Some Tips to Lower Your Costs with Packaging Supplies

Packaging plays a crucial role in the company’s success. Packaging not only caters a supportive role but also a promotional role. It is aptly stated, "Don’t design for brands, design for people interacting with the brands."

If your company embraces a sustainable business practice and inculcates waste-free strategies then a company can benefit from reduced waste packaging.

Myriad companies are lavishly spending many bucks on the packaging that is of no good. 

Here are a few cherry-picked tips which companies can follow and lower their cost with packaging supplies.

 

You need to ask yourself certain questions before opting for packaging.

So, let’s get going-

Streamlining Packaging
Most of the businesses are least concerned about giving thought into streamlining their packaging. Luckily, there are many alterations and readjustments. Package redesign could be a great help.

Consider using lightweight packaging material
If you are a medium-sized business consider using bubble wraps, foldable carton boxes, plastic air pillows - all are lightweight and less expensive.

Research Your Options
We all know product packaging plays an important role in the business. The prime purpose of packaging should be to safeguard the product and attract more and more customers. 

From small boxes to corrugated cardboard boxes there are myriad varieties of boxes available in the market. But by doing thorough research, companies can ascertain the right packaging material that will safeguard the product from any damage.

Optimise your Packaging
Before you embark on cost-savings, ask yourself the following listed questions. Once the business comes across the reasons why their packaging costs are skyrocketing, it will be easily addressed by giving due consideration. 

What are the causes contribute to Higher Packaging costs?
Before we list reasons, we must understand that it is not just the industry of packaging supplies, which is struggling with an inflationary challenge, it is with everyone.

• Inadequately designed packaging material can increase your expenses.
• High Shipping Expenses
• General overhead rises
• Labour costs
• Damage in Transit

Go for Eco-friendly Packing Material
Green packaging is good for the environment as well for you. Consider swapping with eco-friendly packaging. Switching to sustainable packaging makes sense.

Irrespective of the industry eco-friendly packing materials are versatile enough to suit the requirement.

Make sure your packaging is as lean as possible and efficient. Packaging Express is one of the mainstream packaging suppliers in the UK.


Hope you had a good read :)

Tips and Tricks for Hassle-Free Moving

Moving house can be a daunting task. Packing different items of different sizes and specification (sharp, delicate, blunt, and unbreakable) have never been hassle-free. Packaging of such items needs meticulous planning and good quality packaging material. 

Removal boxes and other packaging material play a major role in moving household items from one place to another. 

To make it little easier we have brought to you some tips and advice to make moving a little easier.

1. Use appropriate Boxes for different Items:

Pick the right type of boxes for moving and containers as per your accessories and items that are to be kept. Anything can go wrong while moving different types of stuff from one place to another; therefore, it is very important to choose the correct shape and size of the removal boxes, containers, postal bag, adhesives, tapes and more.

2. Take time while Packing Items:

Do not rush while packing your stuff and overburdening the boxes without thinking about the safety of your items.

 3. Proper use of Tapes and Adhesives:

The legitimate use of tapes and adhesives are important to keep your products sealed and safe from all the corners of boxes for moving. This ensures that your products should not get harmed while moving.

4. Use additional Padding for fragile and Electronics Items:

Bubble wraps, edge protectors and thermocol balls can be used while packing fragile items as well as electronic items. Make sure while packing such items you include enough packing material so there is no movement inside the box. This keeps the products intact and reduces risk even when the packaging box falls. 

 5. Use Wardrobe/ moving boxes for your clothing Section:

While moving and packing expensive clothes, be careful with the way you pack them. Use moving boxes or wardrobe. This is a wonderful tool which keeps your clothes away from wrinkling. Remember not to over pack the moving box.

6. Use Zip-lock for placing Small Items:

Keep your essentials of day to day life, like makeup products in the zip-lock bags. Also do not forget to put extra zip-lock bags so that you can put screws, nails and other important little pieces of your furniture safely in the bag.

