Precisely Packaged

More and more people are now ordering online. Numerous statistics forecast a rapid increase in E-commerce transactions worldwide. According to the Digital Market Outlook, E-commerce sales totalled in 2015 some EUR 919 billion and are expected to rise to just under EUR 1.9 trillion by 2021. One of the consequences is rising sales in the packaging sector and related process industries.

At the same time the requirements for producers and marketers of transport packaging are changing. After all, certain environmental requirements have to be complied with in addition to higher efficiency and logistics demands. Ranking top of the list is recycling.

However, packaging volume also plays a decisive role when considering economic and ecological criteria. Very often packaging units are substantially bigger than their contents. Add to this, filling materials such as bubble-wrap film and bags or polystyrene chips. The reasons for uniform packaging sizes are self-evident and include easy stackability and calculable volume for transport and storage, to name but a few. To increasingly respond to consumers’ ecological demands, however, some packaging producers are already taking to future-proof packaging solutions. One case in point being “volume reducers” for folding boxes. They identify the minimum packaging volume needed for transport packaging and reduce packaging to the perfect dimensions.

Modern packaging lines not only tailor packaging individually to the contents but also attach delivery notes and shipping labels. Here the delivery note is inserted right underneath the shipping label and firmly glued. The automation of carton cutting not only reduces transportation costs but also improves ergonomics and safety at work. Another positive effect: fewer types of carton and more stability of the packaged units.