To boost sales and secure a greater market share, eCommerce companies increasingly turn toward custom-branded and designed packaging.
Think about the last time you’ve ordered a product online. Did you receive the item in a unique, well-designed, stylized box? Did the box or design leave an impression on you? If so, you’re looking at the work of a packaging engineer.
Learn what a packaging engineer can do for your eCommerce business, what tasks and roles they fulfill and why you should hire one.
In this article we will discover that:
- Packaging engineers assist companies by designing the packaging for your product from A to Z.
- They participate in the entire process and are in constant communication with management and other departments to ensure the packaging meets all demands and requirements.
- They are highly educated and skilled people, almost always possessing a certification relevant to the particular business or industry.
- They are a critical element of many businesses; some of the world’s largest companies may have multiple packaging engineers or even a dedicated packaging engineering team.
What Does a Packaging Engineer Do?
At first glance, the role of a packaging engineer seems relatively straightforward. Their primary purpose is to design, specify and develop packaging containers for your company’s products, ensuring that they can be shipped, transported, advertised and eventually sold.
However, it is vital to understand that a packaging engineer does far more than simply specify box dimensions. Virtually every product type today requires packaging, and that packaging must serve two equally vital purposes, summed up under the philosophy of form follows function.
What Does Form Follows Function mean?
- Function is the purely practical aspect of your packaging, summarizing its objective purposes. This includes sizes, dimensions, materials, mandatory safety requirements and elements of the packaging that protect the product or preserve its quality, such as air cushion packaging.
- Form refers to the design and presentation of your packaging, including colors, texture and shape. An engineer also considers whether the packaging meets your marketing and branding needs and whether it possesses a unique and immediately recognizable design.
When designing and creating packing containers for your products, neither form nor function must take precedence over the other; they must fulfill their intended practical purposes while also featuring a recognizable, attractive design.
If the packaging engineer spends too much attention on function, your packaging may be practical and meet all shipping standards and legal requirements. However, it may also feel unremarkable to the customer, resulting in a product that receives too little visibility.
In contrast, if the engineer spends too much effort on the form, you may have a stylish, unique and easily recognizable container for your product. But, it may have unorthodox dimensions— creating wasted space in your shipping vehicles, it may be excessively fragile or it may be inconvenient to open and close.
A packaging engineer’s role is to balance form and function, creating a box, bag or container that is both attractive and practical.
Naturally, an engineer must adapt this philosophy to the market as appropriate. The balance between form and function can vary significantly, depending on your company’s industry, as specific sectors are more demanding than others.
For example, an eCommerce business specializing in designer goods may need to spend more time researching and developing the packaging’s shapes, colors, branding and visual aspects.
Conversely, a company mostly shipping hazardous materials must ensure their packaging uses appropriate shipping materials and meets all international requirements, often leaving little opportunity for elaborate designs.
Utilize Air Cushion Packaging to Protect Products in Transit
Tasks and Jobs of a Packaging Engineer
A packaging engineer is usually not working on a singular product on any given day. Instead, they are working on multiple packaging designs as they enter different developmental phases.
A packaging engineer oversees the entire process, from concept drawings to marketing and shipping. They collaborate with nearly every other department of your business, from research and development to marketing.
Typical eCommerce businesses rarely have more than two packaging engineers, but the largest and most successful corporations may have entire packaging teams.
Packaging engineers do not merely pack boxes for a living; they possess multi-faceted jobs with a wide variety of tasks, challenges and issues to resolve.
Research and planning
After launching a new product prototype, the packaging engineer’s work begins. They must determine which roles and needs the packaging must fulfill.
At this stage, the packaging engineer has many questions to answer, such as which dimensions must it possess? Are there specific requirements for shipping and storage? What is the best way to protect the products inside? How should it be displayed on a shelf?
One of the recurring problems in packaging planning is cost management. Even the largest corporations do not have an unlimited budget to devote to packaging. As such, the packaging engineer must balance the container’s needs and intended purposes with production costs and available budget.
Development
Once the packaging engineer has determined the packaging’s purposes, they must begin the design and development process.
The engineer must study the product’s dimensions and properties and select the packaging materials and the number of packing layers: primary, secondary and tertiary.
Primary packaging refers to the materials that make physical contact with the product, such as a can or jar. Secondary packaging is the next level of packaging typically used to bundle single items together and promote the product through branding. An example of this would be the case used to package beers. Tertiary packaging is usually not seen by the end user, and it is primarily used for protection during transit. However, many companies employ a packaging engineer to apply branding to this packaging level to increase company exposure.
Just as new products go through a prototyping phase before finalization and production, so do packaging containers. Packaging engineers supervise the entire process: concept drawings, technical specifications, computer-aided design (CAD), selecting packaging suppliers and producing prototypes and samples.
Once samples are available, engineers submit them for review by company management, approving the prototype for finalization or requesting additional changes.
Prototype finalization and testing
The finalization of a packaging prototype doesn’t mean it’s ready for production, but it does confirm many of the core aspects, such as dimensions, design and materials.
At this stage, a packaging engineer’s role is to ensure that every selected element is cost-effective and environmentally efficient. Are the package types as appropriate as envisioned during development? How recyclable are the selected packaging elements and materials? Should the size and weight be modified?
Packaging engineers may also conduct a long series of tests to ensure that the products are adequately protected from the elements yet well-presented. Here are few examples to illustrate what an engineer may need to do:
- When designing a container for medication such as pills and tablets, the engineer may need to ask questions such as “What is the blister packaging’s resistance to cuts and impacts?” or “Are the pills properly sealed against contaminants?”
