The variety of packaging in warehouses is constantly increasing, making efficient packaging all the more important. The new ratioform online guide „PACKwissen“ is now available for practical use: it provides information on filling materials, carton sizes, packing processes and professional tips on packaging materials for companies.
If you want to know quickly what the maximum load capacity of a plastic Euro pallet is (4 tonnes at 1200 millimetres long and 800 millimetres wide), which cushioning material is best suited for shipping tyre rims (multi-layer shirred paper webs) or even what the dimensions of a maxi letter are (maximum 353 millimetres long and 250 millimetres wide), the best place to look is online in the Packaging guide under http://www.ratioform.de/packwissen to.
„Who knows, for example, that there are seven types of adhesive tape made from different materials? Or that around 80 per cent of packaging costs for companies are attributable to the processes and only around 20 per cent to the material?“ explains Steffen Heydel, Head of Sales Development at ratioform, the German market leader in packaging for shipping, warehousing and offices.
„PACKwissen“ is designed for the daily use in almost all industries, especially in mailrooms, production, warehousing and dispatch departments, but also for production, freight forwarding and, of course, logistics service providers and materials management. ratioform experts are available to answer individual questions about the packaging process that go beyond the content of PACKwissen.
In „PACKing knowledge“, the individual steps from packaging to cushioning, sealing and labelling through to dispatch are answered with eight basic questions:
- Outer packaging?
- Material quality?
- Security requirements?
- Filling, padding and protection?
- Closure type?
- Pallet type?
- Pallet securing?
- Labelling?
Example Closure type: „To pick up on the theme of the seven adhesive tapes. They are available in different materials such as PP, PVC or fabric. Each has a special combination of properties such as tear resistance, adhesive effect, unwinding volume and moisture resistance. The areas of application are correspondingly different,“ adds Steffen Heydel. The online guide also contains information on Special packaging such as antistatic ESD packaging and moisture protection.
Cost-efficient packaging thanks to suitable techniques
Another important goal is cost-efficient packaging.
„Damage in transit due to incorrect filling that doesn't provide protection or paying too much for postage because the boxes are too large is naturally annoying. That's why the online guide also contains tables with parcel dimensions for postage-optimised shipping or formulas to determine the correct amount of filling material,“ says Steffen Heydel.
In addition to selecting the right packaging material, the process, technology and warehousing are decisive for the costs. For example, machine-filled bubble wrap can initially have slightly higher acquisition costs. „In the long term, however, the storage costs for the film rolls are significantly lower than for flo-pak packaging chips, for example,“ explains Steffen Heydel.
[infotext icon]For Efficient processes the right packaging technology is also crucial. The online guide therefore clearly describes how film can be wrapped securely around shipping goods on pallets to save material and which goods are best suited to foot, cross or top wrapping. „Because the right technology not only ensures that goods are well protected, but also enhances the appearance of packaging.“[/infotext]
