Kite Packaging is an employee-share-owned packaging business providing stock and bespoke solutions for companies across warehousing, fulfilment, retail, and distribution. Alongside its broad product range, Kite works closely with customers to solve practical operational challenges, from improving pack-room efficiency to helping businesses prepare for seasonal peaks with reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable packaging products.
Managing Director at Kite Packaging
Gavin Ashe, Managing Director at Kite Packaging, speaks to Warehouse & Logistics News about preparing for peak season, improving warehouse efficiency and why small changes in the pack room can make a big difference when Christmas demand arrives.
Peak season is never far away in warehousing. When should businesses really begin preparing for Christmas demand?
The simple answer is earlier than many do. Christmas trading is often talked about as a December issue, but in operational terms it starts much sooner. The golden quarter, from September through to December, brings Halloween, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and then Christmas, so warehouses are under pressure for a sustained period rather than a single spike.
For us, preparation means looking at what happened last year, identifying where the bottlenecks appeared, and then acting before volumes rise; including stock levels, labour, planning, packaging supply, pack bench labour, and picking processes. If a business waits until orders are already flowing in at peak levels, it is usually firefighting rather than managing.
What are the most common warehouse pressure points you see in warehouse and fulfilment operations at this time of year?
Space and time – the two big ones. During peak, businesses often carry more stock, more packaging materials, and more work-in-progress, whilst also needing to move orders through the building faster. That combination can make even a well-run warehouse feel cramped.
The other challenge is consistency. At quieter times, teams can work around inefficient processes, and during peak times, every small inefficiency is magnified. If pick locations are unclear, if frequently used items are too far from the packing area, or if packing is not immediately available, we know it causes delays. The goal should be to remove as many unnecessary touches and movements as possible.
How can warehouse managers improve efficiency without making major capital investments?
A lot can be achieved through better organisation. Not every improvement has to be a major automation project. There is huge value in reviewing the basics: where stock is held, how items are picked, how packaging is stored, and whether packing teams have what they need within arm’s reach.
We always encourage businesses to walk the process – follow an order from pick to dispatch and ask where time is being lost. Are staff searching for consumables? Are small components mixed together? Are empty containers taking up valuable spaces? Are packaging materials being replenished quickly enough? These are all simple questions, but they reveal practical improvements that can be made quickly.
Kite Packaging has recently added collapsible storage boxes to its range. Where do these fit into peak-season planning?
They are a very practical product for businesses that need flexibility. During peak, space has to work harder and more efficiently; our collapsible storage boxes are stackable when full and foldable when empty, so they help warehouses manage fluctuating volumes without dedicating unnecessary space to empty containers.
They are manufactured from durable, reusable polypropylene, with aerated sides and a solid base, making them suitable for storage, picking, packing, and transport. The range covers different load capacities, from lighter-duty handling through to more demanding distribution requirements. This makes them useful across warehouse, stockroom, retail, and distribution centre environments.
For peak season, the benefit is that they can be deployed where the pressure is. They might be used for temporary pick faces, return handling, replenishments, or moving stock between areas. Once the rush passes, they fold down to take up less space – easy. That kind of flexibility is valuable when businesses are trying to avoid turning the warehouse into a seasonal obstacle course.
Picking accuracy is critical during Christmas. What role do pick bins play in getting that right?
Picking accuracy is about making the right action the easiest action. If small parts, accessories, labels, tape, components, or consumables are poorly organised, mistakes and delays will become more likely. Pick bins bring order to those areas.
Our plastic nestable bins are made from 100% recycled plastic and are designed to create organised workstations for a wide range of goods. They have a lowered front for easy access, detachable feet for stacking, and they can be attached to a louvred panel. This means that they can work on a bench, in a packing area, or as part of a more structured picking system.
For many businesses, especially those handling small to medium items, the improvement is immediate. Staff can see what they need, access it quickly, whilst keeping their locations tidy. During peak, that visibility matters. A well-organised pick face can shave seconds from each order, and across thousands of orders those seconds begin to become very significant.
How important is packaging availability during the golden quarter?
It is absolutely essential. Packaging can sometimes be treated as an afterthought, but if a business runs out of the right box, tape, void fill, or label, the fulfilment process comes to a halt. It does not matter how good the product is or how many orders have been placed. If you cannot pack it safely and ship it on time, you have a problem.
Kite has, for many years, spoken about Peak Packaging Monday as a key checkpoint for businesses preparing for the Christmas rush. It is a reminder to review packaging stocks, forecast demand, and make sure that the essentials are in place before the busiest weeks arrive. Planning early helps avoid rushed decisions, higher costs and the risk of having to use unsuitable materials.
Finally, what does Kite Packaging want customers to associate with the business during peak season?
Reliability. Peak season is ultimately demanding, and customers need suppliers who understand the pressure they are under. Kite is an employee-owned business, and that makes a difference to how we work. We are focused on helping customers solve real packaging and operational problems, whether that is through stock products, bespoke solutions, or advice from our experienced packaging specialists.
We want to help businesses keep orders moving, protect their products, and make even the busiest weeks of the year feel a little more controlled.
Kite Packaging
02476 420065
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