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There is a lot of debate about how exactly we should deal with environmental issues like global warming and receding glaciers, but few people have any doubt in their minds about the necessity to deal with the problem before it becomes unmanageable. The manufacturers of industrial packaging supplies are doing their bit by making sure that their products are not bad for the environment. Researchers are constantly trying to develop products that would be good for the environment. At the Imperial College London, scientists have developed a degradable polymer that could be used to manufacture the plastic that may be used by manufacturers of industrial packaging supplies.

One of the ways in which industrial supplies can be make environment friendly is by making them biodegradable. After these products are used, they are broken down by bacteria and thus they become a part of the earth. This means that they will not take up space in the landfills which are harmful for the environment. You may be surprised to know that these products are made from the items that we actually eat regularly! For example, sugar, potatoes, and corn are used to manufacture packaging supplies.

Another way of dealing with environmental issues is to recycle industrial packaging supplies. If commodities are packed in cardboard, then these packages can be used as raw materials for making other packing supplies after they have been used.

Source Reduction is also an effective way of preventing damage to the environment. Source Reduction is about reducing the toxicity or amount of waste that is created. Manufacturers of industrial packaging supplies try to make sure that items that usually lead to the creation of toxic waste is not used. If they cannot prevent the production of a certain amount of waste, they try to reuse it in some other form. This is beneficial to them too because they do not have to pay for municipal composting, combustion, or land-filling.

Some people feel that opting for eco-friendly products is extremely expensive. However, this is not true. It is actually possible to save money even by taking eco-friendly steps. For example, it is good idea to make products that can be reused. This is an economical measure in the long term.

If you want environment friendly industrial packaging supplies that are also durable and economical you will have choose your supplier with a lot of care. By Winston Jenkins

Plastic packaging products often attract a lot of criticism, but it is not always fair. Inflatable air bags, a cushioning and void fill packaging system developed over the last decade, are a case in point. A polyethylene material, inflatables are easy to recycle, which is a good start. In addition, the bags are constructed from very thin gauge film. As a result, inflatables add as little as possible to the waste or recycling stream as they are used.

Inflatable bagging systems automatically or semi-automatically insert air into plastic bags that are dispensed from a roll. The filled bags continue along the packaging line still on the roll – resembling links of sausage – and are then dispensed and cut off automatically or semi-automatically into the shipping case. The systems are widely used in high volume, moderate to high speed pick and pack distribution center operations.

The inflatable bags offer several environmental advantages. First, the main cushioning and void fill component of these systems is air – certainly a renewable resource. Second, being primarily air, packaging with inflatables reduces shipping weight – often dramatically – and reduces carbon footprints accordingly. Third, the high level of cushioning protection the bags provide allows shippers to reduce shipping case size, further reducing the amount of packaging materials consumed and injected into the waste or recycling stream.

Paper void fill and cushioning materials, while made from renewable resources, are comparatively heavy and bulky. This translates into greater shipping weight and packaging mass. In addition, paper may provide inferior cushioning, necessitating larger shipping cases. Furthermore, if cushioning performance suffers, damage may increase, resulting in returns and replacement shipments which consume further packaging resources and fuel consumption.

This analysis is not meant to assert that inflatables are always the right environmental choice, or that paper packaging materials are always the wrong one. All packaging applications differ in terms of product containment needs, environmental exposure, and shipping and handling conditions. All these factors must be weighed carefully to determine the optimum environmental packaging to be used. By Ben G. Clark

Nearly all businesses that produce consumable items use product packaging systems. Coming up with new and more cost-effective packaging is an ongoing job for many: there is a delicate balance that must be struck between making packaging attractive to consumers, protecting the product, and keeping cost per unit within reasonable parameters. Maintaining the lowest possible packaging costs, after all, is an essential element to long-term success. Here are a few quick tips for lowering industrial packaging costs.

–Use flexible packaging: If you are still using old-fashioned boxes or other forms of “antiquated” packaging, you may be hurting your bottom line. Not only are these methods expensive at the production level, they also may hurt you financially through a decreased shelf presence at the retail level. Flexible packaging is lower-cost, convenient, colorful, effective, and is the undisputed wave of the future in packaging.

–Keep important machine parts in your inventory: Even when you use flexible packaging, any kind of down- time on your line is costly. Keeping an extensive inventory of spare parts on hand just makes good common sense. Always have the following on hand: parts that are key to your machines’ operations, difficult-to-obtain parts, and items that wear out quickly.

–Rethink your design systems: If you are still using the same packaging system you were using 10 years ago, you may be losing money due to inefficiency. You can bring in a packaging expert to assess your equipment, procedures, and systems, and who can help you streamline your operations on the packaging end.

The goal should always be to maximize output while minimizing labor and materials costs. Packaging technology has come a long way even in the last five years: let it work better for you.  By Ryan Coisson

Industrial packaging industry is growing at a fast pace with the invention of new equipments like stretch wrapping systems and industrial fasteners. Companies manufacturing and selling different types of products that need to be packaged are able to save a great deal of time by installing these equipments for packing goods. Recently there has been news that a web directory for fasteners is going to be launched. The website will contain the addresses of all industrial packaging equipments sellers in the US. If such a website becomes a reality it will help buyers of packaging save time and money by readily providing information about various sellers of packaging goods.

Industrial fasteners are commonly used and are available in various forms. Some of the popular fasteners used in household are nuts, bolts, screws, rivets, pipe plugs, pins, studs etc. But in industries several types of fasteners are used for holding heavy materials that are used in the manufacturing process.

Industrial fasteners come in different categories depending on the type of object they are supposed to fasten. Hence, fasteners that you will come across in the aviation industry will be completely different from that of the shipping industry.

When purchasing fasteners it is important to take note of the type of materials used for manufacturing them. Titanium fasteners are used by companies that use equipments which come in contact with water several times a day. This increases the possibility of corrosion of the material used to make the equipment. Since the fastener is made of corrosion resistant metal it will protect the equipment from corrosion. On the other hand a company that uses heavy materials can go for iron fasteners as they are capable of carrying heavy loads. Brass fasteners are quite popular and are used in wooden furniture. They are available with different coatings such as nickel plating, natural plating etc.

Before buying such equipments you must check with the seller whether they confirm to international standards. In case of American equipments there are three different types of standardization.

• ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials)
• SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers)
• ISO (International Organization for Standards)

In case of online sellers it becomes very easy to check such information as they generally provide the specifications of their products in their website.  By:Kilian Allen