The packaging industry challenges faced by companies today create new areas to experience growth and increased profits. From resolving stacking strength issues to making core changes to your product’s design, looking at each problem can help your company prepare for development. Here are five challenges facing the packaging industry today.
One of the biggest packaging industry problems includes the need for increased stacking strength. Many industries want to ensure their packages are not damaged during transit, but some designs and styles become deformed after stacking or packaging.
So, how can companies avoid these problems? The best ways to increase your stacking strength are to make operational, structural, design or form changes.
Making a change in your daily operations can increase your stacking strength. For example, some companies that sell bottled products may experience shrinking. This happens when the bottled product absorbs oxygen and creates a vacuum, causing problems in the packing process. Changing your operations and examining the scope of your product and industry can help decrease stacking issues and increase the overall strength of packaging materials and products.
Another way to increase stacking strength is to pay attention to rigid packaging. While rigid packaging is popular among various industries, it may become worn or torn if it is exposed to stress or comes into contact with external surfaces during stacking and transporting. The larger the area’s surface, the higher the chance packaging may become stressed and damaged.
By making structural changes to your packaging process, you can help reduce the product’s contact with external surfaces and reduce damage. For example, some industries use round surfaces rather than squares to increase stacking strength. You can also avoid stress and damage by considering the material thickness and maximum pressure areas, such as the packaging base.
Try incorporating more functional design changes to increase your product’s stacking strength. While each specific product may require different details depending on your industry, you can focus on changing the packaging material or the actual product being packaged. Making these changes may result in a final product that stacks easier.
Finally, consider changing the package’s form. By changing the structure, you’ll also have to find a balance between strength and brand visibility, as changes in shape may result in less label room.
Deviating from your current product can be a sharp contrast to what your company is used to. But strategizing your product change can come with various perks. You could increase the space your brand can advertise on with a more prominent label. Or you can reduce inventory space with a smaller product package. Both of these areas ensure your product can stack without any deformations.
Many companies face eco-friendly and environmental issues because of the rising demand for recyclable materials. The usage of green packaging is also likely to grow in the next few years as industries aim to create more sustainable packaging.
By finding packaging material that is both eco-friendly and recyclable, your company can lower operational costs and reduce adverse effects on the environment. Choose boxes that are 100% recyclable, and add a note to your customers on your product design about how they can reuse or recycle your packaging.
You can also pick packaging made from recycled materials and post-consumer waste to help reduce your environmental impact, which you can also advertise on your packaging.
Another challenge facing the packaging industry is transportation and delivery costs. Reducing aspects like logistics, delivery or raw material prices can lead to increased margins and more profits for your business.
The shape and weight of the packaging are essential for managing delivery costs, and you’ll often explore these factors during the product development stage. Keeping these aspects in mind can help your company create cost-effective shipping by ordering the correct size packaging, bundling products or increasing the minimum quantity to an agreeable price point.
You can also identify specific ways to optimize logistics costs. Consider the sourcing process and what raw materials you’ll need. Or look at the last-mile delivery service your company offers and make changes accordingly.
Differentiating products and predicting consumer behavior is one of the biggest challenges facing packaging industries today. For companies looking to expand their products globally, creating a design that stands out from other competitors involves some creativity.
When trying to match competition in the marketplace, some companies take traditional routes rather than making designs that stand out among other products. When looking to switch up your product’s style, you’ll want to dive into your company’s background and roots to find a design that resonates with your brand’s vision.
With your vision in mind, you can choose from printing methods to help your packaging stand out, like:
Another challenge facing the packaging industry includes internal processes across facilities. When it comes to workforce staffing or education, hiring may sometimes be a challenge. Finding staff members who understand your industry’s requirements takes some searching, which is why many industries have turned to digital solutions to make packages more attractive and sustainable.
Deciding whether you need more or less staffing in your facility takes some consideration. While it’s essential to integrate training into your workforce’s planning process, producers may also want to look at their internal process. Try to cultivate good relationships with suppliers and become true partners. Your services will improve once you establish a bond between printers and customers.
Customers today are used to a wide variety of options when it comes to products. Think beyond the item and ensure your customers experience security, care and a good product.
At Bolt Boxes, we collect details about your products to create custom boxes for shipments and solve your packaging challenges. Send us your physical product or provide us with images and descriptions, and our best designers will engineer an excellent solution for you. We also collect product artwork and estimate what the job might look like by creating a structural prototype of your new packaging system.
Whether you want us to provide images or physical examples of your printed boxes during the process, we’ll work to make a shipment product you approve of. Contact us today to speak to a representative and get started with your new product packaging!