- At a company producing perishables such as food or drinks, the engineer’s relevant questions could be “Does the packaging protect the product from damage or spillage?” or “What are the temperature extremes this container can withstand?”
- In a facility producing electronic components such as motherboards or graphics cards, the packaging engineer is concerned with questions like “Does the container possess sufficient protective foam for handling and shipping?” or “Are we using the right type of anti-static poly bags?”
During this phase, the packaging engineer may find faults or inadequacies with the original design, which may require further changes and modifications.
Production
If the packaging passes all relevant testing, the engineer moves on to the next phase: supervising full-scale production. During this stage, the packaging engineer must watch the production lines and ensure that all packing elements conform to the desired standards and specifications.
Production often brings its own set of challenges, such as identifying and removing manufacturing defects, meeting a production quota, and solving the problems and challenges of the manufacturing process.
Design and marketing
The packaging engineer’s work does not stop after production. They must work and collaborate with the design and marketing departments to finalize the primary packing layer’s design and ensure it meets branding and marketing needs.
The primary packing layer, also called the outer packaging, is almost always the first thing the customers will see. During this stage, the application of form follows function is the most critical, especially if sales heavily depend on presentation and marketing.
Some companies launch design testing phases during this part of packaging development. These tests allow an engineer to estimate the product’s real-world reception through various metrics, such as how likable the product is, how well the test audience noticed it on shelves and whether the packaging has moved them to purchase it.
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Should I Hire a Packaging Engineer?
If you run an eCommerce business, having at least one dedicated packaging professional with experience and knowledge in packaging is strongly recommended, if not vital, for your business.
A packaging engineer is a talented and creative problem-solving individual with full knowledge of the supply chain, ensuring your products are well-protected and adequately presented and marketed.
No matter your business’s size, working with a packaging engineer helps you save money and increases your production efficiency. Not only are they qualified to design, prototype, test and produce your product’s packaging, but they can also find and resolve existing issues in your supply chain, identifying opportunities to reduce costs and increase overall profits.
Packaging engineers stay on top of design and technological trends, identifying the latest and most cutting-edge materials and techniques to protect, track and market your products more efficiently.
Working with a packaging engineer also allows you to answer the questions they have about your products and your business, helping you tailor packaging solutions to your products.
Communicating with a packaging engineer helps them answer questions and challenges such as:
- Budgeting and cost-saving measures at all stages of packaging design
- The types and quantity of packaging required—primary, secondary and tertiary— and whether packing elements will need to fulfill multiple roles
- The product’s shelf-life and expected storage conditions
- The role and importance of sustainability, recycling and other environmental concerns
- How much design freedom the engineer is allowed, whether the packaging needs to feature new, innovative or experimental features.
They provide you with their expertise to meet your demands, ensuring that packaging is as well-designed as your product.
Qualifications and Requirements
If you are considering hiring a packaging engineer for your company, there are several important qualifications and certifications that you should look for on their resume.
In the United States, a packaging engineer should have a bachelor’s degree in packing science. Depending on your company or industry sector, you may also consider applicants with degrees in adjacent fields, such as food science, logistics or general engineering.
To ensure that a successful applicant has the requisite skills, it is recommended that they gain accreditation from one of several industry governing bodies, including:
- Certified Packaging Professional (CPP), delivered by the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP)
- Certificate of Packaging Science (CPS) or Certificate of Mastery in Packaging Management (CMPM), delivered by the Clemson University Packaging School.
- Certificate in Packaging (CiP), delivered by the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3)
Skills to Look For When Hiring a Packaging Engineer
A typical packaging engineer possesses a wide variety of skills and personal traits. When sorting through potential applicants for the position, determine whether they have any of these crucial skills.
- Creativity: Packaging engineers are, first and foremost, creative people with their minds oriented toward the future and new ideas.
- Attention to detail: A keen eye is required, not only to produce meticulous and efficient designs but also to spot inefficiencies, correct flaws and contribute to cost-saving.
- Problem-solving: Issues and challenges arise at every stage of the development process, and they may be as diverse and complex as the tasks themselves. A packaging engineer must have the ability to identify and troubleshoot issues the moment they arise, as quickly and efficiently as possible. Problem-solving efficiency directly translates into product efficiency.
- Team player: Packaging engineers work as part of a team and as part of the organization. Communication skills are paramount and required at every stage of the packaging development process.
- Leadership: Packaging engineers may be called upon to lead design teams, supervise production lines and organize workers to ensure proper development and production.
- Hard skills and technical abilities: Packaging engineers must be proficient with a wide array of CAD and design software. They must also be at the forefront of new technological developments, seeking and learning to use the latest tools available.
Boost Your Business Branding with a Qualified Packaging Engineer
Today, nearly all sectors face new and unexpected challenges, and the changing habits of consumers worldwide have resulted in an ever-increasing need for qualified professionals in the packaging sector.
Although packaging engineers have long been an essential part of many businesses and eCommerce solutions, today’s challenges make their skills more relevant and crucial than ever before.
At Air Sea Containers, we understand the need for efficient and cost-effective packaging solutions. We offer a wide selection of packaging materials, regulatory markings and ancillary equipment for all your packing and shipping needs.
Call us at (866) 272-9880 or send us an email at sales@airseacontainers.com if you have any questions or requests.
Image Credits
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McLittle Stock/shutterstock.com
