When you think of logistics companies, what comes to mind? Tractor trailers? Warehouses? Well, for every big thing you can think of, there are many relatively little things that third-party logistics (3PL) companies perform every day that are just as important as the big stuff.
One of those things is packaging and, in terms of importance, it’s a very big deal. And, because it’s so important, more and more companies are turning to 3PL providers to handle the responsibility of packaging logistics.
Packaging: What’s the Big Deal?
Why is packaging important? It’s the first thing your customer interacts with when purchasing a product – making an impression before he or she even touches the product itself. While this impression may be subtle or even subconscious, it influences the way the customer sees your brand and can impact the way he or she feels about the purchase.
Is the packaging tailored to the product or is the item just thrown into a box? Has care been taken to protect the product? Are the materials branded or generic? These are just a few of the questions that the customer will be answering – whether they realize it or not – as they open your package.
And, what about your company’s packaging needs? Can standard boxes and packs do all that you need your packaging to do for you?
Kanban: Packaging Logistics in Action
In our previous blog post, we told you about our kitting services which handle everything from talking teddy bears to huge aerospace and defense components. We truly do it all when it comes to kitting. And, packaging is no different.
We can fully customize the shape, size, filling materials, color, and graphic design of your packaging, whether it’s large or small, heavy or light, simple or complex. This type of customization is a “standard” (couldn’t resist) part of what we do. We also fulfill other packaging logistics needs that you may not have even thought of.
A good example of our versatility is QVC. We enjoy a great working relationship with QVC and have since 2001. We’re literally neighbors in North Carolina and many QVC sellers come to Kanban to handle all kinds of QVC-related packaging solutions.
- A small appliance manufacturer recently sent us over 10,000 of one of their products along with the instruction booklets. The directive: create custom packaging for this product, submit it to QVC for approval, apply barcodes, and deliver for distribution. Our response: check, check, check, and check.
- A large marketer of nut products sells through multiple sales channels, including QVC, where its elegantly packaged products are popular as gift items. The company’s representative for QVC sales reached out to Kanban when the original product packaging did not meet QVC’s “drop test” requirements. They sought a partner that could solve the packaging challenge and also provide warehousing and last-mile shipping from a location close to QVC. Kanban Logistics met all the criteria and the companies have had a close partnership since 2013.
- Sharp Electronics had a brand new TV for sale on QVC. They asked several companies to create custom packaging that would pass the drop test. Kanban’s sleek and safe packaging solution won the business.
- A leading single-cup coffee maker was worried that thousands of their packaged products contained coffee pods that would expire soon. Kanban received these packages, inserted fresh pods, performed repackaging and labeling, and quickly had the items ready for distribution.
- A pet food manufacturer sold one of their canned products on QVC. They needed a custom package for each quantity configuration (e.g., two cans needed a custom package, three cans needed a different custom package, etc.). Kanban had every custom configuration ready for shipment in no time.
These are just a few examples of the many things that we do under the umbrella of packaging logistics and rework services. Contact us to learn what we can do to make your brand stand out from the pack.
