Protective Packaging: Which Should I Buy?
Protective packaging is critical when shipping products to your customers. No matter where your company is in the supply chain, your products have a potentially treacherous journey ahead of them. They may have to survive a delivery truck driving over potholes, turbulence in an airplane or rough seas when traveling by cargo ship. They must stand up to manual and machine handling at shipping docks, warehouses and other stops along the route.
Because of these factors, an average of 2% of products arrive at a distribution center damaged. Damaged deliveries are a hurdle in reverse logistics for 52% of U.S. companies, making it the most significant challenge for returns management.
Protective packaging — especially suitable packaging for your items and shipping method — is crucial. It ensures your products arrive intact. And these packaging materials protect more than your products — they also preserve your reputation. When your goods consistently arrive in good condition with minimal damage, you earn your customers' trust. They can regularly order from you and trust you to fulfill their high-priority, tight-deadline orders without the need to plan around damaged items.
Therefore, learning how to select protective packaging is crucial. The good news is, when you work with Compack USA, you can get a free site audit of your current packaging process and receive expert advice for improving your protective packaging. If you want us to weigh in on your packaging selection, contact our expert team today. Otherwise, let's break down how to select protective packaging and what your options are.
Is One Type of Packaging Better Than Another for Specific Shipping Methods?
When choosing protective packaging for shipping, your first consideration should be the shipping method you're using. The means of transport, such as ground, train, airplane or boat, can help you determine the risks associated with shipping. The greater the likelihood of a shipment encountering package damage while en route, the more protection your products need. You might also need to consider the particular risks associated with the transport method and how you can combat them.
For example, if your shipments will travel by cargo ship, they may need moisture-resistant pallet liners and other packaging materials to prevent the contents from getting wet. Those that will fly by plane need structurally sound packaging to account for pressure changes, temperature changes and rough handling. Traveling by truck, your protective packaging must withstand manual handling, stacking and bumpy roads.
What Else Should You Consider When Choosing Protective Packaging?
Because every shipping method will present unique risks to your cargo and require sturdy packaging materials, you should consider many factors when choosing your protective packaging. Some crucial considerations include the following.
Fragility: The most critical factor in determining protective packaging is the item's fragility. While filling the void in any box is essential, it's especially vital for fragile items. We usually recommend bubble wrap for items that are more likely to break in transit.
Cargo value: The more valuable the shipment, the more crucial protective packaging is. Even if a costly item isn't particularly fragile, extra cushioning minimizes the risk of loss.
Temperature sensitivity: If your products could spoil when exposed to high temperatures, it's vital to use temperature-preserving packaging materials.
Shipment configuration: Are you using one large Gaylord box or stacking smaller boxes onto a pallet? If you're stacking multiple packages, we recommend using vertical corner boards to improve stacking strength. However, if you're shipping boxes individually, you can use vertical and horizontal corner boards to protect all box edges. Horizontal corner boards will protect your shipment from forklift handling.
Types of Protective Packaging and Their Applications
At Compack, we develop comprehensive, proprietary packaging solutions for practically any bulk shipping need. Besides the shipping boxes or mailers themselves, a critical part of your packaging solution is the use of protective packaging. Many of our protective packaging supplies work with one another or by themselves to make your shipments more secure.
Here are the protective packaging materials we offer and some recommended applications for each.
Void-Fill Machines
You must fill all the empty spaces surrounding a product to keep items from shifting around and absorbing impact during transport. You might use bubble wrap, air pillows, crumpled paper or expandable foam to accomplish this task, depending on the application.
A void-fill machine makes packaging these items with plenty of cushioning much faster, allowing your team to pack lots of shipments or prepare bulk orders quickly. At Compack, we offer several varieties of void-fill machines, including the following.
Air void fill: Our air void-fill machines can work with cushion film, bubble film and air pillows. The technology inflates and seals air pillows or cushions on-demand, allowing your team to create air cushioning in the perfect size to fill a box and keep the fragile object firmly contained. The beauty of this system is that one roll of air void film will be the equivalent of multiple rolls of large bubblewrap, saving storage space and creating an on-demand source of void fill.
Paper void fill: When shipping items that need extra cushioning or if you are looking for a more environmentally friendly packaging solution, we often recommend paper filler. A paper void-fill machine can produce strips of crumpled or fan-folded paper from a roll of kraft paper. You can set custom lengths to perfectly fill excess space in any sized shipment. These machines come in one-ply, two-ply, fast-fill and extra protective padding options.
Foam-in-place systems: A foam-in-place system will produce plastic bags filled with expandable polyurethane foam that will conform to the shape of the packed product. Fill a bag for the bottom of the package, place the item on top and watch as the foam expands to cradle the object. Then, you can create more bags to fill in any other voids in the box. This solution is best for fragile and heavy items and sensitive goods like electronics.
Edge Protectors or Corner Boards
Corner boards, or edge protectors, are an angled material that reinforces the corners on a cardboard box or stack of boxes. They secure into place with stretchwrap, strapping or even staples. Our multi-fold boards give the maximum protection while being more sustainable and reducing cost.
Their primary purpose is to improve stacking strength and protect the part of the box most susceptible to damage — the corners. They can also unitize a stack of boxes on a single pallet or reinforce the corners from the inside of the box, allowing you to use lower-strength cardboard. Edge protectors can prevent damage from strapping.
Foam, Bubble Wrap and Bubble Mailers
For traditional impact and surface protection, consider polythene foam or bubblewrap. We offer foam rolls, foam inserts and bubble wrap to pad shipments of all shapes and sizes. Bubble lined mailers are a safe and efficient way to send smaller items that need protection and also lower your shipping costs compared with sending product in corrugated cartons.
Insulated Bubble Bags
An insulated bubble bag is a pouch made from foil, insulating film and cushioning material to keep food and medical supplies cool or even frozen while in transit. They can act as mailers or, using our 3D configuration, package products individually for shipment inside a larger container.
The insulating outer layers can keep goods at the correct temperature, warm or cold, while the bubble bag cushions items to avoid bruised produce and other damage to food or medical supplies. The material is also water-resistant to keep moisture from affecting product quality.
Some recommended applications include:
Grocery home-delivery services
Packaging for items shipped in coolers
Fresh produce or seafood
Mail-order pharmaceuticals
Consult Compack for Your Packaging Needs
If your company regularly ships products, Compack will examine your products, current packaging methods, transportation and more to develop a complete packaging solution for you. If you're unsure what protective packaging you need to adequately protect your shipments, contact our team for your free site evaluation and expert recommendations. Or, learn more about our protective packaging products and our entire line of packaging solutions today.
