Packaging Supplies | Cactus Containers

Increase Profit with Shipping Supplies

custom printed tape
It is standard practice in the business world to try and limit costs as much as possible to maximize profits. However, many are not as aware of how they can achieve this goal by more efficiently utilizing their shipping & packaging materials. Often, more attention is given to finding a packaging supplier that offers the best deals. Once you have the packaging materials on site, there still needs to be a strategy that will ensure efficiency and minimal waste.

Shipping supplies standardize packing

When designing and sourcing shipping supplies, you will have assessed the product you ship and what you need to ensure they are appropriately packaged and will arrive at their destination safely. It is important to create a standardized procedure that your employees can follow when packaging items for shipping. You can develop checklists and how-to guides that will direct them on how to safely package diverse types of items before they are sent out. This will eliminate confusion, ensure safe packaging, and speed up the shipping process.

Shipping supplies quantity

Keep checking on how much stock you have left of your shipping supplies. Ensure that you have ordered enough supplies well in advance of peak sales periods like Christmas and Black Friday. There may be other peak periods during the year, depending on the nature of your business. You will need more supplies on hand during such periods or risk not being able to send out orders in enjoyable time. Ensure that you place your order for these supplies early enough to avoid overwhelming your supplier when others businesses are making similar orders.

Shipping supplies schedule

Ensure that you give yourself enough time to pick out items ordered, package, label, and ship them out. Do not overwhelm yourself or your employees by insisting on same-day shipping. Be reasonable when setting timelines and ensure that you provide accurate information on your website so your clients are aware of how long this process will take. Too tight a timeline may lead to costly mistakes like poor packaging or mislabeling of boxes. Give yourself enough room to carry out orders in an organized manner.

Organize shipping & packaging materials

It can help to speed up the packing process by pre-packing items that are in the highest demand. That way once an order comes in it is just a matter of labeling and sending it out. You can also place goods that are most ordered close to one another in the same section so they can be quickly picked out for packing.

Invest In Branded Packaging Supplies

Custom Suitcase Box Ducks
With so many businesses now engaged in e-commerce, it does not make sense to keep shipping goods out to customers in anonymous plain boxes. People are now paying more attention than ever to the packaging supplies being used by brands, creating a wonderful chance to market to them and ensure they enjoy the unboxing experience. Here are some of the key benefits of investing well in branded packaging products.

Packaging Supplies First impressions

Presentation really does matter and the first point of contact when shipping items to customers is the outer appearance of the box they receive. Customized boxes that are well branded and of quality design and construction are received with much more enthusiasm and delight than plain brown cardboard options with just a label. The more positive an experience you create for the consumer when they receive the product, the more memorable your brand will become in their mind.

Packaging Supplies: Distinction

As said, more and more businesses and brands are diversifying away from brick and mortar establishments and investing in e-commerce that is more convenient for consumers. This means businesses need to find a way to distinguish themselves from their competition, as they would if their products were on store shelves. This thus requires better investment in packaging supplies that will help enhance their branding on shipping boxes. They need to incorporate unique designs that will help make them stand out from the crowd.

Packaging Products: Brand awareness

Building brand awareness requires that you use packaging products that make it easy for consumers to recognize your brand. The more recognizable your brand becomes, the more credibility it earns. Custom packaging products enable businesses to share brand messages that will stick in the mind of observers. It is important to partner with your box supplier to develop packaging that will be unique and captivating to observers, encouraging them to share their images, besides making for a more enjoyable unboxing experience.

Packaging Supplies: Functionality

Certain products are best distributed in packaging that allows for reuse. Self-locking box designs or resealable packaging can be very useful in industries such as food and jewelry. These designs are very helpful and convenient for consumers. As you incorporate function into the box design, you also need to ensure good branding that will help to distinguish your brand. It can also help give consumers the impression that the brand is more proactive and innovative in its approach to facilitating customers. This can be a unique selling point that can help boost sales figures when compared to competitors that are not as invested in quality packaging.

