distribution packaging l
Protective packaging offers a wealth of choice to meet different product requirements, says Tom Westch, VP, global new product development,Pregis Protective Packaging.
Delivering protection E
ffective packaging that ensures products arrive at their destination in pristine condition is vital to any distribution operation.
Selecting an appropriate protective pack involves a number of considerations – budget, in-house packing facilities, the shipping environment and, increasingly, the pack’s environmental profile – but most important has to be that the pack meets the needs of the product. Products that need to be wrapped will require solutions such as bubble or air cushioning. These feature rows or cells of ‘bubbles’ with trapped air locked between layers of low-, linear- low density or co-extruded polyethylene film. These materials provide shock and vibration protection, interleaving, surface protection, wrapping and void-filling functions. Because the material is resilient and flexible, it is suitable for a huge range of products, from delicate lightweight
objects such as ceramics and housewares to bulkier and heavier glassware and electronic components, including office equipment and computers, for which bubble packaging with anti-static properties is available.
The wide choice of products means they can be tailored to different product requirements with different cell sizes and structural composition (monolayer film, co-extrusion or lamination), depending on how much product cushioning is required. Bubble products have now been developed to address environmental concerns. Some feature industrial waste while others also include an element of post-consumer waste as well, with overall around 40% of the content made up of pre- and post- consumer waste.
Another major protective requirement is to provide void-fill in order to create effective blocking and bracing, for which inflatable bags and
air pillows or crumpled paper are some of the options.
Inflatable bags and air pillows offer the lightest weight void-fill option and, whereas bubble packaging is delivered to the plant in perforated rollstock, are usually created on demand at packaging stations via a stand-alone unit. The deflated rolls of air-pillow film take up less than 1% of the inflated volume, which enables manufacturers to maximise truck and warehouse space. The bags and pillows tend to feature much larger air chambers than bubble packaging, although smaller, ‘hybrid’ cells can also be made by purpose-built units.
Because they are created on demand, these void-fill options are often found in distribution centres and other large packaging facilities. Line operators simply tear off the appropriate number of pillows for each pack. Air pillows will provide protection and keep in place a wide range of products and are available in a variety of widths and perforation dimensions. In terms of their environmental credentials, many films include recycled content and are 100% recyclable. In addition, bio- and oxo- degradable options are also available. Another void-fill option is crumpled paper, which has certainly increased in popularity in today’s more environmentally-conscious markets. Kraft paper padding can be configured into various patterns to create cushioning, wrapping, and blocking and bracing functions, with a variety of machine sizes available to meet packaging work-cell environments. Versatile and effective, crumpled paper is used across markets ranging from retail to industrial.
Another flexible protective
packaging solution for a wide range of products is EPS (Expanded Polystyrene) which comes in the form of moulded end caps, blocks, sheets or loose-fill
68 ShD October 2011
www.PressOnShD.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76