The complete guide to packing: how to protect your goods? | RAJA
7min read
05/09/2021
Whether you’re an e-tailer just starting out or a logistics manager in a large company, you know that protecting your products during shipment is crucial.
However, simple, sturdy packaging is usually not enough to ensure that your products arrive in perfect condition in the hands of your end customer, and that’s where a crucial element comes into play : the cushioning of your packages.
Find out in this short guide all the cushioning materials you can choose from, the machines that can help you improve your picking process, and bonus tips to really protect your goods.
Why make sure you choose the right cushioning material for your parcels?
It’s a fact: the cushioning of your parcels is essential to..
- Protect your goods. Your cushioning material allows you to pack your products well, especially if they are fragile objects. It also helps you fill the void in the packages, and limit the circulation of products in the packaging. This material then becomes shockproof, and resists vibrations during transport, for safe shipments.
- Enhance your customer experience: As you know, some cushioning materials are perceived to be awkward to open (e.g. loose particles) or not environmentally friendly. In addition, some types of cushioning are customisable and can be used to create a differentiating packaging design for your brand.
- Improving the productivity of your packaging line: Choosing the right cushioning material also means selecting the one that will save your operators time while ensuring protective packaging for your products.
It’s up to you to choose the right industrial packaging material to ensure optimal protection for your goods!
The different cushioning materials and their benefits for your packages
You have many options for cushioning your parcels: which one should you choose, depending on your objectives? Take a look at the products available here, and choose the one that suits your logistics processes.
Traditional cushioning materials
You have probably already used or considered the following cushioning materials:
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Polystyrene cushioning particles. This is probably one of the best-known and most widely used cushioning materials. Unfortunately, these loose particles do not really enhance the customer experience, as they are likely to annoy customers when they open your packages. |
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Polyethylene foam sheets: These have to be cut with a cutter or saw to fit the size of the package, which makes them less practical than other cushioning materials. |
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Polyethylene foam film: A flexible, scratch-resistant cushioning material that wraps and cushions your products. Choose a recyclable version for environmentally friendly cushioning, or pre-cut to save time on your packaging line. |
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Bubble wrap: Bubble wrap is traditionally used to wrap each product in the box, or as a cushioning material to fill the void, and effectively protects your products against shocks. However, this bubble wrap is not very aesthetic, and has an unenvironmentally friendly image. There is also an isothermal version for your products that need protection against temperature variations. |
Innovative cushioning materials
If you want to make your order picking easier, or if you want to enhance your brand image, the following materials could be a good choice.
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Kraft paperthis is an environmentally friendly, protective, reliable and easy to use parcel cushioning material. It is usually purchased in paper rolls. It can also be customised with your brand colours and easily printed if required. If you want to cushion small parcels, you can also opt for kraft in the form of paper curl. |
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Silk paperthis silk wrapping paper can also be personalised and is ideal for the unboxing of your products. |
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Air cushioninghighly protective, clean, and environmentally friendly: the cushions are made up of up to 99% air once inflated, so they generate little waste and some are 100% recyclable. They also give a transparent effect to your parcels and make them lighter, allowing you to reduce the weight-volume of your shipments. The cushions are available in polyethylene, 50% recycled or biosourced plastic, or in paper (for a truly eco-responsible appearance). They are available in a dispenser box, or can be inflated using a cushioning machine. |
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Corn starch cushioning particlesbiodegradable in water, and very light, this material allows an eco-responsible packaging of your small packages, containing light products. |
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Recycled textile cushioning fibresmade from 100% recycled textile fibres, this method of cushioning is expansive, takes up little space in storage and can serve many purposes. Not only does it fill voids, it also protects your products from scratches and bumps. Very light, it is particularly suitable for the shipment of fragile, heavy or complex shaped products |
Packaging with integrated cushioning
Did you know that there is packaging that directly includes cushioning? This packaging is particularly clever if you want to speed up your order preparation rate, while taking care of the presentation and protection of your products in your packages;
Several types of packaging with integrated cushioning exist:
- Extra-flat boxes, cases and crates: This type of cardboard packaging can include a protective foam, or an antistatic protective film (ideal for shipping electronic products).
- Envelopes and pouches padded with bubble wrap. These are very practical for shipping light and bulky products. A strong pouch not only protects your goods during transport, but also allows them to be delivered to the mailbox the first time the postman comes. A real differentiator for the customer experience!
Wedging machines: to be considered to improve your order preparation
If you want to improve your packaging speed, while ensuring that the process is as ergonomic as possible for your operators, you should consider investing in the purchase or rental of dunnage machines.
Paper dunnage machines
If you opt for paper dunnage, these machines have multiple benefits: not only do they increase the productivity of your picking line, but they also take up little space in the warehouse.
There are two types:
- Machines for filling the void, and wedging small products or packages into larger packages.
- Machines for blocking products, especially for wrapping (i.e. wrapping each product in the box)
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These machines unroll kraft paper to produce either corrugated paper cushions or kraft paper accordions. |
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Others produce honeycomb-like paper cushioning with a layer of tissue paper, so you end up with a very aesthetically pleasing cushioning that looks obviously eco-friendly. |
However, depending on your protection needs, be sure to choose machines that create one or two-ply paper cushioning.
Air cushioning machines
If you are tempted to use an air cushioning machine, the principle of these machines is simple: they inflate tubes to form protective cushions.
With just a few clicks, your operators can set the air filling volume and heating temperature for optimal cushioning of your products.
They can produce air cushions, air sheets, or large air bubbles, depending on your needs in terms of aesthetics and protection.
BONUS: Tips on how to finish protecting your packages
Choosing the right cushioning for your parcels is not the whole story: other elements are crucial to getting well-packed, well-protected products for your shipments.
So think about..
- Choose the right flute for your boxes, depending on your protection needs. Between single flute, double flute, or triple flute, depending on whether you are packing heavy products or need particularly strong protective packaging, the thickness of the corrugated cardboard you choose will be crucial.
- Add profiles, corners, angles, sleeves and sleeves if necessary– all of which help protect the edges of fragile products. And good news: they’re available in foam or cardboard.
- Add sturdy adhesive tape toprotect packages. Different types of adhesive exist depending on whether you want to make your shipments more or less secure: kraft adhesive tape for eco-responsible protection, reinforced adhesive tape to protect your expensive shipments or heavy items..
- If necessary, strap the parcel with a strap, which will provide additional protection, making it very difficult to open your parcel without the help of a scissor or a cutter.
So, which cushioning material should you choose to ship smart, knowing that your goods will arrive in perfect condition?
