Packaging-Matters

2012 Walmart Sustainability Expo in Review

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Lindgren) — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:58:00 +0000

By Rob Busse, CPP- Chainalytics

Last week Chainalytics attended and presented at the 7^th Annual Walmart/Sam’s Club Sustainable Packaging Expo as well as the SVN meeting. This year there seemed to be more participation in the Expo than ever with 2,000 people in attendance and 190 total exhibitors.

Tom Blanck presented on the effect of packaging design on the whole supply chain. He reiterated a point made by Walmart personnel in the SVN meeting, that sustainable packaging design should not and does not have to cost more. In fact, most companies are not willing to pay more for sustainability and the end solution must make good business sense. The message that seemed to resonate with the crowd was that packaging optimization is a solution which has “wins” throughout the supply chain affecting not just the the material costs, but the damage, warehousing, logistics, and labor costs as well. So instead of costly material substitutions, an incremental packaging change which costs much less to implement may be the bigger bang for your company’s buck.

Always lots of energy at this show!

Among many sustainability success stories that were shared was a project by General Mills highlighting how they have reduced their material consumption and appealed to their end users’ request to have two smaller size cartons of Cheerios instead of one very large carton with two separate bags in it. You can see this package in action at Sam’s Club or learn more about it, click here.

New Cheerios Twin Club Pack

For more information about how Chainalytics’ Packaging Optimization practice can help your company identify and implement packaging solutions that are planet friendly and will increase profitability for your company, don’t hesitate to call us at 612-252-1830.

Chainalytics Booth

Walmart 7th Annual Sustainable Packaging Exposition

noreply@blogger.com (Rich - CPP) — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:16:00 +0000

Walmart's Sustainable Packaging Expo is always a big hit with CPG suppliers and packaging companies with fresh ideas on how to help Walmart and other CPG's make better, greener and often less expensive ways to safely deliver their goods to consumers.

Chainalytics is excited to being exhibiting and presenting at this year's conference, if you are going to the show yourself, make sure to introduce yourself, we'd love to meet all of you! Chainalytics Packaging Optimzation Practice strives to help companies become more sustainable and save money at the same time.

Walmart’s 7th Annual Invitation Only Packaging Expo brings hundreds of CPG Suppliers, Walmart and Sam’s Club buyers together with a record number of Companies offering Sustainable Packaging and Packaging Services. In addition there are dozens of free seminars offered to attendee’s which covers topics from Green Claims to actual packaging success stories which feature Sustainable Packaging Improvements to current Walmart and Sam’s Club products.

Details:

Walmart 7th Annual Sustainable Packaging Exposition

May 8, 2012 at 8:00 AM - May 9, 2012 at 4:30 PM

John Q Hammons Convention Center, Rogers

ISTA 2012 Transport Packaging Forum Focal Points

noreply@blogger.com (Rich - CPP) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:25:00 +0000

By Kyle Ous - Chainalytics

With more than 60 years in the package test method arena, International Safe Transit Association successfully hosted another Transport Packaging Forum in Orlando, FL. Again this year, the event brought insightful benefits ranging from success stories and networking to discovering alternative ways to design, test, and simulate field to lab testing.

Truly an international association, bringing attendees together from several companies representing 4 continent that share common bonds between packaging issues, insightful industry presentations and entertaining networking opportunities creates a remarkably powerful forum.

To summarize the top 5 challenges among attendees, the following were described as the highest ranked.

1. Doing more with less
2. Not letting packaging be an after thought
3. Reproducing damage from the field to qualify new designs
4. Sustainability metrics
5. Package testing for global markets

At times it seems like the globalization challenges that engineers are faced with seem somewhat native to the concept of packaging. Although, if you were asked by your manager to design packaging for a global market, where would you start?

The products packaging should always be designed for transportation all the way through the end user. Making certain your companies upstream and downstream partners are meeting testing requirements can be easily supported by a resource like the Chainalytics Packaging Optimization Practice. After all, having packaging resources engaged and familiar with your products supply chain allows for scalable support ranging from high to low amperage involvement. This partnership can make a difference at the forefront when your products are being thought about crossing borders.

