Frequency Of Packaging On A Shrink Tunnel

The purpose of shrink tunnels is to pack and heat shrink-wrapped products. There are different types of these machines, depending on their sizes and heating methods. The fundamental operation of each of these tunnels is to produce heat to prompt the shrinking of the shrink film.

There are three common types of shrink tunnels.

Steam shrink tunnels

These machines are used in the packaging of bottles and other cylindrical products by wrapping and heating shrink sleeves around them. The heat these machines use comes from the steam. You are going to need an expensive setup and plumbing work to get this machine working.

Infrared shrink tunnels

These machines use infrared rays as a heating factor to shrink the film over packages. These tunnels are ideal for many different types of films and products. These can be costlier than recirculating tunnels.

Recirculating shrink tunnels

Due to a lower price and added durability, recirculating shrink tunnels are the most popular. You can use a variety of films and products with this tunnel.

In this article, we are going to discuss recirculating shrink tunnels.

Factors affecting the speed of the tunnel

  1. Power is the most significant factor to consider when determining the speed of the tunnel. A tunnel running on 220v will produce more heat compared to the one operating on 110v. The amount of electricity you use also depends on the size of the tunnel motor.
  2. You are going to have to make sure that the size of the tunnel is right for the size of packages that you run through it. If you have a short tunnel and you are running long products on it, there will be fewer packages that you will get wrapped in a specific duration. It is crucial to consider the average size of the products before buying a tunnel.
  3. The number of packages you will get shrink-wrapped also depends on the types and thickness of the shrink wrap film. If you are using a thicker film, you will need to use more heat per package, and the speed of the tunnel will also have to be slow.

That said, you may want to use PVC in most applications because it requires less heat than other types of films. Even though polyolefin shrink film requires more heat, it can protect your products well after packaging. The best way is to analyze the type of protection you need.

You can adjust the speed of the tunnel based on the type of film you are using. If your product doesn’t need protection from a thicker shrink film, you can use a thin film, which allows you to speed up the tunnel. It can ultimately result in the preparation of more packages per minute. If you are already using some kind of void-fill, using a thin film for relatively fragile products may be OK.

In the end, you may want to consult with your packaging supplier to get the right suggestion. The supplies will analyze different factors, including the type of product, your packaging requirements, the machines you use, and overall business size to give you a calculated piece of advice.

Tips for Childproof Pharmaceutical Packaging Design

It is a well-known fact that children can easily mistake medicines for sweets. And what’s more alarming is that it is pretty dangerous for a child to ingest a medicine which is not meant to be used by the children. This is the reason that pharmaceutical companies never stop reminding parents to keep the medicines out of children’s reach. The good thing is that packaging companies have come up with the ways to make pharmaceutical packaging childproof. There are several innovative ways to design pharmaceutical packaging. However, the real challenge here is to make sure that the packaging is not only childproof but also easier for the older patients to handle.

In this scenario, we are going to discuss a few inspiring pharmaceutical packaging designing solutions.

Screw cap secured with closure tape

There are companies that are producing high quality childproof screw caps but it is also the fact that children, sometimes, manage to open the cap. So, some of the companies are using tamper-proof sealing strips to further secure the innovative screw caps. This strip prevents children from opening the bottle while adult can easily remove the strip to open the bottle.

Tear-resistant paper packaging

You can use an innovative mix of materials to prepare a high quality childproof pharmaceutical packaging. It would be worth mentioning Ensocard Resilience which is a tear-resistant type of cellulose material coated with PET. This packaging has been prepared by Finno-Swedish company which is called Stora Enso.

Packaging that requires activating

The idea of a packaging that requires activating every time you need a tablet may sound strange but the matter of fact is that it can be the safest option for you if you have children of curious nature. Even if the tablet box is opened, you would like your children not being able to access any tablet. For this purpose, you can get inspiration from CAREP’AK mechanism which is developed by Rondo in collaboration with the A.C.D. This mechanism helps you in making sure that only one tablet is pressed out of the bottle at a time, and that children will not be able to get the tablet due to an activation action required for the pressing out of the tablet. Both hands are required for the activation in this regard as one hand will be used for holding the bottle and sliding the button whereas the second hand will be used to fetch the tablet. The slide button moves back to block the way for other tablets in order to prevent them from coming out.

Shipping Tips for Success in Ecommerce

Setting up an ecommerce business is a milestone that provides you the path to earn greater revenues by selling online. However, there are still some important things that you will need to work on. Packaging is one of the most important things you will need to consider in this regard.

