Packing Packs a Punch
Measure and improve packing zones to be sure the process is optimized
The moment when your customers open a box with the things they ordered is the most important part of their interaction with you. It’s your moment of truth. Well-executed packing reduces product damage, minimizes returns and leaves a positive impression. Subpar packing has the opposite effect.
Start with the data
Numbers can provide a clear picture of your current packing processes. You can start with SKU data: dimensions, weights, case quantities, pick rates. Standardizing your measuring process is a good practice. When you enter dimensions for an item, do you use the dimensions as it ships, or as it’s stored? Consistency will help you maintain an accurate database.
Besides data for each SKU, you’ll want to measure as much as possible pertaining to system performance. You can look at things like this:
- How many orders are you packing per day, or per hour? How many per associate?
- What’s your carton utilization rate by percentage (on average)?
- Similarly, what’s the efficiency of your shipments—how much of a truckload are you using?
- How many pounds of dunnage does your packing operation generate per order?
- What is your order cycle time?
Looking at numbers can help you determine which KPIs to target. By starting with a baseline, you can measure again after you make improvements to see how much those efforts are helping your business along.
Carton size
Evaluating carton selection for each order inevitably plays a role in packing KPIs.
- Too-big cartons take up more space in a shipment than strictly necessary, which means high shipping costs.
- This also creates more need for void fill materials and processes.
- Also, customers don’t like to receive small items in comically large boxes.
Carton selection affects multiple KPIs: space efficiency, corrugate used, void fill and more. Cartonization may be the area of packing where you spend the most time and attention as you look for improvements. For some systems, automated case erectors can provide significant ROI.
This is where all that data comes in handy. The numbers can help guide you to the right mix of cartons to stock. Average order data can also show you what sizes need to be within the reach of your packers.
Don’t forget to evaluate all of this as your business changes. The ideal carton mix is never static. As your SKU mix changes and customer demand fluctuates, so will the right sizes of boxes.
Economizing time
To move your KPIs in the right direction, you’ll want to make improvements in how efficiently you use cartons, but you’ll also want to improve time efficiency. You’re trying to get more orders out the door with no increase in damages, so making the packing process as time-efficient as possible is an obvious part of that goal. Here are a few areas to consider when it comes to saving time:
- Using cartons and shippers efficiently saves both space and time, because it minimizes the step of void-filling.
- Never overlook ergonomics. Besides eliminating motions that can lead to injuries, a good ergonomics program also improves production. Make sure the most frequently used supplies are within easy reach, which will mean less walking, and less time, per order.
- Don’t underestimate basic cleaning and organization. What’s your current process for dunnage removal? We’ve installed trash conveyors in the middle of pack lines for fast, continuous waste removal.
- Automation is always possible. You can automate dimensioning, for example, or incorporate automatic barcode readers. You can also automate the movement of orders between picking and packing, and between packing and shipping, using a sortation conveyor system.
Small changes add up
Packing is a lot of small movements and decisions by your workers, and they scale up in a hurry. Manually moving corrugate waste, having to walk for certain carton size, using an excessively large box—none of these things create big problems if done once. But done thousands of times over week, they take a bite out of your margins. The good news is that if you can target them through new processes, new equipment and better training, you can improve performance just as quickly.
More resources
- How to Make Packing More Efficient
- Order Fulfillment is the First Line of a Great Customer Experience
- Tactics to Reduce Small Parts Order Picking Errors
Download our Order Picking Guide
Check out our guide for order picking methods, storage types, ergonomic considerations and inventory solutions. You will find quick, useful information on order picking and how you can maximize speed, accuracy and safety.
Download the guide today
Jessica Haring