As commerce continues to expand globally, standardized test methods related to environmental conditions, handling methods, and transportation modes tend to deviate away from the more common ways of doing business. Packaging Practice at Chainalytics has the expertise equipped to suit your Packaging and Supply Chain needs.

See you at the Transport Packaging Forum in 2013!

Chainalytics at ISTA Transport Packaging Forum this week!

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Lindgren) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:05:00 +0000

Members of the Chainalytics Packaging Optimization Practice will be attending and exhibiting this week all in the name of keeping up with the latest and greatest in transportation packaging. Check back soon for a summary recap of the forum!

The ISTA Forum offers an opportunity to earn from experts about the latest ideas and advancements of responsible transport packaging and physical distribution of products.

If you are going to be there, make sure to say hello to Rich and Kyle during the breaks, reception or at the Chainalytics booth on Tuesday night.

Upcoming Packaging & Supply Chain Webinar by Chainalytics

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Lindgren) — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:29:00 +0000

In partnership with Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News, Tom Blanck & Eric Carlson from Chainalytics will be presenting a webinar tomorrow at 1pm CT. Learn a little more below and there is a link to register at the bottom. While the focus will be on Pharmaceutical & Medical, there will be great info for all industries.

Optimizing Primary and Secondary Packaging for the Supply Chain

Packaging has become a strategic issue as many companies are facing mounting pressure to achieve cost reductions and sustainability goals. Whether you are designing a pill bottle or a medical device sterile barrier, packaging configurations directly impact every link of the supply chain – from inbound materials to storage and distribution. With material and logistics costs on the rise, there is a tremendous opportunity to optimize both primary and secondary packaging.

In an exclusive webcast from Pharmaceutical & Medical Packaging News, packaging experts from Chainalytics, a leading provider of supply chain intelligence, analytics, and advisory services, will discuss how supply chain packaging optimization can help you realize productivity, efficiency, and sustainability gains. Specifically, Chainalytics will explain how physical packaging attributes – such as dimensions, weight, design, unitization and containerization – affect shipping and logistics costs. In addition, Chainalytics will share conditions to look for in your distribution system to help you identify packaging improvement opportunities.

Presenting from Chainalytics:

Tom Blanck, CPP, CSCP

Eric Carlson, CPP

To register for this event, please follow the following link ...

https://presentations.inxpo.com/Shows/UBM/Standalone/PMPN/3-21-12/registration.html?ShowKey=5961&AffiliateKey=13584&AffiliateData=suetest

Can Technology Make Our Packaging Smaller?

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Lindgren) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:17:00 +0000

by Rich Lindgren, CPP - Chainalytics

Recently, there has been a growing amount of mobile barcodes published everywhere people are looking for information. From magazines articles and store shelves to transportation signs, these Mobile Barcodes, which are often referred to as QR (Quick Response) Codes or Electronic Tags, are popping up all over. These barcodes are gaining popularity quickly because they allow print and visual media to connect with digital media easily with an embedded URL that links to a video, website, or any other online media.

Here are a few advantages:

•Call-to-action: Use Mobile Barcodes as a direct response marketing tool for print campaigns; Mobile Barcodes automatically integrate print advertising with mobile devices.

•Manage the customer experience: Use Mobile Barcodes to link to a mobile website or video, on a business card to instantly add someone to your address book, dial a phone number, or display a free message.

•Advanced analytics: Measure campaign effectiveness with enhanced reporting, such as the number of scans of a particular Mobile Barcode over time and by geographic location.

•Adaptable size: Mobile Barcode’s small size allows you to maximize the information delivered to customers without taking up a lot of real estate in your printed materials and packaging.

•Sustainability: Using Mobile Barcodes for product information and marketing collateral eliminates the need for physical handouts and multiple copies. Now customers can scan these Mobile Barcodes and access the information virtually.

Curious how it works? Simply download the FREE applications or “Apps” for QR Codes and Microsoft® Tag from your appropriate App Store or website. Then use the QR Code Reader to scan the black and white barcode on the top or use the Microsoft Tag Reader to scan the multicolored barcode on the bottom.

Here at Chainalytics Packaging Optimization Practice, our packaging engineers are excited about this new technology because it could mean an end to inflated packaging. Many companies often inflate the size of their consumer packaging to create a larger billboard space to attract customers and provide additional product information. As these mobile barcodes become more accepted, consumers will be able to scan these small barcodes off the package, download all the product information instead of reading it on the package. Therefore allowing companies to cut down on their packaging size, save money and have a positive impact on their sustainable footprint, leaving a better planet for everyone!

