Materials Handling/packaging Field Research

Materials Handling/Packaging Field Research

Material and packaging of products is together to ensure quality and safely of shipping the product to and from the retail store to the customer. Packaging of products can and are not environmental friendly such as plastics, star foam, and oils. The existing transportation for all three of the products is set up to deliver the product without defaults and maintaining quality. The materials include paper, card board, bubble wrap, star foam, tape, and security tape. The items within packaging to help support the products but they don't always help the environment. The cost of the products also includes the materials associated to the package the material and transportation/shipping to the retail store and the customer.

Cellular phones are one product that seems to be identified by everyone because everyone seems to have one. The replacement rate on these is normally two and half years because of new technology. The cellular phones appear to be package very well for shipping and handling without any issues mostly. The packaging consists of a book of instructions, a power cord, cell phone, and sometimes additional accessories. The packaging is put together nicely to conceal the phone and its parts but yet light packed and easily shippable. This are put together so well from the company that is sales them they also ship direct to the customer. Packaging is refurbished and recyclable which is environmental happy, this saves the company in future packaging cost. Transporting cell phones for distribution requires the use of fossil fuels for energy, which can contribute to global climate change. ("Packaging," 2012, p. 1)

Televisions are nicely packed to hold up to a 70-inch flat panel television, this is amazing because they ship this way from the company within the same box. The shipping material consists of pre formed star foam and card board box. The product is packed so tight the television can easily be carried and moved around without being broken. The packaging is not environmentally safe for the environment due to the star foam being formed fit for the television. A customer may think there is too much materials to discard once the television is unwrapped, using light weight recyclable material would be the only changed based on the existing packaging.

DVDs is one area where I do not care for the packaging, they put so much tape within DVD case it makes it very difficult at times to open the DVD. The packaging is nicely wrapped for the DVD safely from scratches but the over redundancy of security tape on all three sides is ridiculous. If these were within my manufacturing plant less tape would be used. Changing the material to a recyclable hard cardboard and less security material would be the changes made within my manufacturing plant. This would reduce cost, environmentally safe, and less hassles