Choosing Between Convoluted Versus Foam Insert

Custom Foam Insert
One of the key challenges when packaging products is ensuring the contents are kept safe from damage. The longer the distance products have to travel, the more likely they are to be subjected to rough handling. Boxes can end up dropped or even stacked too high. This can result in the boxes being torn or perforated and the contents put under excessive pressure. This then leads to the kind of damage that requires the supplier to make replacements. It can turn into a costly affair, delay deliveries, and affect the reputation of the business.

Inserts are a good way to better secure products within boxes. They keep the items immobilized and unlikely to shift within the box and end up damaged. A foam insert is also ideal for providing thermal protection. This limits the effects of extreme temperatures on the contents within the box. Inserts can make packing of products easier and faster, while also making for good presentation when unboxed.

There are different types of inserts available for packaging needs. Here we will look at two popular options and what distinguishes them from the other.

Foam Inserts

Foam is a lightweight and smooth option that is ideal for delicate items that are sensitive to scratches. As said, it is also great for thermal protection as it limits wide fluctuations in heat and temperature from affecting contents. A foam insert can be easily customized to whatever shape of the item, ensuring a close fit. This is ideal for products that have unusual shapes that cardboard cannot accommodate.

These inserts are also long-lasting, making it possible to reuse and recycle them for however long is needed. The current production of foam inserts is also eco-friendly. Their lightweight construction is also helpful in controlling shipping costs.

Convoluted Foam Inserts

Convoluted foam inserts are also popularly referred to as egg-crate foam. Its design features ridges and peaks that resemble an egg crate or contoured surface. these inserts are good for packaging delicate and lightweight items. They are also abrasion-resistant, reducing the risk of scratches. It has anti-static qualities that come from the use of surfactants in the production process. This makes the inserts preferred for the packaging of sensitive electronic equipment.

The thickness of the foam can help protect against impacts and perforations. When interlocked from both sides, it also protects against shocks and vibrations that may be suffered during transit. It can also be easily die-cut into whatever shape to tightly fit around the item it surrounds. Being polyurethane-based also makes this insert eco-friendlier and unlikely to contaminate water or soil resources.

Reasons to Invest In Custom Packaging for Corporate Gifts

Software packaging box
Corporate gift-giving has become standard practice for all sizes of businesses. There is a better understanding that by doing this, organizations can help to reinforce their ties with business partners, suppliers, and clients. It is often done during major holiday periods like Christmas and New Year’s. It can however also be done when celebrating milestones like years of operation, or when given a business award.

Whatever the occasion being marked, it is worthwhile investing in custom packaging for the corporate gifts that will be given out. While it may seem to be an extravagance to buy telescoping or setup boxes for this, there is some sound reasoning behind it.

Brand Promotion

When packaging products or gifts in specialty boxes, it offers an opportunity to indulge in a little brand promotion. Reinforcing the memory of the brand in the minds of gift recipients is a good way to subliminally ensure they keep you in mind. the branding does not even have to be aggressive. Just a business logo on a bag or gift box can be enough. You can make creative use of other features like note cards and QR codes to share additional company or product information.

Imparts Luxuriant Feel

Custom packaging help to give a more luxurious feel to even the most basic of gift items. A beautifully packaged calendar or fountain pen may not be all that expensive, but when the box itself is appealing, it gladdens the heart already. Investing in packaging products of a superior quality helps to upgrade the value of whatever gift item you give out. The better impression can help make your brand more memorable.

Makes for A Unique Experience

Unboxing has become a popular activity. The anticipation of waiting to see what is beneath the packaging can make for an exciting experience. There is an entire niche of social media videos devoted to this phenomenon. Even when the contents are not all that impressive, the business gains credit for choosing an attractive and quality packaging design and material.