For fun, here is a link to a video that demonstrates using a smartphone to read an electronic tag in a periodical to access a website and a video on a product.

Attending the 2011 APICS International Conference & Expo?

noreply@blogger.com (Rich - CPP) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 14:59:00 +0000

Mark your calendar to explore Smart Packaging for Sustainability and Savings with Tom Blanck - Chainalytics. Part of the Supply Chain Strategy learning path, this engaging session will discuss strategic opportunities that achieve costs savings and sustainability wins.

Monday, October 24
2:30pm-3:45pm

Be sure to check your on site program for up-to-date location information!

Chainalytics Acquires Packaging Solutions Business From Adalis

noreply@blogger.com (Rich Lindgren) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 16:59:00 +0000

Chainalytics to Provide Packaging Consulting and Engineering Services in New Minnesota-based Practice

Atlanta, GA – July 19, 2011 – Chainalytics LLC, a leading supply chain research, analytics and consulting firm focused on enabling fact-based supply chain decisions, announced today its acquisition of the packaging engineering and supply chain solutions consulting business from Adalis Corporation. Adalis is a global packaging solutions provider that offers package reinforcement and opening technologies to customers around the world and is a subsidiary of H.B. Fuller Company. The Adalis packaging engineering and consulting team, located in Minnesota, will form a new practice within Chainalytics that will focus on optimizing supply chain packaging solutions. Tom Blanck will lead Chainalytics’ packaging optimization practice as principal.

The Adalis packaging consulting team is a group of certified packaging engineers with significant packaging expertise and a proven track record across multiple industries, including food and beverage, consumer packaged goods, high tech and retail, in which Chainalytics has a strong existing presence, as well as several target markets like medical and industrial. The combination of the team’s technical capability with its cost-minimizing, environmentally-conscious approach strategically expands the scope of supply chain optimization services offered by Chainalytics.

“Packaging design can have a significant impact on overall supply chain performance and sustainability,” states Mike Kilgore, President and CEO, Chainalytics. “Our new packaging optimization practice will provide deep expertise, which, when combined with our robust knowledge of transportation and supply chain tradeoffs, will deliver exceptional value to our existing and future clients.”

Adalis acquired the Packaging Solutions Group in 2004 and has helped clients save millions of dollars by improving packaging and logistics design. The team has developed an approach and proven methodology to solve rigorous packaging and transportation challenges, including those related to high-value and sensitive products.

“Our team is truly excited to join forces with Chainalytics’ supply chain and transportation professionals,” says Tom Blanck. “Our value propositions are naturally aligned, and our clients will benefit from expertise and experience that uniquely blends operations, packaging and logistics. Supply chain stakeholders will be able to leverage packaging further upstream to influence the entire distribution system.”

Chainalytics’ packaging optimization services will help companies balance the performance of physical supply chain packaging activities – such as transportation load factors and product protection – against the impact of packaging on marketing and sales objectives. Services will include:

Packaging Design and Development to improve the design or material use for cost reduction or improved packaging performance;
Packaging Optimization to increase shipping densities of containers and improve cube utilization for decreased logistics cost; and
Sustainable Packaging Improvement to leveraging packaging materials and processes to reduce emissions and improve carbon footprint.

About Chainalytics
Chainalytics is a professional services firm that enhances competitive advantage and shareholder value through optimized supply chain strategies. Using a fact-based decision making approach, Chainalytics accelerates and improves supply chain performance. Chainalytics offers both project-based and managed services using a unique combination of domain expertise, resilient methodologies, and exclusive research and content — all supported by the world’s most advanced decision sciences tools and techniques. Chainalytics targets enterprises with a high degree of complexity created by their unique combination of scale, variability, and geography. With locations in North America and Asia, Chainalytics serves companies globally in a borderless fashion. www.Chainalytics.com

Highlights from ISTA 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 04 May 2011 15:38:00 +0000

By Kyle Ous - Chainalytics

“Testing, Testing, 1, 2”
Recently, we attended the ISTA Transport Packaging Forum in Orlando, FL. The forum brought together a variety of packaging professionals to discuss the latest ideas and advancements in sustainable transport packaging and the physical distribution of products.

