Ahoy land lubbers! This weekend PackSmart is going to be settin’ sail in Glen Ellyn’s Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta for the second year in a row. It will be a day of fun for the whole family, including games, the best food trucks in the Chicagoland area and, of course, some intense cardboard boat racing.

For those interested in attending the event, here are all the details:

Date: 6/29/19

Time: Event starts at 10:00AM; races begin at 12:00PM

Location: Lake Ellyn Park, 645 Lenox Road, Glen Ellyn

Now it’s time for the good stuff: a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of PackSmart’s cardboard boat! And for those wondering, aye, it is absolutely going to include terrible pirate- and nautical-themed vernacular.

If you want to brush up on your pirate lingo or just verify that you shouldn’t be angry at me for anything in this post, feel free to check out https://www.piratevoyages.com/pirate-lingo/ and http://www.pirateglossary.com/

Let’s bring a spring upon’er and get down to it, bucko!

Last year, despite our sailors’ strongest heave ho’s in the first race, they only made it to the first buoy before our poor dingy headed to Davy Jones’ Locker. This year, we decided we’d give no quarter to our opponents! We set out to build a boat that would at least (hopefully) make it through the first race.

The best way for sea dogs to keep their boat afloat and make waves in the race is to plan:

Luckily our Service Manager, Chris, attended a boat building class put on by the Glen Ellyn Park District. So despite the plans seen above (if you looked closely), we had a pretty good understanding of what to do to keep from looking like a bunch of scallywags at the event! For further research and to test the waters on some ideas we had, we built a model barkadeer:

With a plan in place, it was time to start gluing pieces of cardboard together that we would form the boat out of:

We used stacks of paper and pallets to keep the pieces of cardboard compressed while the glue dried:

Once the pieces were glued together, Chris then formed the walls and structure of the boat from them:

With the sides cut out and the boat structure just over the horizon, we tarred the hull to make sure we’d avoid any bilge water at sea (this was a Service/Marketing Dept. collaborative effort):

Now having the sides in place, it was time to start forming the front and back shape of the boat to make her truly sea worthy:

Next, we finalized the ship’s shape, added internal support and made sure all of our seams were glued and sealed tight:

Finally, it was time to apply our deck on the top of the boat, create our smuggler’s hold, and get her painted!

So there it is, PackSmart’s cardboard man-o-war, ready to broadside with the best of them! As long as no bilge rats hornswaggle during the race or run a rig on us, the inaugural sail of our new boat should bring glory and many pieces of eight!

Impressed with what we can make out of cardboard? You’ll be even more impressed with what we can do for your packaging needs! Give us a call at 630-262-6600 or have a look around www.packsmart.com to learn how PackSmart can help you today (or if you want to learn more about our boat making prowess!). 

Today we celebrated Bring Your Dog to Work Day here at PackSmart! We had a lot of fun having our bundles of love/fur in the office and getting to know everyone's dog(s)! They even showed some love for PackSmart's CORE Values. Check out the pictures below to experience this fun day at PackSmart!

You’ve just received yet another price increase notification from your packaging vendor…you’ve been a loyal customer, so why are they trying to take advantage of your business? The truth of the matter is that the packaging industry is a volatile market, especially when it comes to resin-related items (i.e. stretch film, poly bags, etc.).  A best practice for packaging distributors is to wait until they’ve received a pricing notification from more than one manufacturer before notifying their customers.  They want to be sure it is an industry-supported increase before unnecessarily worrying their customers and if it is not related to a market change, they will push back on manufacturers to rescind it.  More often than not, you will see a ripple effect on packaging products when there is a market increase.  For example, when there is a resin increase, you will find that your stretch film is hit first, but that your tape is affected by that same increase a few months later.  The same thing occurs when there is an industry increase on paper because it directly affects boxes, cornerboard, mailing tubes, etc.  Because packaging items are so inter-related, it may feel like there is a constant wave of increases, but it is usually the same increase affecting products at different times.

Alright, so you may know why the increases occur, but do you have to just move forward and accept it (albeit with some grumbling)?  Despite their frustration at a price increase, some companies continue purchasing the product at the higher price because they are unaware of the ways to manage those increases.  So what options do you have to limit the effects this increase has on your bottom line?

