Earth Day 2020 is something we will all remember, even if we're a little confused on which day today is.  With most of the world's population observing stay-at-home orders, we're seeing an amazing impact on the environment.  The canals in Venice, Italy are crystal clear, toxic gas levels have had a sharp decline, and pollution in major cities and remote villages have been replaced with clear skies.  In a way, the corona-shutdown has given the Earth a much needed reset. 

While the environmental impacts of the corona-shutdown is great for Mother Nature, it has also had major impacts on businesses and global economies.  Some companies have closed and may never open again while others are thriving like never before.  The thing about the American economy is that challenging times often give birth to innovative solutions from entrepreneurs and business leaders. We are already seeing factories pivot from things like clothing production and car manufacturing to high-volume mask and ventilator production.  New innovations are already on the market like gadgets that let you open doors and use ATMs without actually touching anything to new methods of supply-chair production and delivery.

As new innovations develop, SSI Packaging is here to help solve your packaging and shipping needs while providing eco-friendly solutions that help protect the environment.  Our eco-friendly packaging supplies can help continue the healing of the Earth while delivering the much needed goods and services needed around the globe.  For example, our boxes are 100% recyclable and, even better, reusable.  We have bubble wrap, loose fill (packing peanuts), kraft paper, and shredded paper solutions that can protect your products in shipping and transportation while being environmentally conscience.  

If your business needs reliable eco-friendly packaging and shipping supplies, we're here to help.  Our Richmond, VA warehouse is stocked with thousands of eco-friendly packaging supplies that are ready for curbside pickup.  Just call one of our packaging specialists at 804.649.1111 for curbside pickup or order online at www.ssipackaging.net and we will ship it to you right away.  ​

If you’ve ever had to prepare a few bags for a trip you know how stressful packing can be. You want to make sure you bring the right things, that your items are organized, and that you don’t forget anything! This confusion is amplified when you’re moving to a new place. The mess of packing and managing things during a big move can be overwhelming to some people. Hopefully these tips can help you get ready for moving day!

1) Organize beforehand
 
Before you begin, make a checklist of everything you might need during the move. You will want to prepare by getting a variety of materials and items to facilitate your move. To protect your things you will want protective foam, bubble wrap, loose fill, moving blankets and floor protection. It’s also important to gather a variety of boxes like wardrobe boxes, hand-hold boxes, and file boxes to suit all of your packing needs. Lastly, what goes on the outside of the box matters just as much as what you put inside. We’ve all had the experience of the bottom of a box falling out because it was not taped properly. Be sure to gather the right kinds of packing tape to prevent this from happening, and also labels and markers so that you can label your packages.
 
Some other techniques to organize before hand can help you save time and limit stress during your move. Create a moving file that will hold all-important documents related to the move like hotel reservations or the realtors contact information. Keep this file in a space where it will not get mixed into the things going into your moving boxes. Make sure you accurately document everything, and take this moment to capture photos of complicated electronic setups, like the back of your TV for example. This way you wont wonder how to put things back together when you’re settling into your new place.
 
2) Get rid of things you don’t use
 
This tip can be difficult to follow for the packrats among us, but it’s worth it. Take the few weeks before moving to analyze how much you use everything you own, and sell anything that you haven’t used in over a year. You can also donate unwanted clothes, shoes or electronics to donation centers to lighten your load and help others in the process.  
 
Part of this cleansing process will also include food in the weeks leading up to your move. Try to eat up anything in the house that you don’t want to drag with you. An in the week directly before your move, don’t buy lots of perishable items. If your budget allows it, try to eat most of your meals outside of the home to reduce the amount of food that you’ll have to throw away on moving day. Take advantage of your empty fridge by defrosting it, saving you messy cleanup later on during your move.
 
3) Pack smart
 
Begin by organizing your belongings into categories; the general rule is to pack up one room at a time. This way you will find it easier to unpack and stay organized once you arrive to your new place. Another tip is to try to begin packing at least a few things a couple of weeks before hand. One box a night is much more manageable than packing the whole house during a long weekend.
 
Remember those materials you gathered earlier? This is when they come in handy. Having a variety of boxes on hand will help you while you pack, and you can use specific types of boxes for certain items. For example, your hand-hold boxes are ideal for the heaviest items because they are sturdy and give you a good grip. You should pack the heaviest items on the bottom of your boxes, and pay close attention to the positions of your items. Bubble wrap, kraft paper and foam will fill in any extra spaces making a snug fit for your valuables.
 