Although the majority of the event focused on detailed test methods and field to lab highlights, for me, the most informative piece was the significance of testing in terms of cost reduction and sustainability. At Chainalytics, we often see many companies trying to eliminate packaging components and make material changes in order to increase sustainability and reduce costs. However, if these changes are causing increased product damage and risking customer satisfaction, these changes do not make business sense. Therefore, the best practice is to have the impact of all changes related to cost reductions and sustainability efforts verified in a test lab and compare the results against a baseline (aka, the performance of the original packaging). If the result of the proposed packaging equals or performs better than the original, then you can rest easy at night knowing that you are making the best decision for your company.

Another clear message at the forum was that the best “package” is actually an improved product. Companies should increase their focus on designing out weak elements of their products to add more customer value and reduce the need for overpackaging! So in other words, keep packaging in mind during product development.

Our packaging team believes strongly in package testing. We rarely recommend any changes without having performed testing to prove our solutions. Our packaging engineers also prefer to get involved in the process as early as possible, so if there are potential product recommendations that can be made, they can bring them to light early. If you have a new product in development, give us a call today early in the process, if possible, to help you make simple product changes that can save you thousands in packaging & logistics costs.

See you at the Transport Packaging Forum in 2012!

It’s Not Plastic, It’s a Plant!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 13:30:00 +0000

By Rob Kaszubowski, CPP- Chainalytics

Chooo chooo! What’s that, you ask? That’s the great sound of another company boarding the green train. Just last month, the HJ Heinz company announced that it would partner with Coca-Cola to use their Plantbottle™ for 120 million bottles of Heinz ® Ketchup.

Back in 2009, Coca-Cola launched its PlantBottle: a fully recyclable bottle that uses an innovative process to turn sugar cane and molasses into a key component for PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) plastic. Coke initially introduced the bottle in its Dasani® water and sparkling water markets and later with Vitaminwater® in 2010. Coca-Cola’s goal is to eventually convert all of their bottles to the plant based plastic by 2020.

Heinz said that the new material will increase its packaging costs; however they hope that it will give them greater flexibility to move away from the volatile price fluctuations of petroleum based raw materials.

Since the release of the PlantBottle, PepsiCo Inc. has decided to also board the sustainability train as well. In March, PepsiCo inc. unveiled the first ever 100% plant based bottle for their products.

With any kind of packaging change, numerous steps and measures need to be taken to assure a winning solution emerges in the end, so I’m sure these changes had been in process at these companies for some time. Just think of all the design, verification and testing that had to be done to achieve their final goal: bottle design, distribution and package testing, bottling line changes, etc.

Even with all this hard work, it’s great to see companies taking that first step forward to become a leader in sustainable packaging! The packaging engineers at Chainalytics are committed to increasing sustainability in packaging through innovation so contact us to see how we help your company board the train!

The Reusable Box

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:36:00 +0000

By Rob Kaszubowski- Chainalytics

In today’s society, we’re constantly being reminded of the big “3 R’s” of the environment: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Walmart has even gone as far as unveiling their own “7 R’s” of sustainability. eBay has also jumped on board the green train with the R’s of sustainability as they rolled out a trial version of their own reusabke shipping box back in September, 2010.

Stemming from their annual Innovation Expo where employees are encouraged to submit innovative ideas, the reusable shipping box emerged as the top idea. The boxes are made out of 100% recycled content as a robust, die-cut style corrugated shipper The corrugated is FSC-certified and fully recyclable once they finally wear out their use.

eBay estimates the boxes to be able to be reused about 5 times, which by their numbers could help save 2.4 million gallons of water, 4,000 trees and conserve enough energy to power 49 homes.

Columbia Sportswear has also introduced a reusable box program, offering online customers the option of having their purchases shipped in a new or used corrugated box. Columbia also encourages their customers to continue reusing the box by sending them to their site aboxlife.com, which allows people to share stories and track the life of the box.

