2018 is right around the corner, and as the leaves begin to change color, retail brands and consumer goods manufacturers, Packaging Designers and Engineers are gearing up for what changes are to come, and what changes they can bring in their respective packaging worlds in the coming year.

As the Manager or Supervisor in charge of manufacturing and production floors, your goals for increased productivity and lower costs are almost always at the top of the priorities list. According to several voices across the web, freight and labor costs as well as inventory control are the main contributors to lower productivity and increasing costs. Not mentioned enough is how to impact these numbers, or where to begin. By reviewing your packaging process and your overall production line, you can find several ways reduce your total cost of packaging and impact your labor numbers while improving efficiency. Here are the top seven ways that packaging can positively impact these numbers.

When it comes to void fill for shipping protection, air pillows are effectively the 'new guy in town'. The ecommerce giant Amazon has led by example and made the switch to air pillows thanks to their ease-of-use and low cost, not to mention they are more environmentally-friendly when compared to alternative forms of void fill. Consumer frustration over complex, bulky and difficult to open packaging is another reason that air pillows are growing in popularity. Your warehouse, plant floors, and production KPI's will also find the small footprint of storing pillows to be an added benefit when space is limited. We’ve listed the top 4 reasons why air pillows can benefit businesses of all sizes.

The products you manufacture for consumer purchase must be designed with proper planning and research to provide the most value with the lowest cost of production. This means that the packaging you go to market will require attention to detail in order to gain visibility in the marketplace as well as to convey the value that the product holds. The packaging materials themselves and the visual appeal are vital in grasping consumer’s attention, making the sale, and gaining repeat business. Think more of product packaging as an investment - rather than an added cost.

When you are budgeting for packaging, there are several factors that can impact your total cost of packaging, and several ways you can reduce these costs by optimizing your current processes. It's difficult to simply place a specific dollar amount to a project like this because no business operates the same way, and what works ideally for your packaging line may not work for any other business in your market. Sometimes you have to think outside of the box to fully realize the potential for cost-savings. Selecting who you work with and when you bring them in can significantly impact the dollar amount you can expect to budget. Here are a few other items that can impact your total packaging cost, including multilayer films, bundling films, maintenance, and new technology:

As it stands in 2017, we can’t avoid plastics – they’re everywhere in our lives from our kitchen appliances to the doctor’s office. Contrary to popular belief, all plastics aren’t the same. There are many types of eco-green packaging options comprised of sustainable plastics available today for all types of products, and they can hold the opportunity for huge savings in your business operation.