Packaging Corner: Dunnage and the total packaging picture

When considering the costs associated with protective dunnage materials—such as air pillows, paper pads or flowable foam peanuts—it’s important to think out of the box, says Daniel Wachter, president of Storopack. However, he adds, it’s also important to think in the box, into the box and around the box, too.

“All four dimensions contribute to the total packaging picture,” Wachter explains. “Many companies want to reduce their dunnage costs, but they have to evaluate those costs as part of the whole process.”

For any company shipping direct-to-consumer, it’s not feasible to stock an infinite number of boxes sized to best fit every item in inventory or every picked order. That’s where void fill materials come in, filling empty spaces to brace or cushion a box’s contents to prevent damage during shipping.

“It’s essential to select the packaging material that is effective and efficient in terms of material consumption so that just the right amount is used ‘in the box’ to protect the items,” says Wachter. “Further, it’s important that the package recipient is not inconvenienced by excessive waste. Their ‘out of the box’ experience should be positive.”

Companies shipping thousands of boxes a day should also examine their protective packaging process as they seek to reduce overall cost of ownership. “Packaging is very manual. Ensuring that this ‘into the box’ process is conducted in the most ergonomic way enables packers to be as effective and efficient as possible,” he explains. “That means supplying them with the correctly sized box, the right amount of protective packaging at the right time, and the correct labels while minimizing travel or movement.”

Advances in software, Wachter notes, have made it possible to better synchronize packaging into all other warehousing processes around the box.
“Packaging software works with a facility’s warehouse management software (WMS) to analyze the volume and dimensions of every product. That helps optimize the assortment of box sizes necessary to ship each order, and the amount of void fill packaging needed to protect those shipments,” he says.

The software can recommend the best-sized box to contain a shipment, as well as calculate the amount of packing material needed, freeing a packer from making a decision that could waste either time or materials. “Studies show that packers tend to choose a bigger shipping box than they need, and therefore use more materials to fill the void,” adds Wachter. “The software eliminates that waste.”