How Packaging Can Reduce Transportation Costs

In the competitive manufacturing world, new, “innovative” products are constantly being introduced that are designed to save users enormous amounts of time and effort. And manufacturers of consumer goods are not the only industry trying to win the title of “Most Innovative.” Even business-to-business organizations, like the vendors who supply materials to manufacturers, have entered the game with products that aim to help manufacturers realize significant savings.

The packaging industry has also put its hat in the innovation ring, and with great success. For example, a relatively recent innovation, corrugated plastic, has taken the packaging industry by storm, and manufacturers are just now starting to realize the product’s benefits. Plastic corrugated is a durable material designed to replace the conventional paper, or cardboard, corrugated products which once dominated the packaging industry. Corrugated plastic is formed when two plastic liners are fused together on either side of a sheet of wavy plastic known as fluting. Together, these three layers create a weather- and chemical-resistant material whose properties offer a superior alternative to traditional packaging methods.

For manufacturers, the benefits of plastic corrugated are plenty. Just take a look at this list of how corrugated plastic can help manufacturers save resources:

• Plastic corrugated will outlast cardboard corrugated by 20-40 times and can be used over and over, so manufacturers have to replace fewer cartons, resulting in significant cost savings in both obtaining new cartons and disposing of the old ones.

• Corrugated plastic is stronger than cardboard. Product test results have shown that it has a tensile and tear strength over twenty times greater than paper, guaranteeing manufacturers that their product is better protected and more likely to arrive at its destination unharmed.

• Plastic corrugated can be fused together in a process called sonic welding; resulting in unique sizes, shapes and designs. This process can be employed to produce custom-fitted products that meet an individual manufacturer’s specifications.

• Corrugated plastic is available in 14 standard colors and can be printed, so even when a product is in shipment, the manufacturer can maintain brand identity.

• Plastic corrugated is lighter than cardboard, so it costs less to ship.

• Plastic corrugated is inert to nearly all acids, chemicals, detergents, grease, and oils, is UV-resistant, and can withstand temperature extremes from –17 degrees Fahrenheit to 230 degrees Fahrenheit, making it the best packaging product for many industries.

• Corrugated plastic is 100% recyclable and environmentally friendly, enabling manufacturers to adhere to the many new environmental laws being enacted all over the world.

In closing, plastic corrugated returnable packaging offers numerous advantages over paper corrugated expendable packaging. As decision makers are being pressed for cost savings, sometimes an evaluation of their packaging will yield unexpected and positive results.