Product Packaging & Palletization – Ending Well Matters

“Seeing is believing, and perceiving creates realities“

The condition of how a product arrives at its destination and it’s interaction with end users is where packaging has the greatest impact.  Painstaking concern is directed at designing the primary packaging and secondary packaging.  Often neglected is the distribution carton and pallet pattern along with the specifications for properly securing and protecting the system for transit throughout the distribution channel. Poor execution of the system creates in the mind of the end user low brand value impressions.

For system clarification, product packaging methods are thought of as levels or layers, such as immediate, intermediate and outer shipping carton.  These package layers and levels are also referred to as primary packaging, secondary packaging and tertiary packaging.

Immediate/primary packaging is the packaging that comes in direct contact with the product and is typically the smallest salable unit.  For instance, the bottle the shampoo comes in.

Intermediate/secondary packaging is the packaging that is in direct contact with the primary package and is also used to group primary packages for better handling.  For instance, the box the toothpaste comes in or the shrink wrapped set of thank you cards.

Outer shipping carton/tertiary packaging is the bulk packaging whose purposes include consolidation, handling, transit, storage and product protection.  This level of packaging can be considered as an individual carton or a unitized pallet. For instance, the outer carton packed with multiple sets of greeting cards or the pallet stacked with outer cartons.

Determining product consolidation and unitized load strategies requires an understanding the packaging system goals.  Based your goals, design strategies such as: component based, system based and compliance based, can be employed.

For More Information Check out this video to learn more about how to prevent product damage within the supply chain. Click Here to learn more about how ASAP can help you with your damaged product issues.

Each strategy requires intimate knowledge of distribution channels, as well as unique product attributes, such as climate sensitivities and weight restrictions.  Some important factors in the distribution channels include:

• Destination locations
• Modes of transportation
• Truck, rail or container sizes
• Atmospheric conditions
• Storage conditions

Understanding environments within distribution channels helps to determine the kind of distribution cartons, pallets, stacking patterns and pallet protection needed to safely deliver products to market.

With all the complexities inherent in packaging systems and methodologies, it becomes easy to understand how and why the tertiary details are often overlooked.  However, if we take the next step in the process, often we can avoid costly product damage.  If there are current issues with product damage, perhaps the first places to look are unitization, pallet patterns and pallet protection.  Sometimes using different stretch wrap materials and methods, banding, slip sheeting, edge protectors or reconfiguring a pallet pattern can easily solve these problems.

Here are a few great resources for more informationon this multifaceted subject:

• The Wiley Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology
• Design Matters: Packaging 01: An Essential Primer for Today’s Competitive Market
• The Package Development Process: A Guide for Engineers and Project Managers