Returnable, Reusable Packaging
In today’s business and manufacturing environment, the words ‘kaizen’, ‘lean manufacturing’ and ‘environmental impact’ are dominating the agenda. Companies are continuously looking into possibilities to make their processes more efficient. How to improve packaging is an important part of this focus. Implementing a reusable packaging system means that you replace a one way packaging with a returnable solution. Once arrived at final destination, these boxes must be collected and sent back to the distribution point. The use of collapsible packaging makes the return freight a minor cost factor. However to successfully implement this system it is important that you have a limited number of distribution points. This way you can keep track of your packaging and minimize the losses. It is also important to have a reasonable amount of cycles in your goods flow. Having more cycles a year means you need fewer boxes in the system, thus reducing your investment amount. A rule of thumb is to have the packaging complete at least four cycles per year to be profitable.
