The Functions of Packaging

   

THE FUNCTIONS OF PACKAGING

V. Ryan © 2004 - 2011

 

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Billions of pounds are spent on packaging food and other items each year. Sixty percent of all packaging is for food products. At the beginning of the 20th century most food was sold loose. It was weighed and measured out and placed in bags or directly into the shoppers bag to carry home.

    Packaging and advertising were virtually unknown. Today packaging is a massive, lucrative industry and often it is the way the packaging looks that persuades the shopper to buy the product inside it.      

THERE ARE SIX MAIN REASONS WHY PACKAGING DEVELOPED AND IS IN USE TODAY

 

1. To protect a product from damage or contamination by micro-organisms and air, moisture and toxins.
The product must be protected against being dropped, crushed, and the vibration it suffers during transport. Delicate products such as fruits need to be protected by a rigid package such as a laminated container.
The product most also be protected against the climate including high temperatures, humidity, light and gases in the air.
It must also be protected against micro-organisms, chemicals, soil and insects.

   

2. To keep the product together, to contain it (i.e. So that it does not spill).
Some shapes cannot be easily packaged, for example, certain vegetables. However, there are methods of getting around this problem. Suppliers of canned vegetables such as carrots have developed a particular type of plant that yields carrots that are straight and smaller than the normal variety. These fit into cans. Some products such as fruit juices and sausages need to be contained in packages that hold them together and are sealed to prevent spillage and loss.

   

3. To identify the product.
Packaging is the main way products are advertised and identified. To the manufacturer the package clearly identifies the product inside and it is usually the package that the customer recognises when shopping.
Advertising is very important when a manufacturer launches a new or existing product. The package, through its colour scheme or logo, is what is normally identified by the customer.
The package will also contain important information including ingredients and ‘sell by date’.

     

4. Protection during Transport and Ease of Transport.
A package should be designed to make it easy to transport, move and lift. A regular shaped package (such as a cuboid) can be stacked without too much space between each package being wasted. This means that more packages can be transported in a container of a lorry. Unusually shaped packages can lead to space being wasted and this can be costly if thousands of the same package are been transported.

 

5. Stacking and Storage.
In supermarkets and shops it must be possible to stack packages so that space is not wasted on the shelves. Lost space on shelves is looked up on a lost opportunity to sell to a customer. Also, the package must be designed in such a way that all the important information can be seen by a potential buyer, especially the product name. The next time you visit the supermarket look carefully at the shape of the packages. They are usually the same rectangular / cuboid shape. It is the selection of colours and shades that determine whether the product inside is regarded as a quality, sophisticated or cheap item. Often packages are stacked on top and alongside each other to reduce wasted space. The shape and form of the package determines how efficiently they can be stacked or stored.

    6. Printed Information.
Information that is useful to consumers and companies such as Supermarkets, is printed on packaging. This includes, ingredients, sell by dates, price, special offers, manufacturers address, contact information, product title, barcode and more.

The bar code is extremely useful to the shop selling the product. When the barcode is scanned, the computer system automatically determines if the product needs reordering. Also, the price of the product appears at the till.                 Web www.technologystudent.com      

 

   

Functions of packaging

[German version]

The various functions of packaging are divided into primary, secondary and tertiary functions. In contrast with the primary functions, which primarily concern the technical nature of the packaging, secondary functions relate to communications. Primary, secondary and tertiary functions are divided into the following sub-functions:

Protective function

The protective function of packaging essentially involves protecting the contents from the environment and vice versa. The inward protective function is intended to ensure full retention of the utility value of the packaged goods. The packaging is thus intended to protect the goods from loss, damage and theft.

In addition, packaging must also reliably be able to withstand the many different static and dynamic forces to which it is subjected during transport, handling and storage operations. The goods frequently also require protection from climatic conditions, such as temperature, humidity, precipitation and solar radiation, which may require „inward packaging measures“ in addition to any „outward packaging measures“.

The outward protection provided by the packaging must prevent any environmental degradation by the goods. This requirement is of particular significance in the transport of hazardous materials, with protection of humans being of primary importance. The packaging must furthermore as far as possible prevent any contamination, damage or other negative impact upon the environment and other goods.

The inward and outward protective function primarily places demands upon the strength, resistance and leakproof properties of transport packaging.


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Storage function

The packaging materials and packaging containers required for producing packages must be stored in many different locations both before packaging of the goods and once the package contents have been used. Packaging must thus also fulfill a storage function.


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Loading and transport function

Convenient goods handling entails designing transport packaging in such a manner that it may be held, lifted, moved, set down and stowed easily, efficiently and safely. Packaging thus has a crucial impact on the efficiency of transport, handling and storage of goods. Packaging should therefore be designed to be easily handled and to permit space-saving storage and stowage. The shape and strength of packages should be such that they may not only be stowed side by side leaving virtually no voids but may also be stowed safely one above the other.

The most efficient method of handling general cargo is to make up cargo units. Packaging should thus always facilitate the formation of cargo units; package dimensions and the masses to be accommodated should where possible be tailored to the dimensions and load-carrying capacity of standard pallets and containers.

