Prepare the pack bench for Black Friday now

Largely coined as ‘the war on Christmas’, last year saw the Black Friday period (22-28 November) take over the traditional Christmas trading point (21-27 December), with 28% more orders taken than during the festivities.

With the consensus being that 2017 will see even more of the same, Antalis Packaging is reminding customers of the importance of making sure their packaging operations are ready for the peak in demand well in advance, in order to streamline processes and cut costs.

Andrew Smedley, divisional manager for Packaging at Antalis, comments: “Although the packaging and distribution operation isn’t always a top priority, it can actually make an incredible impact in terms of optimising efficiencies ahead of the retail rush. Often small changes, for example, reorganising your packing area for easier access or reducing your packaging materials in order to free up more warehouse space, can make a huge difference in terms of reducing waste, speeding up the packing process and reducing lead-times.

“At Antalis, we work with customers to give a free business review where we will spend time to understand their business and work with them to help streamline any process and cost where packaging is involved.”

Antalis’ top five recommendations for ‘peak planning’ are:

• Organise your packaging. Make sure you’ve got enough packaging material, it’s easily accessible and your packers are fully trained up to maximise efficiency.

• Reduce your packaging materials. Less is more, so it’s better to order smaller volumes for regular delivery as you need them. Not only does this free up valuable warehouse space but means packaging materials won’t get grubby while in storage.

• Optimise your warehouse space. Taking the time to reassess your packaging set up can help to free up even more space and streamline your process. 

• Speed up your packaging. From self-erecting crash-lock boxes for faster operative packing through to automated machinery, there are lots of ways to help speed up your packaging.

• Reduce your transport costs. Again, less is more. By reducing your packaging size you will be able to fit more onto a pallet – cutting your carrier tariff cost and increasing transport times.

To find out more about the full Antalis Packaging range, go to www.antalispackaging.co.uk

You can also arrange a free packaging audit by visiting www.antalispackagingsolutions.co.uk

or by calling one of the Antalis Packaging experts on 0370 241 1466.