What Is Packing Flow? How To Set An Effective Station Setup? (A Complete Guide)

In shipping, the packing flow or packing station layout has a crucial impact on the successiveness of order shipment.

Also, an improved and optimized station setup ensures accuracy and speed, minimizing the risks and mistakes.

So, if your business doesn’t set up an optimal packing flow system, chances are that you are not meeting your fulfillment operations, efficiently and effectively.

This guide is for eCommerce, logistic owners, and shipping professionals to acknowledge the importance of station setup.

Some key points and principles:

• Dismantle rushing to pack orders, examine the fulfillment and approach effective implementation.
• Keep store order preparation materials in common place to facilitate quicker actions.
• Implement shipping automation procedure to track, tackle, and monitor order shipment.

Remember, the lesser the touches the more efficient your packing flow and station setup would be.

What Is Packing Flow In Shipping?

In shipping, packing flow refers to the series of operations of order packaging from storage, transportation, or distribution to generating a manifest, staging, and final quality checks.

This comes under the title of fulfillment process and it should be optimized according to the improved results achieved from station setup.

There is math when it comes to design packing flow based on the budget allocation and operations.

Businesses can consider to prevail most often station packing flow methods or either develop their own by screening the factors.

Types Of Packing Flow

When it comes to approaching packing flow in business, you have a wider selection of packing flow types to choose from.

Underneath are the briefly discussed of its types:

1. Batch Packing: This method involves grouping similar items together in lots before packing them into storage.

2. Zone Packing: Zone packing divides the packing area into different zones, with each zone designated for specific types of items or products.

3. Wave Packing: It is a different approach where items are packed in waves or batches according to a predetermined schedule.

4. Single Order Packing: This method involves packing one order at a time. It’s commonly used in scenarios where each order consists of unique items or customization.

5. Automated Packing: It is in the most current trend that uses robotics and automation technology to pack items quickly and efficiently.

Whatever you concern and choose packing flow types, ensure that it results in better outcomes while not increasing operational cost.

Essential Packing Station Equipment and Tools

Deciding with tools for packing stations is another important aspect. It is because with the right equipment your station setup could handle weighted as well as handle any shipment promptly.

• Boxes, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, envelopes, labels, stationery, and void fill required for packaging items.
• Weigh scales, computers, printers, scanners, label printers, and barcode scanners for quality control tools.
• Heat sealer, stapler gun, glue, and scales for essential operations arise in time of urgency.

Once you have these in hand, you could start thinking of developing packing flow structure or layout.

7 Tips To Design Foolproof Shipping Station Layout

Adhere to the following seven important layout creation steps for foolproof shipping station development.

These tips don’t demand robust math calculation instead careful planning and scientific approach – to get better results.

1. Implement FI-FO System

First–In, First-Out (FI-FO) is a standard inventory management practice in which the initial items to enter a space are also the first to leave.

This layout idea is suitable for any product packaging innovation. With this system, employees are better focusing on the current state of packaging at hand.

2. Use Labeling Systems

Before shipping your order, do ensure that it’s labeled correctly. This is one of the most critical components of the packing process.

Labeling should be done in limits and consist of the right information patch on it. Additionally, put only-necessary information in the label.

3. Make Storage Allocation For Each Item

Indeed, a multitude of operations carried with a number of materials, tools, and equipment. It would be both convenient and flexible if you assign storage areas for each product.

By doing this it brings clarity and effective stock management. It also makes storage differentiation easier which prompts faster documentation preparation.

4. Optimize Workspace Layout

Do you agree that small ergonomic changes can make a huge difference in packaging station setup?

It could be and in most cases it comes out as helpful. Making a small change in floor layout could make a difference for your shipping and packaging areas.

Also it may unlock exposure for new tricks or new methods to implement in time for more improvement.

5. Implement Safety Measures

Packaging and safety measures go hand in hand. Giving importance on little to basic safety measures could result in increased productive work.

For example, solutions like water-activated tape can prompt faster work compared to traditional tape used for packaging.

Frequent checking and monitoring of workers could lead to improved creation of a safe and guarded environment.

6. Use Technology

Currently, many logistic companies and in-house manufacturing brands convey technologies for smooth packing flow.

This may include the use of wrap machines, conveyors, order fulfillment software, box forming, etc.

By evaluating your station setup, you could analyze for any falls points or improvement areas to consider what technology to use for optimal results.

7. Feedback From Working Professionals

Directly asking from the workers about any fail points, improvement or suggestions – is a brilliant way to bring improvement in the packing flow process.

Alternatively, you can draft some questions for them and ask them to provide answers accordingly. Later, evaluate those feedback and come up with a good procedure.

Ending Notes

Packing flow is an important stage in order shipment.

It must be designed and developed to achieve smooth flow of packing operations while keeping other essential things in mind such as optimum utilization of floor, robust layout to meet unique product packing, and safety measures.

Each product may have different shapes, sizes, fragility levels, and packing requirements.

So tailoring the layout to accommodate these variations can significantly improve the overall packing flow process.

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Ankita Sharma

Ankita is the Senior SEO Analyst as well as Content Marketing enthusiast at The Next Tech. She uses her experience to guide the team and follow best practices in marketing and advertising space. She received a Bachelor's Degree in Science (Mathematics). She’s taken quite a few online certificate courses in digital marketing and pursuing more.

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