Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Alvarez & Marsal Shares Tips on How to Reduce Corrugated Packaging Costs


Companies, especially small businesses, are always on the look-out for ways to reduce packaging costs. When it comes to corrugated boxes, for example, BestPack.com has developed a solution to reduce expenses related to corrugated boxes through their taping machines and carton sealing tapes. Corrugated is widely used in packaging because it is very durable, versatile, and economical. It is also lightweight enough to contain pallets to children’s toys and even furniture.

Global professional services firm Alvarez & Marsal shares a few helpful tips on how companies can reduce their corrugated-related expenses.

For instance, Alvarez & Marsal states that practicing SKU rationalization is a great way to reduce costs because it presents an opportunity that allows businesses to eliminate and combine certain boxes. SKU rationalization works by analyzing the inventory – adding, deleting, or retaining items – and it helps not only in terms of packaging but also in space planning and price optimization.

Simplifying a packaging’s requirements can also greatly reduce corrugated costs. Swapping the dimensions of corrugated or combining different raw materials are cost-effective ways to use less paper in the packaging process. In fact, Alvarez & Marsal states that this can efficiently reduce paper costs up to 20%.

It also helps, according to Alvarez & Marsal, to know and identify box manufacturers and packaging equipment manufacturers who can match your company’s packaging needs perfectly. This also means understanding the manufacturing process of your own business – large runs and uniform boxes size should be produced by larger manufacturers and vice versa. The global professional services firm suggests finding a manufacturer who is currently looking for “incremental volume to maintain operating efficiencies” as they will be the most competitive in terms of price.

Reducing corrugated costs is not only financially-wise but it environment-friendly too. Check out BestPack.com’s Green Sealing Solution, wherein the company’s line of 6” random semi-automatic taping machines and carton sealing tapes are both sustainable and cost-saving. You can view the full article here.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Corrugated Packaging: What You Need to Know


Corrugated boxes are easy to spot. You probably know how it looks like but you don’t know that it’s actually called corrugated boxes. Taping machines and other packaging equipment can pack these boxes quickly for shipping and transport.

To begin, corrugated boxes are made of paper. The arched layer is called “fluting” and the smooth sheets that sandwich these layers are called “liners”. While the most commonly available corrugated boxes have one layer of fluting between the liners, there are actually a lot of different types with many flute sizes and thicknesses. Because corrugated boxes are naturally produced from paper, they are very lightweight and durable, making them the most reliable material for custom-manufactured shipping containers and packaging displays.


Aside from all the useful features of corrugated boxes, they are, in fact, recyclable, making them extremely environment-friendly. While they are primarily manufactured from a renewable resource, consumers should still be conscious enough to recycle them whenever possible. Today, innovations and developments in the R&D programs continue to improve the strength, printability, and recyclability of corrugated boxes.

There are many reasons why packaging suppliers and companies prefer to use corrugated boxes to match with their taping machine requirements. For one, corrugated boxes are easy to customize. It knows no limits and it offers thousands of possible combinations when it comes to flute sizes, weight, adhesives, treatment and coatings, as well as board types.

The flexibility of corrugated boxes also allows it to be cut and folded in many shapes and sizes. It is also now being as a cost-effective marketing tool, as companies begin to print the boxes with their own logos, images, and high-resolution graphics.

Companies can customize corrugated boxes according to the specific needs of their industries and products. It is maximized for product protection, shelf space, and shipping density requirements.

Corrugated boxes have many uses and R&D programs continue to find ways to maximize these boxes. In the meantime, consumers must do their part to make sure that corrugated boxes are reused to save the environment while corporations develop ways to minimize corrugated-related costs.

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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

How Consumers View Packaging in General


The packaging industry will never die, probably because packaging is such an important part of marketing and advertising a product. It has been revealed that over 50% of shoppers’ decisions are made at the shelf. This stresses the weight of a product’s packaging in terms of a consumer’s decision to spend money on a product or not. Taping machines are packaging equipment used to seal products while carton sealing tapes are now being customized to display a company’s brand, message, or service for cost-effective advertising.


Through packaging, a company’s brand image is reinforced. Packaging should be aligned with the company’s image, goals, and vision. For example, products that scream “Buy-One-Take-One” (BOGO) are not exactly the right message that high-end luxury goods should promote. Children, for example, will never be attracted to toys packaged in just black and white. With consistent packaging, consumers can easily distinguish products against others and creates familiarity, especially for brands and companies that have already been in the industry for decades.

Consumers also have certain perceptions or perhaps, expectations, when it comes to the packaging of the products they purchase. High-end luxury goods are supposed to be packaged with expensive or first-class materials. Eco-friendly trash bags should be contained in eco-friendly packaging. Cereals should have cartoons. Switching to a confusing packaging can easily kill your brand because confused consumers will always find the next best thing when it comes to the products they buy.

Practical packaging is also very important for consumers. If products are packed in such a way that it becomes very difficult to open or consume, people will never buy it the next time they go back to the grocery store. Families, for example, will purchase products in bulk so individually-packed items are not exactly the best thing if they are your target market.


Packaging costs are also paid by consumers, but that you already know. If the product is expensive and so does the packaging that comes with it, consumers of premium brand are more often than not willing to pay the price. Average consumers, on the other hand, would appreciate inexpensive packaging more, which means that packaging plays a role in how products should be priced.

The importance of packaging for consumers cannot be stressed enough. BestPack.com offers cost-effective but efficient packaging solutions that are aligned with the needs of the client and the industry it belongs to. Invest in taping machines, packing tapes, and other packaging equipment from BestPack.com now.

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