Savvy business owners understand that a customer’s product experience starts when the product is delivered. A simple, flimsy box won’t make the kind of impression that generates recurring business. It would help if you had the appropriate packaging to demonstrate the quality of your product.
What is a Packaging Supplier?
A packaging supplier provides everything you require to ship your goods confidently. Boxes, mailers, paper, fillers, tape, and other supplies are available. In other words, because you made the product, your packaging supplier will take care of the rest.
How you package your products has a role in your marketing as well as helping to ensure that they reach your clients securely.
Your brand’s identity can be seen in your packaging. Find the ideal source for business packaging, so you don’t miss any chances to make an impression.
A Wide Selection of Products
It would be best if you had packaging that complements your items’ and brand’s individuality. In addition to helping you meet your needs as your business develops and evolves, a supplier with a large selection of products will guarantee you can discover the ideal packaging.
Additionally, many businesses supply bespoke packaging, including boxes, tissue paper, and tape. They can even offer office supplies. A large range is another indication that your packaging supplier is capable of expanding. You don’t want to have to take the time to look for a new supplier, especially if your firm is thriving.
Start with a reputable organization that can expand with you and has the knowledge and experience to meet your business’s objectives.
What Kinds Of Materials Are Used For Packaging?
Do you intend to enter the market for product packaging? If so, there are many things to think about and research. Choosing the appropriate packaging materials is one of the most important factors to consider at this time.
Which type of material to use when packaging a product is a decision that must be made. But which kind of material should you pick? Which material should I use—plastic, metal, cardboard, paperboard, foil, shrink film, bio-plastics, boxes, clamshells, or anything else?
After researching your possibilities, you can select the appropriate material(s) for your packaging needs. But you must be aware of the best supplies for your uses.
Industrial Packaging has provided packaging material sales, management, and consulting services for decades. We are experts in all facets of packaging supplies.
- Corrugated Boxes
Corrugated boxes dominate the packaging sector. The standard packaging material for many years has been corrugated boxes. On packaging lines worldwide, they are employed to package massive quantities of goods.
Traditionally rectangular corrugated boxes are frequently ordered premade. On the other hand, the boxes will need to be assembled by hand if they arrive in flat stacks.
Case erectors and corrugated boxes are frequently used together for packing purposes. Equipment for packaging includes case erectors. With the aid of these devices, people can mold flat cardboard into a standard box shape. When packaging and delivering goods, the boxes are then used.
Fiberboard is used to make corrugated cardboard, which is used for packing. Typically, one or more different types of fiberboard are used to create corrugated cardboard. A technique known as fluted lamination is used to produce corrugated cardboard (AKA: corrugation).
It’s also known as corrugated fiberboard when talking about corrugated cardboard. Technically, any heavy-duty boarding material made from paper pulp qualifies as cardboard.
Electronics, DVDs, consumer products, and pre-packaged food items like cereal, chips, and cookies are among the things that are frequently packaged in corrugated boxes.
- Strapping Film
Stretch film is one of the packaging materials that are most frequently used globally. Stretch film is nearly universally used by businesses with shipping divisions. They utilize it to protect their products before shipping by placing them on pallets.
This prevents things from collapsing or being harmed during shipping. Stretch film uses a “load confinement” technique to achieve this result.
Put, load confinement enables your load to be sufficiently secured so it can travel securely to its destination.
Stretch wrap materials come in a variety of forms nowadays. Every single one is designed for a certain use. These film genres include:
- Mechanical stretch
- Casting Stretch
- Bloated Stretch
- Pre-Stretch
- Stretch Hay Baling
- Hand flexion
- Stretching colour
- UVI Stretch
- Stretching VCI
- Stretchy Vented
- Stronger Stretch
- Stretch without Clinging
Each of the film formulations mentioned above is intended for a particular use. For the recommended applications, each formulation should be used. Inadequate load containment may occur from using the wrong kind of stretch film. The incorrect use of film may lead to safety concerns and improperly wrapped pallets.
Multi-packs are frequently packaged and unitized using stretch film. These are a few examples of toilet paper, paper towels, and bottled water.
- Shrink film
In businesses worldwide, shrink film is utilized on millions of packaging lines. Currently, it is among the most often used categories of packaging supplies. As a result, a dizzying variety of products are packaged with it.
Shrink film compositions come in a variety of forms. The most popular formulations are polyolefin, polyethene, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) (POF). Each formulation is created with a particular application in mind. The finest shrink film, for instance, to use when wrapping food is a polyolefin.
Packaging mistakes can be made if the incorrect shrink film is used for the wrong products. Additionally, it could lead to mechanical issues and safety risks.
Along with shrink tunnels and sealers, shrink film is used for packaging goods. These two pieces of packaging equipment are needed to run shrink film on your packaging line. The product is put in a shrink film bag after going through the sealer first.
The bag is then heated to form a seal on each side. Next, the item travels down the line and enters the shrink tunnel (known as a heat tunnel). After that, the shrink film bag shrinks uniformly to surround the product inside.
Board games, frozen pizza boxes, and other small commodities are frequently packaged with shrink film.
