A manufacturer’s job is not done when the goods are finished, at least not if they want to be successful. The product still needs to be shipped to the distributor to be sold. At this step, it is helpful to have a shipping plan and reliable packaging solution. Custom corrugated packaging may even be essential for delicate or fragile goods.
Customers typically do not notice the box a package arrives in unless the product was damaged in some way. Then the defective box is examined for any rips or wrinkles. Cardboard, although made from paper, can actually be fairly resilient. It can also be terribly flimsy. The trick so to speak is corrugation. Ridges, or flutes as they are called in this case, bear the brunt of the weight when pressure is applied. This keeps the cardboard from bending or breaking at the point of contact.
Cardboard can come in several types: single face, single wall, double wall, and even triple wall, increasing in resiliency. The larger the flute or wave, the stronger the packaging. But a larger flute also happens to make the packaging more bulky, which may be fine for shipping but is not appreciated elsewhere.
Retail packaging design typically is concerned with drawing the customer in, or at least being impressive looking. Retail packaging boxes are required to be glossier, sleeker. To achieve this and still protect the inner contents, the custom corrugated packaging will be made with a single face or single wall of cardboard. The smaller flutes mean less bulk.
Somewhere around 90% of all products made in the U.S. are shipped or displayed via corrugated packaging at some point. It has been considered the most cost effective shipping option for just over 100 years. The cost of packaging is part of any manufacturer’s budget; a dependable and cost effective option is a no-brainer choice. But that is still not the end of the process.
Retail packaging design needs to be eye-catching. It needs to protect the product. And in this day and age it helps if it is made of recycled materials. What does this have to do with custom corrugated packaging? Just as you may be the manufacturer of a great product, so is another manufacturer of shipping and packaging. A company that can provide both for the goods you produce makes sense business-wise, as it is one less problem to worry about.