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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.

Blog Feature

Packaging Materials | The Business of Packaging

By: David Roberge
January 12th, 2023

Protection is probably the most crucial element of our purpose: "protecting people, products, and brands throughout the supply chain." Safety is a hot button topic around here and we consider it as having the utmost importance for the success of our business, our customer's companies and our employees. When it comes to product security, the protection of your product with our packaging is of extreme importance. The NASP has reported that more than 13 billion dollars worth of consumer goods are stolen yearly from stores and other retailers. However, this is only one reason why product security is so important. But how do you keep your products safe? How can you improve your product security? This article will review a few ways to improve your product security with packaging.

Blog Feature

Packaging Materials | Environment | The Business of Packaging | Investment | Packaging Design | Food Packaging | Packaging Psychology

By: David Roberge
December 15th, 2022

A brand’s commitment to adopting environmentally conscious practices has become increasingly important to today’s consumers. As more people recognize the need for environmental awareness, shoppers prefer companies that take steps to reduce their environmental impact and ecological footprint. So, where does sustainable labeling fit into the mix, and how can it help boost trust in your product? In this article, we will explain why sustainable labeling is such an essential part of your labeling process in a world where ever more people are demanding their favorite brands "go green."

Blog Feature

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

Packaging Materials | The Business of Packaging

By: David Roberge
October 20th, 2022

When running shrink packaging on your packaging line, it can be very easy not to notice minor problems that are costing you money. However, there are various metrics of your shrink packaging that, if adjusted, can result in significant cost savings. And while it is easy to miss these minor details, failure to analyze each of these metrics of your shrink packaging could cost you a lot of money in the long run. At first glance, the cost may not seem like much, but day after day, these minor metrics can add up to a large sum of money. Now, it is easy to miss or even ignore these items. But what if you heard a noise every time your current shrink packaging metrics cost you a few cents? Would you take notice and make the appropriate changes to your shrink packaging, then? In this article, we will provide you with a metaphorical situation that will help you understand why these seemingly minor metrics are essential and how you can adjust them to save your company some serious coin!

Blog Feature

The Business of Packaging

By: Nathan Dube
September 15th, 2022

EDITED 10/11/22: Rail union votes down Biden-backed railroad labor deal. National strike is back on the table for consideration. EDITED 9/15/22 8:16 AM: National Railroad Strike Averted! A pending railroad strike that was initially blocked by executive action from President Biden back in July, allowing for a sixty-day delay, may begin on Friday, 9/16/22. The strike, led by the two most essential unions in the railroad industry representing engineers and conductors, has been negotiating on behalf of over 100,000 railroad employees whose responsibilities essentially keep the railroads across the nation running. As of today, it does not appear that the union's negotiations are getting the response they want. This could lead to a national strike starting tomorrow morning. This could cause a rather precarious situation for a supply chain that has already been heavily beaten up by the COVID pandemic, trucker shortages and protests, and continued problems with container ships that sit unopened in ports around the globe to this day. At the moment, there is no guarantee that the strike will move forward but based on current tensions felt by these railroad employees who say that staffing shortages and being on call at all times say that their work lives have become intolerable. The main question everyone is asking themselves at this point is, should the railroad strike occur, what will the repercussions be for an already burdened supply chain? And, in what ways can these events be dealt with to prevent further decline in the availability of various items such as automobiles, consumer goods, and other products threatened by the strike? While only time will tell, in the article below, we will dive deeper into the strike and provide information on what could happen if they proceed and what is being done by elected officials to negate potential problems.

Blog Feature

Equipment | The Business of Packaging | Plant Performance

By: Nathan Dube
August 16th, 2022

If you expect to find yourself with a decent amount of end or year capital by the end of 2022, now is the time to start thinking about buying packaging machinery. You may protest in the face of significant inflation and the ever-rising prices of, well, everything, which would be understandable. But, if your packaging machinery is nearing the end of life, waiting until the new year to make a purchase could lead to catastrophic consequences. With packaging machinery lead times sometimes exceeding thirteen months, you run the risk of not only being unable to acquire the packaging machinery you need to run your business but paying a lot more for it when you do. We understand that packaging machinery is a significant investment, and you may be weary of the current state of the economy. But, taking that end-of-year capital and investing in the packaging machinery you need for next year may very well save you a ton of unwanted headaches later. This article will explain why you should consider using your end-of-year capital to upgrade your packaging equipment.