realize that the postal regulations are not the same as regular ground or air or vessel,” Johnson says. “Each mode and each competent authority has several differences. Companies need to get a handle on what they are doing, how the products are regulated, and what the packaging requirements and limitations are.” Ecommerce is having a clear impact on packaging trends. In RRD’s survey, 60% of respondents say that their company had seen an increase in ecommerce orders over the previous year. “To keep up with demand, packaging and label specifiers had to adapt their selections to meet these needs—74% changed materials based on availability for packaging, and 64% did the same for labels,” Techter says. “A focus on ecommerce packaging design is rivaling brick-and-mortar packaging design, which is an interesting development as ecommerce continues to outperform previous years.” SMART PACKAGING The pressure on delivery speed that has emerged from ecommerce’s rise has made supply chain visibility and tracking more important than ever. That has drawn increasing interest in smart packaging that integrates technology and enables item-level tracking. Smart packaging can strengthen efficiency by providing companies with data to improve inventory management, among other benefits. “We’re excited about Radio Frequency Identification, or RFID, mainly because it directly affects supply chain efficiency,” Techter says. “While RFID is not new to the industry, resurgence is happening as top U.S. retailers mandate their suppliers pre-label certain products with RFID labels to optimize inventory management
BUILDING BOXES IN SECONDS
Macfarlane Packaging launched a new rapid box assembly system that helps packers build cardboard boxes in seconds and increases packing efficiency by up to 70%. Created by Macfarlane’s Innovation Lab team, the new patent-pending solution has been designed to increase operational productivity by reducing manual box assembly times from 10 seconds to less than three seconds. The unique piece of packaging equipment will be made-to-order for Macfarlane customers and works with Macfarlane-exclusive box designs that have been optimized to provide more performance strength while using less material—increasing pallet fill and reducing transportation costs and CO 2 emissions. The 3D printed units can quickly assemble boxes up to 16 inches x 12 inches, with variable depth options. This makes the solution attractive to online and multi-channel retailers packing a high volume of small parcel size packages.
and supply chain operations. “Whether you’re in a store or
warehouse, scanning an RFID label tells you all about product origin, movement, and destination, helping the retailer provide a more seamless experience for consumers,” he adds.
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