators to design characters or animals based off their own decision and invention. They wanted to take these creations and make them into exclusive toys that they sell. The participation was huge, and the sales far exceeded the expectations that they have.

Garofalo is another one as well. He actually highlighted and changed the cooking time on the packages based on user feedback. While it didn’t involve drawing, this offered a better type of experience for the users, and changed the way that the company regarded this packaging.

Customer Centered Packaging

One of the things that this does is that it offers packaging that’s customer focused.

This is a great idea for a variety of reasons. First, it shows that feedback is integral to brand success. It also encourages people to engage in what’s called crowdsourcing. This is more democratic and is better for packaging experience.

It also confirms the graphic refresh, and the importance of such. Even if it’s seasonal, or not seasonal, there are a lot of benefits to refreshing these graphics too.

It’s also based on what’s called prototyping. Even with smaller runs, it offers a user testing that happens in real time whenever you need to use this.

Finally, it can strengthen that relationship that brands and people have, allowing for designers that are new to try new things. This can offer a unique test and allow them to put their creativity to the table. For new designers, doing this can offer a unique means for you to get the most that you can out of your packaging experience.

There are a lot of benefits to creating a competition for packaging. This can offer a new outlet for users, different formats, and also offers a unique change to the same old corrugated and classic cardboard packaging. If you think your packaging needs refreshment, this is a good way for you to take this to a new, immersive level. You can try out new variants, and you can get packaging companies to send you the copies of this, especially if it’s within that timeframe that they offer.

Then, in real time, you can test out this packaging, and see if it’s right for you.

Lifestyle Brands and Their Packaging

Lifestyle brands are starting to look at their packaging, and many have started to make changes to influence their packaging and consumers.

You might not notice this right away, but these brands do embody the positions and values of different groups of people. Through this, they boost audience loyalty and also are able to leverage their sales to improve them. It brings a sense of belonging to the users that are here too.

There are different brands with a ton of influence that goes beyond just functioning, so it’s not just the product, but the identification of the values that this has with your brand. It also is good for focusing on how brands will promise and from there, improve the world around them too.

Examples of this

This type of sector is usually affected by food and other sectors related to that.

With more and more consumers interested in being healthy, food comes like this, and the diets come based on both ecological and ideological choices that were there.

One example of this is the “made in Italy” brand which does echo a call of being genuine, offering a quality taste, and also being really good for you too.

A lot of people like this too because it’s a product that praises itself for being light, and free from lactose, glucose, and other nasty components that people attempt to avoid as much as they can.

It is something that’s grown a lot too, with more and more people choosing the vegan, veggie, and the vegetarian brands of these foods, and it’s increased their sales by over 5% in a lot of cases.

This is something that’s a manifesto for a lot of people and is a true mission for many people that are there in a variety of different ways.

Food origin labels are slowing down in growth though. The plus sign is actually one that is still being used, and it is still popular on certain brands of food.

There is also an increasing need for clarification of different environmental factors on some of these products. This has caused a growth in the turnover rate, as more and more people are looking for foods that are tasty, but also are healthy for you.

Not to mention, another interesting sector that’s grown is non-GMO foods. This is one that’s on the rise, with more and more people looking for these varieties of foods.

This is something that a lot are looking for, as with the additions of different toxic chemicals in our foods now, a lot are becoming more aware of this. through choosing these healthier foods and other brands, it allows you to get the best types of food that you can, and also tells you about the different health-conscious choices that you can make.

This isn’t just for vegetarians and vegans either. A lot of people are choosing foods that are labeled as healthier, whether for health and wellness issues, to help with weight loss, or even just to have a healthier outlook on life.

Lifestyle brands need to start looking at this type of packaging for their products, and this is important, because you can make different prototypes as well with the pertinent information and different characteristics, print this out to others, and get it to people all throughout the world. Even with limited runs or small groups of people buying this, it’s imperative to look at this. consider this when you manage lifestyle brands, and also make it so that you can print, and from there build the brand too.

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

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.

Using Tamper Evident Packaging

If you want to improve the security along with the shelf life of a package, then tamper-evident packaging is the best option. Product security along with protection are super important, and since more and more counterfeit are impacting the world, you want packaging that protects your goods. Not to mention, the shelf life is also a big part of it, and tamper evident packaging is great for improving the shelf life, security, and even the safety of this.

How this improves shelf life

Some of these tamper evident packaging, including flexile films, will drastically improve the shelf life of an item, and it includes lidding films, and also modified atmosphere packaging as well.

