Hold-True, supplier of reusable packaging to the automotive, heavy truck, aerospace, and heavy truck industries, has released a white paper called “The Future of Packaging”. The Mansfield, Ohio (USA) manufacturer talked to two leading packaging experts, R. Andrew Hurley and Bianca Hurley of Package Insight, about four major challenges that packaging professionals face.
Packaging engineers, capital planners, buyers, quality managers, and C-Suite personnel will all benefit from these insights. Enjoy the excerpt below, and email hello@nullhold-true.com to request this packaging white paper in its entirety.
Excerpt: Packaging Design
Packaging design is also changing from new ways of thinking. At Package InSight, the Hurleys are using eye tracking to monitor how shoppers and line associates handle packaging. In addition to seeing how quickly parts and packages are picked, the company gleans ergonomic and biometric information. If associates are performing an excessive amount of bending, back injuries could occur. The solution could be as simple as adjusting the height of a racking and rolling dunnage system, but designers need data to make the right decisions.
If eye tracking glasses are part of packaging’s future, it’s because these technologies make good business sense. “At BMW”,” Bianca Hurley explains, “things that aren’t ergonomic won’t get approved.” To avoid worker injury, packaging designs must avoid requiring repetitive movements such as the loading and unloading of steel racks. Ergonomics also makes it easier for workers to do their jobs. Greater efficiency means reduced labor costs, but quality improves, too.
The packaging designs of the future will be developed with the user in mind. By combining data such as eye movements with information about which part of the brain is active, “you can get a big-picture view of the subconscious”, Andrew Hurley says. Part of the business benefit is that the human is the centerpiece of the design, which will lead to more efficient material use, handling, and consumer satisfaction.
Finally, the designs of the future will favor collapsible packaging. “If you’re going to ship it back empty,” Andrew Hurley says, “you want it to nest or collapse.” Collapsible packaging supports more efficient handling, too. As Bianca Hurley relates from her experience at BMW, some cardboard boxes that are stapled to pallets can be difficult to collapse and expensive to discard.
Get The Future of Packaging White Paper
Hold-True is offering “The Future of Packaging” white paper free-of-charge to packaging professionals. To get your copy, email hello@nullhold-true.com or complete the form below.