 
 
SSI has you covered on moving day! You can order everything you need for the big day on our site, and if you’re in a hurry you can drop by our RVA warehouse to grab what you need. Are you moving a lot of stuff? We even offer pallets of moving boxes, and we can deliver them right to your location. Call us today to speak to a packaging expert at 804-649-1111 

When sealing packages its important to consider the many factors at play that could help or hurt your distribution system. The strength of the sealants that you decide to use along with their resiliency to different climates can determine if your packages will be secure and theft-resistant. They types of cargo you are shipping and their weight can also result in varying methods transport. There are a myriad of options available for sealing containers, and in this post we break them down to find out what methods are the most efficient for your bottom line. 

​Pressure Sensitive Tapes
 
Pressure sensitive tapes are petroleum based tapes, made out of plastic film with a sticky substance on one side that is designed to adhere to most surfaces.  You have probably seen this kind of tape applied with tape guns or similar tools that make application easy and efficient. Since pressure sensitive tape is made from petroleum it is typically an inexpensive product to use to seal packages, yet the costs could accumulate if sealing required multiple layers of tape. In addition, the shiny plastic makes it harder to print upon and companies could lose on a valuable opportunity for branding. This kind of tape is easy to apply, but also easy to remove leaving little to no trace of breaching. Because of this factor theft is a big concern when using pressure sensitive tape. In addition pressure sensitive tape is not resilient to extreme climate fluctuations. Extremely hot, humid, cold or dry environments can impact the tape, allowing for dirt and grime to breach the sticky seal and ultimately leave your items exposed.  Acrylic packaging tape is one of our most popular pressure sensitive tapes

​Water Activated Tapes
 
Water activated tape is made out of Kraft paper and a sticky adhesive that is developed from starch. This adhesive reacts strongly to water, and once moistened the tape will form a permanent seal by molding to the carton material of the container. To get this water-bonding effect suppliers will apply the tape with a type of dispenser that is activated by water. This style of tape is very strong and occasionally can contain layers of additional reinforcement like fiberglass. Water activated tape is more costly than pressure sensitive tape, although its possible to use less while packaging and achieve a good result. And for companies interested in taking advantage of taping space for additional branding, water activated tape easily allows for printing or stamping. Because of the strong bond that occurs when the adhesive is activated it is nearly impossible to break this seal without avoiding detection, meaning that water activated tape is an excellent choice for theft prevention. In addition, this strong adhesion also prevents wear and tear from varying climate conditions. Most types of extreme weather can be handles by water activated tape without the pesky side effect of dirt or debris creeping under the seals. 

Strap Close
 
The kind of carton closure that you choose might also vary based upon the physical characteristics of your particular shipment or product. A series of straps (also known as poly strapping) can be used to lash together your cargo, joined together at strategic points called the seal joint. These joints buckles are made from either plastic or steel and are the weakest point of this style of sealing so it is wise to select your particular seal joint with considerations to your needs. If your particular shipment is low in volume, tension and weight you could use plastic or steel buckles that don’t require the additional application of tools to hold things in place. However, for shipments that are lower volume but have high levels of tension or weight probably need a combination of metal seals and manual tensioners. For these heavy freights you’ll want to select a system that has a high percentage of joint efficiency (the percent of joint strength in relation to the break strength of the strap). As a general rule, the heaviest of loads typically require strapping made from resilient polyester strappings and metal seals that have additional texture as a component for extra reinforcement.
 
 
Hopefully these tips have you ready to pack, seal and ship your item to its destination. If you have any more questions about the different ways you could seal your package, or if you just want to find out more about what we offer feel free to give us a call at 804.649.1111.

​At SSI Packaging Group we have a dedicated team of packaging specialists who are ready to fill all of your packaging needs. 

​Typically when it becomes time to ship an item you are faced with a variety of considerations. You need to think about the size of your item, the distance it will go, how much it weighs and how it is shaped. These factors can help you determine what kind of container to ship your item in and the materials it should be made from. When faced with these choices you can decide between boxes and mailers. The intricacies between these two options are broken down in this post. 

​Corrugated Boxes
To ship bigger, bulkier items corrugated boxes are recommended because they are designed to protect items from bursting, crushing or puncturing the boxes when in transit. Corrugated cardboard boxes are strong and lightweight, made from layers of Kraft paper, a type of paper that was designed to be resistant to damage. Kraft paper is commonly made out of pine that has been pulped and processed. There is also a type of paper that is often used for the process called Test paper. Test paper is resilient yet has been made from recycled materials is also a reliable and sometimes less expensive option. Either types of this strong paper is processed in a facility and then crimped on a giant machine called a corrugator.