It’s Not Too Late for a Packaging Resolution in 2011!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:23:00 +0000

By Rob Busse, CPP- Chainalytics

Let’s be honest, “New Year’s Resolutions” are hard to keep and by April they are usually distant memories. Although we all have the best intentions to achieve these goals, we all usually fail. So now that we are a few months into 2011 and most of the “New Year’s Resolution” pressure has passed, it is a good time to reconsider addressing your business resolutions for 2011. Here are a few ideas to get you started thinking:

1. Think about things that your direct group can affect

2. Brainstorm ideas with your team. Think about any of the following:

Ways to reduce operating costs (from practical to radical)
How to maximize the efficiency of personnel and equipment
How can your group practice sustainability, not just talk about it?
What are some new tools you could use to be more productive?
Your companies social responsibilities

3. Select the top ideas

4. Align your team’s goals with the broader corporate initiatives

5. Have a kick off meeting, assign team roles, and set some milestone dates

6. Then measure the impact

Since most resolutions fail within weeks, stay disciplined in the execution. Your team will be more confident at the end of the year when they can look back and see what was accomplished.

Chainalytics is focused on our customer’s bottom line. We would like to help your business unit win in 2011. Our packaging professionals can help you identify and implement cost reduction programs related to packaging, redesign pesky damage-prone packages, or make your supply chain more sustainable and easier on the environment. Email us to learn more.

Iconic Girl Scouts Cookie Packaging: Paper to Plastic?

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 16:39:00 +0000

By Eric Carlson, CPP- Chainalytics

For the Girl Scouts Cookie® purist, the new “Thanks-A-Lot”™ cookie packaging that is being tested in the Midwest may seem like the sad end of an era.

This new packaging design eliminates the paperboard carton by replacing it with a plastic wrap. According to ABC Bakers, the manufacturer of Girl Scouts Cookies, the new packaging will remove 150 tons of paperboard from the waste stream and save energy equal to 35,000 gallons of fuel, based on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Waste Reduction Model.

Chainalytics Packaging Optimization Practice, a team of Certified Packaging Professionals providing independent packaging engineering and consulting services, often suggests similar packaging changes reduce packaging and/or logistics costs to its clients. Had the Girl Scout organization asked us, we might have suggested this change as an option. However, we wonder if distribution and packaging testing was done to evaluate the impact of the new packaging on the quality or appearance of the delivered cookie.

Any time a packaging design change is made, due diligence demands that the new design be tested to assure that performance meets or exceeds expectations. Distribution testing to an internationally recognized ship test protocol (ASTM, ISTA, ISO) is highly recommended to understand not only baseline performance, but to provide some qualitative and quantitative measures of performance of the new packaging.

As a long-term consumer of the iconic Girl Scout Cookies, I can say that I never remember getting broken cookies. I hope that the Girl Scouts have done their cookie homework so that the cookies arrive intact to their adoring fans.

2011 Small Parcel Rate Increases

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 16:30:00 +0000

By Tom Blanck, CPP, CSCP- Chainalytics

You’ve probably heard about the recent rate increases from FedEx and UPS. According to the Logistics Management’s January webcast, 2011 Logistics Rate Outlook – Going UP, the good news is that the economy is recovering – yet offset somewhat by expectations of escalating transportation costs including probable diesel fuel price increases.

FedEx package and freight rates are up an average of 5.9% (2011 FedEx Rates) and UPS rates increased an average of 4.9% (2011 UPS rates). However, what hasn’t made top news is the change to dimensional freight pricing methods. Depending on package weight and size, both services may assess higher charges based on dimensional weight.

Dimensional weight is calculated by multiplying the length by width by height of each package in inches and dividing the total by a specific factor. Coincidentally, both services have reduced the factor used for calculating shipping prices from 194 to 166 for domestic services and from 166 to 134 for most export services.

What this means is that some packages will now be charged based on DIM measures, resulting in increased rates – substantially greater than the average 4.9%. This might have serious implications on small parcel shippers who have large, lightweight or fragile products that require cushioning.

Supply chain and packaging leaders are continually looking for ways to decrease costs and improve operating income. For some companies, this may provide financial motivation for finding creative ways to deal with increased shipping costs by leveraging packaging design. Now more than ever, optimizing packaging can provide a positive impact on the bottom line. The packaging engineers at Chainalytics specialize in evaluating packaging’s affect on shipping rates and have helped many companies find the most effective cost solution.

