Understandably, companies put a lot of effort into their product packaging, as colours, messaging, innovative designs and materials all help sell the merchandise. Transit packaging: not so much. But things could be changing.
A whole raft of factors is set to focus attention on the humble boxes, cartons and containers in which goods are shipped. The materials and designs of transit packaging, and the way in which they are packed, need to be reconsidered, as do the opportunities offered by advanced ‘right-size’ automated packaging technology in all its varied formats and levels of automation.
We identify seven key drivers for change which should lead packers to opt for automated ‘right size’ packaging solutions over traditional methods.
1. Environmental regulations. New packaging regulations at both national and EU level will really begin to have an impact. Core regulatory and administrative elements of the EU’s Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulations will start to be applied from this August (2026) – and of course will apply to UK firms selling into the EU, or Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, the UK’s own Enhanced Producer Responsibility Regulations – comparable to, although not identical with, parts of PPWR – are also ramping up. EPR will apply ‘fees’ to different packaging materials, with the aims of reducing environmental impact, promoting sustainable packaging design, and meeting the local authority costs of handling packaging wastes – hence it’s a ‘fee’ rather than a ‘tax’. The rules are complex but potentially apply to any business that ‘places goods in packaging’ and turns over more that £1 million, although if, for example, goods are packed into cases with another company’s branding, it may be the latter that is responsible for the fees.
It is too early to know what impact this regime will have, and indeed whether the fee structure has managed to avoid unintended consequences. But for the moment there are clear incentives to reduce the use of packaging material. In terms of transit packaging, right-sizing each box for every order makes perfect sense for minimising exposure to these regulations.
2. Output and efficiency. While ecommerce levels have fallen back from Covid-era highs, more and more companies are adopting these channels. Growth is particularly seen in small items and in small, even single unit, quantities. Consumer expectations of fast response times, regardless of peak seasonality, and their unforgiving attitude to transit damage require reliable and efficient packing operations which can cope with peaks without being overly expensive in less busy periods.
‘Right-size’ auto boxing lines can produce at up to 1,300 boxes an hour – the best manual packers manage is 30-40. Businesses keen to compete on reliable, volume output will need to look to scaling transit packing operations using less manual labour and more flexible automation.
3. Flexibility. The mix of product sizes and weights, and of single item and multi-line orders, to be packed is becoming ever more complex, requiring a greater range of pack shapes and sizes. This trend is set to continue. To cope, the packing operation must be able to deal with orders of differing profiles and for different customers in whatever sequence they are presented.
The management systems on ‘right-sizing’ machines treat each order individually, from the appropriate feedstock to the correct labelling. Greater flexibility to tailor-make each box specifically to suit an individual order provides significant gains for businesses.
As an example, fully-automated solutions from Packsize offer complete flexibility, capable of producing a vast variety of box sizes at great speed – with each box sized specifically to an individual order – or alternatively, producing the exact same-size box over and over again, all in one seamless flow or mixed sequence, as required and on-demand.
4. Reduced inventories. Maintaining stocks of pre-cut box sheets, in an ever-increasing range of shapes and sizes, is costly in materials, in warehouse space, and in material management – and with demand increasingly hard to predict in detail, there is a continuing risk that the required size/shape is out of stock, necessitating wasteful use of a larger box. ‘Right-size’ automation allows the full range of shapes and sizes to be produced from a single feedstock – freeing up warehouse space and potentially, removing the need for an expensive warehouse move.
5. Reduced package volumes. We know that consumers are increasingly annoyed to receive their orders in grossly over-sized boxes with wasteful use of void fill. The operators of pick-up locker systems also want to reduce pack sizes to maximise the efficiency of their lockers. Oversize packs waste space in trucks, and of course carriage is charged volumetrically. Right-size transit boxes reduce logistics costs and please consumers.
6. Labour costs. As is well known it is becoming increasingly hard to attract reliable labour for unglamorous tasks, often in antisocial hours. Meanwhile, increases in minimum wage, in employer NICs, and extensions of employment rights, render that labour ever more costly. One or two operators deployed to right-size technology, in its varied offerings, can do the work of up to 20 manual packers.
7. Flexible finance. There is an expanding range of leasing and other financing options available to fund investment in packaging automation, and although the details seem to change with every financial statement, tax breaks and other benefits are increasingly available.
At Packsize our broad range of right-size packaging solutions typically reduce the use of corrugated board by up to 30% and cut void fill required by up to 80%, which of course is often in the form of non-recyclable polymers. Reduced volumes also have the potential to decrease road traffic, and well-fitted boxes can also reduce transit damage and consequent waste – all, important, cost saving factors with significant environmental gains.
For businesses seeking more efficient, less wasteful transit packaging, full information on Packsize’s extensive range of transit packaging solutions can be found at www.packsize.co.uk