The only way you can keep your tangible products safe during shipping is to make sure that you package the products in good way. Having that said, there are a few tips that you may find helpful in this regard.

Shipping charges

You will need to have a strategy to charge your customers. Typically, the shipping charges for the customers fall into three categories.

  • First one to mention is the free shipping. You can choose not to charge your customers in order to get your brand and products promoted. However, you will have to keep in mind that the shipping is going to be free for your customers, not for you.
  • You can set a rule for the customers to pay carrier charges. This way, the customers are going to have option regarding which shipping service they choose.
  • You can offer flat-rate shipping to your customers. If you have standard product line with similar weight and size, you can go for this option.

Weighing the product

Before you ship the product, you need to know about the weight of the product. Additionally, you should also know about the weight of the trucks in which your items are going to be loaded. Ideally, an individual package should not weigh more than 50 pounds.

If you have a bundle of products set on a pallet, you will need to weight this entire bulk including the pallet. This weighing is specifically helpful when you are sending your products to be stored in the warehouse. Appropriate binding material should be used for securing the products.

Packing and labeling

In order to pack the products, you need to make sure that you have all of the packaging materials that you are going to need. Here, you can also go for the use of unconventional packing materials such as coffee bags because they are inexpensive and highly effective. If there is a bigger packaging job required for the products you ship, you can contact large suppliers to get packaging materials on discounted rates.

Labeling is typically required to attach shipping addresses. You can write these addresses with your hand but this approach is not going to be scalable when your company grows. Therefore, you need to have a proper printing mechanism for the labeling of product packages.

Fulfillment warehouse

When your sales grow, you would want to have automated systems for the shipping of your products. For this purpose, you can work with the fulfillment warehouses. This way, you will be able to save a lot of resources.

The Cost of Hiring Movers

It can be quite frustrating if you are not sure about the moving budget while deciding about the move. And then there can be a lot of confusion when you don’t what the moving companies are going to charge you for their services. After all, you need to know if the money you have is sufficient to help you pay the movers for their services.

There are a few things that you need to take into consideration if you want to know about the moving costs. The costs are going to depend upon the type of your move and, so, the appropriate type of movers that you are going to need to hire for that move.

The cost of hiring local movers

The first thing that you are going to take into consideration is that local movers are going to charge you money on the basis of hours they would be doing the job. It means that the estimate you receive from the movers should mention the cost based on the per-hour cost and the number of hours required for the job to be done.

A few things need to be mentioned in this regard.

  • The average per hour cost of one mover is $40 to $50. However, other factors such as your location in the country, season and the day of the month also need to be taken into the account.
  • If you are going to hire 2 men and a truck, you need to be ready to pay $90 – $100 per hour. Again, the factors mentioned above can have an influence on the total cost of the move.
  • The local movers may charge you extra fee in certain scenarios. Therefore, you need to ask in advance if the estimate they have provided is close to what you are going to be finally charged.

Moving across the country

If your move requires you to get out of the borders of the state you are living in, you are going to have to consider it an interstate move; and it is going to cost you according to the category of this move. Typically, it is a long-distance move. Good news is that you can find a good moving company by taking into consideration the distance and other pricing factors. Below mentioned are a few factors.

  • Generally, you can consider getting your shipment heavier when you have a big house because there are going to be more items that you will require to move to the other state. And since weight of the shipment is the deciding factor in pricing, you might end up paying more if you the shipment is heavier.
  • Bigger items, which are usually the specialty items, can make the cost of moving go up drastically. Therefore, it is quite important to show everything to your movers before asking them to provide you an estimate.
  • The moving companies may be able to offer you additional services such as packing, unpacking, assembling of items and providing storage facility. It is, therefore, quite important to know about the additional services you are going to require and the impact of acquiring those additional services on the costs of moving.

Tips To Find Best Movers for Your Move

Hiring movers for your move is nothing less than a challenge. There are many options available but it can get difficult to know which option is the right one for you. We are going to mention some tips which you are surely going to find helpful while finding the right movers for your move.

Check how long the moving company has been working

If the company you are looking at has not been working for too long, it would be hard for you to know about its credibility. As a rule of thumb, you should go for the moving company which has been working for no less than a decade. However you don’t need to check how old the company is if it is a simple or in-house move. You will just have to be careful about the details and estimates.

Check the license

Before making a deal with the moving company you have selected, do not forget to check the documents which show authenticity of that company. If you overlook the license and other important documents, you can end up dealing with the scammers. You can also ask if the company is a member of Better Business Bureau.