Flexible Design Choices

Being customized means that you can change up designs at will. you can pick a new theme for every event and tailor the packaging accordingly. Even with a predictable round of corporate gifts, changing up the exterior can help make for a more delightful experience. From color to branding there are multiple ways you can mix things up to make each gift-giving experience feel different.

Tips To Packing Fragile Items In Small To Large Shipping Boxes

Custom cardboard box
Whether you are a business that sells crockery or are simply looking to move house, you will need to take the right approach in packaging fragile items. From glass to pianos, there are all manner of things in the home and office that require extra care when being moved. This is because they can be particularly vulnerable to damage even when exposed to just minimal impact.

Whether the items are cheap or expensive, no one likes to lose their property through damage that could have been avoided. And much of this is down to how these items are packed. Here are a few tips on making the packing and transport of fragile items safer.

Mix Up Box Sizes

Fragile items can be found in all kinds of shapes and sizes. This is why it is important to find a good mix of small and large shipping box. It is best to place items that will be boxed up in a carton of similar dimensions.

Too big a box and the contents may end up banging against the carton walls and each other while in transit. It may also take up too much space in the transport vehicle, requiring more trips to complete the move. Too small shipping boxes and the carton may have bulges and become too hard to properly close.

Quality Packaging Materials

Investing in the cheapest packaging materials is a bad idea. The boxes will not provide sufficient support and insulation. They may easily fall apart, exposing your fragile items to likely injury. Find a supplier of good quality shipping boxes and other packaging materials that can withstand the journey and can be safely re-used.

Packaging Filler and Inserts

Packaging filler is a great way to pad up the interior of the box and provide extra cushioning for your fragile items. There are all kinds of materials you can use including packing pellets, newspapers, and bubble wrap. Make sure to use enough of the filler to eliminate any empty space within the box.

Inserts are also a good way to keep your items stable and in a fixed position within the box. If you have retained the box and inserts that came with your electronics, make use of them.

Load Carefully

If you are transporting these items yourself, be careful about how you load them in your vehicle. Where possible, avoid stacking them. Also, avoid mixing them in with other boxes and packages that will press into them from the sides. Try to load them last and on top. Also, ensure they will not slide when the vehicle is moving.

Benefits of Partnering with A Local Packaging Company in San Diego

Suitcase box made by local packaging company in San Diego
Businesses of all sizes have managed to grow their client base by expanding into the online market. More and more shoppers prefer the convenience of being able to order their items from the comfort of their homes. With smartphones becoming more widely used, businesses that have made their online stores mobile-friendly are reaping big rewards.

To effectively cater to this segment of the market, these sellers have had to partner with packaging companies. While the seller focuses on their key product, the packaging company ensures it can be ably packed and forwarded to end-use customers. The packaging business has however gone global with sellers now able to engage providers from all over the world.

It is, however, preferable to opt for a local packaging company in San Diego for several reasons.

Speed

No matter how quickly an overseas supplier can put together an order, they are still at the mercy of shipping companies when it comes to making a delivery to sellers. Complications such as bad weather and global travel restrictions can cause delays in cargo deliveries. When sellers opt to partner with local packaging companies in San Diego, they are assured of much fewer chances of interference in deliveries. If close enough, they may even decide to pick up their order themselves.

At the beginning stages, physical product samples are an excellent way to ensure you are getting just what you want. A local company can get the samples to your faster, allowing for quicker final approvals before production is ramped up.

Cost

While production costs can vary based on location, additional costs may make the final invoice more inflated than it has to be. Transport and insurance costs for orders being made from overseas can drive up the final bill. With a local packaging company in San Diego, proximity can often mean low or no delivery costs being charged.

Communication

Speaking with a supplier in the same language brings down communication barriers. Many overseas vendors must hire bilingual staff who may speak English as a second or third language. While this can still be effective, communication is that much clearer when both sides use the same first language and share a similar culture. With close enough proximity, the seller can even visit the packaging company in person. This makes for even better direct communication and an opportunity to check out the operations of the company in person.

