Packaging Operations Research Articles

Sustainable packaging operations: Balancing cost, functionality, and environmental concerns

Sustainable packaging has emerged as a critical focus in the intersection of environmental conservation and operational efficiency, as organizations strive to meet consumer demand for eco-friendly products while maintaining profitability. This study explores the triadic balance of cost, functionality, and environmental concerns in sustainable packaging operations, presenting insights into the strategies and innovations that can drive sustainable practices without compromising economic and practical considerations. Key challenges in sustainable packaging stem from the need to replace traditional materials with eco-friendly alternatives, such as biodegradable, recyclable, and reusable options, while ensuring durability, usability, and affordability. This research highlights the growing importance of lifecycle assessments (LCA) in evaluating the environmental footprint of packaging materials, as well as the integration of circular economy principles to optimize resource utilization. Advanced manufacturing technologies, such as 3D printing and digital design, are discussed for their role in reducing waste and enabling customized packaging solutions. The study also examines the role of collaboration across supply chains to develop cohesive sustainable packaging systems and the importance of consumer education in fostering adoption. Case studies of successful implementations in various industries, such as food and beverage, personal care, and e-commerce, illustrate how companies have innovatively balanced the competing demands of cost, functionality, and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, regulatory pressures and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives are identified as significant drivers of sustainable packaging innovation. This study concludes with a discussion on future trends, including the potential of nanotechnology and smart materials in enhancing packaging performance while minimizing environmental impact. The findings underscore the need for a holistic approach to sustainable packaging that aligns with economic goals, regulatory requirements, and environmental stewardship. By leveraging emerging technologies and fostering cross-industry partnerships, businesses can achieve sustainable packaging operations that support long-term environmental and economic resilience.

Machine Vision Based Quality Inspection of Pharmaceutical Bottle Packaging

The packaging of the drug products depends on the dosage form and the market in which they are to be commercialized. Based on the market, some tablets/capsules are packed in HDPE/PET bottle containers. Packaging plays a crucial role in maintaining product safety, purity, quality, and stability from production until it reaches customers. Ensuring the packaging and product quality are within specifications is essential during the packaging operation. Equipment utilized in the bottle packaging process is employed with many automated controls such as Machine Vision systems, which work on image acquisition principles along with Deep Learning (DL) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to identify the defects during the process and reject imperfect packaging. MV is one of the leading pillars of Pharma 4.0, which focuses on digitalization and automation in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. This paper discusses the latest advancements and applications of MV in pharmaceutical solid dosage form bottle packaging.

Nestlé's role in global food security, climate change and consumer health

Nestlé, as a global leader in the food and beverage industry, plays a pivotal role in addressing critical challenges related to food security, climate change, and consumer health. This paper examines Nestlé's strategies and initiatives aimed at contributing to global food security by enhancing sustainable agricultural practices, reducing food waste, and promoting responsible sourcing. The study also explores the company's efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change through carbon reduction initiatives, sustainable packaging, and energy-efficient operations. Additionally, Nestlé's focus on consumer health is analyzed, highlighting its commitment to offering nutritious products, promoting healthy lifestyles, and reducing harmful ingredients such as sugar and salt in its offerings. By evaluating Nestlé's multi-faceted approach, this paper underscores the company's potential to influence positive change at the intersection of food security, environmental sustainability, and public health, while also identifying areas for future improvement and broader impact.

Near-Optimal Scheduling for IC Packaging Operations Considering Processing-Time Variations and Factory Practices

Due to the short life cycles of electronic products, trial run lots of new products are crucial in IC packaging for production verification and engineering adjustments. The processing time of trial run lots may differ significantly from production lots due to engineering adjustments and is difficult to predict without sufficient historical data. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for near-optimal scheduling of IC packaging considering processing time variations and factory practices. Using an orthogonal greedy algorithm and recurrent neural network, this framework extracts key features and predicts the processing times of trial run lots and production lots for each operation using these algorithms. After formulating the scheduling problem in an integer linear programming form, an ordinal optimization method is embedded within the decomposition and coordination framework to obtain dynamic and near-optimal schedules in a computationally efficient manner. This approach can improve the efficiency of IC packaging and potentially other operations by optimizing lot scheduling, reducing production tardiness, and increasing productivity in the factory, paving the way for self-optimizing factories in the future.