1. Sourcing: It’s the age-old answer – source from multiple companies and determine who has the best price on that particular product. One issue that may come up with this is that you’re sourcing right in the midst of an increase, so some suppliers may be providing a pre-increase price and others a post-increase price (just be sure to clarify which one it is). 
2. Stock Up: Although you may only use half a skid of stretch film a month, would it hurt to have 2 skids available on the floor? If you have the space available in your warehouse and it isn’t too high of an expenditure, a good way to avoid an increase is to stock up on the product (assuming the manufacturer is not placing a limit to orders). A couple of months’ worth of stock will ensure you have pre-increase pricing, but also may allow you to hold off on ordering more product until there is a market decrease (yes, they do happen). 
3. Test Different Specifications: When was the last time you evaluated the product that you are using and reviewed new technology or options in the market? You can often make a switch to a product with slightly different specifications that will provide you with a larger savings.  For example, with water-activated tape, you might switch from a 72mm width to a 70mm width – a small difference with better savings.  Changing to a different width, mil thickness, gauge, etc. will likely have minimal effects on the quality of your packaging, but greater effects on lowering your packaging spend.
4. Find a Better Way: Maybe a lot of paper market increases have been affecting the prices of your corrugated boxes, but have you considered whether any of your regularly sold products can use a poly mailer instead? Sometimes, it takes reviewing an application with fresh eyes to be able to determine if there is a better way to accomplish the same thing and at a better price.

Most of these options for battling increases require a bit of work and exploration, but this is when you can rely on your packaging partners to do the legwork.  Your account manager should be able to source from different manufacturers, help determine the right amount to order, present various styles of the same product, as well as explore alternative methods to your packaging process.  They are immersed in all things packaging, so why not let them find the possible solutions and you make the decision that works best for your company.  Price increases are a frustration that you can’t always avoid in the packaging industry, but you can definitely have these tricks up your sleeve to help combat them.

Environmentalism, sustainability, and the sense of corporate citizenship that accompanies them are becoming a more and more substantial point of interest and action for industrial companies. Many companies have put initiatives in place to achieve their sustainability goals, but still struggle to identify the best ways to do so without hurting their bottom line.

So, what are some factors to consider as an industrial company in 2019?

Energy Consumption

Something that can often go overlooked when considering a company’s environmental impact is the energy consumption of peripheral machines it is using. Primary machinery, like printing presses or customized manufacturing equipment, are accounted for and non-negotiable; however, machinery and equipment used for things like packaging can be an afterthought. New pieces of machinery and equipment are often more efficient in terms of power consumption (and throughput, but that’s for another post!) than their older counterparts. Despite the fact that the current, older machine can still do the job, it’s likely using more power than it needs to, increasing a company’s carbon footprint and energy costs simultaneously.

Supply Choice

In 2019, there are more options than ever when it comes to deciding which supplies to use in an industrial facility. Similar to the large-scale shift away from packing peanuts years ago, companies have the ability to replace nearly all of their environmentally deficient supplies with more sustainable, environmentally-friendly supplies. This could mean a switch to recycled corrugated products, recyclable paper products as opposed to plastic ones, or products with enhanced biodegradability attributes to ensure functionality while lessening the impact on the environment.

Optimizing Supply Usage

Many companies struggle with consistent, optimal usage of their supplies. It is not uncommon to find boxes overfilled with void fill/cushioning material or see a pallet wrapped excessively. In order to address overuse of void fill or cushioning, sometimes the best solution is to discuss it with an expert. Bringing in someone with the knowledge necessary to identify what optimal usage looks like for your needs is the fastest (and most cost effective!) way to get back on track. Not only is overusing these products causing companies to incur extra expenses, it also leads to that much more going to a landfill.

A perfect example is that of machine stretch film. Many companies have stretch wrappers that are either old or not calibrated properly. This leads to significantly more stretch film being applied per load than is necessary, which increases costs and adds unnecessary waste. A great first step is making sure employees are adequately trained on the stretch wrap machines and then having a packaging professional come out to do a stretch test. A stretch test is used to ensure that your machine is applying stretch film at an optimal level.

