Packaging Supplies That Your Business Needs

2020 was a crazy year for everyone. Never before has our new age economy have to come to terms with such a daunting amount of changes and economic twists and turns. Consequently, the eCommerce industry has absolutely taken off in the past year. While this industry was steadily growing for the past 10 years or so, the pandemic and related factors have exemplified what it means to be an eCommerce business and shown how profitable and convenient this industry can be. One thing I noticed is that there were many small attempts at various eCommerce businesses, but many small business owners seemed to struggle with the details and complications that arise from attempting to own and operate your own eCommerce business. I’ve made this list as a few tips and tricks to help guide you in your first eCommerce business. Time to get in on the action!

My first tip to you is to invest in some quality packing and shipping supplies. I’m talking boxes, poly bags, packing tape, bubble wrap, all of that stuff. Obviously, you don’t need to buy all of these things, but I wanted to give you a few examples of how important your packaging and shipping supplies are going to be. After all, this package going out to your customers is likely the only physical interaction your customers will have with you; you need to make sure you get it right. Different packages or boxes are good for different products. For example, clothing or similar items don’t need a cardboard box or something like that. Just use poly bags and a weather proof package and that will do the trick! More fragile or bulky items may need a box of some sort, so be sure to pack lots of packing materials like bubble wrap or packing peanuts in the box as well. Remember, this is likely the only physical interaction you will have with your customer, and it’s important to keep a healthy relationship with these customers. 

Another tip I have for you is to take advantage of all the resources available to you online. Since you are owning and operating your own eCommerce business, the internet is going to be your best friend! There are so many different ways to get started with your business and start selling things online to people all over the world. There are specific apps and programs that make building your website, platform, and business easier and more efficiently. Certain programs like Shopify are designed for people who don’t necessarily know how to write code or work with designing websites in any complicated ways. This program is perfect for me, since I am a complete neanderthal when it comes to working with computers. 

Another helpful tip is to, once you’ve established your website and store online, enable tracking via google analytics or something similar. This can help you determine who your customers are and what they like about your product. Knowing more information about your customers will help you create ads that specifically target them and will generate more traffic on your website, which translates to more sales. Gathering data on your customers will allow you to create ads through Facebook, Instagram, or other social media that you know your customers are regularly using. This is a super good way to generate more sales!

Efficient Packing Your Car for Moving

When you work with a moving company, you basically let the movers to handle moving of everything to the new home. Nevertheless, there are certain items which can be regarded as non-allowable in the moving industry. These non-allowable items are the ones that moving companies don’t agree on loading in their trucks. As a matter of fact, these non-allowable items mainly include such valuables which you wouldn’t want anyone to handle other than you.

Having that said, you will need to load such items in your car while moving to the new home. So, your car needs to be fully capable of accommodating the items you want to move by yourself.

What are non-allowable items?

Generally, movers load majority of your items into their trucks in order to move them to your destination. But non-allowable items are the ones they would never load into their trucks for a number of reasons. To know about it, you have to understand what non-allowable items really are. For this purpose, you can read the company’s policy.

The non-allowable items we are talking about in this context include the items which the moving companies never move in any circumstances. These are the items which you would need to move by yourself. For instance, there are some hazardous items which may include aerosols, paints and pesticides. Plants and foods are not strictly non-allowable items but there are several types of plants and perishable foods which the moving company wouldn’t load in their trucks. Another category includes highly personal or financially highly valued items. Such items usually include passports, medication, keys, tax documents, and jewelry. Hence, packing of such items and loading them into your own car should be your top priority.

Practice the packing and loading

Packing non-allowable items and loading them into your car is not something which you would be able to do easily in the first attempt. As a matter of fact, you should wary about safety of those items. Now, you should learn about packing your items but you first have to analyze the storage capability of your car. Look at the passenger seats, floor, roof, and trunk of the car. These areas may be quite enough to accommodate your non-allowable items. Make sure that you are leaving room for the family members and pets. If you have too many of these items and you find no way to adjust everything in your car, you can rent another car for this purpose.

BUBBLE WRAP CAN BE RECYCLED, BUT HOW?

