Can Packaging Optimisation Improve Your Supply Chain Efficiency?

Optimisation has become a necessity these days. It is related to the maximisation of your product’s efficiency. By packing it with standardised materials, you ensure your product’s quality. When we talk about packaging optimisation, we immediately think of the blueprint of our product. The thought of having a blueprint is natural since it concerns customer satisfaction.

Business operations on packaging take place in the packaging industry. These operations make sure that their packaging remains sustainable throughout the process. A report also states that companies favour sustainable packaging options. They focus on reducing environmental hazards and achieving supply chain optimisation.

The packaging industry accommodates various other industries. It is involved in food, healthcare, automobile, construction, retail, etc., and reinforces their supply chain.

As far as the supply chain is concerned, which is the logistics network of companies, packaging optimisation is a must. It minimises logistics costs because it gives the best possible control to companies to choose substance and size. Economists believe that quality and quantity go hand in hand. Hence, supply-chain management is improvable with packaging optimisation.

It all comes down to customer service since the procedure of the supply chain involves moving the product from supplier to customer. The right kind of packaging is suitable for everyone. It leaves no trace of dissatisfaction and objection.

Functions of Packaging

Let’s look into the functions of packaging optimisation.

1.   Protection and Storage

Layer by layer, products are placed in their respective positions. The primary purpose of packaging is to save products from external components. The components include unpredictable temperatures, moisture, force, and potential damage. It is crucial to store the product in its entirety during shipment.

2.   Identification and Information

The role of packaging optimisation offers a thorough set of identification and information.

Have you ever seen a barcode symbology printed on your package? It is the International Article Number or European Article Number (EAN). This product code works as an identifier to distinguish a particular product type.

Apart from identification, the information section provides you with the following details:

• Description
• Instructions
• Ingredients
• Date of Manufacture
• Date of Expiry

3.   Marketing and Branding

Marketing and branding are always in synchronisation. It is where you decide the effectiveness of your advertising campaigns and discourse. After the product launch, marketers attempt to influence customers positively. They do that by revitalising the package with logistics logo design, making it more attractive and eco-friendly.

4.   Convenience and Trust

The trust factor is vital in the packaging industry. You earn your consumers’ trust by bringing user-friendliness to your product’s package.

The package’s user-friendliness should be easy to open, close and dispose of.

In addition to ease, good packaging involves resealable and ziplock bags. They are reusable and do not invoke instances of environmental dangers.

5.   Transport and Distribution

Transport and distribution are climacteric. To guarantee that no harm occurs to your product packaging, companies create packaging that is easy to move, lift, stow, and stack.

Customers want to feel free of unnecessary weight. Therefore, companies concentrate on packaging’s lightness as much as they can.

What is Packaging Optimisation?

Packaging optimisation is a process that entails strategies to wrap products properly and deliver them with improved manoeuvring. The goal is to enhance your product’s package with all-inclusive properties that customers find easy to understand.

The term “optimisation” refers to the feasibility of customers. When they interact with the products, they look for no bother. To accomplish that, companies make use of packaging optimisation.

Furthermore, packaging optimisation caters to the supply chain zone of a company. From packing products to delivering them, all aspects of the supply chain align with packaging optimisation.

7 Key Features of Smart Packaging

With the advent of technology, companies poised their methods to obtain packaging optimisation. We call it “smart packaging.”

1.   Modular Design

Modular design is associated with the flexibility of your product’s package. This design lays the foundations for the package (size, shape, quantity) and reconfigures it according to these foundations. It helps save space and keeps waste to a minimum.

2.   Right-Sizing

Right-sizing determines the ideal size for your product. If the packaging is too small, customers will not be happy. If the packaging is too big, they will still be unhappy. Thus, right-sizing is mandatory to fit the product without congesting it.

3.   Lightweight Packaging Materials

As the word suggests, lightweight materials entail less dense packages. Though they are low in density, their durability is unaffected.

The most common lightweight packaging materials are:

• Paper – material made of cellulose pulp.
• Cardboard – stiff, thick paper.
• Bioplastic – plastics derived from renewable biomass sources (e.g., vegetable fats, oils, etc.)

4.   Recyclable Materials

Materials that are capable of being used again are recyclable. Companies reuse the material to preserve natural resources and support a circular economy. Based on the perpetual state of production and sustainability, a circular economy endorses eco-friendliness.

5.   Efficient Sealing and Resealing

This feature directly connects with end users. Sealing and resealing are efficient if the product’s package can be easily opened and closed. It does not matter how many times you reopen your package. If the product spoils while opening the package, it will disappoint the customer.

6.   Eco-Friendly Inks and Printing

For advertisement reasons, companies go for eco-friendly inks and printing. They inscribe meaningful text on the package using inks made from water and soy. However, with the advancement of digitization, companies opt for digital printing to retain nature.

7.   Minimalist Graphics

Minimalist graphics are visual representations of the package. Here, the approach to designing the package is simple yet powerful. These graphics enable companies to attract customers with monochromes and geometric shapes.

Verdict: Packaging Optimisation Can Vastly Improve Your Supply Chain Efficiency

Everything considered, packaging optimisation does add value to your supply chain efficiency. In light of the functions and features, businesses can become lucrative and eco-friendly simultaneously.

Presently, businesses are choosing shrewd options that encompass lower costs, higher productivity, and better customer service.

Smart packaging is futuristic! It has already optimised the supply chain and continues to do so with fruitful results.

Find out how to ensure you are investing in sustainable packaging optimisation solutions with The Sustain Chain from IoSCM.