 

7. Label every Box Carefully:

Make a list and label all your boxes for moving. This will make everything simple while unpacking and organising the stuff in your new house. 

These are a few tips and tricks we have gathered for you to keep your items safe and intact while moving home. Do not forget to have good quality boxes for moving house from packaging material suppliers.

Tips For Choosing The Right Cardboard Boxes For Your Business

Cardboard boxes that you use to supply your products might seem like something extra, but you should never take presentation of your business for granted. Poor quality packing will make your business look cheap and moreover boxes that do not protect items properly may leave you with disputes about refunds as well as some terrible verbal comments from disappointed customers.

Despite enormous advances in material science nothing can still match the good old cardboard for strength and convenience at a realistic price. They are incredibly easy to use and are still the most popular way to post anything.

Now with internet it has become quite easy to browse through the wide world of boxes before making your choice. You can simply make your choice and get your flat packed boxes to arrive ready for assembly & dispatch.

Choosing the right box takes some thought as you need to consider several things like size of your product, the support it may require and how delicate it is. Shipping fresh air is something you have to pay for, so the better the fit the less you’ll pay in wasted postage.

Size

Cardboard boxes come in several different sizes, shapes and are very versatile; your personal choice depends on the way the box is put together and the number of layers of corrugated cardboard which make up its walls. Single-wall cardboard boxes are not only traditional favourite but are also cheap and easy to use as well as light weight. They however, do not support heavy products – ask for samples before going into the business. On the other hand double wall cardboard boxes give the extra level of protection for fragile and delicate products.

Thickness

Double wall cardboard boxes are quite thick with 7 mm wall around your product and provide an extra layer of protection, however they cost a little more than single wall boxes. Due to this extra layer double wall boxes are more rigid are more resistant to damage. Consider these boxes if your product weighs much or can be easily damaged. These boxes do not weigh much more than single wall boxes hence shouldn’t add much to your postage costs. Moreover double wall boxes last longer so if you use them for storage, you should get multiple uses from them.

Bespoke boxes

You can now design the box according to your shipping requirements and budget. You can decide your own choice of join like stitched or glued and can choose between a single or double wall boxes. as

Though cardboard boxes are very versatile, they are very rarely a complete solution and you need to find the right tape or fastening and also consider using packing materials like paper or bubble wrap roll to keep your product safe and sound all the way to the customer. Companies that offer both the box & accessories are best and will save you time as well as get you deals when you buy both together.

7 Types of Packaging Supplies and How to Use Them

Before sending a package, you want to be sure that is packaged carefully, and the risk associated with it getting damaged gets minimized. 

Here is the list of the best packaging materials that you should know about:

Cardboard

Cardboard boxes are one of the most used items by packaging suppliers. You can find boxes made of cardboard in different shapes and sizes which can be used depending on your requirement. There are small boxed which be used for the mailboxes, big ones that are used when someone is shifting from one place to another. Cardboard on a roll is another popular material you can easily find today, which is ideal for materials that have an unusual size.  The cardboard can also be used to separate different articles in the box.

Seal

Plastic film is one of the best kinds of sealing materials that can be found today. It comes with a shrink and stretch foil which are used to seal multiple articles all at once. The stretch foil is so-called because of its elastic properties. Shrink sealing, on the other hand, gets heated up when wrapped around a product and melts after some time. Sealing is also done on products before they are sent for loading in the trucks.

Plastic bags

There are different types of plastic bags that are used for packaging apart from the traditional ones. Some of them come with a zipper, others with a drawstring or snap fastening depending on the requirement. You can also find pouches that are sealed and ideal for packaging materials that might leak. Another new variety of bags are the isothermal pockets which are used for maintaining the temperature of the products. 

At times, foam sachets or air cushions are used for handling fragile products. These small bags are similar to the bubble wrap, but in this, the bubbles are present on the outer side of the bad so that it is easy to put the products back into the bag. But they offer similar protection as that of a bubble wrap. 

