10 Holiday Shipping Tips

Holiday shipping stats

• 12% – Percentage of E-commerce transactions that were up in 2016 compared to 2015. 
• $91.7 Billion – Amount that US shoppers spent online between November 1 and December 31 of last year.
• $1 Billion – During that timeframe, all but four days had over $1 billion in E-commerce sales

1. Check your supplies: Don’t get caught with short supply. Holiday order will come fast and often so make sure your able to handle those orders. Make sure you have a good amount of corrugated boxed in different sizes, the right tape for the job and other packaging materials. 
   
2. Use the right packaging tape:  You want to use water activated tape. It’s the most secure and tamper resistant for boxes. Make sure your products are delivered where they should be and that they’re getting there safely. 

3. Speed matters: Ship your products as quickly as possible. Customers have high expectations and low tolerance for delays during the holidays.  Best practices include shipping the product out the same day that the order was placed. To help you get those orders right out the door, keep an up-to-date list of shipping carriers and their pick-up times.

4. Logistics: Give your delivery providers a heads’ up about the timing and volume you expect during the holiday season.  It’s only going to help them service your needs and in turn help your customers’ needs.

5. Make good use of your downtime: If you happen to have down time from now leading up to the holiday rush, it’s a good idea to go ahead and pre-pack commonly shipped items. Pro tip: Write the contents and weights on the surface of the box so you’re one step ahead of the rush.

6. Give me some space. Two inches of space on all sides around the item being shipped is what you should shoot for. This way the products can be properly protected with air pillows if needed.

7. Heavy items on the bottom: Place those heavier items on the bottom if you’re shipping several products in one box.  That way there’s less force on the lighter items during transit.

8. Package safety: The last thing you want to deal with after the holiday season is returns and unhappy customers on social media. A lot of those holiday gifts tend to be fragile and breakable. Make sure they’re protected with the right void fill material.

9. The correct carton: It’s smart to use a new, unused corrugated box that is the correct size and strength for your products. Reused boxes tend to lose their strength overtime. Santa’s sleigh can be a bumpy ride and you want your packages to survive their holiday trip.

10. Think Festive: Get in the holiday spirit by putting a little something extra in the package. Try adding a candy cane or some other small candy to surprise your customers. Everyone will enjoy that extra touch during the hectic holiday season.

10 Holiday Shipping Tips published first on https://www.thepackaginggroup.com/

Masking tape for painting applications

Tape for all your painting jobs.

Masking tape is great for all painting applications. It doesn’t matter if you’re painting a room or two in your home or an entire fleet of aircraft. If you’re looking for clean lines and a professional look, you should be using masking tape.

Masking tape from IPG will give you the look and finish you want for your painting application.

Intertape (IPG) brand masking tapes and painters tapes are designed for superior performance in a variety of applications. These applications include:

• Paint masking
• Holding
• Light-duty
• Splicing
• Bundling
• Packaging

IPG’s premium grade products are the standard for any of your applications. They are great for the most demanding industrial, painting and transportation industry applications.

The Packaging Group recommends the following tapes for painting applications:

18MM X 55M INTERTAPE 513 MASKING TAPE

36MM X 55M INTERTAPE 513 MASKING TAPE

Masking tape for painting applications published first on https://www.thepackaginggroup.com/

Dimensional Weight Defined

The Basics

Dimensional Weight Defined

Length x Width x Height / dimensional divisor

Length, width, height rounded to nearest inch

Standard dim factor:

• FedEx- 139
• UPS- 166 (packages under 1,728 cubic inches), 139 (packages over 1,728 cubic inches)

Remainder rounded up to nearest whole number

Rated as higher of actual or dimensional weight

 

Calculating Dimensional Weight Example

Actual package dimensions 16 x 15.5 x 16.4 (inches)

Rounded nearest inch 16 x 16 x 16

Multiple L x W x H 4,096 cubic inches

Divide by 166 (dim factor) 24.7

Rounded up 25

Package dim weight 25 lbs.

Package rated at Higher of actual weight or 25 lbs.

Now that you know how to calculate dimensional weight, you’ll know how you’ll be effected when with changes.

Shop our collection of boxes.

Dimensional Weight Defined published first on https://www.thepackaginggroup.com/

Poly bag additives

Different types of poly bag additives.

Poly resin can be custom manufactured to fit most applications. A big benefit indeed, but do you know what kinds of additives are out there? We’re going to walk you through the different types and advantages of each. Don’t assume that any bag will work for all applications. It’s smart to consider your options while keeping in your specific product and process in mind.

Most common poly bag additives

Anti-Block
Anti-block additives cure most common flaws found in film. These flaws are usually called “dots”. These additives also fix unnecessary adhesion between two layers of film. This problem is called the “Blocking Effect”.

EVA
Plastic bags that can withstand the most extreme temperatures, they are usually made with additives called EVA, or ethyl-vinyl acetate. It’s a 2-3% additive that increases the strength of the bag. EVA will help stop cracking on the bag and are great for plastic bags used in freezer applications.

Non-Scratch 
This type of additive is basically the opposite of the anti-block additive. Bags with this additive have very little of the anti-block additive. A bag made with a non-scratch additive will be more difficult to open.

Slip
This additive increases the amount of slip or glide that the bag has. Slip amount makes it easier to handle the bags or film and will help the layers of film from sticking to each other. High slip bags are manufactured with extra slip additive.

More types of poly bags

Standard Low Density
Low density polyethylene, or LDPE. It’s used for your general plastic bags, poly tubing, pallet covers, and plastic films. Low density film has excellent clarity and strength, and provides excellent protection.

Plastic Bag Resin Clarity
The clarity of a plastic bag is the transparency of the poly film. Poly resins can be manufactured to match a profile, so that profile will predict its extrusion performance across a range of applications.

Linear Low Density
Linear low density polyethylene films, otherwise known as LLDPE film. LLDPE films, and LLDPE bags, are known for their strength and puncture resistance, more than their clarity. Linear low density polyethylene bags are more stretchable and lighter, making them an ideal packing solution for food products. 

Transparent Plastic Bags and Poly Films
Transparent bags are those that regardless if they are colored or clear, they can be seen through. Light can pass through the film, allowing your customer to still see the product within the bag. Transparent bags are often used in the food industry, and manufacturing operations where the consumer would be interested in seeing the product before they purchase it.

Opaque Bags and Films
Opaque plastic bags cannot be seen through, but light can still pass through the plastic film. You find opaque colored bags used in applications where customers do not necessarily need to see the product, but like the additional protection that the opaque quality presents. An example of the an opaque bag to consider isa black conductive bag. Black conductive bags are made so that they block electronic shock from electronics.

Now you know what to expect from you bags, go ahead and browse our complete selection of poly bags.

Poly bag additives published first on https://www.thepackaginggroup.com/