Packaging Design and Supply Chain: Choosing, Testing, and Sizing Your Packaging

Summary

• Effective packaging design accounts for the conditions products will face during distribution, from stacking and vibration to impacts, handling, and storage.
• Your corrugated packaging may look durable, but appearance alone does not indicate how well it will perform. Test your packaging against the conditions it will face during distribution to determine whether its materials and construction provide adequate protection.
• Right-sizing your packaging keeps products secure during transit while reducing empty space, excess material, and the storage and transportation space each shipment requires.
• Thoughtful packaging design can make fulfillment more efficient by reducing the handling required at distribution centers and making better use of available storage and transportation space.

Did you know that an estimated 435 billion packages are shipped worldwide every year, averaging over 647 million per day? A vast majority of these move directly from businesses to consumers through the booming e-commerce market. Damage-related issues affect tens of millions of parcels each year, representing over $4 billion in lost goods, replacements, and claims.

With so many packages in circulation, businesses must think beyond getting products from point A to point B.

While you can’t control every aspect of product transit, optimizing your package design and supply chain can minimize potential issues. Refining how you approach packaging can significantly enhance shipping efficiency and inventory management. Let's explore some key strategies to make this happen.

The Right Packaging Design Can Enhance Your Shipping and Inventory

How your product is packaged is essential for protecting its content and supporting your supply chain. Efficient packaging can prevent damage during transit, extend the shelf life of perishable items, and improve storage allocation. But that’s just the beginning.

Excellent packaging must meet shipping and supply standards like:

• ASTM D4169. This standard helps you test whether your packaging design can hold up during the distribution process. It evaluates how well shipping containers handle conditions like stacking pressure, vibration, impacts, and other stresses that can happen before your product reaches the customer.
• International Safe Transit Association (ISTA) Standards. These standards help you simulate real-world shipping conditions before your product enters the supply chain. Testing can show how your packaging performs during handling, transportation, and delivery so you can identify potential issues early.
• Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 49, Parts 171-180. These regulations guide how products classified as hazardous materials should be packaged, marked, labeled, and shipped safely within the United States. They help ensure packaging meets legal requirements before these products are transported.

Another benefit of good packaging is that it makes supplier and customer handling more efficient. For instance, a strong corrugated box with inserts can protect fragile items and accommodate large shipments.

Understanding what goes into your packaging and managing each part effectively can make a big difference in cutting costs, simplifying your logistics, and giving your customers a better experience.

Packaging Design Tips to Improve Your Supply Chain

Packaging optimization involves refining how you handle products while considering how they fit into your entire distribution chain. Strategic packaging solutions enhance product protection. Right-sizing your packaging can help reduce waste, cut costs, and make the best use of your resources. To make the most of your packaging strategy, consider these essential questions:

• What kind of product will my packaging contain? Is it big? Bulky? Fragile?
• What type of packaging do I need?
• What dimensions do I need?
• How many items should I ship in a single box?
• Are there innovations I can implement?
• How much am I willing to pay for transportation?
• How can this be an extension of my brand?

Transforming your package design and supply chain creates a cascade of benefits throughout the distribution process. Thoughtful packaging iterations can improve space allocation, allowing more Stock-keeping Units (SKUs) per pallet, trailer, or container. Besides cutting packaging costs, you can achieve substantial savings through reduced handling, storage, and transportation costs.

Let’s take a look at some practical tips to optimize your packaging and supply chain:

1. Choose the Right Packaging Materials

When you picture packaging, a standard packaging box might be the first thing that comes to mind. But packaging solutions offer much more than that. Packaging supplies, such as protective padding, corner boards, and strapping, are crucial for securing products during transit and keeping the entire process efficient. York Container delivers a range of packaging supplies through York PACK to create a complete and reliable packaging system.

“As important as boxes are, we’re a packaging box supplier who knows that effective packaging goes far beyond the box. Our York PACK offering, with close to 200 trusted packaging suppliers, provides complete packaging solutions.” - York Container

Corrugated Paper Board Packaging

According to Statista, corrugated packaging is the most popular choice for many businesses and consumers due to its versatility and eco-friendly nature. Manufacturers create corrugated packaging using either virgin materials sourced directly from fresh wood pulp or recycled materials repurposed from previously used paper products.

• Virgin packaging materials are durable, provide better protection for heavy or fragile items, and offer a cleaner, more uniform appearance. On the flip side, they are often more expensive and less environmentally friendly than recycled options.
• Recycled packaging materials are typically environmentally friendly and have a lower carbon footprint in production. Using them can reduce waste and appeal to consumers who value sustainability. Plus, recycled options offer adequate strength for most products.

Many brands appreciate the slightly inconsistent look of recycled materials, giving their packaging a unique and authentic feel. This adds a premium appeal to sustainable packaging while emphasizing the brand's commitment to environmental responsibility.