These are just a few examples of ways industrial companies can begin tackling their sustainability and environmental goals, but the biggest challenge to implementing changes like this is simply knowing that there are options. If you’re not in-tune with the most recent packaging trends and products, that’s okay! We keep up to date on all of them and would be more than happy to find the right solutions for your company and keep you in the loop.

Contact us to find out how achieving your sustainability goals and reducing your carbon footprint can be spearheaded by changes to your packaging operations today!

Did you know that 20% of consumers’ returns are due to damage product? (https://www.invespcro.com/blog/ecommerce-product-return-rate-statistics/). If you don’t take the time to find the best void fill/cushioning product for your application you risk losing money on the damaged product, shipping expenses and on potential repeat business. A loyal customer expects companies to use the proper packaging products.

Below are a few of the various void fill and cushioning options available and some information to help you determine what fits your needs:

Bubble Wrap – Cushioning product available in standard LDPE and anti-static. Most common bubble heights are 3/16”, 5/16” and 1/2". Single layer provides protection for short-ship/storage cycles and multi-layer barrier film is for long-ship/storage cycles. Often used to line mailers.

• Pros: Non-abrasive, reusable (for a period of time) and easy to work with. Popping bubbles can also be satisfying to the user.
 
• Cons: Large foot-print for storage, which also results in higher inbound freight costs. Not environmentally friendly. Permeable film will eventually cause bubbles to lose their air.

Foam Wrap – Poly foam provides cushioning and surface protection. Available in 1/32”, 1/16” 3/32”, 1/8” and 1/4” foam thickness. Standard or recycled black foam rolls.

• Pros: Non-abrasive, reusable and moisture resistant.
 
• Cons: Wrapping odd-shaped products can be more difficult with thicker foams. Large foot-print for storage, which also results in higher inbound freight costs. Standard foam isn’t environmentally friendly.

Kraft Paper – Made from wood pulp and can be coated with polyethylene to resist moisture and grease. Most common paper rolls sizes are 12”, 15”, 18”, 24” and 36” with paper weights of 30, 40 and 50#.

• Pros: Natural kraft is biodegradable, recyclable and compostable. Can be used with a semi-automatic packaging system to crinkle for void fill or create a pad for cushioning. Paper rolls have a smaller foot-print for storage, which also reduces inbound freight costs.
 
• Cons: Paper is more expensive than a poly based product. Without a packaging system, manually crinkling/wrapping can take more time and more product is often used than what is necessary.

Versa-Pak® – Multi-layered cellulose wadding that is used cushion products but will also absorb liquid.

• Pros: Non-abrasive and easy to wrap products. Made of recycled product, reusable and recyclable.
 
• Cons: More expensive than other products. Large foot-print for storage, which also results in higher inbound freight costs.

Air Pillow/Bubble on Demand Systems – creates air pillows (void fill) and bubble wrap (cushioning) as needed.

• Pros: As film isn’t inflated there is a smaller foot-print for storage, which also reduces inbound freight costs. Some films are biodegradable.
 
• Con: Minimum dollar/usage requirements to lease system.

Foam in Bag Systems – foam expands around the product you’re packaging for a custom fit cushioning mold.

• Pros: Works with almost any application and provides the best protection as it is a perfect fit.
 
• Cons: Minimum dollar/usage requirements to lease system. Drums of chemicals will have a larger storage footprint, inbound shipping expenses and require special disposal/recycling. When comparing cost per cubic foot, this is the most expensive option.

Our packaging experts would be happy to work with you to discuss your specific applications and direct you to the most cost-effective packaging solution!

It's that time of year again!

This holiday season, the PackSmart Team participated in Toys for Tots, a charity organization that collects new, unwrapped toys, and distributes them to less fortunate children at Christmas time. This year, the PackSmart team donated over 40 toys and books to the Toys for Tots organization. 

We also had a wonderful Christmas party and luncheon, where we played Yankee Swap with gifts provided by our President, Sean Ross, and his wife Lynne. Some of the most hotly contested gifts included a Keurig coffee machine, Apple Air Buds, cash, and even a vacation day! It was a fun event and delicious lunch. 

Finally, in appreciation of the PackSmart team, our Leadership Team has given everyone New Year's Eve off! As a result, our office will be closed on 12/31.

Happy New Year from everyone here at PackSmart!