Excellence in Flexography – PTI Wins Awards Again in 2014

At the end of April, Packaging Technologies Inc. attended the Flexographic Technical Association’s annual awards banquet which recognizes excellence in printing. This industry-wide forum and awards ceremony celebrates distinction in the printing world, and Packaging Technologies Inc. is very excited to announce that we were once again awarded both gold and bronze in preprint flexography!

This is the industry’s most prestigious print competition today, and the awards come about after four days of intense judging in great detail. Check out the images below for more about both of our awards!

The entire team at Packaging Technologies Inc. is very proud of this achievement. We are committed to providing our customers with the highest quality printing – and these awards just highlight that commitment. For more about how to get the best flexography printing please contact Packaging Technologies Inc. at 1-800-303-5883. 

Product Packaging: Driving Profits for Customers

No matter what industry you are in, when you offer a product, you know how important product packaging is. Not only does your packaging need to protect your product both during transport and on the shelf, the packaging design itself needs to make an impact and attract the customer, enticing them to purchase. Furthermore, all of this needs to be done efficiently and effectively, while maintaining high standards of quality and functionality.

Your entire process, from design, to manufacturing, to shipping, to storage, can be fraught with different challenges. Meeting and overcoming these challenges without decreasing profit can be difficult, but with the right product packaging company behind you, you can be sure that the process is one that is cost-effective and well-organized.

Many of the problems you are likely to encounter can actually be overcome at the design/manufacturing stage. When your product packaging is done in a way that takes all of the potential issues into consideration, you benefit across the board. Your bottom line can never be ignored, and so cost reduction should always be on your to-do list. This can be realized a number of ways.

Firstly, think about the materials being used. Is your product packaging company offering you the highest-quality materials that can decrease waste and damages? What about shipping – are you using the lightest-weight materials that don’t compromise on strength? Lighter weight paper choices and designs that optimize cube utilization can reduce inventory and freight costs.

Additionally, secondary packaging designs such as pallet packaging and retail ready shipper/ display packaging can reduce primary packaging, further reducing overall packaging costs, waste and material handling.

Furthermore, at the design stage, does your packaging company consider the latest trends, utilizing the science of colour or recognizing the importance of sustainability? If not, your bottom line may suffer.

Another issue many companies face that can be overcome with the right packaging company is inventory control. No matter the size of your warehouse or stockroom, it may always seem as though you just don’t have enough room, so keeping overstock on hand can amplify that issue. Beat this by working with a company that offers a vendor managed inventory system to keep your excess packaging on hand, out of sight, but there when you need it.

When costs increase in other areas of your business such as raw materials or labour, often packaging is the most immediate area where you can realize cost reductions.

For more about how your product packaging company can help you achieve real cost reductions throughout your entire process, please contact Packaging Technologies Inc. today by calling 1-800-303-5883.  

Breaking New Ground: FTA’s 2014 Annual Forum

It is an exciting time of year for the packaging industry. FTA’s 2014 Annual Forum has wrapped up, and the four day event brought together some of the greatest minds in the industry and brought forth some exiting new ideas and trends for the upcoming year. The Flexographic Technical Association (FTA) was established in 1958 in an effort to bring members of the flexographic printing community together and to develop and maintain quality standards within the industry, and this year’s Forum, aptly named “Breaking New Ground 2014” was no exception.

The 2014 Forum was held in Baltimore, and hosted over 1800 delegates. The four day event included a number of fantastic information sessions, including “Managing Your Pressroom Efficiencies,” “Emerging Flexo Markets,” and even one called “Flexo Mythbusters,” which set out to debunk some of those falsities that seem to persist within the industry.

Participants also had the opportunity to check out the latest trends and newest techniques on display throughout the showroom, participate in the pre-forum J.P. Buckley Golf Tournament and network and relax at the annual awards banquet.

Packaging Technologies Inc. was excited to attend this event. The constant flow of knowledge within our industry is crucial to be able to offer the best services possible to our clients, and to keep up with the most recent changes and industry standards being adopted. We were also very proud to be the recipients of two excellence in flexography awards!

PTI is committed to providing the best in pre-print flexography, using the highest-quality inks and materials, to deliver clear, first-class designs, the most vibrant colours, and sustainability. For more about the FTA Forum or how PTI’s excellence can get real results for you, please contact us at 1-800-303-5883.   

Image courtesy of FLEXO Magazine/Flexographic Technical Association (FTA): https://www.robly.com/archive?id=4973c70f3e5921a2b90a0e49edf0259e

Shipping Price Hike: FedEx Pricing Changes

As a brand, how you ship and what you pay for that shipping plays a large role in your bottom line. Shipping alone offers a number of its own challenges, but when a major shipping company decides to increase their prices, you often have little recourse as far as dealing with this challenge.

Last month, FedEx did just that when it announced that, as of January 2015, shipping prices for both FedEx Freight and FedEx Ground are set to increase. This increase comes in the form of applying dimensional weight pricing to all shipments, rather than just those measuring three cubic feet or more. This can mean a significant increase to your shipping bill.

Check out this release from Reuters to find out more about the price hike: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/02/tn-fedex-corp-idUSnBw025775a+100+BSW20140502. According to the article, this increase shouldn’t be too surprising, as the author notes: “Dimensional weight pricing is a common industry practice that sets the transportation price based on package volume—the amount of space a package occupies in relation to its actual weight.” Somehow though, this doesn’t make having to pay that extra cost any easier to take.

So, with this in mind, what can you do to mitigate the additional costs to ship? Firstly, the design of your packaging plays a big role in minimizing the size of a package and the space that package will occupy in transport. By sitting down with a designer and perhaps tweaking your current design, you can optimize packaging and significantly decrease shipping costs. 

What about weight? Is the weight of your product packaging as low as it can be? If not, consider lightweight packaging to help lower the weight. Lightweight containerboard packaging has come a long way over the past few years, and the right company can offer you lightweight packaging with the same strength and protective capabilities as its heavier counterpart.

What is lightweight containerboard? Essentially, this form of packaging is constructed using corrugated board with a base weight of less than 26lbs/thousand square feet. The manufacturing process is a bit different in that fibres are tighter together, resulting in a higher fibre content but a reduced weight. This condensed fibre concentration means strength without the high numbers on the scale.

Whether you ship with FedEx and are anticipating a higher payout for shipping or ship with a different company but are looking to reduce your shipping costs, a smart, cost-effective design and lightweight containerboard are always a smart bet.

For more about significantly reducing the weight of your product packaging and therefore the cost of your shipping overall, please contact Packaging Technologies Inc. by calling 1-800-303-5883.