The global pandemic has resulted in dramatic changes to virtually every aspect of our world, including effective and efficient packaging solutions. In addition to being conscious of best-practices during COVID-19, companies must find ways to cut costs and create savings without sacrificing quality.
Fortunately, you are not alone. At Frank Lowe, we specialize in providing our partners with unique, highly-effective, packaging solutions. We regularly work with metal finishing companies, fence building companies, and other manufacturers to create viable packaging options designed to protect shipments and save money. Let's take a closer look at a few different pandemic packaging solutions and strategies you can use to be smarter with supply chain funds.
Use a Carrier With Long Shipping Time
When it comes to shipping, there are several factors that can determine the cost. And one of the key factors is the shipping time. To put it frankly, you can save money by using a slower shipping option. To best execute this strategy, you'll need to communicate with your customers and reset their expectations.
If you don't want to reset customer expectations for longer ship times, you do have the option to ship packages earlier — even before they are billed. This option may be feasible for those customers with long-standing, trustworthy relationships. By shipping packages earlier, you can still advertise faster shipping. In the end, the goal is to save money, and you can do just that by making relatively minor tweaks to your shipping practices.
Renegotiate Shipping Rates
Right now, almost every service provider may be hurting. Because of this, it may make dollars and sense to consider renegotiating your shipping rates. All shipping companies offer discounted pricing based on volume. Surprisingly, you don't need to ship hundreds of thousands of orders every month to tap into these discounts.
You only need to ask! You have nothing to lose by asking your shipping partners about discounted rates or attempting to negotiate volume discounts in exchange for future business to a specific carrier.
Reduce Damaged Product Returns
Whether it's from bad warehousing, improperly packaged shipments, or improperly handled products, damaged product returns are extremely expensive. Because of this, you can significantly reduce your overall supply chain costs by investing in a highly-effective custom packaging solution that works.
At Frank Lowe, we offer one-of-a-kind custom packaging solutions to ensure your product arrives at its destination as intended. Our seasoned custom packaging experts will work closely with you to design, prototype, and create a custom packaging solution that gives your metal finishing product the protection it deserves.
In addition to the metal finishing industry, we partner with manufacturers across all other industries. Regardless of your industry or product, we'll work to create a custom packaging solution that reduces your damaged product returns, which can help lower your supply chain costs.
Control Shipping Inventory Storage Costs
When you are required to keep large pallets of cardboard, reams of bubble wrap and kraft paper, or other common packaging supplies; they all take up space that could be more effectively used to house products or other profit-driving assets. And whether you acknowledge it, housing these storage supplies drives your overall overhead costs up and impacts opportunity cost.
One feasible way to reduce holistic shipping costs is to reduce the amount of storage space required for shipping supplies. Instead of housing large bags of styrofoam peanuts, pallets of cardboard, or other traditional packaging solutions, you can save time and money by choosing a more compact and effective protective packaging product.
Lower Labor Costs Associated with Packaging
Optimizing your shipping and supply costs requires you to take a closer look at your end-to-end process. If you're using traditional packaging methods, it makes dollars and sense to examine the amount of time your employees spend applying which ever packaging solutions you're using.
Whether you use bubble wrap, cardboard, kraft paper, or perforated foam rolls, these products require manual labor and time to apply. In most instances, the time spent applying these traditional packaging materials could be repurposed for more profit-driving activities. For example, to apply bubble wrap or kraft paper, your employees must complete several steps including:
Accurately measure and cut the paper or bubble wrap in the right size to completely wrap the powder-coated, finished metal, or other components.
Make sure the product is centered in the middle of the bubble wrap or paper.
Fold the bubble wrap or paper several times around the product.
Apply tape to the protective solution to secure the product.
Repeat this process two or three times for sufficient protection.
While this may seem like a cost of doing business and shipping, it doesn't have to be.
WOW Pads Can Help!
In today's economy and market, it's more important than ever for businesses to create efficiencies and savings. Frank Lowe's new WOW Pads are tailor-made to offer your product the protection it deserves while reducing your shipping costs in more ways than one. Here are a few highlights of these small and mighty compression pads:
Contact Frank Lowe for Expert Packaging and Shipping Solutions
At Frank Lowe, we are proud to partner with metal finishing, fence companies, and businesses across virtually all industries to provide cost-effective packaging solutions.
Contact us today to learn more about WOW Pads or the other ways we can help reduce your shipping and packaging costs while improving protection.
