In today’s financial climate, it’s crucial that businesses look across their operations to see where cost savings can be achieved. One of the biggest sources of inefficiencies can often be in the use of packaging. This is a vital component of many businesses, but it can also be an area where significant savings can be made.

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Pallet load design

Pallets have become an important and convenient part of the logistics market. However, improving the design of pallet loads can reduce overall packaging costs. Choosing the right type of pallet for a particular load is crucial, reducing transport and storage costs. An effective unit load design will enable suppliers to use the pallets more efficiently and store as many goods as possible on each. It’s important to look at the strength of a pallet and assess what it can safely carry without causing damage to the goods.

Protecting goods

One of the most important elements when planning pallet use is how to protect the goods effectively. You need to get the balance right between not enough packaging and wasting money and resources on too much. Manufacturers often buy pallet wrap machines to solve this issue.

Inadequate packaging can lead to issues on the production line, such as delays from film wrap splitting. The use of machines, such as those from suppliers like packaging-machines.co.uk who provide pallet wrap equipment, can create a more efficient system. This enables goods to be packaged faster and tighter, and results in less film being used. Each year, 1.2 million tonnes of packaging film is used and reducing this quantity can have cost and environmental advantages.

Reusable packaging

When you’re creating a packaging strategy, return on investment is a crucial factor. Reusable packaging, such as returnable plastic pallets, can help to lower costs. However, you also need to factor in the cost of returns and the impact of losses, as it might not be beneficial in your particular supply chain. The loss of plastic containers and pallets in the US costs businesses between $800 million and $1.5 billion each year.

Wherever you look at making cost savings, it’s vital that this doesn’t impact on the operation of your business. If it has a negative impact on one area then it might not be a worthwhile exercise, regardless of the savings you’ll be making.