Be more efficient with your packaging

A perfect packaging operation doesn’t exist. In our 40 years' of experience, we’ve never seen a business that has no room for improvement. For packaging suppliers like us, it’s our mission to make things as close to perfect as they can be. Your operation needs to evolve, take advantage of new technology and equipment, and keep investing in training to ensure your people have the skills needed. If you’re thinking “my packaging operation is efficient enough already” then challenge us to find improvements. Come on, we love a good challenge.

Stick with us and we’ll explain some of the most common areas of improvement.

Packaging automation

If you are not using automation in your packaging, there has never been a better time to start. Machinery costs, maintenance, and efficiency have never been as great as they are today. And things are only going to get better as technology advances. What if we told you that some packaging machines are completely rental-free? That’s right, completely free. We throw in a PAPERTECH paper void fill machine at no extra cost – and it’s yours to keep as long you purchase 10 boxes of fan-fold paper a month.

Introduce automated packaging machinery into your operation and you could speed up your entire packaging process, put less strain on your workers and increase packaging quality and consistency. It’s a no brainer.

Quick void fill

Packaging times can be cut dramatically when void fill top off is completed quickly within a packaging line. There are many solutions out there and most packaging suppliers can recommend a solution for you.

At Swiftpak, we have a vast amount of experience designing custom void fill solutions that fit seamlessly into our customers packaging operations. For example, a bespoke hopper above your packaging station can reduce the time it takes to fill the void in your packaging dramatically.

Automated tapers

An automated machine that folds the flaps of your box and applies tape to seal. Pretty impressive right? Not only will this improve time taken to seal boxes, the quality of seal is increased as well. The automated taping machine serves as a fantastic extra pair of hands (without any hands).

Do you already have an automated taping machine in your warehouse? If so, we’ve got something for you. Our own machine tape. We send our own machine tape and the industry standard to an independent laboratory for testing and the results even impressed us, take a look for yourself.

Pallet wrap machines

Often found in larger packaging operations, automated pallet wrap machines have proven to save huge amounts of time and money for many businesses. Although they don’t come cheap, these machines pay for themselves in efficiency savings and improved package protection in transit.

• Up to 75% less waste
• Up to 67% more stretch
• Up to 47% more productive

Even the most skilled employee is no match for an automated packaging machine. If you’d like to find out if automated packaging machinery could help increase your packaging efficiency, contact us today and we’ll arrange a free, no-obligation packaging audit!

Minimise handling

Every time a product is handled when fulfilling an order, the cost of the operation increases. Minimising the manual handling process can save valuable time and money, improving your efficiency. Think about how many times a product is being handled during your picking and packing process. Reducing unnecessary handling is sure to improve your overall efficiency.

If you’re not sure how to reduce handling, packaging experts like us can uncover wasted time and help to put faster processes in place to make sure your handling is handled.

Picking efficiencies

Gathering items needed to fulfil an order is one of the most time costly activities in order fulfilment. Luckily for you, we’ve got some tips to share that’ll help keep your warehouse organised, maximising your packaging efficiency.

• Keep products that are often packed together next to each other
• Ensure top-selling products are located closest to the relevant packing stations
• Arrange your warehouse inventory from top selling to least ordered and consider vertical and horizontal locations of these products
• Make sure staff are properly trained to understand the process fully
• Keep floors and packing areas clean and clear of clutter top avoid any accidents

Packing efficiencies

Once the picking process has been completed, each order must be suitably and securely packaged and then marked for transit before shipment. We find that in most packing operations, there is usually room for optimising packaging efficiency. Here are a few of our best recommendations for maximising efficiency in your warehouse.

• Find your team waiting around for pack slips to be printed? – simply pre-print the pack labels and you’ll find yourself saving valuable time, especially when order numbers are high.
• Have a dedicated packing station for manual packaging with a clear flow of operations to completion
• Ensure your packers have access to the supplies they need close at hand. This will mean they don’t need to waste time finding what they need to complete their work during the working day.

Save time on inspection with detection

Damaged products can be a big cost to your operations. Inspecting for damages can be time consuming too. Impact labels can not only help to prevent damages but save time on inspection. With a quick inspection of an impact label, you can tell if the package has been mishandled or damaged. If you’re interested, we explore impact labels in further detail in one of our recent blog post.

Swiftpak specialises in optimising your packaging operation and we strongly believe that there is always room for improvement. Our mission is to make your packaging operation as productive and stress-free as possible. To help you achieve this, we offer a free, no-obligation packaging audit from one of our packaging experts. After the audit, you’ll receive advice and a report with suggestions for improvement.