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.

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.

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.

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.

Determining the yield of your shrink film can help you optimize your film choices to help you run an efficient packaging line on which you will be able to squeeze every last ounce of value from. However, if you are reading this article, you are probably trying to figure out how to determine the yield of your shrink film. With that being said, you probably have a few questions about yield including: When do you need to determine the yield? You will likely have to be able to show the metric of yield in reports regarding waste reduction or other financial KPIs which will be effected by yield. Being able to show this data quickly will help you to shorten and simplify the buying process. Is it commonly difficult to calculate yield? If you are not a fan of doing math, calculating your yield can be frustrating. We will help you to do it with ease. Is calculating yield a common metric to calculate? Many companies over look this valuable metric, but others do not. Understanding your yield will help you to make better purchasing decisions and help you to reduce costs and waste. Does choosing the wrong film yield lead to wasted dollars? Yes! This is not something you want to get wrong. With the correct yield in hand, you will be able to choose the right film for your packaging needs and also choose the film which you will be able to get the most value out of. Industrial Packaging has been selling shrink film for generations. We are going to help you understand how to determine the yield of each type of film so that you can choose the right film for your unique packaging applications.

For many companies, 2020 has been a tough year, primarily due to the struggles that come along with COVID. After weeks or months of unexpected downtime, many companies are unsure about stocking up on supplies or upgrading machinery for their packaging lines. The uncertainty that has come with the phased re-opening of the economy and a blurry future in this new environment can cause a natural hesitation to spending. You have to be hyper-aware of spending when looking out for your company's best interest. You probably feel pressure to purchase just enough to keep running without making any significant investments. And while airing on the side of caution is a good idea in this current climate, the truth is, there is no better time to buy packaging machinery and material than now. Waiting may very well end up costing you a lot of time and money. After decades in the packaging industry and a keen eye to the mechanics of the global supply chain, Industrial Packaging can honestly say that now is the time to purchase your packaging machinery and materials. From our vantage point, we can clearly see the obstacles ahead. We are here to help you avoid stalling on buying decisions that could cost you a lot of time and money and result in serious frustration and headaches down the road. In this article, we will explain the top 4 reasons to buy your packaging materials and make your packaging machinery upgrades or purchases now, before you run into costly issues with the availability of these items.