The Manutan brand takes care of packaging your goods from A to Z

Packaging plays a key role in distribution companies and retailers. A lever for cost optimisation and supply chain performance, packaging also protects the goods and improves customer satisfaction. It’s therefore essential to prepare and pack your parcels carefully using reliable, high-quality materials.

The Manutan brand offers a complete packaging range. It meets all the daily needs of logistics agents, operators, pickers, packers and pallet loaders. This goes from selecting the goods to protective materials, sealing, labelling and finally palletisation. With prices that are, on average, 15% lower than those of major national brands, Manutan branded products are also guaranteed for 10 years[1] and delivered within 24/48 hours.

Packaging – a weighty issue!

It’s important to select the correct packaging materials according to the dispatch method and the goods being sent. There are a number of considerations to make when packaging parcels: the number of transfers, the transport duration, the nature of the products, their weight and their potential fragility. Professionals also have to choose between boxes with single, double or triple walls, transparent bags for packing and grouping together products.

To ensure that goods are properly packaged, it is essential that you select the right size box for your parcel. Otherwise, the product could be damaged in transit.

Particular attention must be given to the packaging volume to reduce the amount of empty space inside the parcel. A major issue is that one-third of packaging and containers include more than 50% empty space[2]. An alarming fact when you consider that transporting empty space generates additional costs and has a significant impact on our environment. Not to mention the fact that, in some cases, transport costs may be invoiced according to volumetric weight!

Protective packaging

Protective packaging aims to stabilise the goods but also protect them against possible bumps or being squashed when the parcels are stacked on top of each other. The most effective cushioning product is still bubble wrap. However, brown paper or air cushions are often sufficient to prevent less fragile products from getting damaged in transit.

It is also important to make it easier for pickers and packers to perform their work by using ergonomic material that facilitates picking up and handling the goods. This can be in the form of a complete packaging table or a dispenser for inserting the cushioning product.

Complete your parcel right down to the smallest detail 

Once the goods are well packaged and protected, it’s time to close the parcel. This can be done using:

• Adhesive tape for light and semi-heavy boxes.
• Straps for heavy loads that are transported over a long period.

Things to know about strapping

Here are some tips for choosing the best strapping for your needs: textile straps are flexible, robust and resistant to weather conditions; polyester straps are more resistant and better suited to heavy loads; polypropylene straps are flexible and malleable; and, finally, steel straps are extremely resistant to breakages.

Furthermore, logistics teams are advised to use an automatic strapping machine or at least a strapping tool such as a tightener or a strap cutter.

The final “detail”, but no less important for ensuring that parcels arrive safely, is labelling. Transparent document pouches protect documents while making it easy for carriers to read them. They stick extremely well, come in many sizes and can be recycled.

Palletisation – the final stage before dispatch

Finally, to facilitate transport and secure the goods, the parcels just need to be gathered together on the pallet. As well as traditional wooden pallets, there are also robust steel pallets and lighter, recycled plastic pallets available.

Once the parcels have been positioned on the pallet, the pallet’s resistance can be reinforced using angle irons on the corners, spacers to stabilise the load or even covers to protect the top of the pallet against bad weather or dirt. Finally, stretch film, either transparent or opaque to maintain confidentiality, is used to secure everything in place before dispatch. All that remains is then a short trip on a pallet truck to load up the trucks and deliver to the customers!

As you can see, a good packaging strategy, accompanied by secure and reliable products, helps to give companies a competitive advantage. As an integral part of the customer experience, packaging plays a key role in customer satisfaction and loyalty. And with good reason: 66% of consumers consider that packaging reflects the interest and attention that the seller pays them[3]. Add to this the growing number of challenges linked to cost reduction and Corporate Social Responsibility and you have many reasons for companies to consider packaging as a strategic stage of their operations.

 

[1] 3 years for consumables

[2] DS Smith and Forbes Insights, The Empty Space Economy

[3] Sealed Air, Packaging for e-Commerce Success