The Flexible Packaging Blog

Reviews, trends, and tips covering all things flexible packaging to protect your products and your bottom line.

Blog Feature

Packaging Materials | Environment

By: Nathan Dube
October 8th, 2020

Up until 2020, many supermarkets and other corporate entities were making it a point to phase out single-use plastics such as bags, cups, and straws. After the arrival of the corona virus, however, many of these institutions backpedaled on these decisions. They once again opted for single-use plastics as they had been proven to be safer options in the battle against COVID. Eventually, this pandemic will be over. And when that day comes, you can be sure that the environmental movement will be going full swing once again. We will likely see consumers once again demanding earth-friendly plastic alternatives to help protect the environment. Lately, we at Industrial Packaging have been getting questions about the various types of shrink films and their more environmentally friendly alternatives. Most recently, we received a rather interesting question from a prospect: Regarding shrink film, which is best for me? Recyclable OR Biodegradable? The honest answer to this question is, it depends! We will answer this questions based upon actual applications. This is case sensitive for each customer based upon their budget, their monthly volume of film used, and a few other different variables. In this article, we explore this question in-depth and help you understand which type of shrink film mentioned above is right for your unique packaging needs and business requirements.

Blog Feature

The Business of Packaging | Working At Industrial Packaging

We don’t know anyone who doesn’t want to grow in their personal and professional life. That is why we offer various ways for our employees to grow and prosper. Growing keeps us happy with ourselves, gives us confidence, and makes us proud of our achievements. Industrial Packaging believes in supporting our employees with their personal and professional growth goals. Here are the top 6 ways that we inspire our employee’s personal and professional growth.

Blog Feature

Equipment | Investment | Packaging Design | Food Packaging

By: Nathan Dube
October 1st, 2020

Many food producers are looking for ways to package their food products for various applications such as frozen food, grab-n-go, and pre-made meals. The demand for these types of packaging had been growing steadily for a while. However, with the arrival of COVID19, the market has only skyrocketed. This is because many supermarkets, restaurants, country stores, and other producers and sellers of food products are offering more and more pre-packaged foods. If you have been to the supermarket recently, chances are you have seen a few changes to staples of the shopping experience. For example, most serve-yourself salad bars are no longer "serve yourself". In their place, you will find pre-packaged salads in plastic containers. More and more single items of produce are being shrink-wrapped to prevent the virus from touching the food inside. Many food sellers are now shifting to selling pre-made meals that are then frozen or packaged in film-covered trays. People like you are turning to the idea of purchasing food packaging machinery and packaging their food items themselves, rather than outsourcing the process to contract packaging companies who will do the work for them. This allows you to fully control the process, machinery, materials and every other aspect of the food packaging process. It also allows you to personally ensure the safety of the food items you are selling to your clients. But how much does a food packaging machine cost? What are the different kinds of food packaging machines available? Which one should you buy? Does it make sense for your business? If you are like many other companies, you have a ton of questions. With decades in the food packaging industry, we have been able to help large food manufacturing companies package their food items. As such, we are able to help you choose the right equipment for your food packaging needs and answer any questions that you may have. We’re here to help you understand just how much of an investment you’d need to make to start packaging your own food. This article will detail the price, functionality, proper applications, and other valuable information to help you decide if a food packaging machine is right for you.

Blog Feature

Equipment | Packaging Materials | Investment | Packaging Design

By: Nathan Dube
September 24th, 2020

As the days slowly creep towards October, the humid air of summer begins to fall into the shaded paths of memory that only an Indian summer can remedy. Mornings and nightfall share the brisk cold air that calls to the trees as they start to ignite with the colors of fall. Bright oranges, reds, and yellows begin to peek out from the edges of hardwoods, and you can often catch the scent of a campfire on the air throughout the day. Once again, pumpkin spice reigns supreme on the lips of many a passerby, and apples suddenly seem to be present in more than a few dessert offerings. Indeed, autumn has arrived, and if you are like me, you savor every sweet second of cold air, tree lines ablaze with fiery color, and the toasted notes of campfire smoke enticing the senses to reminisce. Now, if you work in the firewood industry, my guess is you are equally, if not even more excited than I am. During this time of year, many people begin to purchase firewood. Some do this for the occasional campfire aesthetic, while many place their cord-wood orders in preparation for a long winter. When bundling firewood for the former application, there are several ways to go about this process. When it comes to bundling firewood, you generally have three options. Stretch film, shrink film or strapping. Each of these are viable and appropriate ways to package firewood for consumers. Industrial Packaging has been bundling products with stretch film, shrink film and strapping materials for ages. We have learned a thing or two about bundling firewood during our many years in the packaging industry. This article will explore these firewood packaging processes and materials and help you decide which type of material and machinery is right for your firewood packaging business.

Blog Feature

Equipment | Investment

By: Nathan Dube
September 18th, 2020

If you are entering the market for a shrink tunnel, you will find yourself with a big variety of different types of machinery. Some machines work with steam. Others use hot air. Every kind of shrink tunnel is designed to work for specific applications. Using the wrong shrink tunnel for the incorrect application can lead to various unwanted problems such as waste, downtime, costly repairs, and potentially, injury. When shopping for a shrink tunnel, you’re going to have many questions about the equipment. At the end of the day, you just need to know which type of shrink tunnel is right for your products. Luckily for you, it is a fairly easy process to identify the best machine for your needs after you have done a little homework! Industrial Packaging has been working with shrink tunnels for generations. During that time, we have become experts on the various makes and models of shrink tunnels, what makes them tick, how to keep them running smoothly and how to repair them with ease when they eventually break down. With the information in this article, you will be able to choose the right machinery for your shrink tunnel applications and product packaging needs.

Blog Feature

Packaging Materials | The Business of Packaging | Investment

By: Nathan Dube
September 17th, 2020

Are you feeling a little stressed out with the buying process lately?, with the continued complications coming from the presence of COVID, the global supply chain is experiencing new problems it has not experienced before. And while COVID will eventually end, the effects upon the supply chain will almost certainly be replicated in the event of other pandemics as time goes on. There was a time that purchasing foreign films made sense from a cost-savings perspective as many foreign films are often cheaper (and at times of lower quality). But, with the complications brought upon the world via COVID, the availability, delivery times, lead times, and other related parts of the process are being disrupted by the virus. Are you currently waiting for an order of shrink film from a foreign country? Have you received it yet? Do you think it will arrive on time? Wondering if you should purchase American made films instead? Maybe you are trying to figure out which option will ultimately cost less? If you are a purchasing professional or buyer, the issues the world is facing with the global supply chain is probably something you are dealing with on a daily basis. Chances are, you are continually attempting to buy the best possible product for the lowest possible price. While buying foreign films was once an option for cutting costs, choosing to do so in the age of COVID may result in late deliveries, higher prices, and low availability. Industrial Packaging has been actively engaged in buying, selling, and running shrink film not only on our lines but also for our clients. We sell both domestic and foreign films, but usually end up recommending domestic films due to price, quality and lead times. However, we know there are times when using a foreign film might make sense for your business. Our storied history of supply chain experience allows us to provide you with unparalleled insight and information regarding best practices for buying shrink film. In this article, we will discuss buying domestic shrink film vs. foreign/imported shrink film. We will take a look at several key considerations when choosing between domestic and foreign shrink films. When you are finished, you will have a good understanding of which one is a better purchase right now.