Packaging is a science of protecting and an art of presenting a product it contains..

Consumer products need to be presented in an attractive package that stands out, invites, lures and ultimately, induces impulse in the buyer to pick-it-up from the shelf from among its competitors.

Parameters that attribute presentability are linked with consumer psychology and are subjective, which put together are projected in consumer satisfaction.

Time and money spent in embedding these parameters in consumer package out-weigh the cost towards protecting it.

Unlike consumer products, buying and selling of industrial products involve sheer objectivity.

Buyer is not prone to make or change his decision based on attractiveness of a package.

His buying decision is based on the specifications of product he wants to use.

Manufacturer is also aware that buyer can not be moved by deceptive look of a package.

Most of the industrial products are used for subsequent production and not consumed directly by individuals

Buyers satisfaction is in terms of factory freshness of product

Industrial products such as equipment, machinery, chemicals, fertilizers, oils, ores, minerals are not sold to individuals.The sales is mostly from company to company.

In as much as the product is delivered safely and the buyer is not irritated by spoilage/damage, package is assessed as satisfactory.

The package therefore, has to perform well in physical distribution and should offer economy of handling storage and transportation.

Unitization, palletisation, containerization are more important aspects than graphic design and sales appeal.

The specific items under discussion can be dealt under the following heads:

1. Product - Kind of product, physical characteristics, weight, shape, size, assembly,

fragility, surface finish.

2. Manufacturing status - individual assembly or mass production.

3. In plant handling methods - manual pushing or pulling, conveyor carrying, fork lift,

overhead crane.

4. Mode of transport - road, rail, sea or air - period of journey.

5. The climatic condition of the place of manufacturing and destination.

6. Physical and climatic hazards likely to be encountered in transit.

7. Selection of packaging material - procurement problem - prepackaging needs.

8. Package design - unit pack, bulk pack, shipping container.

9. Tests for package performance.

10. Product identification - instruction and marking procedures

11. Packaging economy - cost reduction, value analysis.

Heavy engineering goods Heavy engineering goods consist of items such as industrial machinery, agricultural implements, chemical and textile fabricated items or machine parts.

Many times these goods are strong enough to withstand impacts during the transportation but the accessories and the mounting which are going with them and are mounted directly on the outside or inside of the main body are likely to be damaged.

There can be hazards such as corrosion due to climatic conditions.

Here comes the function of packaging technologist to handle machines in all the directions - up, down and sideways to eliminate the movement is often required.

This results in fixing of the machine inside the container and prevents its movement within the container.

Heavy engineering goods (eg.)

Fig1: heavy engineering goods

Cast iron part Care, should be taken to avoid undue weight and tension coming on such parts.

Internal padding Padding should be inserted at all the contact points of products and construction timber.

Fig2: internal padding

Giant machines For giant machines, many times it is desirable to dismantle such machines into sub-assemblies. For such packaging, care should be taken for proper identification of these sub-assembling easy

for the consumer and to prevent mix up.

Protruding members As far as possible, the protruding members or over handling members should be dismantled and packed separately within the main package. It is preferable to keep such components on the bottom of the case and fix them securely. If they must remain fixed on the machine, sufficient space should be left around them for suitable

cushioning.

Precision parts Special attention will have to be paid for packing of precision parts, gear boxes, shafts from

the viewpoint of corrosion. This needs application of corrosion preventives e.g. protective oils and/or wrapping with

laminates or films to protect such items.

Long & narrow parts Parts such as axles, shafts, which are long and are likely to be damaged at ends or bent in the

middle during the transportation should be uniformly and continuously supported. Solid wooden boards should be used for such purpose, instead of battened structure

Fig3:laminates Fig4:packing of precision parts

Tools and accessories Tools and accessories going along with the machine should never be sent separately. They can be packed within the main package to avoid the losses during transit or delay in

receiving the parts.

Fixing of the machine All machinery should be fixed firmly to the base with nuts and bolts, tensional straps or

wooden blocks. Use of spring washer to avoid the loosening of bolts and nuts due to vibrations is also

recommended.

Fig5:wodden blocksFig6: washer, nuts& bolts

Fig7: straps

Brittle items In the case of large and brittle items, the main danger is of fracture in the middle.

In order to avoid this, they should be floated in cushioning material. Generally, giving cushioned supports at two points within its span does this.

Fig8: cushioning material

No moisture should be allowed to enter the case This can be achieved by using duly sealed waterproof lining materials such as

bitumen sandwiched krafts, polyethylene film, polypaper laminates, jute-polyethylene laminates, etc.

Fig9:bitumen krafts Fig10:Jute-polyethlene laminates

Fig 11 : polyethylene film

Skid type cases In most of the cases, packaging of heavy engineering items is done in skid type cases and the

base of such cases takes the entire load.

Fig12: skid type cases

Pallets: To provide stability & easy fork lifting

Fig 13: wooden pallets

Compatibility

This is determined by the nature of the product, surface characteristics and the properties of the packaging materials used.

Properties of packaging material should be checked before its use.

The physical contact should not contaminate the product and cause deterioration of the factory fresh finish of the product.

Metal surfaces corrode, rubber product perishes, paper gets discoloured and disintegrated, fabric and leather rot or are mildewed.

Provisions for easy handling The physical hazards encountered by the package during the transit can be reduced to a greater extent by using handling devices.

Easy handling can be achieved by different ways as given below:

1) By providing the skids to the wooden case for ease in mechanical lifting

2) Odd shaped items give rise to uneven distribution of load in the pack and it is preferable to pack each item as two in one pack in such a manner so as to distribute weight uniformly. This can also be regarded as a provision of easy handling.

3) If it is not possible to pack two odd shaped items in one pack as mentioned in item (2) above, a proper aligning position or hook position should be marked on the package by ascertaining the position of its centre of gravity.

4) Instructions for opening should be provided or may be marked on the product at the time of packing. This will much reduce the chances of damage.

5) The dimensions of the pack should be such as to suit the shipping and lifting facilities.

6) In some cases, it is possible to provide handles to the package and make the package into "two to carry load".

Economic Considerations

The fulfillment of all the objectives of a satisfactory packaging system at the lowest possible cost is one of the most important functions of

packaging scheme.

It also involves continuous research of damage rates, protection and cost involved and establishment in relation to the type of the product, cost of the product and the quality of the product.

Procurement of materials

Once the packaging design is chosen, the necessity of procuring the raw material arises.

The main requirement is to set the standards for these materials and ascertain the proper supply from the vendors.

The standard should be drawn for each material as well as the possible alternative materials.

The material received should be stored in such a way that it does not get spoiled during storage.