Bubble wrap has long been one of the most important packaging materials for the past 60 years. Thanks to its flexible design, its flexibility ensures that you can use it as a protection device for valuables of any size or shape. Even though bubble wrap can protect goods from damage during transport, it is essential to consider its effects on the environment. Is bubble wrap able to be recycled, for instance? In this article, you will find a look at eco-friendly alternatives to bubble wrap and find out if bubble wrap is environmentally friendly.

Bubble Wrap: What Is It?

The product was initially named "Bubble Wrap," and many millions of shipments have been protected with it worldwide since then. The first computers that IBM shipped were expensive, heavy, and bulky. It was difficult to preserve these shipments from damage because the only protection available was paper, sawdust, and horsehair. All of which were unsuitable in a blatant manner. Developed by Sealed Air Corporation in 1957, Bubble Wrap, a trademark still used today, revolutionized the container packaging industry when thin sheets filled with air pockets were invented.

Bubble Wrap is Made of What?

It is important to note that innovation played a significant role in creating the trademarked product. It is not unusual for each bubble wrap sheet to have thousands of tiny air pockets sealed with plastic. To protect your valuables during shipping, a layer of air pockets serves as a protective barrier, shielding them from bumps that are inevitable while sending packages.

Is Bubble Wrap Recyclable?

It is possible to recycle bubble wrap in your ordinary recycling container, just like you do with any other plastic. As a result, it will be collected and delivered to a facility that will recycle it to make clothing and garden furniture. It is worth mentioning that plastic can even last for decades or centuries after it is created, even though it is recyclable and biodegradable.

Bubble wrap is one of the most reliable forms of packaging protection on the market today. It can be used to protect the latest technology as well as fine jewelry. There have been several changes in recent years that have increased the scrutiny of the industry. It wasn't long ago when Amazon, an international online retailer, introduced non-recyclable bubble wrap envelopes. This led to a media uproar in the U.S. Having endured heavy backlash from the public, and they changed their packaging from cardboard and paper to a more sustainable alternative.

Despite that, we remain faced with a problem: due to a lack of recycling and the proliferation of bubble wrap, we contribute to a plastic waste pandemic, a polluting effect on the oceans, and an escalating landfill problem.

Nevertheless, you should make sure that you consider the environmental impact before using oil-based plastics as a package protection material. With every package that you send, you can contribute to saving the planet. There are so many eco-friendly alternatives available that you can choose from, many of which are already made from recycled materials.

The Importance of Packaging Machinery Predictive Maintenance

 

Predictive maintenance is something that the packaging industry absolutely needs. When you look at machinery maintenance for packaging, most think of preventative forms of this. This is of course, one of the most important parts. It basically helps you handle the problem before it become as a problem. When you work with this, it basically allows for the machinery to keep and start running once more. They also offer you the least amount of downtime as a firm, allowing you to get more packaging out than ever before. 

What is It and why is it Important? 

Basically, predictive maintenance is a kind of packaging type of machinery that lets the machinery, along with the assets that are related, get monitored through a computerized, manual process that lets you predict the assets that will need to be repaired or maintained in some way or another. 

Why is it important you might ask? It’s responsible for keeping everything up and running. That’s because, it lets you replace everything before it becomes an issue. So let’s say you’ve got two companies competing in consumer goods.  You can use predictive maintenance to handle the problems before a packaging line goes down. 

Instead of needing to shut down, contact someone to fix this, and then wait before it’s resolved, this maintenance plan beforehand all make sure that all of the dynamics necessary for a packaging line are implemented before you even start, offering the best, and most important predictive maintenance that’s out there, and that’s possible. 

While there is some irregularity, if you monitor this, then everything runs under optimal conditions. You can put together the best equipment numbers, identify problems within the machines, and everything comes together at an expected baseline, and is adjusted before everything fails. This saves you major costs down the line, and also doesn’t delay shipment in businesses such as this. 

How to use this 

There are a few ways for you to use this. First, you can set up machinery that has the predictive maintenance naturally built into there, and then, you can focus on the metrics that are necessary for identifying various issues. 

When your computer is able to find the irregularities that are present there, and then, through the use of metrics, they can identify this, and then, when the anomalies are taken care of, then the operator is notified. Then of course, maintenance that’s done by technicians look to identify everything that must be replaced, or what needs to occur. Not every single packaging machinery uses the predictive maintenance that’s built within it, and sometimes, this is augmented, but that’s not always true. 