Improved Business and Economy

Working with local partners also helps to benefit the local economy. It means more jobs for people in the area and more circulation of money in the local market. This can in turn help to boost the seller’s business as most customers will often come from the same locality.

Custom Box Inserts Contribute to Product Success

Custom Folding Cartons with Foam Inserts Pets Spark
Custom box inserts serve a variety of important functions for many products. Some of these functions protect product integrity while others add class and organization to the overall presentation of the product. All of these qualities help to ensure that your products arrive safely, stand out and make a positive mark on customers.

Customized inserts can be made from various materials and take on various shapes and sizes to meet specific product and packaging requirements. They can fit into boxes to separate varying items from mixing or colliding, or they can be used to hold delicate items snugly and securely.

Benefits of Custom Box Inserts

The frontline benefit to using box inserts is that they help to successfully get your product through the ravages of shipping where packages are passed, bumped, bounced and thrown around. Customer disappointment can run deep and often be unforgiving if they have waited days or weeks only to receive damaged goods.

The next step is that inserts add stability to stored products once they arrive. For example, it is a major plus to provide a foam insert in box containing the newest internet tablet where it can be safely kept when not in use. Jewelry, game pieces, rare collectables and other similar items will benefit from being snugly tucked away into their secure insert resting places.

One of most noticeable advantages of using box inserts is that they add to the presentation effect of your product. The product may be the royal guest demanding all the attention, but how that guest is admonished, dressed and presented makes the majority of the impression. Custom box inserts play the supporting role that elevate and isolate your star product into the limelight for customer viewing.

Another key role that inserts play lies in the advertising and message delivery area. Brand advertising, important warnings, instructional messages and other vital information can be readily displayed in open view by having them printed on inserts. This is often a better approach than printing such information on slips of paper that tucked away and easily lost or discarded.

All of these benefits add to the quality, integrity, appearance and helpfulness of your product. If these goals are achieved then business success is also achieved as satisfied customers return for other products that they know will be equally and attractively housed in quality custom box inserts.

Protect Contents with Custom Box Inserts

Custom Foam Insert

Boxes are used to hold many different things. They can come in all shapes and sizes. The items are often put into a box to help protect them. The one thing that consumers do not want to happen when they open a box is to see that the contents have been damaged. To help protect the contents it is very common to use box inserts.

The box inserts can come in many different forms. They can be made of the same cardboard that the box is made of or they can be padded to provide more protection for the contents. There are many box inserts that come in the one size fits all variety. These inserts will be made to fit the different sizes of boxes that are being used, but they will not be specifically designed for what is going to be placed in the boxes.

That is where custom box inserts can come into play. The custom box inserts can be designed to fit around the items that are going in the box. If these inserts are being used for a fragile item such as glassware, they can help cushion and protect the glassware from moving around as the box is being moved. The ability to fit the inserts to the specific contents of the box is one of the keys to delivering the product that is inside the box safely and intact.

Inserts can come in all shapes and sizes. They can be made to hold a single item in the box or they can be made to hold multiple items in the same box. They can be designed to fit around the product or they can be designed for the product to fit into the insert. Because they are a custom design there is virtually no limit to how they can work.

The material that is used for the box inserts will also vary. Foam is a product that can be formed into any shape that is needed easily. Cardboard is often a less expensive option for inserts, but it may not provide the same level of protection as the foam inserts are doing. When deciding on what type of inserts to use in the boxes, it is important to look at how they will be used.

Packing for shipping – inserts will need to provide more protection
For separating product – When a box contains multiple products, the inserts can keep them separate

Once the use of the inserts is determined, it is a matter of finding the right custom box inserts.

Types of Custom Foam Inserts

foam corner protector

The concept of custom foam inserts allows you to create a perfect design, either by yourself or by have the items sent to a manufacturer, where they are designed for you using state-of-the-art fabricating equipment, to create an insert that holds and protects the items it is intended for.