Frustration-Free Packaging Redesign

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 16:48:00 +0000

by Brad Oberstadt - Chainalytics

Amazon.com® new Frustration-Free Packaging initiative not only cures online shoppers of “wrap rage”, it is also a benefit to other retailers selling products online. Frustration-Free Packaging strips down the original retail packages to the bare essentials or the lowest point of protection needed to ensure the product gets to the customer undamaged.

Amazon.com recognized that online retailers don’t need the marketing or theft deterring characteristics of traditional retail packaging. Frustration-Free Packaging gives Amazon.com and other online retailers an excellent opportunity to save money in reduced packaging material cost.

Just look at this example by Fisher-Price®. By re-engineering their packaging to the frustration-free format, they were able to reduce a long list of materials, creating a much more cost effective and sustainable package for their pirate ship toy, not to mention making it easier for the consumer to open. Amazon reported the below material savings in just one package:

• 1576.5 square inches of printed corrugated package inserts

• 175.25 square inches of PVC blisters

• 36.1 square inches of folding carton materials

• 36 inches of plastic-coated steel-wire ties

• 2 molded plastic fasteners

• 3.5 square inches of ABS molded styrene

Multiply these numbers by thousands of annual sales units and you are making a large impact towards reducing your company's sustainability footprint.

Interested in bringing the benefits of Frustration Free Packaging to your company? Contact the packaging engineers at Chainalytics, info@chainalytics.com. They have helped hundreds of companies redesign and re-engineer their packaging to realize material cost savings and significant supply chain cost reductions.

"Paper vs. Plastic" – The Grand Debate

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:31:00 +0000

By Rob Kaszubowski, CPP - Chainalytics

As a packaging engineer, I am hounded by aunts, third cousins and other long lost relatives at family reunions and gatherings. I am repeatedly asked the timeless question: which is better...paper or plastic bags?

The short answer is easy: neither! Paper and plastic bags each have different components that make them a drain on natural resources and a strain on the environment. When it really comes down to it, each option has its pros and cons. Advocates from each platform will tell you their option is better than the other. It just depends on who’s banging their drum louder that day to make you listen to them.

Both materials are recyclable, but the rate that consumers recycle them is minimal at best. Paper is degradable, whereas plastics take over 1,000 years to decompose. Yet, plastic bags require less energy to produce and recycle. The list goes on and on and teeters back and forth without really steering you to truly believe one is greater than the other.

The grand “Paper vs. Plastic” debate has started to stir again, with California’s recent attempt to ban plastic bags completely. The bill was rejected in Septmeber, as challengers thought the regulation pushed the limits on consumer choice too far. Either way, the push is on for consumers to utilize reusable bags across the country.

The “Paper vs. Plastic” debate brings up a common challenge for most organizations: what are the best materials to use for packaging? With so many factors to consider, such as cost, protection and the environmental impact, it is important to understand the pros and cons of all material options. However, researching and testing a number of different materials can be time consuming and expensive.

The packaging professionals at Chainalytics have extensive knowledge of materials, are experts in evaluating packaging materials and can help your company select the packaging materials that best meet all of your packaging needs. Contact us at info@chainalytics.com .

Spotlight on the Supply Chain for Competitive Improvements

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 23:30:00 +0000

by Tom Blanck, CPP, CSCP- Chainalytics

The message was clear at this year’s APICS Convention: many organizations have sharpened their focus on the supply chain to increase their competitive advantage, profitability and sustainability. I spoke at this year’s convention

to explain how packaging plays a significant role in reducing supply chain costs.

With organizations considering a variety of ways to improve supply chain performance, packaging is an important factor to evaluate because it impacts the entire supply chain. Packaging can impact freight, storage and handling costs, and by leveraging packaging design and optimization, changes can be made to create savings that go directly to the bottom line.

Many organizations are also looking to the supply chain for opportunities to improve sustainability and measure success and in my presentation, I addressed the alignment between cost reduction and sustainability, and how packaging improvements can deliver on both these timely challenges and presented a few examples of companies that have capitalized on packaging optimization for significant supply chain improvements.

