Think your packaging operation is already optimised? Think again. One business discovered it could save £200,000 every year without replacing its entire packaging system. So, how much money could your operation be wasting?
Packaging might seem like a relatively small part of the fulfilment process, but the true costs go far beyond cardboard boxes. Material waste, labour, storage, shipping charges and even customer returns can quietly eat into margins.
In the latest episode of Logistics Business Conversations, recorded at Parcel+Post Expo in London, host Paul Hamblin is joined by Victor Queiroz of CMC Packaging Automation to uncover the hidden costs of packaging and explain why simply producing smaller boxes isn’t necessarily the smartest solution.
A £200,000 Saving Hiding in Plain Sight
During the conversation, Queiroz shares a real-world example of a business that believed its automated packaging operation was already running efficiently.
However, a closer examination of its packaging data revealed an unexpected opportunity. By introducing an additional corrugated material width into its existing operation, the company could save approximately £200,000 in material costs annually.
And that’s just one example of the savings businesses could be overlooking.
The discussion explores how intelligent packaging automation can reduce waste, improve warehouse productivity and lower shipping costs, while also supporting increasingly demanding sustainability requirements.
Queiroz also explains why packaging needs to work seamlessly alongside warehouse automation, how businesses can avoid costly bottlenecks and what the rise of fully autonomous fulfilment could mean for the industry.
With some automated packaging investments targeting payback in as little as 12–18 months, the financial implications are difficult to ignore.
Could your packaging operation be costing far more than you realise? And what would it take to uncover those hidden savings?
Find out in the latest episode of Logistics Business Conversations.
