1. Importance of packaging
Packaging is an important warehousing and material management concern, one that is closely related to warehouse efficiency and effectiveness. The best package will increase service, decrease cost and improve handling. Good packaging can have a positive impact on layout, design and overall warehouse productivity.
2. Functions of Packaging
It serves two basic functions ; marketing and logistics.
Marketing: packaging provides customers with information about the product and promotes the product through the use of color and shape.
Logistics perspective: organize, protect and identify products and materials. Packaging takes up the space and adds weight. Industrial users of packaging strive to gain advantages of packaging offers while minimizing the disadvantages such as added space and weight. (Refers to objectives of packaging)
The first packages used the natural materials available at the time: Baskets of reeds, wineskins (Bota bags), wooden boxes, pottery vases, ceramic amphorae, wooden barrels, woven bags, etc. Processed materials were used to form packages as they were developed: for example, early glass and bronze vessels. The study of old packages is an important aspect of archaeology.
The earliest recorded use of paper for packaging dates back to 1035, when a Persian traveler visiting markets in Cairo noted that vegetables, spices and hardware were wrapped in paper for the customers after they were sold. Iron and tin plated steel were used to make cans in the early 19th century. Paperboard cartons and corrugated fiberboard boxes were first introduced in the late 19th century.
Packaging advancements in the early 20th century included Bakelite closures on bottles, transparent cellophane overwraps and panels on cartons, increased processing efficiency and improved food safety. As additional materials such as aluminum and several types of plastic were developed, they were incorporated into packages to improve performance and functionality.In-plant recycling has long been common for production of packaging materials.
Packaging problems encountered in World War II led to Military Standard or "mil spec" regulations being applied to packaging, designating it "military specification packaging". As an prominent concept in the military, mil spec packaging officially came into being around 1941, due to operations in Iceland experiencing critical losses due to what the military eventually attributed to bad packaging solutions. In most cases, mil spec packaging solutions (such as barrier materials, field rations, antistatic bags, and various shipping crates) are similar to commercial grade packaging materials, but subject to more stringent performance and quality requirements.
