The Chetan Jain Column: Logistics in the packaging industry
WhatPackaging? brings you a series from Chetan Jain, the executive director of Taurus Packaging. In this piece, he talks about the world of shipping and logistics.
06 Jan 2025 | By Chetan Jain
It is difficult to claim that any work is independent of other sectors in the modern world. We frequently work on projects connected to or reliant on several industries. One such important aspect of the packaging world is shipping and logistics.
I have been working in and out of packaging and logistics operations. From my personal experience, I can say that packaging has eased our logistics operation to an unbelievable level. I can just scan and get an update on the product delivery status.
If you have any doubts about the ease of this work, I suggest imagining packaging without “scan codes.” Without them, suppliers, retailers, and dealers would face overwhelming work and may struggle to deliver products on time.
There are parts of packaging that involve tertiary packaging. Shrink sleeve packaging has a different way to solve it. Usually, shipping and logistics efficiency is achieved by resolving common woes like tracking, labelling, stacking, storage, and cost. A lot of things are handled by packaging design.
The best way to prepare your product for shipping and logistics is to start categorising and working on its primary, secondary and tertiary packaging. Primary packaging includes labelled cans, plastic bottles, and packaged laminate.
Secondary packaging involves bundling up the products together as a unit, such as plastic films, stretch sleeves, and boxes. Tertiary packaging reinforces the bundle together for shipping using pallets, and rigid boxes, among other things.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a common technique for knowing the real-time status of products. It is usually seen on container shrink-sleeve packaging. These RFID tags are used at airports for luggage tracking. In shipping and transportation, RFID chips are read by ports to process the information.
Similar to RFID tags or chips, these barcodes or QR codes are placed to provide details about the packaged products and information about handling and transportation. These codes are machine-readable.
Strategies to reduce cost and space requirements include selecting the correct material for the product. It depends on the container’s material, substrate, and tertiary packaging like corrugated boxes, bubble wraps, and vacuum. Shipping carriers offer a flat rate price where customers are offered a flat price regardless of weight and size. Opting for packaging styles that can be stacked efficiently and nested, providing sturdiness and stability to the packaged products.
Nowadays, brands and organisations are also opting for sustainable and low-carbon footprint packaging. They are considering eco-friendly packaging, sustainable carriers, or consolidated shipments, which are efficient ways adopted by various multinational corporations across the world.
These topics can encompass elaborate recommendations, yet I have jotted down specific information about packaging. These are strategies that can optimise your budget and its outcome. You may definitely see results if you try to implement them.