This is good news for companies seeking high-quality reusable shipping crates. There are so many manufacturers to choose from and all of them want your business. This alone could mean big savings for your company—and then some.
There are many other interesting things about reusable shipping crates that you (and your boss) should know. Below are 7 helpful infographics that can lead to savings for your company. Even better, these insights can help prevent accidents, save time, save energy, and preserve our planet.
1. Reusable Shipping Crates have unlimited savings benefits.
Reusable packaging has all sorts of benefits, just ask the Reusable Packaging Association (RPA), reusable packaging offers the following economic benefits:
- Reduces overall packaging costs
- Rapid return on investment (ROI)
- Reduces costly product damage
- Reduces labor costs
- Reduces inventory by requiring less space
- Reduced cost-per-trip
- Improves transportation efficiency through standardized loads, resulting in fewer trips and reduced fuel costs
- Residual value at the end of its service life
In this age of being leaner, greener, and more efficient, and with recycling initiatives being implemented, customers may have specific packaging requirements to meet the needs of the end user.
Switching to packaging or a packaging design that is reusable and/or serves multiple purposes offers many advantages to both the supplier and buyer.
Here are 4 Ways to Incorporate Reusable Packaging Into Your Business.
2. Customized reusable shipping crates are not as costly as you might think.
Let's say for example you use a stock box to ship your part(s), think about the extra packaging supplies you to prioritize to properly secure that part during transit; peanuts, foam, blocking and bracing, etc.
Because custom crates(vs stock sizes) is precise in size, you will save money on the shipping costs associated with:
- Expensive extra packaging supplies to secure products in oversized containers
- Paying to transport an oversized container that costs more per cubic foot
- Paying to transport the extra weight of an oversized package
Whether you’re interested in custom corrugated triple-wall boxes, wood crates, or steel packaging solutions for your unique project, customization just might be the answer.
3. Contrary to popular belief, corrugated packaging is a high-tech solution.
According to PaperOnWeb—the Pulp & Paper Resource & Information Site, corrugated material is a high-tech engineered material because:
- Corrugated components, designs, and end products are manufactured on sophisticated, automatic equipment that reduces costs and ensures consistent performance.
- Ongoing R&D programs continuously improve such characteristics as strength-to-weight ratios, printability, moisture barriers & recyclability.
- The vast majority of corrugated products are designed and prototyped with advanced, computer-aided design and manufacturing systems, providing customers with the best and most cost-effective solutions to their packaging challenges.
Triple wall is a triple fluted corrugated material that can be used in place of wood containers in some situations where shipping weight is a factor.
Learn more about Triple wall vs Wood.
4. Wood packaging solutions are a worthwhile option.
Nature’s building material has the ability to transform even the most mundane packaging solutions into striking solutions.
Wood is distinctive in its patterns, textures, and tones. This means your packaging, whether you opt for wooden boxes, crates, or containers, will easily stand out from the rest.
Wood is also:
- Super strong, so it’s durable and withstands greater amounts of weight than other softer materials
- Reusable year after year, so you save money in the long-run
- Stackable, which helps create more space in small areas
- Environmentally friendly because . . .
- It is a renewable resource
- It stores carbon dioxide
- Manufacturing wood products require smaller amounts of energy
- Residues generated through the processing of wood can be reused in a variety of Positive ways –WoodSolutions.com.au
In addition to saving money on replacement costs, refurbishing reusable containers does wonders for the environment.
Learn how Refurbishing Reusable Containers Saves the Environment.
5. Installing damage indicators on packaging protects your bottom line.
Damage indicators should be added to any high-valued package to indicate whether or not a container has been mishandled during freight. Indicators come in all types, they can:
- Show when packages tip in transit
- Alert handlers and receivers of damage during shipping
- Indicate the exact angle of tilt or if a box has been overturned
- Indicate shock damage at a glance
- Prevent costly damage to sensitive shipments with humidity, heat, and freeze indicators
- Visual warning labels, let handlers know to treat expensive cargo with extra care.
In most cases, products ship everywhere every day with no issues of damage from rough handling, punctures, vibration damage, or dropping. When, however, these events do occur, new issues come to light concerning damage and returns.
Learn how to How to Identify and Prevent Shipping Damages with this helpful video.
6. Building reusable shipping crates and other packaging in-house might be costing you more.
Building crates in-house tie up internal resources and takes the focus off the company’s core business. When this happens, production slows, and profits dive. Let the professionals handle building your crates, this way the quality and profitability of your core business remain intact, while the quality of your packaging is never compromised.
A JIT or Just In Time system may be the solution for your business. This is an inventory control system in which materials are purchased and units are produced only as needed to meet customer demand. Learn more about the Benefits of JIT.
We'll work with you to find every opportunity to optimize your packaging. Our trained field technicians conduct a complete assessment of your product then our highly experienced packaging engineers develop cost-effective solutions.
7. Sustainable packaging and reusable packaging are not the same.
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The Sustainable Packaging Coalition (SPC) has developed a definition of sustainable packaging that has been “widely adopted throughout the packaging industry.”
Sustainable packaging:
- Is beneficial, safe & healthy for individuals and communities throughout its life cycle
- Meets market criteria for both performance and cost
- Is sourced, manufactured, transported, and recycled using renewable energy
- Optimizes the use of renewable or recycled source materials
- Is manufactured using clean production technologies and best practices
- Is made from materials that are healthy throughout the life cycle
- It is physically designed to optimize materials and energy
- Is effectively recovered and utilized in biological and/or industrial closed-loop cycles
According to RPA, "reusable packaging" typically refers to reusable pallets, racks, bulk containers, handheld containers, and dunnage that move products efficiently and safely throughout the supply chain.