Packaging Supplies

Excellent packaging isn’t complete without the right supplies, including the box. Complete packaging solutions involve various materials, such as bubble wrap, foam rolls, crinkled paper, and poly bags, which work together to protect products and boost visual appeal.

Choose materials based on the product type, fragility, and environmental impact to achieve optimal protection and sustainability.

2. Test Your Packaging Strength

Now that you’ve chosen suitable materials for your packaging, it’s time to test how they handle shipping and handling conditions. The right packaging should withstand external pressures without compromising the safety of the content. Consider using a thicker corrugated box or reinforced materials for added durability if your product is heavy or fragile.

Although not a comprehensive list, here are some of the tests that corrugated packaging goes through:

• Edge crush test determines how much weight the box's edges can hold or stack during shipping. Testers apply pressure to the edges to simulate actual shipping conditions and evaluate the box's structural integrity.
• Paper grammage and thickness test measures the weight and thickness of the paper to determine its durability. Quality control specialists check for consistent material quality to meet industry standards for strength and reliability.
• The scuff resistance test checks if the surface of the packaging can handle wear and tear during handling.
• The box compression test measures how much pressure the box can take when stacked so it won’t collapse during shipping or storage.

Work with a trusted corrugated packaging partner to guarantee that your packaging undergoes the necessary testing according to your requirements.

3. Right-Size Your Packaging

IKEA India’s CEO, Peter Betzel, once famously said, 'We hate air!' emphasizing the importance of reducing empty space in packaging. Too little material in your packaging may damage the products, while excess material drives up the cost of shipping. A perfectly fit box prevents internal collisions of products against the sides of the box and absorbs some of the shock, vibrations, and drops. Always measure the length, width, and height (L x W x H) in that order when measuring the dimensions of your corrugated box. This is the standard practice in the industry.

4. Streamline Fulfillment with Smart Packaging

Smart packaging protects your products and enhances fulfillment. Pre-assembled displays, such as promotional mailers or pallet-ready units, save time and reduce manual labor at distribution centers. These solutions make distribution faster, more consistent, and less resource-intensive.

York Container provides comprehensive fulfillment services to complement our high-quality packaging and inventory solutions. We offer a range of display and packaging solutions, from assembled units to large-scale shipments, to support efficient distribution and timely delivery. Our fulfillment services are supported by deadline-driven project managers and 24/6 delivery capabilities to handle local, regional, and national distribution.

5. Utilize Sustainable Materials

Customers are now paying close attention to how companies address their carbon footprint. It's a good time to meet these expectations and genuinely support environmental responsibility through sustainable packaging.

Plastic, Styrofoam, and other single-use packaging take years to decompose, contributing significantly to landfill waste. Switching to sustainable materials where feasible helps reduce these harmful effects and promotes renewability, reuse, certified sourcing, and reduction of CO2 emissions.

Switching to eco-friendly materials can benefit your supply chain in more ways than one. Packaging made from sustainable materials, such as corrugated packaging, is often lighter and more compact, helping to reduce transportation costs while maximizing storage space. Corrugated packaging is easy to stack and flexible enough to handle products of all shapes and sizes.

Turn to Experts for Your Package Design and Supply Needs

York Container believes outstanding packaging must Perform, Promote, and Protect™ your products. Guided by this principle, we use the finest materials and top-of-the-line equipment and collaborate with the best people to design packaging that attracts customers, is functional, and supports your supply chain.

When you choose York Container, you entrust your packaging needs to experts who understand your business. Connect with our team today to reimagine your packaging design and maximize its value.

Package Design and Supply Chain FAQs

Q. How can you reduce product damage through better packaging design?

A. Your packaging should reflect the conditions your product will face during distribution. If your shipments encounter repeated stacking, vibration, drops, or compression, your box and protective materials need to account for those stresses. Test the finished package under representative shipping conditions to determine whether your packaging design provides the protection your product requires.

Q. How does right-sizing your packaging affect your shipping costs?

A. Right-sizing reduces the amount of unused space you pay to move. When your corrugated packaging fits the product more closely, you can often place more units on a pallet or within a shipment. At higher shipping volumes, using that space efficiently can have a greater financial impact than simply reducing the cost of the box.

Q. How should you evaluate your total cost of ownership (TCO)?

A. Compare your current packaging against its total cost of use. Consider what you spend on the package itself alongside the cost of shipping, storage, handling, and product damage. This can help you determine whether a cheaper package is actually reducing your costs or simply shifting them elsewhere in your operation.

Q. When should you reconsider your packaging design?

A. Review your packaging when the way you store, handle, or ship your products changes. Higher shipping volumes, changes in product dimensions, limited warehouse space, rising transportation costs, or recurring damage can all indicate that your current design may no longer suit your operation.

Q. What makes a packaging design efficient for your supply chain?

A. An efficient packaging design helps you move and store more products with the resources you already have. The right box dimensions, materials, and configuration can improve pallet utilization, reduce empty space, limit product damage, and simplify fulfillment. The best design is the one that improves these outcomes without compromising the protection your product requires.