When you think of packaging services, you may be only thinking of printing and design, but there is so much more a packaging partner can provide you with. From making sure your product can withstand handling to providing all of the additional materials you may need, and even optimizing your process with contract packaging or vendor-managed inventory, taking full advantage of additional services, on top of packaging creation, is an impactful and often untapped optimization opportunity.
Here are five types of packaging services that can improve your packaging process.
1. Structural Testing
No matter how eye catching your packaging may be, it won’t save your brand if the structural elements fail. Structural testing helps ensure your products and their packaging thrive in any wildly different environment along the supply chain — from shipping to warehouses, and on displays or store shelves.
ISTA (the International Safe Transit Association) is a member-based nonprofit organization dedicated to making sure products reach their destinations safely. ISTA’s testing standards are widely accepted as the leading verification to ensure packaging integrity and reduce product damage amidst differing environments.
Jamestown Container has an in-house certified ISTA testing lab that helps our customers reduce product damage and sunk costs. This helps us to make sure that all of our designs are sound throughout the design and creation process, and address any strength concerns early on in the process to deliver the best packaging and displays, faster.
2. Color Management & Consistency
Partnering with an innovative packaging design team is essential, but making sure your packaging partner can deliver on those designs consistently is just as important. Since you’ll likely need several runs of the same packaging materials over time, you’ll want to make sure your colors and branding remain consistent to help with brand awareness and make your products appear high-value to customers.
There are two elements that affect the quality of your printed packaging designs, including having high-quality printers and highly-skilled professionals working on your packaging. If the right person has the wrong equipment, then your packaging may not turn out the way you envisioned it, and vice versa.
Jamestown’s printing professionals have extensive experience in color management and creating consistent, high-quality packaging products for our customers. Our printing capabilities include direct flexo printing, label mounting, digital printing, die-cutting, and specialty gluing.
3. Stock Shipping Supplies
While custom packaging is ideal for creating great unboxing experiences and increasing brand awareness in retail settings, supporting materials and stock boxes can be just as important to your business. If you don’t have the right protective filling materials, tape, or any number of other stock supplies, even the strongest well-designed packaging can fall short of keeping products contained and safe.
Stock shipping supplies are a great way to get the high-quality products you need at a discount. And if your packaging provider has these kinds of materials available, then you’ll only have to work with one vendor and will know you’ll be able to trust the product quality.
If you have a more sensitive or fragile product such as electrical components or furniture, you may need custom packing materials versus stock supplies. Again, working with a packaging company that can fulfill these requests on top of handling your core packaging programs will streamline communications, let you work with one trusted vendor versus having to find multiple, and make your processes more efficient.
Jamestown Container has a stock packaging supplies website to fulfill all of your bulk packaging material needs. Our Viva Foam division also provides custom-shaped packaging foam in order to protect your more sensitive products.
4. Co-Packing Services
Contract packaging is another added service that can have a profound effect on making your packaging, shipping, and fulfillment processes more efficient. It involves outsourcing packing and shipping to your packaging provider so they get your products ready and ship them out on-site at their facility.
This reduces the number of checkpoints necessary during packing, shipping, and fulfillment, automatically speeding up your possible time to market. All you have to do is send a stock of your products to your packaging provider for them to store, and they will handle getting your product to its end location in its packaging from there.
Jamestown provides expert co-packing services for both e-commerce and retail companies. We’ll make sure your product looks great in its packaging, and that assembled product packages and displays make it to store locations or directly to the end customer depending on the type of business you run.
5. Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI)
Lastly, having your packaging vendor handle your packaging inventory and replenishment will free up warehouse space, saving you time and money. An electronic system will simplify communication and help you quickly track packaging inventory as it’s used, so you’ll never have to worry about placing an order for more packaging again.
Jamestown provides an easy-to-use, robust eVMI (electronic vendor-managed inventory) program that will prevent you from having out-of-date or damaged packaging taking up space in your warehouse. You’ll be able to avoid emergency orders, give warehouse workers other essential tasks, and rest easy knowing you have the packaging you need on-hand, every time you need it. All it takes is one scan of a pallet as you’re using it, and our system will be able to automatically replenish your packaging before it runs out.
Jamestown’s Wide Range of Quality Packaging Services Will Help You Stay Cost- and Time-Efficient
As mentioned throughout this blog, Jamestown has several additional packaging services on top of our core corrugated packaging creation services that can help you grow your business efficiently and continue to drive sales in different contexts. Between our ISTA-certified structural testing, high-quality printing equipment, stock or custom shipping supplies, contract packaging services, and vendor-managed inventory system, there’s a service that addresses every potential packaging issue you may run into.
Contact Jamestown for expert packaging services that will streamline your processes in 2022.
