Reducing Shipping Expenses

Packaging goods for shipping can be physically demanding — even more so if the items are bulky or need special handling. Industrial supplies can take some effort to pack because they need to be protected from the jolts that come with being in transit. You can make things easier on your shipping staff by stocking some supplies that make packaging items require less effort on their part. The less tired they end up being each day, the more they'll be able to pack, or at least, the more efficiently they'll be able to pack items, even if they don't pack more. These supplies are easy to find, so there's no real excuse for not getting at least some of them.

Pre-Stretched Film

When wrapping boxes on a pallet with plastic film, you want the wrap to conform to the shapes of the boxes and keep everything together in a nice, tight package. When using regular plastic stretch wrap for this, the person applying it has to pull and stretch the film as they're wrapping the items. The film retracts a bit once it's been applied, creating that tightly wrapped look you were hoping for. But the stretching can be taxing after a while and requires more effort overall. It doesn't take much force to stretch it; that's not the problem. It's just a slight amount of constant effort that has a cumulative effect on how workers feel.

With pre-stretched film, that effort is gone. The film is wrapped around the items and clings easily without having to go through more stretching. Stretched film is also lighter, so workers deal with less weight as they try to carry rolls of the film around the facility.

Custom Packaging

Trying to stuff an oddly shaped item into a box that wasn't constructed specifically for that item is not the favorite activity of anyone in a busy shipping department. Even if the box itself is big enough to hold the item, trying to stuff material inside the box to pad the item just takes too long, even if it includes pouring a bunch of foam packing peanuts into the box. A custom-made box that fits the item perfectly is a lot easier to use. If you have items that you need to ship that could benefit from having custom-made packaging, order the custom packaging. It will take your staff less time to package the items and should improve shipping times.

Just these two types of supplies alone can really help make work easier for your shipping staff. 

To learn more, contact an industrial packaging supplier.