Packaging: What is the Point of Labeling?
So you have spent months finding the right protective packaging for your product. The custom logo looks great, your primary package holds your dear product ever so tight, and your secondary package beefs up the security of the transit. All is well and you’re ready to ship…..or are you?
Let’s face
the facts; unless you are legally regulated to do so, most companies overlook one
of the most crucial parts of a package…..LABELING. When R. Stanton Avery invented the first
label back in the early 1930’s he did have a purpose behind it. This purpose is
unfortunately overlooked more often than you’d think in the packaging world. So
what is the point of labeling your product? It would seem pretty straight
forward, but there are many reasons correct labeling will benefit you and your
consumers.
First and
foremost, labeling allows correct identification and protection of your
product. This helps the correct management and handling during package
transit and arrival. With the use of
correct labeling, the risk of damage decreases, keeping you and your customers
happy. After all, you would not want your key lime pie to be tossed around as
if it were a case of beef jerky or your clinical trials as if they were a
bottle of diet pills. Labeling also protects the handlers and end users of the
product.
Warning, pre-caution, and even instruction labels all go into effect
on how to properly handle a package from shipment, to
.jpg "refrigerate label")
.jpg "Bio hazardous Material label")
All
dangerous goods are regulated and required to have correct labeling for proper safety
and security. Imagine the opposite happening to your package… a completely
harmless insulated container being mistaken for something hazardous. This
unfortunately was the case with an improperly marked package in Rochester, NY.
An employee at the post office handled a “cool, gel-like” package which seemed
to be suspicious. This was then followed by an emergency evacuation of the
postal office, and more than an hour long investigation by police. The package
was finally found to be harmless after the use of an X-ray machine to examine
the contents..jpg "open now label")
Similar
situations have occurred in the past, and are bound to happen again without the
proper use of labeling. Imagine the time, effort, and embarrassment that could
have been saved by a simple label stating that there were refrigerants inside
the package? Don’t let your company make the same mistake. Take the little
extra time and minimal investment to properly label your package.
Polar-Tech
offers a wide selection of temperature sensitive, instructional, and hazmat
labels. Make the call today to assure all of your labeling needs are covered.