Moving services

You also need to pay attention to the moving services that you can get from the movers. Perhaps, it is one of the important things you will need to take into consideration because you may have items moving which might be on the movers’ agenda. Make sure that you check the list of allowable items provided by the movers.

Furthermore, there can be specialty items that you want to move to the next home. Surely, you are going to ask your movers about those items because you don’t want any last-minute surprises.

Check online reviews

You will need to know what the customers say about the services of moving company you are about to hire. For this purpose, you can check online reviews about the movers. In this age of information technology, it has become quite easier to check about the credibility of the companies. Different review websites are quite good at moderating the reviews and, thus, they publish only what the genuine customers say.

Ask about the equipment

The moving companies use different equipment for moving items. There can be different franchises of a centralized brand. Those franchises get their equipment from the main warehouse in a city. There are many companies that rent the equipment. And there are companies that do not have certain equipment that may be required to move your specialty items. Therefore, it is very important to ask the movers about the equipment they use.

The final say

Remember, you should not look for the best movers. You need to find the movers that are going to be best for you. keep your own requirements in mind and try to find the movers who can fulfill those specific requirements.

Best Practices to Keep Packaging Costs Low 

Keeping your costs nice and low is a huge part of any plans for businesses. Through the reduction of product costs, you’ll be able to use the right materials. It doesn’t mean you have to cheap out on your [product or cut corners either. 

A few changes do need to happen for you to get cheaper packaging.  Obviously there is buying in bulk, but there are other ways to optimize packaging to lower the costs of delivery. Properly doing your homework and choosing materials that are lighter and more durable can improve the dividends. 

Even the most luxurious packaging is affordable if you use common sense for these guidelines. It streamlines the ordering process, and bolsters sales as well. 

Get High Volume Orders Together 

Design does represent a considerable amount of the total packaging costs. 

Printers have a bunch of “fixed costs” to work with such as color, glue and the like. All of this is built into your final price.  These items that ultimately cost thousands of dollars are hard to make up. 

Through spreading the fixed costs over a ton of different volumes into high volume orders, this cost per time does plummet.  While you may have to pay more initially, over time you’re saving thousands, and bulk ordering also prevents reordering various materials for packaging. 

Use the Right Materials 

The size and the weight of the package all play a part in the ultimate costs. 

For example, the rigid luxury boxes won’t be folded when they are delivered, so the costs will be much larger. 

Some packaging along with printing companies may also attempt to upcharge for the multi-colored inks that are there, a matte finish, decals that are custom, and UV protection on your items.  These add-ons can be a bit, so you have to make the decision on whether this is needed for a product. 

Even just reducing your packaging costs by a few cents will add up. avoid the upcharges that aren’t necessary, saving on materials and your labor. 

Another way to cut this is to also outsource the packaging to people outside of the country.  It can be cheaper, and if you work well together, you’ll have a good packaging partner. 

Outsource if you Can 

You should consider outsourcing outside of the US if you’re trying to do more international options for shipping. Due to the discrepancies in the prices of labor, there is a chance that you can get the same product for a lot less. 

This is something as well that can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you want to communicate with them in the right time zones.  Most of them do have someone in the US, however, that can talk to the manufacturers overseas on your behalf. Always look at the overall logistics when working with someone overseas, since the pandemic has costs freight costs to skyrocket. 

Optimize with Speed to Market 

With the freight costs skyrocketing, one way to stay ahead of others is to look at the different packaging that you need prior to the holiday season. These days will prevent the packaging from arriving in due time. 

If you don’t want to pay for expensive shipping, always plan the packaging and merchandising months in advance.  Don’t try to do the “just in time” types of deliveries, as this will cause the packaging to falter. 

If you follow these steps, you can save money. It might not be a ton right away, but the little things add up. through this, you’ll be able to improve your profit margins too. 

Can You Add Emotion to Industrial Packaging 

B2B products are in a weird place. Many times, companies will just ship these out without any bells and whistles, because they believe that these companies don’t care at all about the packaging design.

But emotions are not just for customers. Many businesses like to have a business delivery that looks good. Adding the elements of surprise and satisfaction to your items is not a bad thing, but can be an amazing thing. Here, we will go over how industrial packaging thrives with a little bit of creativity, and focusing on the unboxing ritual in a healthier manner.

Branded Inserts and Custom Sleeves for Bulk Shipments 

For bulk shipping items, even small items like paper towels and whatnot, can have a memorable B2B experience in terms of shipping. 