Where handling is to be entirely or partially manual, packages must be easy to pick up and must be of a suitably low mass. Heavy goods must be accommodated in packages which are well suited to mechanical handling. Such items of cargo must be forkliftable and be provided with convenient load-bearing lifting points for the lifting gear, with the points being specially marked where necessary (handling marks).

The loading and transport function places requirements upon the external shape of the package, upon the mass of the goods accommodated inside and upon the convenient use of packaging aids. The strength of the package required for stowing goods on top of each other demonstrates the close relationship between the loading and transport function and the protective function.


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Sales function

The purpose of the sales function of a package is to enable or promote the sales process and to make it more efficient.


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Promotional function

Promotional material placed on the packaging is intended to attract the potential purchaser’s attention and to have a positive impact upon the purchasing decision. Promotional material on packaging plays a particularly important role on sales packaging as it is directly addressed to the consumer. This function is of subordinate significance in transport packaging. While product awareness is indeed generated along the transport chain, excessive promotion also increases the risk of theft.


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Service function

The various items of information printed on packaging provide the consumer with details about the contents and use of the particular product. Examples are the nutritional details on yogurt pots or dosage information on medicines.

The package may also perform a further function once the contents have been used (e.g. storage container, toy).


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Guarantee function

By supplying an undamaged and unblemished package, the manufacturer guarantees that the details on the packaging correspond to the contents. The packaging is therefore the basis for branded goods, consumer protection and product liability. There are legislative requirements which demand that goods be clearly marked with details indicating their nature, composition, weight, quantity and storage life.


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Additional function

The additional function in particular relates to the extent to which the packaging materials or packaging containers may be reused once the package contents have been used. The most significant example is the recycling of paper, paperboard and cardboard packaging as waste paper.


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The various functions of packaging are divided into primary, secondary and tertiary functions. In contrast with the primary functions, which primarily concern the technical nature of the packaging, secondary functions relate to communications. Primary, secondary and tertiary functions are divided into the following sub-functions:The protective function of packaging essentially involves protecting the contents from the environment and vice versa. The inward protective function is intended to ensure full retention of the utility value of the packaged goods. The packaging is thus intended to protect the goods from loss, damage and theft.In addition, packaging must also reliably be able to withstand the many different static and dynamic forces to which it is subjected during transport, handling and storage operations. The goods frequently also require protection from climatic conditions, such as temperature, humidity, precipitation and solar radiation, which may require „inward packaging measures“ in addition to any „outward packaging measures“.The outward protection provided by the packaging must prevent any environmental degradation by the goods. This requirement is of particular significance in the transport of hazardous materials, with protection of humans being of primary importance. The packaging must furthermore as far as possible prevent any contamination, damage or other negative impact upon the environment and other goods.The inward and outward protective function primarily places demands upon the strength, resistance and leakproof properties of transport packaging.The packaging materials and packaging containers required for producing packages must be stored in many different locations both before packaging of the goods and once the package contents have been used. Packaging must thus also fulfill a storage function.Convenient goods handling entails designing transport packaging in such a manner that it may be held, lifted, moved, set down and stowed easily, efficiently and safely. Packaging thus has a crucial impact on the efficiency of transport, handling and storage of goods. Packaging should therefore be designed to be easily handled and to permit space-saving storage and stowage. The shape and strength of packages should be such that they may not only be stowed side by side leaving virtually no voids but may also be stowed safely one above the other.The most efficient method of handling general cargo is to make up cargo units. Packaging should thus always facilitate the formation of cargo units; package dimensions and the masses to be accommodated should where possible be tailored to the dimensions and load-carrying capacity of standard pallets and containers.Where handling is to be entirely or partially manual, packages must be easy to pick up and must be of a suitably low mass. Heavy goods must be accommodated in packages which are well suited to mechanical handling. Such items of cargo must be forkliftable and be provided with convenient load-bearing lifting points for the lifting gear, with the points being specially marked where necessary (handling marks).The loading and transport function places requirements upon the external shape of the package, upon the mass of the goods accommodated inside and upon the convenient use of packaging aids. The strength of the package required for stowing goods on top of each other demonstrates the close relationship between the loading and transport function and the protective function.The purpose of the sales function of a package is to enable or promote the sales process and to make it more efficient.Promotional material placed on the packaging is intended to attract the potential purchaser’s attention and to have a positive impact upon the purchasing decision. Promotional material on packaging plays a particularly important role on sales packaging as it is directly addressed to the consumer. This function is of subordinate significance in transport packaging. While product awareness is indeed generated along the transport chain, excessive promotion also increases the risk of theft.The various items of information printed on packaging provide the consumer with details about the contents and use of the particular product. Examples are the nutritional details on yogurt pots or dosage information on medicines.The package may also perform a further function once the contents have been used (e.g. storage container, toy).By supplying an undamaged and unblemished package, the manufacturer guarantees that the details on the packaging correspond to the contents. The packaging is therefore the basis for branded goods, consumer protection and product liability. There are legislative requirements which demand that goods be clearly marked with details indicating their nature, composition, weight, quantity and storage life.The additional function in particular relates to the extent to which the packaging materials or packaging containers may be reused once the package contents have been used. The most significant example is the recycling of paper, paperboard and cardboard packaging as waste paper.