Along with this, there are a lot of benefits that come with this. If the product is sold based on weight, including produce and the like, this also helps with improving the revenue, since the weight will not change this. This of course, helps to retain moisture and freshness.

There are tons of benefits for improving the shelf life, so you’re not sitting here having to replace everything.

Product Security

If you’re someone who is worried about others coming in and ruining your packaging, you’re not alone. I mean think about it, there are people who have opened up tubs, licked it, and then put it back. Super gross right?

Well, tamper evident packaging is a great way to show when something has been messed with, in the most obvious manner.

The most common ways to improve this include the following:

Shrink film
Seal bands
Sealing tape that shows a mark when it gets taken off.
Overwrap that’s hard to put back
Flex pouches
Lidding films

There are tons of great ways to protect it, and for customers that see this on their packaging, they’ll know something has been compromised, which is great for prevention of the product getting messed up.

If you are worried about the possibility of the product being compromised, then try to create tamper-evident packaging that works well, and also is something that is perfect for the person to use so that they can keep their items safe and secure.

More abut this

Tamper evident packaging is one of the best packaging things that you can add, and it offers a ton of benefits to the materials used to package stuff.

What are some of the different kinds of materials through? How can it benefit the people?

Well, it can help in a lot of ways. Providing the best and most secure packaging to the people who buy your product is important, and it’ something that, if you use a lot of packaging that involves you possibly having the freshness compromised, this saves you money.

In our world with items getting more and more expensive, having the proper packaging to help and assist with this is very important. Lots of people struggle with putting together the right packaging means that’ll help them, and luckily, with this, you’ll definitely get the proper protection that your packaging needs.

Tamper evident packaging also doesn’t look unseemly or ugly either. It can be used as a first lay er for packaging, since it can close it, and then the overwrap of this is something that also is really good for a lot of people that are looking to improve their packaging abilities.

For a lot of people, tamper evident packaging isn’t just a suggestion for their business, it’s vital, and we went over why in the world that is here and why it can be good for freshness, and for protection.

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.

Small Business Shipping tips for the holidays

The holidays are a fun, although stressful, time for a lot of businesses. They’re something that’s great, but it also can be a bit overwhelming to ensure that everything goes off without any issues. If you are looking to ship products and gifts out without any snags, you’re in luck. We have some of the best shipping advice possible, and some great tips to help you get the perfect holiday shipping experience for your business.

Learn to Save

The first thing is also look for ways that you can save on some of the shipping that you do. The first, is custom boxes, and they’re something that a lot of big businesses like to use. They make unwrapping even better. You may wonder if there is a way for you to cut down on costs though, especially when you look to possibly get more product out for the same budget as before. If you can’t afford custom designs, look at the box size too. See if you’re paying too much for layers unneeded, and if you’re shipping the necklace in a box or if you want to ship a larger products in hose same containers.

Look at box size, try different dimensions, and make sure that the products are snugly fitting, and make sure to minimize any chances of something breaking. Another thing to do, is that if you want to also save some money, look at the calendar and pay attention. This is especially true during the holidays, when lost orders, rush jobs, and quick shipping can sometimes cost errors that do most definitely add up. You should try to finish fulfillment the moment that you get an order, for if you do take the time to look over the orders every single day, you can avoid disasters, and also help to avoid a lot costlier mistakes.

Help the Customers

People don’t like to wait during the holidays, and they al practically need to keep informed. If you want to keep your customers nice and informed, start with a tracking number. This helps with any last-minute shopping moments and it also cuts down on the amount of inquiries that you get, which is a big factor in traffic to your site or your email.

This is better to be left open, so if you’re prepared in time of the holiday rush and offer tracking, it makes things that much easier. Finally, make sure that you also offer shipping that’s reasonable. Free or low-cost shipping will get people more and more excited, and they do have tons of options. People don’t want to pay excessive amounts for shipping, and too much will definitely affect sales. Free or a flat rate on shipping, even on just different time periods and days, shows that you care bout your customers and want to treat them fairly.

Finally, try to make sure that the customers finish their orders, and they don’t engage in cart abandon. Offering free or reduced shipping is one way to prevent this, since in a lot of cases, it can make customers think twice.

With that, those are the main tips that we have here for you to get the most out of your sipping during the holidays. I know it’s a stressful time for anyone, and if you’ve ever been curious about how to make it work, and also, how you can provide high-quality shipping to others, then you’re in luck. We offer just that, and with these tips here, you’ll be able to get the most tat you can out of your holiday shipping and make plenty of customers nice and happy.