The best way to actually handle this though, is through working with a technician, as they can look at the required metrics, and anything else that they need to watch out for, setting up the functionality of this, and also track performance metrics that you have. The numbers are then recorded, moving away from the baseline, identifying the areas of issue, and what changes need to occur. 

This means that the technician helps to figure out the best repairs, tweaks, or your replacements that must be done before the item breaks down, offering you a chance to decrease this downtime along the line of packaging, saving you a lot in costs that are there, and also will help with decreasing a lot of problems down the road. So definitely consider this if you’re looking to beef up your system, as it can help with improving the whole thing, and also prevents the worst from happening as well.

How Packaging Supplies are Influencing the Warehouse Layouts and Efficiency

 The right packaging choices not only matter with customers, but also the warehouse that you ship out from. Your packaging choice impacts the floor design.

For instance, if you have ten different boxes of ten different sizes and shapes, it can be cumbersome to put this together. Having them lined up in a haphazard way will minimize efficiency and create problems with speed and flow.

The other problem is that if your packaging supplies are not organized, it impacts the stacking ability. When improperly stacked, the items will topple over, spilling before it even leaves the door. Packaging with the appropriate stacking abilities will make it easier to get things out the door.

In turn, this also improves the flow of goods, allowing for faster, efficient experiences that improve the speed of your items, and with packaging choices, impacting the flow of these goods and designs will ensure that the items are stronger, more fortified, and better for you to use as well. 

Storage-Optimized Supply Formats 

There's some supply formats that are not properly optimized, and a lot of these need to be storage optimized. 

Flat pack is the way to go. This is where the boxes are in a flat shape, and from there built to craft the item inside. a flat pack is faster, more efficient, but does require a labor station to put it together. However, when compared to built out boxes, it takes up less space.

Some companies have also used the built out dispensers that are ergonomic. It does save time on the assembly stage, so if you’re worried about it taking too long, then you might want to use this. If speed is more of a focus, have the boxes premade, but if you can sacrifice a little bit of speed for less warehouse space, then consider using the flat packed system.

How Auto Labeling and Packaging stations Have Evolved 

A lot of auto labeling and packing stations have grown in many cases. There's now supplies designed for minimal motion. 

Auto labeling allows for the products to be automatically labeled. Supplies and packaging stations are also making it so that the items get out to the customers without having to throw this around.

Mobile Packaging Carts and Pods 

Another thing that’s also come out is mobile packaging carts and pods. These are pods and carts that drive around, getting everything that they need. This is good for those areas where you don’t want a bunch of workers trying to find the box. The cart just owes over, gets the right box, and goes from there. It also reduces errors too, since you can get the correct one, and also ensures that inventory is not compromised because one person is grabbing all of the boxes, making sure that’s there. 

Packaging for Labor Retention and Safety 

Putting together the packaging in a manner that makes it easy to go around and get packaging to the appropriate places is good. 

Having it set up in a manner where people know where to go, and are able to effectively get the packaging put together, and organized in an appropriate way, is great. Doing so helps keep labor retention high, since people aren’t flustered by the current stream of packaging. It also ensures proper safety, so you’re able to minimize problems, and from there, improve the experience. 

Your packaging can help improve efficiency in a warehouse, and offer faster outputs. Consider this when building your packaging experience, and choose your boxes wisely for your own success, and the success of the assembly line.

The Minimum Requirements for Packaging

Before you order the materials that you need for packaging, are there requirements. What are the minimum requirements before you can place an order for packaging? These are usually based on the company that you’re getting it from, and if you don’t meet the needs, you may have to pay for more. But this is why a lot of people don’t understand it, since they just assume they can order and be done with it. Here, we’ll go over some of the minimums that you need typically, and what you have to look at when choosing to buy from packaging companies of all kinds. 

What is the minimum order requirement 

This is pretty much a requirement of the types of materials that you must purchase minimally for a company to fulfill it at certain prices and fees. This is based on the following requirements: 

• The production scheduling 

• The availability of materials 

• The run time of the machinery and items to make this 

Why does this matter? Well if you don’t understand dynamic packaging, it’ll cause many other problems down the line. If you’re trying to buy willy nilly, lots of companies will charge you more or just not fulfill it in general, and you won’t be able to get your stuff. If you’re a company who needs this, you might have to fork over more, or you may have to shop around for providers, which does take a bit of time. 

