| A lot is being said and written about Sustainable | | | | protect your feet much better than poor fitting |
| and "Green" Packaging these days, and with good | | | | ones). When damages occur, the impacts are |
| reason. We generate enough trash every year to | | | | widespread. First and most important is the |
| build a new state, and it is having serious effects | | | | dissatisfaction of the customer. In addition there |
| on the environment. For some businesses, there | | | | are the impacts to your Green initiatives - the |
| is a great alternative that not only can improve | | | | product must be remade, repackaged, and |
| their packaging costs, but also the economies of | | | | reshipped - all of which costs money, but also |
| manufacturing and distribution, and thus their | | | | uses additional resources that could have been |
| overall "green" performance. | | | | saved if the package had done its job! Sometimes |
| Consider that corrugated packaging is typically | | | | this is unavoidable due to an extreme or unusual |
| made from paper, and much of that paper is | | | | occurrence, but for the most part there is an |
| made from "virgin" fibers, although a good amount | | | | answer - On-demand corrugated packaging! |
| of recycled and reclaimed fiber is also included. | | | | What is on-demand corrugated packaging? Simply |
| The use of virgin material is actually a good thing, | | | | put, you place a piece of equipment in your plant |
| because it keeps the paper companies in the | | | | that actually makes your packaging components |
| business of providing trees that are the source of | | | | as you need them, in the exact size and shape, |
| this virgin fiber. Keeping the forests producing | | | | and only as many as you need. |
| trees for paper means that they are not being | | | | This means you do not need to carry expensive |
| sold off to developers and Real Estate | | | | inventories of boxes that you may never use and |
| Investment Trusts (REITs), who turn these | | | | components that could become obsolete when |
| valuable natural and renewable resources into | | | | your size mix changes. Plus, these are the items |
| shopping centers and golf courses - exactly the | | | | your box supplier has a hard time making (small |
| opposite of what is desired! | | | | quantity and/or complex) and thus charges you a |
| The paper and forestry companies know how to | | | | lot for. In high mix, high variability environments, |
| manage the forests and keep them healthy and | | | | on demand packaging can save time, save |
| productive, which means that while they are | | | | money, and greatly improve your Green |
| harvesting trees they are also replanting trees, | | | | performance. It also fits well into your Lean |
| not turning the land into a housing development. | | | | Manufacturing process, since you are minimizing |
| This is healthy for the environment and results in | | | | waste and maximizing protection. |
| a renewable and sustainable source of "Green" | | | | On demand is not for you if you make thousands |
| packaging materials. | | | | of the same item in the same size box all day |
| The next step is to insure that these materials | | | | long, but if you are in an ever-changing packaging |
| are used wisely, and that the packaging "fits" the | | | | environment, it would greatly benefit you to look |
| product so that shipping cube and material usage | | | | at an on-demand system. One of the leading |
| are at their most efficient level to insure | | | | manufacturers in this industry will actually put an |
| manufacturing economies are preserved. For | | | | on demand machine sized for your particular |
| companies who have an ever-changing mix of | | | | needs in your facility with no capital investment |
| products and package sizes this can be a difficult | | | | (just a delivery and setup charge), train your |
| task, and they usually resort to using multiple | | | | people, provide 24/7 engineering support, maintain |
| components, fillers, and misfit packaging materials | | | | the equipment, and guarantee your satisfaction or |
| in order to ship their product. The resulting effects | | | | they will come and remove the machine! Or they |
| on their "Green" initiatives are important and not | | | | and other manufacturers will sell you the |
| always obvious: they use more material than is | | | | equipment. |
| necessary, the package uses a larger cube in | | | | Either way the upside reward potential is |
| transit than is necessary, and both of these | | | | enormous. It would be well worth your time to |
| factors are obvious and increase cost. | | | | check this out and see for yourself how a |
| What is not so obvious is that this practice usually | | | | system that makes a perfectly-fitting package |
| results in higher damages due to misfit packaging, | | | | every time could improve your packaging |
| since the better the package fits the product, the | | | | effectiveness and your bottom line, and also your |
| better protection the product will receive (kind of | | | | Sustainable, Green, and Lean initiatives. |
| like the way good quality, good fitting shoes | | | | |