​For the typical corrugated box that is single wall, two layers of flat paper sandwich between them one layer of paper that has been crimped. When purchasing corrugated cardboard boxes generally this will be the most widely available option that you will see, however there do exist two other types of corrugated cardboard that have been designed with varying levels of strength in mind. Double wall corrugated cardboard consists of two pieces of crimped paper, which are glued together by one ply of non-fluted (or, not-crimped) paper or cardboard. The exposed outer surfaced are then covered with one piece of paper respectively. If the items that you chose to ship are especially heavy and you think they would need extra reinforcement, triple wall cardboard is the best solution. Triple wall corrugated cardboard is similar in its construction to double wall cardboard, with three plies of fluted paper instead of two. These layers of paper are held together by two pieces of paper or cardboard, and the outer surfaces are each covered with one ply of paper or cardboard. This extra layer provides additional support, perfect for large and bulky items.

Mailers
If your items are small and lightweight, resilient to shipment and are of varying degrees of fragility you can choose to ship with mailers. Bubble mailers are envelopes that are made from protective bubble wrap, and are designed to cushion and protect your items from damage during transit. In a similar vein, padded mailers are paper envelopes that include a layer of padding on the inside, so that they can lessen the impact of rough transport. Both of these types of mailers are efficient in protecting your items, however oftentimes you can find padded mailers made from recycled materials, which could be a benefit to your business if you are seeking ways to be more eco-friendly. Poly mailers are flat mailers made from durable polyethylene film, which means they are moisture resistant and lightweight. They are a great choice for e-commerce sellers because of their lower price point, small size and durability. Paper mailers are also lightweight, and are often made from renewable materials and are able to be recycled post shipment. However paper mailers are not weatherproof and can be a little bit more expensive than poly mailers, which tend to be cheaper because they are easier to produce. Finally, if you find yourself shipping items that need to retain their shape during shipment like photos or diplomas, your best possibility is flat mailers because they are rigid and retain their shape during shipping.

​Whether you want mailers or boxes, SSI Packaging Group has every necessity to get your shipment out the door. We specialize in providing personalized service and a variety of options for any of your packaging needs. Call us at (804) 649-1111 to speak with a representative or view our products to find out more. 

​When companies are looking for ways to reduce expenses, high-quality packaging is often the first thing to go. Many business owners decide to rely on cheap boxes, tape, pallets, and interior fillers in the hopes that they’ll save on operational costs. However, cheap packaging is actually far from cost-effective. Here are four reasons why.
 
It incurs more damages  
 
First, let’s discuss the obvious: Cheap packaging breaks. Thin boxes collapse, flimsy adhesive falls apart, and cheap stuffing alternatives--like shredded newspaper—doesn’t provide adequate cushioning. If the package is too large, the item is at risk for being knocked around; if it’s too small, the item won’t be safe from rough handling.   
 
Don’t underestimate the troubles your packages undergo once they leave your hands. This National Geographic video shows just how many steps a package goes through during the UPS shipping process—and all the tossing, throwing, bumping, and shoving it needs to withstand.
 
Needless to say, a damaged package means additional stress for you. Unless you want to risk the wrath of already-disappointed customers, you will have to pay for your customer’s return shipping; you will then have to either repair or replace the damage. Which leads us to…
 
It harms your reputation  
 
In this day and age, customer dissatisfaction is both loud and instant. When a customer receives a dented or damaged product, he or she has instant access to a variety of review sites, and can voice his or her displeasure right in the heat of the moment, before having a chance to cool off.
 
Once a negative review has been posted on Yelp, Google, or Facebook, it can be screenshotted, saved, and distributed for eternity. Getting a negative review removed from these sites is either impossible, or expensive—either because you will have to pay the site directly, or pursue legal action. To save yourself the headache, it’s essential to invest in good, sturdy packaging that protects your products as well as your reputation.
 
It ruins your brand experience  
 
Even if a product arrives perfectly intact, cheap and flimsy packaging can diminish the customer experience you are hopefully trying to convey. Your customers want to feel like they have purchased an item of quality, and the entire experience of opening it should facilitate that feeling. A great example—probably the best example of any brand today—is Apple, which has elevated the “unboxing” experience into an art form.
 
Youtube and similar sites have literally hundreds of unboxing videos wherein happy Apple customers film themselves receiving their new devices. These videos are a testament to the sheer power of clean, well-designed packaging. Remember, your product’s packaging doesn’t just exist to transport your product safely; it also exists to communicate what your brand stands for and the kind of quality your customers can expect.
 
