Protecting Expensive Products When Opening Packaging

Why product damage at unboxing is usually a tool problem, not a people problem

A slice line across a row of parts is a bad thing to find on a receiving dock. The shipment arrived intact, but an issue in the unboxing process caused damage to the product that is in your hands now. Those parts go on the scrap total, or even worse nobody catches it and the damaged items moves downstream to whoever uses the part next.

This type of damage is process waste that doesn't have to happen. And on a receiving dock, where the whole job is opening boxes all day, it happens more than most operations track.

It usually isn't carelessness

It is tempting to blame damaged product on the person holding the knife, but experience says most employees want to do a good job and are not trying to make mistakes. Damage during opening is more often a result of not having the right process control, or the wrong tool for the job.

Consider what you are actually asking of someone. If the contents are packed close to the surface of a tape closure, an employee can only control the depth of the cut as well as the blade allows. A long blade in a repetitive, high-volume task leaves very little margin, and over a full shift fatigue and simple human variation will eventually bring that blade into contact with what is inside the box.

The average box cutter blade of the traditional style is roughly 0.75" long and with a sharp point. If your product is packaged close to the surface then a traditional style box cutter (safe design or traditional) has the potential to cut deep enough to damage your product.

That margin of product depth from the tape line is getting thinner, not thicker. Packaging continues getting tighter as shippers cut material cost and void fill, which means less air between the tape line and the product.

Look for a tool that controls the cut for you

If product damage during opening is an issue for your business, the fix is a tool that limits depth by design and eliminates the sharp point that causes a majority of the damage. Two things are worth looking for:

·      A blade with only as much cutting surface as the job needs, so there is no excess length to reach the contents

·      A tip that isn't a point, this will help keep any accidental contact from damaging the product in the box

The Original Handy Safety Knife is built around both. The curved blade gives you the cutting surface you need to get through tape and corrugate without the excess length of a traditional box cutter. The blunt tip means your opening solution isn't introducing a sharp point directed straight at the product.

Try it on your own packaging

The only test that matters is a cut into the boxes you actually receive. Put it in the hands of the person opening cases every day, or see the full product lineup for the sizes and styles offered.