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The Flexible Packaging Blog

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

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Equipment | Packaging Materials | Environment | The Business of Packaging | Technical Service and Support

By: David Roberge
November 3rd, 2022

One of the most frustrating elements of product packaging is repackaging. When a slew of your products has defective or wrongly applied packaging materials, this often results in hundreds of packages needing to be repackaged. And while many packaging suppliers like repackaging as it results in new material sales, we here at Industrial Packaging would prefer that you don't have to repackage your products. We want to see you save money, not lose it! Repackaging products will cost your company extra time, money, and labor. As such, many companies prefer to avoid repackaging, and we cannot blame them for that. However, many companies do not even consider repackaging a big deal. Often, repackaging a collection of products only costs a few hundred dollars. But, a few hundred dollars here, another hundred dollars there, and suddenly the total cost of repackaging your products increases quickly. Over the course of a year, continually repackaging products can result in thousands of dollars lost. Gone unchecked, repackaging can be a very costly aspect of your business. So, you must understand the true cost of repackaging and do everything in your power to ensure that you do not have to repackage your products often. Doing so will save your company many person-hours, money, and time. This article will explore the actual costs associated with repackaging and help you to understand why you need to be aware of these items.

Blog Feature

Equipment | Packaging Materials | Environment | The Business of Packaging | Technical Service and Support | Plant Performance | Investment | Shipping Protection

By: David Roberge
August 9th, 2022

Are you stretch wrapping your pallets by hand? Relying on manual labor to consistently protect your products in transit may be causing your company to lose money in the long run. Suppose your products are in high demand and you are cutting it close or, even worse, missing your customer's requested orders. In that case, you may be able to remedy this with automation at your end-of-line. Hand-wrapping pallets are less cost-effective than using a stretch wrapper at a certain point. At the same time, automated stretch-wrapping machinery can save on time and costs. Does the idea of saving money have your attention? Learn how to determine when to switch from hand-wrapping pallets to automated pallet-wrapping machinery.

Blog Feature

Equipment | Packaging Materials | Technical Service and Support | Supply Chain Services/ Contract Packaging | Plant Performance | Investment

By: David Roberge
July 28th, 2022

Are you still using hand stretch wrap to secure and palletize your products? If so, it might be time to consider upgrading to a stretch wrapper! Depending on the volume of pallets you are wrapping and the number of laborers you are employing to handle these responsibilities, you may be able to save a ton of money by switching to a stretch wrapper. For many businesses that are hand stretch wrapping their pallets, upgrading to a stretch wrapper can save labor, time, and most importantly, money. Stretch wrappers are faster and more precise than human laborers. And, they do not take a vacation, personal time off, or sick days! Depending on the unique dynamics of your company, a stretch wrapper may be a good investment for you. But, how do you know if buying a stretch wrapper is the right decision for your business? What questions do you need to answer to determine if this is the right move for you? This article will explain why upgrading to a stretch wrapper from using hand stretch wrap for your product palletizing processes may be a good choice for your company.

Blog Feature

Equipment | Technical Service and Support

By: Nathan Dube
June 9th, 2022

While you may not be familiar with the term predictive maintenance, it is an essential consideration for your packaging machinery. When it comes to packaging machinery maintenance, most people think of preventive maintenance (also commonly referred to as preventative maintenance). While this is fair and makes sense, as preventive maintenance is one of the most important aspects of keeping your packaging machinery running correctly, predictive maintenance may be equally important. Predictive maintenance allows you to address problems before they happen. By working in tandem with regular preventative maintenance, strong predictive maintenance protocols will help keep your machinery running. And together, they will help you achieve the lowest amount of downtime possible while allowing you to make quicker adjustments and parts replacement when needed. But, what is predictive maintenance? How does it work? And how can you use predictive maintenance on your packaging line to ensure that your packaging equipment stays in peak condition? Today, we will define predictive maintenance and explain how it can help you to run a world-class packaging line with as little downtime as possible.

Blog Feature

Equipment | Packaging Materials | The Business of Packaging | Technical Service and Support | Investment

By: Nathan Dube
May 5th, 2022

I can see that you are ready to buy packaging materials and machinery for your business! But you should read this first time packaging buyer's guide first! You want to source the best packaging machinery and materials possible. But, you have never bought either of these items before. While you may be tempted to hop into a purchase, there are several things that you need to do first. These include getting clarification on items such as financing, lead times, installation, shipping, and many other related topics. So it is crucial that you read this first time packaging buyer's guide before proceeding to hit that buy button! But, which questions will you have to answer before you buy? What information will you need to provide to your chosen packaging company before you can continue with your purchase? This article will answer the questions above and prepare you for making the right buying decisions for your company and packaging line. Here you should have everything you need to move forward with your first packaging machinery or materials purchase!

Blog Feature

Technical Service and Support

By: Nathan Dube
January 25th, 2022

You can't run quality packaging materials on broken-down packaging machinery. That is why preventative maintenance, emergency repair, and regular repair services are an absolute necessity if you are running a packaging line. When it comes to choosing a vendor for preventive maintenance and packaging machinery repair services, not all companies are created equal. After multiple decades in the packaging industry, Industrial Packaging prides itself on our knowledge base about the best of the best in packaging machinery repair services. While we offer what we feel is some of the best preventative maintenance and packaging machinery repair services, we are not your only option. However, It should be noted that we only offer technical service in the Northeastern USA. The article below identifies the top 5 best packaging machinery repair and service providers in our industry. These companies are not ranked best to worst. Instead, this is simply an unnumbered list of our industry's best service providers.