Whether you’re a small-medium size enterprise or a large corporation, an in-house packaging engineer can prove to be invaluable to your packaging process. Companies that sell high volumes of a single product or have hundreds of SKUs need the help of a packaging engineer to save the organization a considerable amount of money in operational costs.
The roles and responsibilities of a packaging engineer are too numerous to mention in a single article, as is the list of qualifications they need to possess to impact your bottom line. This article will concentrate on two central themes: packaging engineers and their importance in e-commerce and sustainability.
Packaging engineers in the world of e-commerce.
In 2020, total U.S. e-commerce sales reached $759.4 billion, and there are no signs of it slowing down. The shortage and increased prices of corrugated attest to that.
E-commerce and online sales have become the new normal for many retail brands, changing the role of the packaging engineer considerably. Engineers must keep secondary packaging looking good as well as kept safe to create a quality unboxing experience.
This means a packaging engineer now needs to work more closely than ever with design and marketing teams to create a packaging solution that makes a lasting first impression on an online buyer. And, there are now many mass-produced box sizes that can easily be custom printed.
Packaging engineers also eliminate the need for young e-commerce companies to store large, heavy packaging volumes by designing weight-reduced packaging and volume-reduced packaging. This helps smaller brands keep packaging at a reasonable level with the options of scaling up as their brand grows.
Packaging engineers and sustainability.
An often-overlooked role of the packaging engineer is to ensure that their solutions meet the environmental standards of both the company and the law. This begins at sourcing raw materials, all the way through to safe disposal of the packaging.
Many millennial consumers are rightfully concerned about the effect of current consumption levels on the environment. In response, an effective packaging engineer defaults to using sustainable packaging. This is accomplished by using ethically sourced materials and implementing “reduce, reuse, and recycle” into the packaging design.
Not only are packaging engineers vital to your ESG efforts, they also identify cost-reduction opportunities throughout your entire supply chain. They keep your brand competitive by staying on top of industry trends, like materials technology, packaging science, and distribution methods.
How can Korpack help?
Our packaging consultants can help your in-house packaging engineer navigate the many complexities of selecting the best packaging solutions for your company. They can help set up or update your packaging operations, choose the right equipment, and even put together branding ideas for you.
Contact us today to learn more about our consulting services, whether you have an in-house packaging engineer or not. We excel at collaborating with our customer’s in-house teams or fulfilling their engineering needs through expert consulting.
