Businesses big and small have been facing supply chain issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the packaging industry experiencing roughly six price increases on raw materials like corrugated cardboard over the past three years alone. And while we’re currently seeing a steady decline in the cost of packaging supplies, we understand clients are looking to make up for lost time and lost profits.
Your goal is probably to find the most affordable wholesale custom packaging partner. But it truly pays off to invest in a packaging supplier offering high-end products and quality customer service. You will find both at Pacific Box Company.
Over the past two years, we’ve learned that paying attention to the details saves our clients the most money – and provide free audits to existing and potential clients to help them improve their shipping processes.
The Pacific Box Company audit program begins and ends with our in-house audit team, which consists of a sales manager, one to two additional salespeople, and a structural designer. Once we’ve connected with a candidate, the audit team schedules a time to walk through the client’s packing facility and review how boxes are offloaded from the truck, stored, and handled ahead of shipping.
During the audit, our team evaluates how long it takes to complete the packing process, from the initial setup of boxes to filling and sealing them up. Additionally, our team assesses how packaged products are individually labeled, palletized, and shipped.
While the length of an audit can vary, we’ve found that the average is about 2 ½ hours. At the end of each audit, our team provides the client with a detailed summary of their current process and provides recommendations for improvement.
In most situations, the audit reveals issues in the packaging and shipping process. This will usually include the process being too slow, too labor intensive, or involving too many touches. We also commonly see clients storing boxes too far from the packing line, resulting in more trips and wasted time. As part of the list of recommendations, our audit team often suggests a new box style that is cheaper, faster, and all-around better for the client’s specific needs.
Additional tips generally center on organization, like creating a more efficient station for setting up and packing products, keeping products close to the packing station, and maximizing pallet size and height to fit more storage racks. Our post-audit recommendations also come with a cost attached so the client can see how much money they can save if they make changes.
Not convinced that your business would benefit from Pacific Box Company’s audit program? Then hearing about our audit program saving JanSport and parent company VF Corporation a ton of money might change your mind.
After assessing JanSport’s packaging and labeling processes, the Pacific Box Company audit team recommended over $1.2 million in savings that year. Our team suggested creating more efficient packing stations, implementing automated tape machines, and new methods of palletizing their products to be shipped.
Typically, audited clients implement 60-75% of our recommendations. In the case of JanSport, the company decided to adopt a new box for shipping, among other changes.
By switching from a standard Regular Slotted Container (RSC) box to an auto-bottom box, JanSport cut the length of its process from 54 seconds to 33 seconds, saving them 64% in set-up fees and packing time. Implementing the new custom corrugated box ended up costing JanSport a few more pennies upfront but led to savings of $650,000 when factoring in annual expenses.
Following the initial audit, we encourage a quarterly meeting with the client to review the progress. We also follow up a year after the audit to evaluate annual cost savings from the previous year with the client. If we are not seeing the progress we hoped for, we might suggest another audit.
Ultimately, our audit program aims to boost customer and worker satisfaction, increase productivity, and improve warehouse capacity and cash flow. We also strive to build trust and prove to current and prospective clients that, at Pacific Box Company, we aren’t just chasing orders.
If you’re ready to explore a new partnership with a custom packaging supplier in Seattle or Tacoma you can depend on, give us a call.