For instance, branded inserts that tell the person who opens it a little bit about the company will be beneficial. Many brands might just be buying office supplies, or some tech that will benefit them, and from there, it enhances the overall experience.

Another one is customized sleeves for branding. Again, you’re able to, from here, build the ideal branding experience and will, from here, create and curate the ultimate branding that will really shine. 

In general, your packaging works wonders, so don’t be afraid to get a little more custom with this.

Unboxing Kits for Office Managers, Retailers, and Buyers 

You can even make unboxing kits for these people. Again, it might just be office paper, or maybe some tape or even just planners and calendars, but that doesn’t mean that you have to make the unboxing experience next to nothing. 

Tools, for instance, are going to be popular with this. Many of these tools are going to be used to help many of these office managers stand out. some of these tools might just be tape, various notes, and whatnot.

Welcome messages can also be included as well. Lots of welcome messages make brands feel special, especially in the subscription realm.

There’s also sample showcases, which will show off the samples, making the branding and items really stand out. Again, with more samples customers get to look at what’s coming next, and will be able to buy even more from people. 

All of this is a hit, and for many office managers, it can make a whole world of a difference on brand perceptions, especially when compared to other methods and tools as well.

How B2B Unboxing Influences Repeat orders 

A lot of B2B brands are going to unbox this. it’s become the new, hit thing. so, when you’re able to create the ultimate in unboxing experiences, it builds the future psychological cues that a lot of brands and customers love. It also will leave an impression, offering some professional branding.

This works for all sorts of companies. printing supplies, various office supplies, even tech, can use this type of unboxing elements to really stand out. Even if it’s just including a note as thanks, it can mean something special. We tend to think about office supplies and businesses as something impersonal but it’s far from it. Adding a little bit of personality to such items will convey other such feelings, and feelings that you will want to remember. so, if you’re a brand that’s looking to make their unboxing experience better for others, then consider these methods, and add a little bit more emotion to the packaging, no matter the supplies. You owe it to yourself to try this, and from there cultivate the ultimate in real experiences for all sorts of buyers. 

How Transparent Packaging Bolsters Consumer Trust 

We are always told that packaging is better off hidden away in a box. But transparent packaging is something that a lot of consumers are looking at.

It also boosts trust, as it does give you a better preference for what you’re looking for. Lots of customers want something that’s visible, feels honest, and is simple in terms of product presentation. Making this simple and easy is the key here, and a lot of customers will benefit from the results you get from this.

Here, we’ll discuss transparent packaging, and how it will bring a lot of customers together, and really make trust something magical. 

What you Need for Transparent Packaging 

Transparent packaging is really anything that’s see-through, but also it involves being sustainable too. you’re not adding frills and additions that could harm the product, but instead everything outlined there, nice and clean.

Clear materials such as glass is one of the big parts of this. A lot of transparent packaging involves some see-through packing, where you can look at the item. 

But it’s more than that. While glass is great, it’s heavy and not fitting for all types of items. Plastic is another one, but you want something that is sustainable. With the advent of biodegradable plastics being used to really enhance a product, a lot of brands are turning to this for their transparent products. 

Finally, there are films that you can put over the product to see what you’re getting. One example of this is food.   Fish and meats that you buy at the store are made with a clear, see-through film that makes it easy to see the items that are inside. A lot of customers use this, because it gives them a general idea of the types of products there, forming more protection and a good base for the items that are there. 

Overall, transparent packaging requires a striking balance of the product showcase, while also creating some protection from the elements, keeping it clean and away from germs, and also making it look good on the shelf, especially when compared to other items. 

The Benefits and Challenges 

With this type of packaging, you build consumer trust.  They get to see the item prior to the purchase. They see what type of item they’re getting, which can be a make or break aspect for a lot of them.   they get to choose the item that they want, prior to making a purchase. 

However, despite all of these good ideas, there’s’ a few things that you need to keep in mind. you want it to be transparent of course but functional. If the product does need to be kept a certain way, for instance, the packaging must reflect it. shrink wrapping for example, will help with meats that need to be encased in something before they are consumed by the customer, to prevent pathogens. 

Vacuum sealing is really good for items that you will want to protect, especially if they are sensitive to temperature or other changes. 

However, you also need to make sure that it also preserves the product as well. creating a tight seal on some canned items for instance, will protect and preserve the items in there. Once it’s opened, the seal is broken and needs to be consumed. But through this, customers can buy and keep the item for as long as they need to, in order to consume it when they feel it is right.

Transparent packaging is the future, and it drives sales in ways that you never thought possible, especially in hot industries.