Reducing Damages And Improving Protective Packaging Consumption with Sealed Air NewAir I.B. Express

Case Study: Manufacturer

Overview

Crawford Packaging was contacted by a manufacturer experiencing a high volume of damaged products during shipping. The Manufacturer, a retail marketing firm, was packaging acrylic displays components for retail display units. These units were being shipped to retailers in manageable pieces for assembly in their stores. Existing packaging processes were failing because employees used large amounts of pre-inflated bubble packaging to protect the displays.

Crawford’s Packaging Specialist visited the Manufacturer’s facility to perform a free packaging consultation. During a plant tour, the Packaging Specialist noticed the high volume of bubble packaging being used. The Packaging Specialist determined the Sealed Air NewAir I.B. Express would help the Manufacturer improve packaging standards, increase productivity and reduce bubble packaging consumption.

arms-of-a-forklift-driving-through-packaging-warehouse-aisle-with-blue-color-overlay

Challenge

The Manufacturer was shipping acrylic display components that were being damaged during shipping. This damage was impacting the Manufacturer’s customers experience, creating a negative unboxing experience. Damaged products need to be replaced and re-shipped, which drove down profitability.

 

Process

Understanding the need for improved protective packaging, the Packaging Specialist visited the Manufacturer’s facility for a free packaging consultation. With a focus on protective packaging, a Sealed Air spokesman attended the audit. Sealed Air is a leader in the development and application of innovative protective packaging methods. During the facility tour, the Packaging Specialist noted that the Manufacturer was using an abundance of pre-inflated bubble packaging.

The Packaging Specialist and Sealed Air agreed that the Manufacturer’s use of bubble wrap needed to be reevaluated. They suggest the Manufacturer should consider moving to the revolutionary new bubble on demand system, the NewAir Inflatable Bubble Express. Sample products were provided and sent down to the Sealed Air testing facility in New Jersey. The samples were analyzed at the facility and packed using the NewAir I.B. Express and returned to the client for review. With a positive response to the new packs, a trial system was provided to the client to test with their packaging employees.

Solution:

The NewAir I.B.® Express void fill packaging system quickly produces Barrier Bubble® material at 55 ft per minute. Uninflated bubble film is available in 12″ and 24″ widths. The adaptable bubble on demand system is designed to decrease pack times and increase available packing space. A single roll of uninflated bubble can produce up to 5000 square feet of 1/2-inch Barrier Bubble® material. One truck of Inflatable Bubble film is able to replace thirty-six truckloads of inflated bubble packaging. The Sealed Air NewAir I.B.® Express is an adaptable and versatile packaging machine. With unmatched versitility it can be installed at workstations, on-line, or for large batch production off-line.

Learn More

Results

After the trial period, the Manufacturer added the NewAir I.B. Express to their packaging solution. This knowledge based, impactful packaging solution has helped the Manufacturer reduce shipping damages and improve customer satisfaction. The on-demand system provides perfectly inflated sheets of Barrier Bubble®, reducing the amount required per pack shipped. This has helped to drastically reduce the Manufacturer’s bubble packaging consumption rates. The sized bubble film sheets used by the NewAir I.B. system helped the Manufacturer efficiently size their bubble packaging, reducing film waste created by trimming pre-inflated rolls. The reduction in pre-filled bubble handling has also helped increase The Manufacturers productivity. Employees are now able to batch the needed amount of on demand bubble packaging without the need to cut it to size. The Manufacturer is also extremely happy with the improvement to the customer unpacking experience. Consumers no longer receive damaged goods and have less packaging material to dispose of when completed. Providing consumers an environmentally friendly packaging solution.

 

Recent News & Articles