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.

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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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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Searching for Sustainable Packaging Companies

Whether you are a small business or a large corporation and is currently in search for a packaging equipment manufacturer who offers eco-friendly packaging solutions, you may not realize the many options available out there. As consumers shift towards brands and products that are environment-friendly and sustainable, the need for corporations to shift to sustainable packaging practices using automatic taping machines and carton sealing tapes is becoming a necessity.

Here are the types of companies that offer different sustainable packaging solutions:

Biodegradable Paper Packaging Companies

Aside from just providing businesses with biodegradable paper containers, sustainable packaging companies now offer design solutions that could greatly reduce the product packaging’s weight. With reduced weight, the packaging becomes lighter, decreasing not only the consumption of resources but also its carbon footprint.

Bio-Plastic Packaging Companies

Groceries and supermarkets are now finding ways to reduce plastic consumption. In some countries, specific days are dedicated to the use of paper bags instead of plastics for groceries. Packaging companies are also shifting towards the use of bio-plastics instead of the more traditional plastic containers. Bio-plastic packaging companies now use biodegradable corn and sugar cane resins, resulting to two types of bio-plastic containers: Polylactic (PLA) and polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA), which are very important especially for the food and cosmetics industries.

Recycled Glass Packaging Companies

Glass can be recycled indefinitely, making it extremely popular for sustainable packaging. Eco-friendly glass packaging is also being practiced to reduce carbon footprint and gas emissions, just like paper packaging does. One challenge associated with recycled glass packaging however is the creation of a more durable and sustainable product.

Recycled Aluminum Packaging Companies

There are claims about recycled aluminum as a more durable and sustainable packaging solution. It is said to provide less bulky packaging, attracting eco-friendly packaging companies to create more than just the classic can. The wine industry is one of the largest consumers of recycled aluminum as packaging companies now supply wine producers with bottles made from recycled aluminum. The truth is that wine chills quicker using aluminum bottles so there is an economic benefit to it as well.

BestPack.com prides itself in offering eco-friendly packaging solutions. In fact, with taping machines from BestPack, companies use less corrugated boxes by 17% because of the 1.5” elimination on each flap. Find out more by visiting our website.

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Are Your Packages Sustainable? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Corporations are quickly adapting green packaging solutions to reduce their carbon footprints and gas emissions. Packaging equipment manufacturers are developing solutions to decreaase corrugated usage through taping machines and carton sealing tapes. Now that consumers are being more conscious about the products they buy, the question is, are your packages sustainable?

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How Do Colors Affect Purchases? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Colors are a factor when it comes to product packaging because it greatly affects a consumer's decision whether to buy a brand's merchandise or not. Cereals in black and white are not that attractive to kids, for example. Take a look at what Kissmetrics say about how colors affect consumer purchases.

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Packaging for the Pharmaceutical Industry

Taping machines and other packaging equipment are not just to wrap and protect consumer products like food, electronics, and other products. Taping machines are very much important in the pharmaceutical industry as well because it protects pharmaceuticals from contamination and prevents microbial growth. Because of the strict requirements called for in the pharmaceutical industry, companies have to comply with product delivery and regulatory compliance.

There are many activities that are included in the process of packaging pharmaceutical products. Some of the steps include package designing, testing, and validation as well as prototyping and marketing of the pharmaceutical products themselves. Ideally, it all revolves around the handling, storing, distributing, and packaging of pharmaceutical products.

EconomyWatch.com categorizes three functional units that work within the pharmaceutical packaging industry. These are the packaging materials, packaging types, and marketing of the products. Additionally, because of the nature of the different pharmaceuticals that require packaging, different materials are used to secure the products. Examples are blisters, blow-molded plastics, ampoules and vials, and more. Blisters, for example, are ideal packaging materials for pharmaceuticals that are moisture-sensitive. Blow-molded plastics are perfect for liquids and other chemicals. Such examples would be plastic bottles, jars, and water containers.

There are many countries that specialize in pharmaceutical packaging. The United States is one but other countries also include Western Europe and Japan and currently, Japan is quickly rising as one of the biggest pharmaceutical packaging industries in the world today. Studies have revealed that the pharmaceutical packaging industry is expected to rise by 5.9% each year starting 2011 and sales will soon reach the $34billion mark.

Demand continues to grow and pharmaceutical packaging companies should be prepared with the appropriate and necessary packaging equipment in order to keep up with the trends and requirements. BestPack.com offers a vast selection of automatic and manual taping machines that clients can choose from. Other accessories such as tapeheads and carton sealing tapes  are also available from the California-based packaging solutions provider.

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