Paper

Paper has several advantages as a packaging material. It is inexpensive, easy, and eco-friendly. You can find a wide variety of wrapping papers that are used for packaging today.

Bleached kraft

This kind of material is extremely strong and is in the form of white paper, which is considered ideal for almost all types of shipments.

Crepe paper

This paper is thin and used for separating or packaging the extreme shapes very easily. This type of paper is considered to be useful for box stuffing and is quite expensive as well.

Natron kraft 

You must know this as a traditional brown packing paper which is used for holding small packets at it is robust and can hold weights to a certain extent.

Filled air 

This is known for plastic bags or air cushions. The airbags are highly protective and can be used quickly as a shield for the products.

How to pack boxes when moving house

Moving is considered to be one of the most challenging tasks these days. You not only need to pack your stuff correctly but also need to ensure that the things and boxes are correctly transported from one place to another. Packing things requires a professional person to do that for you so that you can quickly move from one house to another. 

Packing is the most crucial thing when you are moving. It has to be done efficiently so that the goods can be transported without damage.

You will need various types of boxes for moving house. These include small boxes, medium boxes, large removal boxes, wardrobe boxes, and heavy-duty boxes. You will also need packing tapes, bubble wraps, old newspapers, markers, and labels.

You should keep the following tips in mind while packing your stuff.

1. Always use the right kind of boxes for packing

There are dedicated packing boxes of each type of material. You should choose the right type of boxes, depending on the kind of stuff you are packing. You should never rely on used boxes or boxes that are used to pack things in supermarkets. They are not designed to carry heavy items and therefore should not be used for any such purpose.

2. Boxes should be sealed properly

Use packing tapes of reliable brands on the top, bottom, and the sides of the boxes to secure the packing properly. Also, use tape in the middle of the box where the box folds. Packing tapes reinforce the boxes and ensure that they do not break during transit.

3. The least used items should be packed first

Many people start their packing quite early. If you too are doing this, you should ensure that you are packing the least used items first. If you pack the essentials first, you will have to pull them out regularly and this will ruin all the packing you’ve done. To make things better, you should keep the frequently used items aside and pack them only in the end.

4. Keep heavy items at the bottom while packing

When you start filling the boxes, you should keep the heavier items at the bottom and then fill it up with the lighter ones. This is because putting heavier items at the top can damage the items below them. It is also challenging to lift boxes in which heavier items are packed on the top.

5. Dedicate specific boxes to each of the rooms

If packing is a challenging task, unpacking is all the more tedious. You need to make sure that while you are packing the goods, you also keep unpacking in mind. Therefore, dedicate separate boxes for each of the rooms in your house. This will make unpacking very easy for you.

While these are some of the tips you should keep in mind while packing, you should also pay attention to the way you are wrapping the items in the boxes. Use bubble wrap roll to pack them and fill in the gaps between the things using airbags.

Some Interesting Facts of Bubble Wrap Rolls

Being there for almost 70 years now, Bubble wraps are more than a packaging solution to all of us. It is a way we pack, parcel and protect goods that we use in everyday life. Its air-filled capsules mounted over a sheet of plastic have their own individuality and way of solving our packaging and moving problems.

So, for something so popping special, which has a day by its name to be celebrated and honoured, you must be knowing more.

Here are some of the interesting facts about Bubble Wrap rolls:

1. It was created to be a wallpaper

Surprised? Well, back in 1950s wallpapers were quite a trend and it was as mandatory to put on as letter box was back in those days. These came out to be used as an experiment in late 50’s, bringing padded wallpaper with raised texture gluing shower curtains together.This never worked though for long. 

2. Used for greenhouse insulation 

As the Bubble wrap’s glued-curtain idea didn’t work for wallpapers it was taken to build greenhouses, to insulate buildings and retain heat. The idea partially worked and made some buyer base for itself but it didn’t go a long distance to be a commercial hit as it was not easy to convince users to use plastic as an insulator for the organic stuff.

