Why Automated Packaging is a Must for Shipping Food and Beverages

The food and beverage industry operates within a fast-paced, global market, where businesses are constantly striving to meet the ever-growing demands of consumers.

This dynamic environment creates a complex shipping process that involves various logistical challenges. Here’s why automated packaging solutions are imperative for shipping food and beverage products.

Strict Delivery Windows

Due to the perishable nature of many products in the food and beverage industry, timely delivery is crucial for both preserving quality and ensuring consumer safety. Companies need to establish efficient communication with their shipping partners to ensure that they can stay on top of delivery schedules. Prioritizing high-priority shipments and identifying bottlenecks in the supply chain are also essential steps in meeting strict delivery windows.

Specific Handling Requirements

Food and beverage products require unique handling requirements to preserve quality during transportation. Different products may need varying storage and handling conditions, such as temperature control or protection from direct sunlight. Federal regulations might also mandate specific inspections, cleaning procedures, or other requirements that you have to navigate.

The Cost of Smaller Loads

Because delivering fresh food is such a high priority for the industry, food and beverage businesses often find themselves working with smaller product loads to achieve this. Shipping smaller loads more frequently—as opposed to consolidating products into a single, large load—is one of the most expensive challenges of shipping food and beverage products. Businesses must find a way to ship smaller, more frequent loads without wasting money or truck space. A centralized warehousing system, strong relationships with reliable shipping partners, and consolidated shipping options such as less-than-truckload shipping can help offset costs and move products through your supply chain.

Automation Can Help

Efficiency is the answer to many of these challenges. With faster, more flexible packaging processes, companies can keep food and beverage products moving deftly and reliably through the supply chain.

One of the best ways to improve efficiency in your warehouse is through automated equipment solutions such as case packers. Incorporating case packers into your warehouse operations contributes to increased throughput, so your business can meet high demand while maintaining quality. Our Robopac case packers are designed with advanced technology to ensure reliable performance, ease of changeover and low total cost of ownership.

MHS Lift offers a range of advanced packaging solutions to increase the operational efficiency of your facility. Visit www.mhslift.com/robopac or call our sales team at (877) 647-9320 so we can find the right fit for your business.