Custom Foam Inserts

The foam chosen is essential to the security of the items to be stored in the container. There are two different types of foam used with a custom foam insert: Polyethylene (PE) and Polyurethane (Ester). The PE foam is fairly dense and long-lasting; easy to cut with a knife. It is slightly pliable and offers a secure, snug fit. It is best used for medium to heavy weight objects that need to be secured in place, like, the handgun. It is also good for objects that can absorb a modest amount of shock without being damaged, like an electric drill. The PE foam is suitable for most designs and recommended when one is in doubt. It is available in solid and anti-static options.

Custom Foam Inserts Variety

The Polyurethane (Charcoal Ester Foam) is much more spongy and forgiving, exhibiting excellent shock absorption. It is a soft yet durable foam, which makes it good for more delicate objects that may break on modest impact, like crystal stemware. It is best for complex or irregularly-shaped objects like a digital SLR camera. It is available in solid, pick and pluck (Diced), convoluted and anti-static options.

Case Foam Options offer different ways to configure the foam into your case. There is the solid foam pad which makes the base foam of the case and comes in both PE and Ester. The solid foam is appropriate as lid foam in situations where case items sit flush with the surface of the base. It can also be cut with a utility knife to make customized cavities. The convoluted option is soft but made from a study PE. It is most used as lid foam because of its ability to gently secure in place any items that may protrude above the surface of the foam. It can also be used as a base foam for thinner cases, and is good for holding thin objects so that there is no movement during transportation. The diced option is where one now creates their own insert. It comes with a solid base pad on the bottom and the remainder is filled with PE foam that’s pre-cut into removable cubes. Simply remove the individual cubes to create a custom-sized space in which to fit the items.

Foam Inserts Their Types And Uses

How did the foam insert revolutionize packing and shipping? From the time Otto Bayer and other inventors invented Polyurethane in the late 1930s, polyurethane had been widely used as upholstery, insulation for buildings, as well as packing and shipping. Boxes provide product protection by themselves but often require inner components to cushion fragile contents. To eliminate breakage, the fragile items need to be cushioned by softness keeping the products intact. It also needs to absorb shock and pressure and hence, foam inserts is a natural part of the packing and shipping industry.

Foam inserts made of polyurethane foam is a perfectly ideal shipping insert because the material itself is so soft. Simultaneously, the same soft foam insert material is an outstanding shock absorber, perfect for protecting even the most fragile item. Foam inserts are light weight, perfect for reducing shipping cost. It’s the best of both worlds, cushioning, resisting movement while still absorbing outside shock and pressure.

At Cactus Container, a computer controlled ban saw is used to cut foam inserts. The steel blades are set to 15,000 lbs per square inch, allowing a precise cut foam insert. The customized cut foam insert is ideal for items such as a custom tool foam insert, computer hardware or electronics.

Convoluted foam has cone shaped peaks and valleys. The convoluted foam is similarly shaped like egg crates. When the convoluted foam inserts are placed together, the pieces interlock. The teeth-like texture of convoluted foam is more efficient than a flat foam insert. The impact is diffused at the base of the cone. The tip of each foam absorbs pressure, impact, and shock.

Similar to a convoluted foam insert are corrugated partitions. Corrugated partitions are shaped with up and down waves, which look like the ridges of a potato chip. The curves of a corrugated partition acts as a cushion. The corrugated partition resist impact . It’s curvy shape withstand outside pressure, securing and keeping the interior product intact.

A different box insert is a chipboard partition. It is typically smooth texture and at a much lower cost compared to corrugated partitions. While it still protects the product during packaging and shipping, a chipboard partition require less warehouse space than the corrugated partitions.

Use modernized and revolutionary packing and shipping supplies. Let Cactus Container guide you through the easy steps of incorporating box inserts with your packing, storing, and shipping needs.