The Growing Presence of Packaging Solutions in the Outdoor Industry
Packaging solutions aren’t just large-sized boxes that safeguard your goods from point A to B in extreme weather conditions. They’re much more. The kind of packaging and its dimensions and weight directly influence every other aspect of your supply chain, which includes the transportation, storage, processing, and distribution, and the eventual impact on the eco system, to name a few. When you think of packaging solutions, you typically think of products that secure and protect, or provide some kind of cover for, inventory.
However, a new trend in packaging solutions is focused on maximizing the space inside products as well. Some packaging solutions are specially designed to take full advantage of narrow spaces, corner spaces, tall or awkward products, and even individual product parts such as individual compartments within refrigerated items. Product packaging solutions help companies ensure optimal storage and accessibility of their products. They can also make the most of small packaging materials.
A good packaging solution starts with an idea. It must be able to address a specific need, whether that is to improve upon the current packaging process, help to simplify a process, or reduce costs and streamline a process. The packaging designer must have a thorough knowledge of many facets of the supply chain and know how to assess the most appropriate solutions. Designers also must be skilled at communication and know how to deal with diverse types of clients. Many packaging solutions come in different forms, each designed for a specific need. Some examples of these solutions include plastic packaging solutions for fragile goods, wood packaging solutions for wooden products, metal packaging solutions for metal products, chemical packaging solutions, and packaging that combines both aesthetics and function, such as the so-called compendium packaging solutions.
All packaging solutions should be flexible enough to address new demands and improve on an old one. In this respect, the carton has been reinvented many times over. Each time it is reinvented, the market wants something better. Companies therefore are always on the lookout for better ways of designing packaging solutions. In fact, some of them go to great lengths to improve upon the conventional designs and create totally novel packages that will catch consumers’ attention and make them want to buy the product they’ve just bought.
Another aspect of packaging solutions that is relevant today is inventory management. If your company’s logistics processes involve an analysis of your entire inventory, you may find yourself spending large amounts of money and time on traditional inventory management and even if you use modern methods of keeping track of your inventory (such as bar coding and holograming), it may not always provide you with the whole story. In fact, some modern methods of keeping track of your inventory can confuse your customers. This leads to poor sales and revenue because the wrong products may be shipped to the wrong customers, nullifying your efforts in both areas.
The advantages of designing packaging solutions using high quality packing materials go far beyond the simple matter of cost. First of all, such materials enable you to pack products more efficiently because heavier items tend to travel faster. Good packaging materials also ensure that products arrive at the right places without any damage or loss, either at the hands of a customer or within your company’s warehouse. Thus, packing materials such as heavy gauge polystyrene, cardboard, bubble wrap, corrugated fiberboard, hard board, natural fiberboard and vinyl cartons increase your company’s ability to reduce lost revenue due to lost shipments and to increase its ability to deliver products and services in record time.
The development of mushroom packaging solutions is part of a broader push by companies in the outdoor industry to increase the efficacy of their operations and, in turn, their bottom-line. Many of these companies have already begun adopting industrial mushroom packaging. In fact, many mushroom packaging manufacturers have entered into business-to-business packaging arrangements with companies in the construction, engineering and related fields who are able to provide complete long line bulk packaging solutions. In some cases, such manufacturers are also able to offer training in the production, handling and assembly of mushroom packing material.
Mushroom packaging, like many other forms of eco-friendly packaging, is a highly customizable option that offers a number of design possibilities while reducing cost. Companies in the outdoor industry who are looking for a way to improve efficiency while reducing the costs associated with shipping and receiving shipments can turn to companies that specialize in providing mushroom packaging and other forms of protective packaging. These companies are able to work closely with their clients to develop packaging solutions that meet specific requirements, in terms of both aesthetics and environmental credentials. These companies can also work with clients on a custom design.