Additional Greener Alternatives to Shrink Film
Biodegradable shrink films and recycled shrink films are currently accessible, albeit both are only in a very restricted quantity. These might interest those of you who highly value environmental responsibility and sustainability.
Be aware that these movies are typically much more expensive and could be challenging to find because of supply chain issues constantly. Therefore, additional minimum order requirements might apply to certain of these movies.
- Printed Shrink Film
Polyolefin (also known as POF) and polyethene shrink film are the two main types of printed shrink film. However, shrink film producers (also known as OEMs) sell polyethylene (or PE) shrink film the most frequently, typically thicker than polyolefin films.
In essence, printed films are very similar to conventional transparent shrink films. But with one condition. Printed shrink film, instead of clear shrink film, provides the special ability to print branded aesthetics and attention-grabbing visuals directly onto the film itself. In addition, printing on polyolefin film eliminates the need for labelling, unlike clear shrink films.
High-volume CPG companies utilize printed shrink films most frequently because they offer a distinctive material for these enterprises. All printed shrink films have a minimum order requirement; It should be noted.
They are, therefore, typically not a good choice for low-volume applications. The typical minimum order quantity for printed shrink film is 50,000 impressions. A single bundle of film needs one imprint to be completely wrapped.
Even while printed shrink films are often more expensive than transparent ones, some light-gauge printed films are more cost-effective yet just as impressive as their thicker counterparts.
- Shrink film tubes
Flat plastic tubing rolled onto a core is known as shrink film tubing. Shrink sleeves are single sheets of shrink film tubing frequently cut into them. Products of many different types are packaged using these sleeves.
Various plastic compositions create shrink film tubing, often known as poly-tubing, high-speed tubing, or “heat seal” tubing. The packaging of many different types of consumer items frequently uses this tubing material. These could include metal rods, glass bottles, fishing poles, and other goods.
Both custom and standard-sized shrink film tubing are offered. In addition, shrink film tubing can also be printed with logos, graphics, and other branding components, just like printed shrink film.
- Polybags
Most typically used for packaging and shipping particular consumer goods, polybags are clear or translucent plastic bags. The most common plastic packaging composition today, polyethylene, is typically used to make poly bags.
In general, polybags are 1-6 mils thick. There are, however, distinctive poly bags that are offered in both thinner and thicker thicknesses. Requests can also be made for certain specialty plastic formulas. The popularity of polybags is attributed to their excellent elasticity, smooth hand feel, and slim body shape.
Polybags are most frequently used as packaging for various consumer goods, including t-shirts, business magazines, mailers, bed linens, pillows, and many other items.
- Roll bags
Roll bags are particularly translucent or printed flexible bagging created using various plastic formulas. Pre-rolled onto a plastic core, these bags are delivered in rolls. Each bag features a side open for simple product entry and an end perforated on the opposite side to make removing the bag from the roll easier.
In the grocery store, produce is frequently bagged in rolls that hang from hooks. This is known as roll bagging. The eCommerce sector is where roll bags are most common, but they are also widely used for paper mailers and medical supplies.
- Bundling film
A type of shrink film is bundling film. Multi-packs of products are typically made with this kind of film. Also referred to as bundles, multi-packs are. One or more components in a multi-pack may be free-standing or rest on a platform or material sheet.
After passing through a heat tunnel, the bundle is wrapped in shrink film, most frequently made of LDPE. After that, the film shrinks, holding the bundle together as it is packaged. Packs of water bottles and boxes of tissues are examples of products that come packed in this way.
- Shrink bands
Protective packaging includes shrink bands, commonly known as seal bands. To facilitate use, these bands are frequently perforated. For various products, caps and shrink bands are already manufactured to fit. These products include bottles, jars, liquid droppers, and other objects.
Now tell me, how do you use a shrink band? First, the container’s cap, which needs to be sealed, is fitted with a soft plastic ring. The ring is then made to shrink uniformly around the lid using heat. Next, use a heat gun, shrink, or steam tunnel to apply the heat.
Other tamper-evident packing options include shrink bands. They will inform the customer if a product has been subjected to tampering or damage. In addition, they assist in keeping people safe from ingesting harmful products.
Shrink bands give the product cap’s seal additional durability. This implies that the product’s seal has been strengthened with additional protective properties.
Are there any other kinds of packaging supplies available?
Many of the most popular packaging materials are included in the list above, along with some rigid and flexible packaging options. Despite its length, the list mentioned above merely scratches the surface of the packaging options that are now available. Other packaging materials worth considering are:
- Glass Jars
- Aluminum Cans
- Bottles made of plastic
- Paperboard boxes
While only showcasing a few of the most widely used packaging materials, the packaging supplies described in this article should give you enough knowledge to begin forming an opinion about the kind of packaging materials that would be most suitable for your product’s packaging needs.
Conclusion
The next step is to choose the most suitable materials for packaging your items now that you know the many packaging materials. To achieve that, see the companion article Which Packaging Supplies Are Right for Your Products? You’ll have the information to make the best packing material choices.
On the other hand, you might want to think about consulting with one of our packaging specialists if you wish to seek some professional advice on selecting appropriate packaging materials for your items. Even if the final vendor you choose is not us, they will assist you in choosing the proper packaging materials and supplier.