3. Bubble Wrap is trademarked

Of the most interesting things about the bubble wrap is that is a trademarked product. Which is owned by the company named Sealed Air, incorporated by Fielding and Chavannes, who were responsible for its invention and commercial propagation at different application roles and usage variables.

4. Surviving a fall on Bubble Wrap

This one is really creepy but at one instance a WIRED contributor Rhett Allain, went on to crunch numbers and find out and confirm that it would exactly require 39 layers of Bubble Wrap to survive a six-storey fall. Well, which is neither tested, nor approved by any legitimate body however.

5. An artist uses Bubble Wrap to create pop art

Artist Bradley Hart is known for his unique artform. He uses syringe to inject paint in each bubble dot to create pixelated modern art as portrait and landscape paintings. He can paint sceneries, people, emotions, buildings and reiterate famous paintings. Another amazing thing he does with these works is he reverse-displays them to show an abstract counterpoint to the more disciplined and organized images on the front.

6. You can opt for fancy versions

So, it is not all the time that it comes with that round bloated polka dot design on it that you see generally. Yeah! You can choose to have your bubble wrap roll in a different design that sports different shapes of bubble chambers. For instance, you get them designed as hearts and smileys too.

7. Sealed Air once made Golden Wrap

In 2010, on the occasion of 50^th anniversary that they completed working as a shipping staple, the owning company of this amazing packaging product released a special commemorative bubble wrap which was all in gold, and was of course a big news that year.

These are some interesting facts about bubble wrap rolls. Let us know if have more to add to these!

A Quick Guide to Different Levels of Packaging

To be able to well deliver your product to the customer, it is not enough to just ensure its form and shape but also the way it is packed and presented. Going with this you need to comply with the model packaging standards that speak about different types, forms and levels of packaging. 

Here we enumerate the three main levels of packaging that are pivotal to the presence, function and value of any product.

So, on the basis of their application levels there are three types of packaging – primary, secondary, and tertiary. Here in detail:

1. Primary Packaging 

Primary packaging is the first layer of packaging that covers the product at the preliminary or initial level. This is the packing that stays the closest to the product. 

This is the most significant part of packaging in terms of attracting and informing the customer about the product as such. Mostly, you will find it holding the product intact or covering it as a protection layer, with branding and labelling done over it.

The best examples are - the tin covering of a soda can, the cardboard boxes of LED lights, or simply the wrapper of a chocolate.

2. Secondary Packaging

Secondary packaging is when different products or units are clubbed together in one consolidated packaging. So, it is the layer that adds to the goods that are already covered with primary packaging.

Its most significant role is to protect the product from any kind of breakage or loss during shipment. Also, it is meant to keep products in a more consistent and organized form for better segregation and handling in the supply chain process. 

Best examples can be a collective packing case for a dozen of drink cans or a display stand for potato chips.

3. Tertiary Packaging 

The outermost covering that is used to move the product (with primary or secondary covering done already) move from one place to another is tertiary packaging. So, if you are using a large carton or a binder that holds and protects the goods to be moved and stored at different places across the user lifecycle, it is the outermost or tertiary packaging.

Tertiary Packaging is typically not seen by the end user or consumer. It is the hard and sturdy packing that drives the product from the production point to distribution and sub-distribution point or the point-of-sale. 

Example includes, bulk pallets and barrels, that are used to transport products in comparatively large volumes, mostly covering large distances. 

So, these are the different levels of packaging that keep the product covered, sorted, well-presented and safe till the time it reaches its destination. Though these layers often overlap and shift their roles depending on the type and nature of product. 

Like for example cardboard boxes can be primary packaging in case of fruits and vegetables while it can be secondary packaging for charging batteries or computer accessories that are already packed in their primary skins. Same goes with secondary and tertiary packaging. 

So, there’s no proper classification or definition these levels of packaging fit in but largely these three put together drive the whole packaging format and are the most important three different levels of packaging that you should know in order to package and parcel things well.