www.americanbaler.com
800-843-7512 • sales@americanbaler.com • Bellevue, Ohio
Reliability
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ing to eliminate wasted space is to go the
custom carton route. They can do this
by installing an on-demand packaging
system that allows them to make custom
cartons on the spot. Using measurements
obtained from dimensioning systems, an
on-demand packaging system forms the
correctly sized box for the product being
shipped. In short, these systems can neutralize the effects of the new dim weight
charges, as the package is already as compact as it can get. “Our solution can
actually help customers see a reduction
in their shipping charges even with dim
weight pricing,” says Packsize’s Kiessner.
He says customers using his company’s
on-demand packaging solution currently obtain at least a 20-percent overall
savings even before dim weight pricing
kicks in. The savings come from lower
shipping charges as well as a reduction
in the amount of corrugate and dunnage
needed.
Using a carton of the correct size also
reduces the potential for product damage.
“There is no better protection for any
product than the best fit, so that there
is no shifting inside the box,” explains
Kiessner.
On-demand packaging can be especially useful for companies shipping irregularly shaped items. One such shipper
is CarPartsDepot Inc., an online store
that sells automotive body parts, such
as bumpers, fenders, grilles, radiators,
hoods, and headlights. Not too many of
these parts fit neatly into a standard box.
For that reason, CarPartsDepot relies on
a Packsize system to create the oddly
shaped boxes it needs.
“We have around 6,000 SKUs. Every
one has a different shape, so we need a
perfectly shaped box for each item,” says
Tony Chiu, CarPartsDepot’s general sales
manager. He says the retailer captures
each part’s dimensions, which are then
stored in a computer until it’s time to
create the box for the shipment. About
1,200 to 1,500 parcels ship daily from his
facility. He adds that he is not worried
about dim weight pricing as he is already
optimized for parcel shipping. “We are
saving 15 percent now and will save even
more comparatively when the dimension-
al weight [pricing] starts.”
types of products shipped—how
heavy and fragile are they? What is
the ideal corrugated thickness and
design to assure the products are
protected? The cartons should not
be too weak or too strong, but as
Goldilocks would say, “Just right.”
Another matter to consider is the
optimal amount of dunnage to use
to ensure the product will survive
the journey while at the same time
making the most efficient use of
space.
“ON-DEMAND” PACKAGING
Another option for companies look-
