4 Ways to Speed Up Your Packaging Process

When was the last time you reviewed your packaging process?

Too often, it is easy for businesses to get stuck in a packaging system that no longer works for their staff, customers, or products. This is especially true for businesses that have undergone significant growth and may not have the time to reevaluate their processes.

But knowing how to change or update your packaging system is not as difficult as it may seem. In fact, there are a few simple ways that can turn the packaging process from a burden into an asset for your business.

In this post, we will explore four approaches you can follow that will help speed up your packaging process. Learn more below!

1. Review Your Current Process

The first step to making your packaging process more efficient is to carry out an evaluation of your current system. By reviewing your packaging process, you will be able to identify the biggest areas of opportunity.

When reviewing your packaging system, consider the following below.

Are You Using The Ideal Packaging Materials?

If you try to package a product with the wrong materials, this can gradually cause inefficiency and make packaging more burdensome than it needs to be.

One common mistake is that your packaging boxes are too large for your products. This increases the need for more void fill, consequently adding a further step in the packaging process and increasing your need for extra storage space.

Similarly, you might be using boxes when you could be using mailers, which significantly save on space and often come with their own self-adhesive. Businesses might shy away from mailers because boxes are more likely to be safely delivered without complaints of forced mailbox entry, thankfully there is a very powerful solution to this problem.

Just like how you would take the time to research your product materials, the same should be done when it comes to acquiring packaging materials. If you do not have the time or expertise to do this, consider contacting a packaging consultant to help manage this process for you.

Do You Have The Right Tools?

It is not just the packaging materials that have an impact on your process, but also the tools you use.

For example, consider how you are securing your packaging together. If you are using staples, are you using a handheld stapler or a more efficient stapling gun that offers a fast stapling rate and a lower need to stop for refills. Another option might be installing an automated tape or sticker dispenser that offers a rapid way to increase packaging productivity.

Other handy tools that can facilitate product packaging include:

• Air pillow dispensers
• Automated printers for custom branding
• Void fill machines powered by hand or foot pedals

Your packaging tools are vital and many of them can dramatically speed up processes for your team. Investing in them allows your staff to become more productive and focus on increasing output.

2. Change Your Packaging Space

When it comes to your business space, is your packaging space efficient, well-organized and easy for staff to operate in? Or are you or your staff rushing around from station to station trying to fetch materials like tape or void fillers? If the answer is the latter case, it might be time to adjust your packaging space.

Some key ways to make your packaging space more efficient include:

• Developing a conveyor belt approach for different stages of the packing process
• Having all packaging items and supplies labeled and organized for ease of access
• Allocating time twice a month to clean, tidy and restock packaging stations

Even if you feel your packaging area is fairly organized, there is still one way to make it even more efficient. And that might just involve getting rid of the packaging space altogether.

It is a common business practice to buy packaging materials in bulk and store it. This is often under the idea that bulk buying gives you discounts and reduces.

While this was fairly effective and efficient in the past, customer needs and expectations have rapidly grown in the past few years. The constant need to customize, adjust and deploy different products means a lot of bulk-bought packaging can quickly become redundant and contribute to a messier and wasteful packaging space.

The solution? On-demand packaging.

Discover how on-demand packaging could eliminate this process entirely and help dedicate valuable real estate for tasks with higher impact like production.

3. Consider Automation

As well as investigating solutions like on-demand packaging, automation is a powerful asset to your business that can offer many benefits.

Learning to automate your operations and logistics can not only save you time, but also boost productivity and output. Packing your products is no exception to this, and there is a wide array of specialist packaging technologies and processes that can rapidly speed up packaging.

Packaging automation is a strong option for companies that have grown significantly yet still use manual packaging processes. To learn more about finding the right automated packaging system, talk to a packaging specialist or solutions provider.

4. Speak With A Packaging Expert

While any business can create a packaging process, very few can master it efficiently and effectively without having assistance from knowledgeable experts.

Just like with any business issue, reaching out to experienced packaging consultants can revolutionize how your business views packaging.

A packaging expert offers an immense depth of industry knowledge. They can quickly identify struggle areas in your current system and deliver a customized solution for your business.

But knowing you need a packaging consultation is different from finding an actual packaging expert. When consulting a packaging expert, you should look for an organization that:

• Is respected in the packaging industry
• Innovates solutions, rather than just following them
• Understands your industry and your customer needs
• Utilizes the latest packaging technologies and practices

Improve Your Businesses Packaging Process With Crownhill Today

There is no doubt that speeding up your packaging process offers many benefits to your business.

But just like changing any key logistics process, it comes with risks which could compromise your production and reputation. For this reason, getting the support you need to upscale and speed up your packaging process takes experience and industry expertise.

Here at Crownhill Packaging, we work with businesses across North America to develop innovative packaging processes that use the very latest technologies. Let us work with you to turn your packaging system into an asset, contact our team today to get started.