It takes longer to assemble
 
Cheap packaging can also affect the time it takes to assemble and distribute your products. Think about it—cheap tape breaks; cheap boxes take more time and human effort to assemble. If a cheap palette collapses, your employees have to pause production to move the mess and fetch another one. By spending a little more on packaging that is of higher quality, you can actually reduce costs and increase productivity, meaning faster delivery times and happier customers. 

Give your customers quality with SSI Packaging
 
Looking for high-quality packaging solutions in Richmond, Virginia and the surrounding areas? SSI Packaging has everything you need to package, track, and deliver your products. We offer the latest in industrial marking, coding, and printing technology, as well as premier packaging solutions like bubble wrap, corrugated cardboard, foam, and more. Click here to view our full selection of products.  

Neither rain, nor wind, nor driving snow will stop the delivery of the mail. Nor, apparently, will disgusting items; heavy items; bizarre items; or the fact that the item is a living human being. Here are some of the strangest things people have successfully sent through the mail. 

Children
When the U.S. Postal Service began delivering packages in 1913, it didn’t take long for people to realize that it was cheaper to mail their children than it was to buy them train tickets. One such couple, Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Beauge of Glen Este, Ohio, paid $15 cents in stamps to send their son to his grandmother’s house. If this sounds a little foolish, not to worry: the couple also insured their son for $50. 

It didn’t take long for the Postal Service to outlaw the practice of shipping children, but certain Postmasters were inclined to be lenient. During this time period, one couple even successfully mailed a 14 lb baby to its grandma. Finally, in 1915, the straw that broke the camel’s back came when May Pierstorff, just shy of her 6th birthday, was over 73 miles away to her grandparents’ house. After that, the Postal Service declared an all-out ban on child delivery. Neither rain, nor wind, nor driving snow will stop the delivery of the mail. Nor, apparently, will disgusting items; heavy items; bizarre items; or the fact that the item is a living human being. Here are some of the strangest things people have successfully sent through the mail. 

80,000 bricks 
1916, there was no law against shipping an entire building through the mail, because no one thought that someone would attempt it. They didn’t count on William H. Coltharp, a man with a dream to build a bank and a limited shipping budget. He calculated that the best way to send his bricks to his construction site, 127 miles away, was via the U.S. mail. He had 40 crates packed just under the 50 lb limit, for a total shipment of 40 tons.
The Utah post office was overwhelmed, but to their credit, successfully completed the job. However, the episode prompted the then-Postmaster, General Burleson, to limit the weight one person could send to 200 lbs per day. "It is not the intent of the United States Postal Service that buildings be shipped through the mail,” he wrote. 

The Hope Diamond
The most expensive item to ever be shipped through the mail was the Hope Diamond, the rare, blue, possibly-cursed diamond whose ownership records date back over almost four centuries. After passing through the hands of Kings, Queens, royal mistresses, thieves, and jewelers, the gem wound up in the hands of New York merchant Harry Winston in 1958. Winston never believed that the diamond was cursed, and in fact exhibited it for several years in his “Court of Jewels” tour. He eventually donated it to the National Museum of Natural History, not because he feared a curse, but because he hoped to establish a U.S. national gem collection.
Not a man of great fussiness, apparently, Winston wrapped the diamond in brown paper and shipped it through ordinary post. He paid $2.44 for postage and about $142 for insurance. The diamond arrived at its destination safe and sound, and was given a new name, Specimen #217868. 

A pet chameleon 
While you can’t send a cat, dog, or child through the mail anymore, there are a few live animals that actually can be sent. In 1954, an Ohio man known only as “David” decided that his pet chameleon would be much happier in Florida. A few weeks after sending it on its way, he received the following note from Orlando’s then-Postmaster: “Dear David, I received your chameleon yesterday and he was immediately released on the post office grounds. Best wishes for a Merry Christmas!”
For those curious, other live animals that can be mailed include bees, scorpions, chickens, fish, and animals smaller than 20 inches. You can view a complete list here. 

