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You Optimised Everything Else... Why Not Packaging?
You Optimised Everything Else... Why Not Packaging?
Recent Articles
Businesses are constantly refining and improving.
Whether you’re reviewing suppliers, streamlining operations, or optimising logistics routes, your processes are being refined and improved every day.
Commonly overlooked, however, is packaging. Packaging design, materials and even packaging waste are critical things to consider, yet many companies overlook them.
Here at Springpack, we are giving the power back to your packaging, and offering Free Packaging Reviews.
The Overlooked Opportunity
Packaging is involved with everything that leaves your door, but is surprisingly easy to ignore. This could be:
Box sizes get standardised and never revisited.
Materials are chosen once and reordered on repeat.
Processes stay the same because they “work well enough.”
Just because you aren’t actively facing packaging changes doesn’t mean there are none.
Small Inefficiencies, Big Impact
Small inefficiencies are like a leaky tap.
A small drip doesn’t feel like a lot, but overtime, it adds up and significantly increases your water (or packaging) bill.
Slightly oversized boxes increase shipping costs
A box that is just 2cm smaller can make a huge difference – let’s run the numbers based on a 1.2 X 1m pallet, stacked 2.2m high.
If you are using a 10cm squared box, you’ll fit 120 boxes per layer, with 22 layers. That’s 2,640 boxes per pallet.
Now, if you make each box just 2cm smaller to become 8cm squared, you’ll have 15 X 12 per layer, with 27 layers.
That’s 4,860 boxes per pallet. That’s an extra 2,220 boxes per pallet.
Let’s scale this further – if you’re sending out 100 pallets containing 10cm boxes per day, that’s 26,640 boxes.
With 8cm boxes, you could reduce the number of pallets you are sending to 55.
Cost reduction-wise, if pallet distribution costs you £35 per pallet, swapping to the 8cm box could save you £1575 on pallet freight alone – and reduce the amount of pallet wrap you need by almost half.
| Metric | 10cm Box | 8cm Box | Improvement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box Dimensions | 10cm × 10 cm x 10cm | 8cm × 8cm x 8cm | -20% size reduction |
| Boxes per Layer | 120 (12 × 10) | 180 (15 × 12) | +50% |
| Number of Layers per Pallet (2.2m height) | 22 | 27 | +23% |
| Total Boxes per Pallet | 2,640 | 4,860 | +2,220 boxes (+84%) |
| Daily Output (100 pallets baseline) | 26,640 boxes | 26,640 boxes | Same output |
| Pallets Required for Same Output | 100 pallets | 55 pallets | -45 pallets (-45%) |
| Cost per Pallet (Approx. based on £35) | £35 | £35 | |
| Total Daily Pallet Cost | £3,500 | £1,925 | £1,575 saved/day |
| Pallet Wrap Usage | 100% | ~55% | ~45% reduction |
Excess materials drive up spend without adding value
Adding an excess of void fill or tape could be driving up the cost per pack. If you’re using a 48mm tape, putting two 15cm pieces down to seal the box, you’re using 144 cm² tape.
Swapping to a single piece of 75mm tape instead uses 112.5 cm² tape. The extra width will
Meaning 2 strips of 48mm tape uses 28% more material to pack the same box.
Poor fit leads to more void fill and wasted time
A big box filled with void fill sounds like a great way to transport your product and ensure no breakages.
But excess void fill, and an oversized box, cost more in both procurement and distribution. Instead, swapping to a smaller box, or a high bulk – low material volume solution (Like air pillows) reduces the amount of materials.
The Cost of “Good Enough”
One of the biggest barriers to optimising your packaging is not updating your processes and practices.
If packaging is doing its job, protecting products and getting them from A to B, it’s easy to leave it alone.
But “good enough” often hides:
Over-specification (using more material than needed)
Outdated formats that no longer suit your product range
Missed opportunities to streamline packing processes
In an environment where everything else is being challenged and improved, packaging can quietly fall behind.
Individual issues don’t always stand out. But collectively? They can have a significant impact on margins.
Book An Operational Packaging Review
Running these numbers can seem like a headache.
Springpack will do the hard work for you. Let us do the numbers for you – book your free operational cost review below.
If you are interested in Packaging, Springpack are experts in the field. Our team of Packaging Experts have all of the answers to your packaging questions. Why not get in touch with us today?