What is Tertiary Packaging and those Industrial Equipments for Its Automation?

Moving products from a place to another and between different parties of companies, organizations and people is the core and essence of the modern supply chain, along which the packaging plays an essential role for the protection of products all along the processes. We have discussed in a previous blog a related topic that deals with what is secondary packaging. We will be extending the topic in this blog to cover further information about what is tertiary packaging, and then also to introduce some industrial packaging equipment that is used for tertiary packaging automation.

Gran Sonata® Balcony Cartoner Has Its Capability Extended to Tertiary Packaging
Credit: ELITER Packaging Machinery

While the world of consumer goods is more about the communication and flow of products in a pattern B2C, the tertiary packaging appears more in the process of the B2B hidden behind these processes now that tertiary packaging deals with the packaging used for transport and storage and provide protection for the same, which usually happens between companies and companies, from one facility to another, the latter of which is usually a warehouse or distribution centre.

As an alternative explanation, the definition of tertiary packaging given by Definitions Marketings [2] describe it as a grouping of secondary packaging for the purpose of logistics and handling. The property that tertiary packaging is used for protection during the transport and storage has determined the fact that they are often removed after all these processes and to take out the products contained for display and sales. With this being mentioned, tertiary packaging is typically a temporary measure of packaging. 

Typical Examples of Tertiary Packaging

Tertiary packaging most typically takes the form of pallets under films, cardboard boxes, or grouping of several cartons or other secondary packaging under films.

Grouped secondary packaging in corrugated cardboard boxes as tertiary packaging

Despite the fact that corrugated carton boxes has a wide range of styles, corrugated cardboard boxes are the primary form of tertiary packaging in the field of, shipping, logistics and transport. One of the typical example is the Regular Slotted Case (RSC) which has the structure consisting of a single piece of corrugated cardboard with flaps on the top and bottom, which fold together to form the box.

Example of RSC Cases
Credit: ELITER Packaging Machinery

Pallet wrapping (stretch wrapping) as a typical tertiary packaging

While pallet itself is not considered as a form of packaging now that it only serves as a platform or base for stacking and transporting goods, however, when stuff is stacked over a pallet and wrapped by stretch film, the form of packaging as a whole can be considered as a form of tertiary packaging.

A Stretch-Wrapped Pallet Dispatched from our Facility
Credit: ELITER Packaging Machinery

Examples of Industrial Packaging Equipment for Tertiary Packaging

Tertiary packaging machines are supposed to be used either as the end-of-line to provide further automated processes or as a standalone machine that can be operated with more flexibility dealing with different objects.

Case Packer

A case packer is an industrial packaging equipment that sets up either regular slotted cases or wrap-around cases and load grouped objects or packaging from side, top or sometimes bottom.

Case Packer
Credit: ELITER Packaging Machinery

The most representative example is a side-load case packer erects pre-glued and pre-folded corrugated cardboard boxes with open ends facing horizontally, and loads the stacked products from the same, then close the box either by tape or by adhesive glue.

Pallet Wrapper

A pallet wrapper, also known as a stretch wrapper or pallet stretch wrapper, is a type of industrial packaging equipment used to secure and protect palletized loads for transportation and storage. A pallet wrapper is also a flexible packaging equipment now that it can deal with most stacked pallets without worry about the shape of the packaging, given the fact that stretch film is a form of flexible packaging in its nature.

PROMACH ORION Pallet Wrapper [3]
Credit: ORION, a division of PROMACH

Cartoner

Regardless of the fact that most of the cartoners are considered as secondary packaging machines, in the case that cartoner is extended in its design and structure, it can reach to the size of corrugated cardboard cases and respectively provide the automation for such kind of tertiary packaging.

How Can ÉLITER Packaging Machinery Automates your Tertiary Packaging

You are never too late to find the adequate packaging equipment for your tertiary packaging.

ÉLITER Packaging Machinery is now extending its capability to cover as well the automation for tertiary packaging, with our portfolio reaching the field of the same. Following our quality guideline of next-generation, our tertiary packaging machines including the balcony cartoner and upcoming case packer will be both tailed with quality that meet European market standards, with robust stainless steel construction and multi-axis servo drive technologies provided by SIEMENS.

We will be more than happy to discuss with you the solutions for your tertiary packaging end-of-line and share with you our proven cases on the market.

The Latest End-of-Line by ÉLITER Features a Cartoner for Shelf-Ready Case Packing
Credit: ÉLITER Packaging Machinery

Bibliography

• [1] Sai Ho Chung, Hoi Lam Ma, Hing Kai Chan, Maximizing recallability and reuse of tertiary packaging in production and distribution network, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, Volume 128, 2018, Pages 259-266, ISSN 0921-3449, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2016.06.025.
• [2] Emballage tertiaire, Écrit par B. Bathelot, modified on 03/12/2017, https://www.definitions-marketing.com/definition/emballage-tertiaire/
• [3] Orion Delivers Premium Stretch Wrapping Technology, Orion Flex line of semi-automatic stretch wrappers leverages Rockwell Automation control to improve usability and reduce waste, https://www.rockwellautomation.com/en-us/company/news/case-studies/stretch-wrap-automated.html

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