Survey Finds that Popping Bubble Wrap® ...

Forget plunking down that money for a massage. A survey conducted earlier this year by the Kelton Research for the Bubble Wrap® Brand showed some surprising results for how Americans relieve stress. The 12th Annual Bubble Wrap® Appreciation Day rolled out a “Pop” Poll to find out just how stressed out Americans are these days. Turns out, about 77 percent of us are more stressed this year over last year. But take heart. Popping this packaging material for just one minute equals spending 33 minutes on a massage table. Of those surveyed, workers that spent a week...

Paperboard and Corrugated Packaging to G...

The U.S. demand for packaging in the form of paperboard and corrugated boxes is expected to rise 2.3 percent on an annucal basis in 2016, according to mhlnews.com. The news signals a good sign of turnaround in the U.S. economy, and a boost for the third party logistics industry which incorporates custom packaging into its services. One reason for the rise in demand for packaging is the spike in the durable goods market, food, and beverage industries. Third party logistics companies such as IntegraCore spend thousands each year in equipment to make corrugated boxes and...

Packaging Still Important to Online Cons...

The old saying, never judge a book by its cover, does not apply to when it comes to product packaging. And this also holds true for online businesses as well, say experts. What does count is the ability to quickly peruse online product packaging. Additionally, the website design and graphics are just as important as the product packaging. It’s about establishing the trust of the shopper. If the website or product appears shotty and less-than-perfect, the customer is more likely to walk out of the store’s virtual doors, according to the research paper,” Packaging in...

Organization Wants to Make it Easier for...

Studies have shown that confusing packaging labels have led many consumers to do less on their part to recycle. The non-profit group, GreenBlue will be rolling out simpler eco-friendly labels on products. GreenBlue is setting it sights on launching a Packaging Recovery Label System in 2012 that would take the guesswork out of how to reduce, reuse or discard recyclable packaging. In cooperation with the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Green Guides, GreenBlue will also help companies such as third party logistics providers (3PL) to aid their end customers by putting these...

Could DNA be the Missing Link Between Su...

For supply chains that handle consumer products and food, counterfeiting has become a rampant issue. One surprising solution that could help aid supply chains in cracking down on counterfeiting is DNA.  Back in April of this year, an agency of the United States government called, Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. launched a program to combat counterfeit microchips that effect government supply chains. This latest technology, known as DNA Authentication, uses an organic marking that cannot be replicated and can be slapped on a number of product packaging and labels. This DNA...

Turkey announces plan to build a new can...

  Turkey's Bosporus Strait Last Wednesday, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced plans for the country to build a waterway connecting the Mediterranean Seas with the Black Sea.  The move would redirect current shipping traffic from the Bosphorus Strait. “Today we are rolling up our sleeves for one of the biggest projects of the century, which will outshine the Panama and Suez canals,” said Erdogan during a conference last week. The new canal, which is planned to be built on the European side of the Bosphorus, will be approximately...

Internet home delivery company rides aga...

You may remember the now-debunked 1990s online delivery company, Kozmo.com. Anything from a rental movie to a pint of ice cream was just a click away.  With a guaranteed delivery time of under an hour and no minimum or delivery charges , it’s no wonder Kozmo suffered an untimely death. It seems that Kozmo has been reincarnated as Max Delivery-a New York-based company that apparently have worked out all the kinks related to the former internet home-delivery business. Max Delivery was formed in 2005 by none other than Kozmo’s former CTO, Chris Siragusa. “Kozmo...

MHIA predicts robust growth in equipment...

There is finally a silver lining to the material handling industry, according to a survey released by the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA).  The organization announced the good news during the annual industry ProMat 2011 show, which was held in Chicago this year. The survey predicts an increase in new orders for manufacturing equipment at a rate from 11 to 12 percent from 2011 to 2012.  Additionally, shipping is expected to increase by the same rate through 2012, according to MHIA’s report. The report also pointed to an 18 percent increase in new orders and...

E-commerce retailer Zappos to stop shipp...

  Zappos stops shipping to Canada Online retailer, Zappos announced on their website that they they will stop shipping orders to Canada.  In a recent message posted by Zappos, they pointed to distribution agreements as the main culprit for the decision.  You can read the message here: Hey, everyone. While we often have fun things to talk about in this space, we sometimes have less pleasant topics to share. We have made the difficult decision to shut down the canada.zappos.com site and stop shipping to Canada. One of our core values is to “deliver WOW through...

Big things come in small packages for on...

As shipping rates continue to rise, E-commerce retailers are turning to new packaging solutions as a way to curb shipping costs and make products more attractive.  Options such as carton optimization help reduce package dimension size and allow shippers to better comply with newer restrictions on dimensional weights. The decision is a win-win for E-commerce retailers, who are using these smaller and more compact packaging solutions as a way to better market online products to gift recipients.  Retailers are also better able to reach out to their customers through more...