13 Ways Cartonization Can Improve Your Warehousing Operation
How Cartonization Benefits OperationsCartonization is the process of determining the optimal way to pack items into boxes or cartons for shipping. Used to maximize space utilization, prevent damages during shipping, and minimize shipping costs, cartonization has become more widely used over the past five years due to the popularity of e-commerce and online shopping.
Want to learn more about the process of cartonization? Read our LinkedIn post.
Benefits of Cartonization:
Reduction of Costs: Use of cartonization reduces labor and shipping costs as well as of materials, specifically of cartons, packaging materials.
Efficiency Improvements: Cartonization streamlines labor, and the time needed to pack cartons.
Improved Accuracy: Cartonization reduces packing errors.
Reduction in Damages: When warehouse associates follow cartonization instructions, items are much less likely to be damaged and result in chargebacks.
Sustainability: Use of cartonization reduces the number of cartons and packing material, reduce waste that goes into the environment.
Yes, cartonization helps to boost efficiency, reduce errors, damages, packaging material, labor, and shipping costs, but did you know that cartonization has other integral uses in warehouse operations and benefits? Let’s take a closer look.
- Cartonization helps warehouses optimize storage space. An essential part of the cartonization effort involves the system determining the optimal carton sizes for products. This helps warehouse operators cut down on ordering and stocking materials they either rarely or do not need so space can be used for inventory and other purposes.
- Using a cartonization module can aid in tracking inventory levels more accurately. This is because the cartonization module knows the exact number of items per carton, facilitating more accurate stock counts. This also can help minimize discrepancies in inventory records.
- The process of cartonization groups similar items or SKUs into specific cartons. This streamlines the picking and inventory processes and facilitates batch management.
- Need to improve picking efficiency? Use a cartonization module to get better results. The cartonization module organizes items to be picked in a manner that facilitates faster, more efficient picking. Cartonization arranges the packing of items that are frequently ordered together into the same carton so that pickers can fulfill orders more rapidly.
- Did you know that cartonization streamlines warehousing processes including receiving, putaway, picking, and packing? The cartonization module takes advantage of workflows to create efficiencies and reduce labor costs.
- Cartonization facilitates enhanced packing processes which improve the documentation and traceability of products, ideal for regulated industries including food and beverage as well as pharmaceutical and healthcare.
- Using cartonization helps companies that deal with regulated goods which have strict packing regulations. Adherence to regulatory requirements and industry standards decreases the imposition of fines and legal entanglements.
- When warehouse automation is used in combination with cartonization, cartonization data can be used in the programming of automated systems and robots to increase the operational efficiency of picking, packing, and sorting.
- Cartonization is helpful to companies that experience major fluctuations in order volumes due to peak seasons or promotional events.
- Today more consumers order online. This frequently leads to orders with complex product mixes that need to be shipped to homes. Cartonization can readily be adapted to different products and tailored to handle a diverse range of product sizes, weights, shapes, and levels of fragility. This enables the packing of diverse product assortments in a cost effective, safe manner to safeguard product quality.
- Companies that utilize cartonization are better able to meet the needs of both customers and consumers. This can provide a competitive advantage, better unboxing experience for consumers, and better position the company to meet customer expectations.
- Cartonization yields valuable insight regarding packing efficiency, usage of materials, cost savings and other metrics that can improve decision making.
Data from cartonization can be used to continuously improve processes and packing strategies. This can continue to produce gains in efficiency and reductions in costs.
What Type of Supply Chain Businesses Benefit from Using Cartonization?
Have you seen the next generation of Datex Footprint WMS and our Cartonization module?
Footprint WMS is developed on our proprietary Footprint Studio low code (LCAP) platform – where we’ve encoded decades of expertise, collaborating with operations, executive leaders, technology teams, and frontline employees across multiple markets and customers. The combined result is an unparalleled set of core WMS features, along with a native integration to critical business and supply chain solutions.
With Footprint WMS, you can unlock your full business potential. You’ll have the technology edge, the operational flexibility, and the broadest set of capabilities to win in an expanding market, while meeting its intensifying challenges and ever-increasing time pressures.
Contact us today to see why Footprint WMS is Your “YES” WMS. We can’t wait to show you!