Overcoming Common Carton Obstacles

Whether you manage a warehouse, work in the wholesale industry, or own a retail business, the packaging of products is a big deal. In fact, there are quite a few obstacles that can slow you down when it comes to cartoning your products. One of those problems is proper carton closure, which the Mezger Stapling Head Systems from BECK can help with. But first, let’s tackle some of the common carton obstacles and look at some solutions to try.

Adequately Sealing Cartons

One of the biggest problems a business faces is how to seal carton properly. In warehouses when employees move boxes with a lift, or when boxes are packed and shipped on a truck, tape can come loose. In fact, it’s the most common cause of damaged parcels—and that of course leads to less than thrilled customers.

So how to create a better seal? Water is the biggest failure point for tape. A bit of humidity and the adhesive can come loose. It’s also easy to slice it open. Staples make a better solution because they’re tamper-resistant and impervious to moisture.

Choosing Quality Cartons

This is the second-largest failure point—the boxes themselves. Start by choosing a quality product suited to the task. In some cases, that may mean wooden crates, but boxes are more common. Boxes made with papers that have too much talcum, filler, and other non-essential ingredients can end up weaker than well-produced products. If the corrugations are improperly glued, the box will be weaker and prone to leaking.

For cartons that see heavy handling, avoid recycled products. Going green is good—but recycled papers are much weaker. Plus, each time the cardboard gets recycled, it gets even weaker yet. That’s because the recycling process involves shredding papers and cardboards, which are made of long, tough fibers that give them structural integrity. Each time papers are recycled; those fibers get shorter.

Avoiding Moisture Damage

This one is a problem of particular concern in warehouses or retail facilities where packages may sit awhile before shipping out. Moisture degrades cardboard, leading to mildew, boxes that fall apart, and products that get damaged.

How to remedy the problem? The obvious is to eliminate moisture problems in your warehouse—but failing that, the biggest thing you can do to protect boxes is to go against the common logic. Instead of wrapping boxes in plastic to keep them sealed, leave them unwrapped and exposed to air. Humidity can infiltrate layers of plastic film, where it will become trapped. As more and more gathers, the more damage your boxes will sustain. Ditch the plastic wrap to let boxes breathe and dry out quickly if they do get damp.

Solve Cartoning Problems with a Mezger Stapling Head System

Mezger Stapling Head Systems are designed to solve a lot of problems. These tools are ideal for assembly lines and retail facilities where lots of packages need to be securely sealed—and it needs to be done quickly and efficiently. There are multiple Mezger systems available to drive staples in a variety of sizes, and they all use coiled staples, which makes it convenient to reload the machine when needed.