A molar
For centuries, people have tried to push the envelope (get it?) of what can and cannot be sent through the mail. In 2000, a team of social scientists decided to test the Post Office’s limits once again. Researchers mailed themselves items ranging from a single ski; a green coconut; a street sign; a wheel of rancid cheese; a deer tibia; and…a human molar. All of the items, including the molar, arrived intact to their destinations. 
The tooth was the only item with which the postal service apparently had some deliberation. While the rest of the items shipped within 7 business days, the tooth took twice as long to arrive. Finally, it was delivered in a repackaged mailer with an accompanying note: “Please be advised that human remains may not be transported through the mail, but we assumed this to be of sentimental value, and made an exception in your case.”
​
50,000 pink panties
In 2009, a right-wing Indian group called the Sri Ram Sena attacked young women in a nightclub. The group accused the women of destroying Hindu culture by dressing provocatively, and promised to enact more violence on Valentine’s Day. Although the attack was caught on film and received some media attention, it would likely had been forgotten had not one group, the Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women, decided it was time to take action.
The group started the Pink Chaddi campaign, a movement that invited women to mail the SRS a pair of pink “chaddi”, or “undies”, in protest. The movement spread across the nation, with thousands of women sending in, er, contributions. At the time of this writing, organizers have received more than 50,000 colored panties, with about 2,000 winding up in the SRS mailbox. The SRS eventually withdrew its threat of Valentine’s Day violence, and several members were placed into custody by an embarrassed government. 

A human foot 
This story happened in gentle, peaceful Canada, where everyone loves their politicians. Just kidding. Politicians are hated everywhere, and one dissatisfied voter decided to express his disagreements with then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper by mailing in a severed human foot. According to Ottawa police spokesman Marc Soucy, the package was shipped despite what appeared to be bloodstains on the outside of the box. Staff members then called the police. 
Hours later, authorities discovered a second suspicious package containing a human hand at the Ottawa Postal Terminal Tuesday night, which police confirmed was sent from the same origin as the foot. They declined to say where the package was being shipped, the condition of the appendage, or whether had been postmarked. 

In our previous posts (Packing Tape Basics and Acrylic vs. Hot Melt Tape) we explored the differences between acrylic and hot melt tapes.  After determining whether to use hot melt tape or acrylic tape, the next decision is the best application method for the tape.  The two primary tape application methods are manual or mechanical.  Both have pros and cons and both have their place in the various carton sealing situations.

For manual or hand-sealing applications, acrylic tapes are usually the good option.  When applying tape with a tape-gun, consider the unwind quality of the tape.  The last thing you want is for employees to be spend more time tinkering with the tape-gun than applying tape to your cartons.  Also, consider the loose level of the tape as it unwinds.  This is particularly important when cartons are being sealed near others or in an environment that is sensitive to background noises.  The tighter the unwind quality, the easier it will be to cut after sealing a carton.  Good tack quality is vital as well as it helps “grab” the surface quickly so it can stay in place during the application process.  A strong film backing is also important to prevent stretching or breaking.  All of these qualities of tape for manual application are key to successful carton sealing.  

When it comes to the automated application of tape, hot melt tapes lend themselves to exceeding demand and ensure production lines remain running.  To reduce stretching and tearing, the best hot melt tapes provide easy unwind tension.  Their instant adhesion quality provides brief transition times so cartons can be palletized immediately.  Hot melt tapes in an automated process have fantastic holding qualities that ensure cartons remained sealed during the stress applied in storing, shipping, and delivery.  A key advantage is to an automated carton sealing process is the long roll lengths which allow for increased uptime and rapid application.

When choosing hot melt tapes in an automated process pay special attention to shear strength.  The shear strength refers to the ability of a tape to maintain it’s strength during high levels of stress.  A higher strength shear will endure the usual stress applied during the sealing process.  Sometimes, a weaker shear tape will lose it’s grip and separate from the corrugated surface or the tape backing during stress applications and this leads to unsealed cartons, loss of product, and the closure of production lines.

Some production environments utilize robotics with suction to move boxes.  A quality shear strength tape can withstand such stress, while a low-quality tape will not.  Shear strength also plays a role when cartons are overfilled or when think-walled cartons are used.  In these situations the pressure on the tape is from the interior of the carton, not the exterior.  In the same way heavy cartons produce a downward force on a carton that will also test the shear strength of a tape on the bottom of the carton.  Ensuring the hot melt tape you use will withstand these demands will increase your uptime as well as ensure your product arrives in-tact.

The quality of both manual and automated  applied tapes helps keep production lines and processes up faster and longer.  Quality tapes will be consistent in shear strength, backing strength, adhesion quality, and easy of application.

SSI Packaging group has been experts in carton sealing tape for over 40 years.  Throughout this time, we have seen many tape manufactures attempt to provide sub-par tape while others have produced high-quality tape and sealing products.  Give us a call or send us an email and we’ll make the time to help you decide the best carton sealing tape for your specific application at a reasonable price. 

At SSI Packaging Group “we help you pack and tack your image”®.  Call today - 804.649.1111