How to design a good industrial packaging?

You have problems with damaged parts, overpackaged, scratches, missing parts, falls, containers that change with each delivery. They are different but their problems stem from the same origin: packaging!

What is a good industrial packaging?

Here are 9 rules to follow when designing your packaging.

1.Protect

Place all parts inside the packaging, don’t let anything overfill. If your parts are delicate, use separators to keep them apart.

Packaging will protect parts against aggressions such as shocks, scratches and friction…

2.Compact

Choose your packaging according to the shape of the piece, not according to the quantity to be delivered. Package your pieces in the smallest possible container. The small pieces in containers and the large ones in handling Rollis trolley. Your packagings will be more compact and you will be able to position them as close as possible to the workstation or machine.

The quantity is processed through the number of packagings and the frequency of delivery.

3.Simple

Make your pieces directly accessible and place them all in the same way. By avoiding recoveries and reversals, your packaging will be easier to use.

This will increase the productivity of your operators and reduce the risk of shocks.

Un opérateur accède directement à une pièce sur un packaging industriel

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4.Obvious

Put a single layer of products per packaging; Avoid high bins with dividers which increase the amount of packaging and clutter up the workstations. Choose a low bin with internal wedges.

5.Stable

Maintain your pieces with only 3 contact points, you will improve their accessibility and avoid packaging waste.

6.Versatile

Versatile industrial packaging, identical trolley for various parts

Packaging for 4 different items

Package your parts in a versatile and standardized way, so the diversity of your packaging will be reduced.

To do this research the common parts of your different pieces such as a bracket, a layer, a hole… You can use the same type of packaging to package different parts.

Such packaging will automate the filling easily.

7.Modular

Choose the 400 mm width to create your packaging. This dimension matches human morphology, it is easier to manage. This dimension maximizes the truck filling rate. For Rollis Trolley type, wherever the human goes the trolley follows.

For container packagings choose a dimension of 400, 300, 200 or 100.

Limit yourself to a minimum width of 100 mm to avoid MSD (musculoskeletal disorders) thanks to a grip without stress for the fingers.

Modularity of Labadis industrial packaging

8.Ergonomic

a woman draws an ergonomic industrial packaging

Limit the load of your containers to 15 kg. Otherwise use an ergonomic Rollis trolley or an automatic pile lifter to present your containers in the ergonomic window height. You reduce the risk of injury.

9.Sustainable

With these rules your packaging becomes reusable and sustainable.

Packaging conception needs many decisions which optimization is sometimes complex. Labadis can coach you in the design and realization of your packagings.

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Jean LABADIE

Engineer by training, 40 years in industry, trained by Toyota at TPS, director of industrial performance within the Valeo group, Jean LABADIE created Labadis in 2002 to support manufacturers in all sectors in setting up a simple organization, efficient and sustainable based on the Labadis system.