I also highlighted a recent example of a food manufacturer who optimized transport packaging by making several minor improvements to their secondary packaging. These straightforward improvements will not only help the company save thousands of gallons of diesel fuel and eliminate hundreds of trailer load trips, but they will also increase margins by several hundred thousand dollars throughout the coming year.

Chainalytics Packaging Optimization Practice is a team of IoPP Certified Packaging Professionals that provide the experience and unbiased packaging engineering services. They have helped many clients improve profitability and sustainability through better packaging performance and design as well as through supply chain optimization saving millions of dollars in packaging and supply chain costs.

Click here, to find contact to learn how packaging improvements can improve supply chain logistics.

The 1st Annual UW-Stout Packaging Alumni Reception at Pack Expo

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 22:48:00 +0000

by Rich Lindgren
Please join us at the 1st Annual UW-Stout Packaging Alumni Reception at Pack Expo-Chicago! This event will be a great opportunity to reconnect with classmates and network with alumni in the packaging industry. Also, meet current students and hear from Vice Chancellor, Dave Williams.

Monday, November 1^st, 6:30-8:30pm

Frankie’s 5th Floor Pizzeria

900 North Michigan Avenue

Alumni $10

Current Students $5

Click here, to register for the event!

This event is brought to you by the UW-Stout Alumni Association.

Happy 200th Birthday to the Tin Can!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:43:00 +0000

by Bill Connell - Chainalytics
Today the Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) celebrates the 200^th anniversary of the metal can. It was 200 years ago that Englishman, Peter Durand received a patent to preserve food in tin plated containers.

People all over the world are familiar with this tin/steel can style of packaging which allows products to be retorted for excellent for shelf stability and product preservation. Also, the can's stack-ability and rigid structure was ideal for safely moving food to uncommon places, like the American Civil War battlegrounds or in a backpack to a kindergarten class food drive.

The steel can also fits right in with today’s sustainability movement because of its high recycling rate and unchanged post recycling material properties. The CMI claims that the metal can is the most recycled type of packaging. Proving that the steel can as we know it will most likely be around for the next 200 years!

Happy Birthday!

Get Paid to Recycle

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:22:00 +0000

by Rob Kaszubowski, CPP - Chainalytics

Wouldn’t you love to get paid to throw stuff away? Well, now you can, thanks to Recyclebank. Recyclebank is a company that tracks and scans the weight of packaging you recycle each week, and then turns your recycled goods into points which you can accumulate to redeem later for anything ranging from magazine subscriptions to coupons to other fun freebies and deals.

Our community recently started using Recyclebank in 2010, and I’ve already cashed in my reward points for deals and coupons at local sporting goods stores, clothing stores and restaurants. We were pretty good at recycling before the program was started, but now we definitely have some additional incentive. Plus the whole neighborhood has really taken to the program, which now seems to make recycling fun and exciting! A recent release stated that 87% of households in my town are participating in the recycling program, up from about only 60% before the program started.

Recyclebank also tracks your personal recycling data to show just how “green” you are by identifying the number of trees and gallons of oil saved, just by recycling your water bottles, newspapers and glass bottles every week!

Recyclebank’s focus on the environment and educating consumers on recycling and packaging has definitely put a new, exciting spin on recycling. I can’t wait to see what kind of rewards my points will get me next!

Can't view the video, click here.

The Latest Trend in Trash

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 17:06:00 +0000

by Eric Carlson, CPP - Chainalytics
The growing trend in trash is that many municipalities are leading the nation in reducing costs and waste while increasing sustainability.

In Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and Boston, you can find BigBelly Solar Trash Cans replacing traditional trash cans on the streets. These are solar-powered trash cans that automatically compact the trash inside to save space and limit the number of times they need to be emptied.

BigBelly claims that these new compactors can reduce the size of the trash inside by 80 percent, and when the trash is compacted, the cans are capable of holding 150 gallons of waste. This means fewer scheduled collection times, which reduces fuel use and air pollution from garbage trucks.

And in Seattle, they are banning single-use restaurant packaging from landfills. Seattle is officially the first market area in North America to require single-use food service packaging be either compostable or recyclable. This requires restaurants, coffee shops, food courts, cafeterias and other food service businesses to stop throwing away single-use food service-ware and packaging including napkins, paper bags, wooden coffee stir sticks, clamshells and hot and cold beverage cups and lids among others.

