​Efficient Packaging Operation

Productivity is the backbone of any efficient operation and making each minute count is critical. This is especially true when you have a smaller team. If your packing operations are optimized, it will allow you to:

-Cut the time it takes you to pack your products.

-Improve your through put (the volume of products you pick, pack and ship).

-Save time for other tasks.

-Prepare for growth in the future.

When you have fewer staff, multiple orders and an expectant customer base can seem overwhelming. However, there are steps you can take to create an efficient packing process that improves productivity and provides long term scalability:

Organize your warehouse space – The first step in creating an efficient packing process is organizing your warehouse or packing space. If your product, packaging materials and packing bench are all far away from each other, it will be harder for you to pick, pack and dispatch efficiently. Adding corrugated pick bins and investing in packing benches are a great start!

Optimize your packaging materials – Identifying packaging that is quick and easy to assemble will help your team pack more product, more efficiently.

Assign clear roles to your team and provide training – Assigning clear roles and providing appropriate training will make sure your staff get things done quickly and efficiently. Your warehouse layout and the number of staff you have might influence how you decide to assign roles. If you are experiencing growth, it might be more efficient to assign roles based on each process; research has shown that ‘shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40 percent of someone’s productive time.

Review your packing process periodically and make changes – It is important to regularly take stock of how efficient your packing process is. You should time how long it takes your team to complete each stage of order fulfilment, so you can keep on top of productivity – and don’t forget to watch out for increased damages!

See ideas on increasing productivity: Stretch Wrapper, Case Sealer, Air Pillows.