Charlotte Hardy, Macfarlane Packaging: 2022 is a challenging year for individuals and businesses alike with the rise in the cost of living and staff shortages affecting the UK. Petrol and diesel prices have hit record highs and the Office for National Statistics reports that there were over one million employment positions waiting to be filled during the first quarter of this year.
Businesses are wrestling to increase operational efficiency and be more sustainable, whilst keeping costs down.
Packaging represents an untapped opportunity for many companies to tackle rising fuel costs, the need for lower emissions and to deal with labour shortages in their logistics operations. Reviewing how packaging is used throughout a supply chain can reveal quick ways to lower costs and improve sustainability.
Optimise packaging to maximise vehicle loads
Maximising vehicle loads can reduce fuel use and emissions, as well as increase efficiency and manage driver hours. If a business’s packaging is too big or the wrong shape, this can have a knock-on effect. It increases the number of vehicle runs needed to complete deliveries, pushing up costs.
Reviewing the size of packaging used or switching to a lighter solution can improve the dimensional weight of a parcel or enhance palletisation for stock distribution. For example, timber pallets are strong and durable but they can be quite heavy. A simple swap to a corrugated pallet, which can hold up to 750kg, can reduce overall shipment weight by 16kg. This weight reduction all adds up if a business is delivering a full load of pallets that are double stacked!
Can warehouse layout & packing processes support productivity?
With businesses under pressure to deliver quickly and efficiently, a well thought out warehouse layout, combined with the right packing processes, can support optimal productivity.
Packing times are vital in delivering a smooth logistics operation. If a business can shave off seconds, or minutes, from its packing process while maintaining the same quality, it can add up to a few hours of labour time being freed up every day. This time can be reallocated to other tasks and enable a company to better manage labour costs. Solutions like packaging automation can also help recoup this valuable time and bolster productivity. For example, hand wrapping pallets can be a time-consuming job. Introducing a stretch wrap machine with performance film can reduce wrapping costs by up to 50% and save valuable labour time.
At Macfarlane Packaging we support our customers with free of charge packaging reviews. A simple walk through their packing processes can help to uncover opportunities to increase productivity, reduce packaging material use, maximise vehicle capacity and reduce costs and emissions. For more information about how we could support your business, visit macfarlanepackaging.com.
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