The city hopes participation of the new ordinance will help prevent 6,000 tons of food service-ware and leftover food from entering landfills. Similar regulations for single-use food service packaging are in the testing phases in San Francisco and Toronto as well.

We are impressed with both of these cites trash improvements. Tell us your ideas on how your city could reduce trash and improve your city.

Anatomy of the Packaging-Matters Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Rich - CPP) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 19:23:00 +0000

by Rich Lindgren, CPP - Chainalytics

This post is to help all readers optimize their time spent on the Packaging-Matters Blog. This entry breaks down the different functions and options you have when visiting our blog.

Back to Main Page - anytime you want you can click on Title of Blog; will get you back home no matter what area you are in blog or comments.

Subscribe to Blog - enter your email here and you will get our new posts delivered to your inbox as soon as they are published.

Category Labels- We assign a category to every post, that way you can browse categories to find info quickly. Foe example, click on Sustainability Scene to read all the entries about greener packaging movements and other sustainable packaging stories.

Blog Archive - Browse by previous months, go back to April 2009 and see the humble beginnings of our blog

Quicksearch - In the upper left corner of screen, there is a search box, great way to look up a topic or word and see all the posts that contain that info.

BlogRoll Links - This is a listing of other sites that we enjoying reading and provide good information. info that we like, check them out at your leisure

RSS Subscription - These are links for RSS (Real Simple Syndication) basically you can sign up using these links and content will be pushed to your Feed Reader, there are many and MyYahoo and MyMSN have them built in, if you are interested. We can help you if you get stuck. Just another way to be on the cutting edge of getting information.

- if you see this symbol, it is a link to help you get RSS feeds setup through FeedBurner, click here and its falling down easy to get recent entries of the blog to show up on your MyYahoo or MyMSN home pages

Packaging Business News Feed: Helps you stay tuned to packaging news at a glance, updated constantly through out the day.

Hope you find this helpful and just write a comment if you have any questions.

Quaker Loses the Box on the Rip n’ Go Chewy Granola Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:39:00 +0000

by Brad Oberstadt- Chainalytics
The latest sustainable packaging innovation to catch our eye is the Rip n’ Go Chewy Granola Bars by Quaker. Quaker has eliminated the paperboard packaging and replaced it with an adhesive label. The adhesive label also has perforated lines that allows for an individual bar to be ripped from the package while the other bars remain together.
Quaker’s Rip n’ Go packaging is quite the suitable packaging improvement, Quaker states the new package uses 33% less material than the standard paperboard package. Re-engineering their standard package also made the package more convenient for consumers; the adhesive packaging keeps the bars together until the last bar is finished rather than allowing them to float around in the kitchen cupboard or pantry.

Packaging Inspiration = Recipe Inspirations

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:03:00 +0000

by Rob Busse, CPP

Thanks to the packaging, McCormick has developed a new product line called Recipe Inspirations. Each product contains all of the seasoning you need for a whole recipe, all made possible by the 6 individual serve thermoform cavities on the package. Now that’s packaging inspiration.

Say Cheese!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:04:00 +0000

by Eric Carlson, CPP - Chainalytics

Finally, there is an upgrade to the conventional zip closure for cheese. For those of you in the UK that buy cheese with a zip closure feature, Milk Link (www.milklink.com), the leading British dairy farmer owned co-operative and largest cheese manufacturer, now offers a completely new and apparently better resealable feature for their regional cheese brands, Cadog and Lockerbie. Both brands produce cheddar and butter. Cadog (www.cadog.co.uk) is a relatively new Welsh based brand, while Lockerbie (www.lockerbiecreamery.co.uk) is a 50 year old Scottish brand.

The new resealable feature is branded Grip Strip® and features a hook and loop configuration that claims to firmly seal the pack and maintain product freshness. The Grip Strip® has repeat closure application similar to the zip feature found in many current film structures. However, the improvement is mainly in user interface – it is simply easier to seal and more forgiving to slight mis-alignment. The material is a food-grade, heat-sealable polyethylene.

This hook and loop feature was developed for Milk Link by APLX (www.aplix.com), a leader in self-gripping fasteners for over 50 years. I’m sure this would be an approved pack by Wallace and Gromit!