Packaging and labeling, Packaging is the science

Packaging and labeling Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of design, evaluation, and production of packages. Packaging can be described as a coordinated system of preparing goods for transport, warehousing, logistics, sale, and end use. Packaging contains, protects, preserves, transports, informs, and sells. In many countries it is fully integrated into government, business, institutional, industrial, and personal use. History Amphorae on display in Bodrum Castle, Turkey The first packages used the natural materials...

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Supply Chain and Logistics Conferences to Attend in 2011

Supply Chain and Logistics Conferences to Attend in 2011 Everything is white outside my window this morning. Snow has been falling since midnight, and the forecast says the snowfall will continue throughout the day. The kids are home and anxious to get outside to build their tunnels and snowmen, while I’m just staring at the wall of heavy, packed snow at the end of my driveway, which I’m not quite ready to tackle yet. I had planned to write about the missing link in transportation business intelligence dashboards, but the weather’s not right for it. Instead, I want to walk through the calendar and highlight several supply chain and logistics...

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The $4.3 billion freight transportation and logistics services

The $4.3 billion freight transportation and logistics services The $4.3 billion freight transportation and logistics services company Con-way has published its third quarter figures and it shows how the logistics market is fairing so far this year. Con-way's less than truckload (LTL) business increased over 13 percent in revenue over last year, while weight per day increased almost 9 percent. Although the company says that the figures were affected by external factors which raised operating costs, and shipper demand that leveled out towards the end of the quarter. Con-way has been cognizant to reduce costs within their LTL business while the...

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UK Logistics Firms See Fuel Shortages

UK Logistics Firms See Fuel Shortages It may be cold and snowy in the Eastern US at the moment, but in the UK and Europe the unseasonable heavy snow and icy conditions have caused chaos for logistics companies. To add to the misery of the average transportation manager is the fact that fuel shortages are cropping up across the UK. Many gas stations are already out of gas or will run out of fuel in the next few days. Deliveries are not being made as refineries have been cut off and tankers are unable to leave the facilities. The problem may not be alleviated even if the fuel trucks did leave the refineries. The UK motorway system is severely...

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Con-way Gives Insight Of Logistics Market

Con-way Gives Insight Of Logistics Market In the UK, the Government has implemented the Government Procurement Card (GPC) which public bodies can use to buy high volume, low cost goods and services such as office supplies and MRO items. Since 1997 more than 85,000 cards have been issued for more than £2 million ($3.12 million USD). The program was developed to allow public bodies to efficiently manage their procurement. Since inception public bodies using the GPC have saved over £338 million ($527 million USD). One new user of the GPC is the London Borough of Havering who will be able to control the amount and flow of funds available to end...

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New Supply Chain Model Published

New Supply Chain Model Published The Supply Chain Council has released the latest version of its Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model. The improvement in Version 10.0 is that it includes people skills requirements to help organizations build supply chain competency and career paths. The new functionality allows outlining training needs and individual performance measures for each of the core process elements....

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Service Sector Reaches Twenty Month Low

Service Sector Reaches Twenty Month Low Yesterday I described how manufacturing industry in the UK was on the upswing, but today a report from the British Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) found that activity in the services economy fell to a 20-month low in December. Activity in the sector is identified by the purchasing managers' index (PMI). The report also showed that employment in the service sector fell for the third month in a row. The decline in the service industry could be in part due to the unusual weather that disrupted transportation; however December saw the first of the public sector job losses announced by...

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Economy Affecting Packaging Design

Economy Affecting Packaging Design A recent report has found that the depressed nature of many economies has influenced the way in which product packaging has developed. Canadean, the British beverage information specialist, recently published a report that noted that prior to the depression in the world economy beverage packaging included many value-added features, unusual shapes, and sophisticated packaging materials....

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British Logistics Firms See Another Fuel Hike

British Logistics Firms See Another Fuel Hike US freight companies are always concerned about the price of fuel, but they should be lucky that they are not operating in the UK. The Conservative government has added a number of costs that are hitting British logistics companies. January 1st sees a rise in fuel duty, which will add to the costs of a previous fuel duty rises in 2010 and a 15 percent increase on the cost of new vehicle...

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UK Manufacturing Increases In December

UK Manufacturing Increases In December More positive economic news was reported by Bloomberg today when they stated that manufacturing in the United Kingdom in December increased at its fastest pace in sixteen years. Although politicians will point to various policies it has enacted since the minority Conservative government took over in May 2010, Bloomberg points to cheaper British exports being the primary reason for the increase. The British pound has fallen 7.8 percent over the last year when compared with the currencies of the leading ten developed nations. ...

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