So what are They? 

Usually, this varies from place to place. One thing to consider is that not everything will have this, or some may be smaller requirements for this than others. Why is that? It’s because some materials are easier to print or manufacture than others. For example, shrink film that’s printed, especially custom printed, will have a minimum order requirement, since usually there are other variables that affect the cost of this. 

When you’re ordering of course, you’ll need to factor in this. Another thing to understand is that additional aspects of this put into the order will affect the costs. For example, if you’re ordering printed shrink film with a branded logo on it, it’s going to cost you a bit more money. Because of this, a lot of printed shrink films will have specific order requirements, which means that you need to meet this minimally to order/. 

Alternatively, fi you can’t, they may charge a premium fee, since you are requiring something that’ll cost a lot to print, and if you’re not printing enough, it may not be financially viable for some companies. If you’re curious about this, you should always inquire about these materials before you get a minimum order. Without doing this, it can cause issues after the order is placed, resulting in more fees, or perhaps the order being canceled because of it not being financially viable. 

So how do you find out what the minim order requirements are? The simplest way is to check the website, since usually if you’re ordering from certain companies, they have specifics that’ll help customers figure this out. Alternatively, there are packaging specialists that can help you figure out what the costs of this are, and they of course can be talked to, and you can get the answers there. 

It’s important for businesses however to have this information on hand before they actually buy anything, since otherwise, it can cause a lot of issues down the road, and there is always a chance that there might be a problem, and you end up spending more than you should.

What are Static Shield Bags?

Kids do like balloons and it’s actually a way to teach children about static electricity. But most of us don’t like the feeling of the zap that we get when we touch something. Static technology can actually be a big problem, especially when electronics are involved. The solution to this is static shield bags, which offers us a chance to ship the motherboards, graphics cards, and whatnot all over the place, and are considered vital parts of technology today. Here, we’ll go over how these static shield bags work, and the difference between them and antistatic bags. 

Why static Electricity Can Be Bad 

Static electricity is a part of life, but the problem is, it can actually be dangerous for some of the electronics that we have. Water need to be kept out of the innards of computers, and if there is static there, it can actually damage the motherboard, making it not able to work. 

Static Shield Bags 

Shield bags that are made to help get rid of static discharge are becoming more and more popular, since it stops the static from building in or outside the bag. There are multiple layers that actually shield this from movement, that actually protects it from discharges by being a conductor and from there grounding that static away from the bag contents, and the third layer of this actually offers a protective layer outside, protecting the interior parts and electronics from both the outside and an inside. 

Static Shielding Vs. Antistatic 

Static shielding is different from antistatic bags. There is a difference though, and it’s vital to know, for the sole reason of it can actually be a very expensive error if you’re not careful. Static shielding does protects the bag itself and the contents from all static electrical charges, and this includes both the internal and external parts. Antistatic doesn’t offer the same kind, and it’s pretty much bringing these parts into an environment that may be a statistic, keeping this from building up more and more static electricity. 

When you’re choosing these, you’ll definitely want it, and you’ll definitely want to choose the correct packaging as well. The biggest thing to remember is that a static shield offers the full protection, so if you’re having something that transports from one location to another, and will have a lot of jostling or going to be in a cold environment, you’ll definitely want to get a static shield bag. For small static movements, and those that don’t need as much protection, usually the antistatic bags work well, and they offer a lot of great changes for you to have. 

Regardless of what you do, or what you say, you’ll be able to, with this as well, create the best results from this, and really make it work. There are many people who are happy with the results of this, and many people are happy to have something that makes the transit of goods easier. But, if you’re not sure what you need, you can consider the differences.

Choose the right packaging and the right kinds of types of bags for the needs that you have. The right bag isn’t just good because of the products that are there, and the benefits of it, but also it can save you some money down the line too, as it’s right there, and it can protect you while also saving you a bit of cash in the long haul too. So don’t be afraid to use this packaging, choosing it so that it fits exactly what you need, as it can be great too.