The Covid-19 pandemic is forcing players in the packaging industry to rethink their existing business models. The increase in eCommerce does not put a strain on distribution companies alone. Manufacturers now put in more money and effort in the packaging that goes with the products they produce.
Before the pandemic, the packaging industry tilted towards creating sustainable retail-ready packaging solutions. That is no longer the case because of a shift in consumer perception.
Public emphasis placed on minimal physical interaction has altered public opinions on safety. Consumers now expect the entire production and packaging process (including end of line packaging) to use automation.
The challenge of maintaining hygiene in the packaging process is not novel. The emphasis placed on safe product handling as a result of the pandemic is responsible for over-stretching the industry.
Concern for the sanitary condition of packaging for consumables and other personal products is high. It applies across the board and appears to be something that is not going away with the pandemic. Consumers will continue to expect manufacturers to use safer retail-ready packaging solutions.
As safety continues to take an important space within discussions on the packaging industry, consumers are becoming mindful of the particular substances and processes manufacturers use in their packaging. Although the pandemic is instrumental in rallying public attention to the importance of hygiene in food manufacture, it is not the only reason manufacturers deploy more resources to address the challenge of safety in the packaging process. Studies on packaged products within the food and drugs industry show how the microbial flora in a package has a profound effect on its content.
Aside from legitimate concerns for hygiene, another challenge posed by Covid-19 is a shortage of workers. Higher consumer demands and a decline in the availability of low-skilled workers is forcing manufacturers to compete for employees from a smaller pool of job-seekers.
A tested solution to this challenge is automation. By automating as much of the packaging process as possible, you will reduce the challenges caused by the physical presence of workers or any other element not necessary for an automated packaging process. You can use the Case packer & case loader packaging systems to achieve your automation goal. Automated robotic case packing such as wrap-around packaging is effective in maintaining hygiene and saving costs related to hiring workers.
The characteristic quality of packaging to preserve and protect the integrity of manufactured goods has been brought into the limelight by Covid-19. Many manufacturers and governments are now using these qualities as a weapon to fight the global health crisis both directly and indirectly.
The peculiar advantages of wrap-around case packing systems are being used by manufacturers to allay fears of contamination due to product handling. It is interesting to note with a bit of satisfaction how case packing machinery such as the wrap-around case packer is applied in the sterile process of vaccine manufacture.
As a result of the pandemic, more businesses have established an online presence. The increase in home delivery of food and other consumer products continues to create a hike in the need for effective and healthy packaging solutions. Along with being produced en mass, packaging solutions are still expected to be capable of withstanding the stress that comes with stacking and distribution.
You can count on Wrap-around case packaging systems to reduce the amount of corrugated overlap in paperboards. They can also provide strong packing cases that will withstand the stress that comes with stacking and distribution. Wrap-around case packaging systems are also beneficial in curtailing the unnecessary waste rampant in traditional methods. Here, you don't need to cut cardboard before you fold them.
The packaging industry is one of the few industries considered essential during the pandemic. Instead of declining, the packaging industry saw a surge in its demand as food and medical industries increased their reliance on it.
According to a report from Markets and Markets, the main economic drivers during the pandemic include the increased demand for fast-moving consumer goods, pharmaceutical packaging, and rising e-commerce sales due to the lockdown. All of these needed robotic packaging automation due to a drop in the availability of low-skilled workers.
As we continue to record more successes in the fight against Covid-19 economies around the world will open up. Though most of the concerns brought to the fore by the advent of Covid-19 may not dissipate with the pandemic, it's expected that the drive for the production of more sustainable packaging solutions will once again take the center stage.
Trends such as raw packaging, naked product packaging, and compostable packaging are becoming noticeable in the packaging industry.
Using good robotic packaging solutions reduces the amount of material waste in the packaging process. That is an important part of producing sustainable packaging solutions. Packaging automation eliminates human error and is better for the repetitive actions of a packaging line.
The pandemic has accelerated the adoption of robotic packaging automation processes such as wrap-around packaging. Whether this trend will last depends on the policies implemented by governments and demands set by consumer behavior. In the meantime, several indicators point to a future with more automated packaging solutions in use.
A move to secure and expand your packaging capacity by investing in packaging automation will prove to be a good decision in the long run. If that is something you will like to do, take a look at our wrap-around case packing, cartoning, and naked product packaging (raw packaging) solutions.
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