An action research study of quality improvement in instrument packaging procedures for the central sterile supply department

This study aimed to reduce instrument packaging defects in the Central Sterile Supply Department (CSSD) using action research. Data of the instrument packs packaged by the packaging personnel at the CSSD of the authors’ institution during March to May 2023 were collected and analyzed. After identifying the problems, 2 rounds of cyclic process of “plan-action-observe-reflect” were implemented to standardize the packaging procedures and develop and improve the applicable check of standard operating procedures for the CSSD. After strictly implementing the packaging operation standards and checklists, the number of packaging defect cases dropped from 274 to 41. A significant difference was identified between the number of packaging personnel who achieved a “pass” in the assessment of 3 items for maintenance. Also, 1 item for assembly had significant differences compared with the baseline number after the first cycle (P ≤ 0.001). A significant difference was identified between the number of packaging personnel who achieved a “pass” in the assessment of 20 items for 6 components after the second cycle compared with that after the first cycle (P ≤ 0.05). Through action research methodology, strict implementation of standardized packaging procedures in the CSSD can reduce packaging defects, thereby decreasing clinical complaints and ensuring patient safety.

Two levels of information packaging and cognitive operations during simultaneous interpreting: An analysis via additional demonstratives

This study aims to describe cognitive processes during simultaneous interpreting from English to Japanese. Simultaneous interpreting is unique because of its online discourse processing: the interpreter starts producing target language expressions progressively before s/he hears the end of a sentence in the source language. This study analyses the authentic interpreting performance from the Interpreting Database, which comprises recorded simultaneous interpreting performed for a press conference. Particular attention is paid to additional demonstratives that do not have corresponding expressions in the source text as clues to focus on the interpreter's information packaging at two levels: the construction of a conceptual unit (CU) and a translation unit (TU). The two processes are inseparable and progress in parallel. This study analyses cognitive operations beyond transcoding from four perspectives: incorporation of a CU into a TU, construal of relations between TUs, reformulation in the TU, and the construction of an empty CU.

Quantitative Assessment of Post-Harvest Losses of Guava (Psidium guajava) in Rajasthan

The present research was done for the quantitative assessment of post-harvest losses in guava. Factors responsible for the post-harvest losses in guava were identified and evaluated. The study was performed in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan because the district has the highest guava production (27452 MT) among other districts of Rajasthan. The research was performed during the year of 2022. The data was taken from 40 farmers through judgmental sampling. Modified average formula was employed to quantify the post-harvest losses in guava by taking consideration of all types of losses at 5 level (collection, sorting, grading, packaging and transportation). Friedman’s test was employed to test the difference between factors responsible for the post-harvest losses in guava. The overall post-harvest losses in guava at farm level was 14.05 per cent at district level which was comparatively higher than NABCONS 2022 study on post-harvest losses. The post-harvest losses during collection & transportation to storage house (1.91%), sorting (7.50%), grading (1.73%), packaging (1.32%) and transportation (1.59%) operations at farm level majorly contributed to the post-harvest losses in guava. The highest loss (7.50%) was found during sorting operation among other operation at farm level. Friedman’s test results reflected that inappropriate sorting & grading, heavy rainfall, insect infestation, disease infection and market infrastructure were the major contributing factors for the post-harvest losses in guava.

Multi-dimensional analysis of financial accounting information and construction of decision support systems

Abstract Financial information is the core information of modern enterprises, which is of great significance to the sustainable development of enterprises. Based on the cost variance accounting model, the comprehensive budget management model, and the financial crisis early warning model, the financial information decision support system was constructed. Company S was selected for case analysis, and three modules in the decision-making system were used to analyze the company’s operating costs, overall budget management, and financial situation. Among the seven work centers of Company S, the consumption costs of the semi-finished product center and the procurement center account for the highest proportion, reaching more than 50% of the total manufacturing cost. Acquisition operations, raw material processing operations, semi-finished product operations, packaging operations, and quality inspection operations are some of the value-added operations of The Company. The operation efficiency of the procurement center, quality inspection center, maintenance center, and storage center is not high. Raw material processing centers, semi-finished product centers, and packaging centers are highly efficient. In 2022, the net profit of Company S will be -1.7592 million yuan, and the total profit will be -2.7418 million yuan. Management and selling expenses are exceeding the budget. The probability of financial risk was 82.35% and 88.46%, respectively. The company is facing serious financial risks due to its declining corporate sales, solvency, difficult capital turnover, and severe financial risks.

Evaluating the efficacy and drawbacks of traceability technology in the quality assurance of the food supply chain

The food industry can significantly benefit from blockchain technology by increasing transparency and visibility throughout the supply chain because it enables end-to-end data traceability in the food retail network. A blockchain does not require a central authority to control all data, reducing organizations’ need to disclose their proprietary information. All supply chain participants share only the data essential for a specific record or transaction. In this study, peer-reviewed journal articles were used as secondary data sources for data collection regarding blockchain usage in the food sector. After analyzing the collected data, key findings were organized into relevant themes to address the study’s objectives using content analysis. Organizations can adopt a cost-benefit analysis in the food industry when traceability technology is combined with blockchain. Transparency increases revenue and profitability, especially in segments where consumers are willing to pay. However, several risks and challenges must be addressed, including vulnerabilities, piracy, contractual disputes, and hacking. Using smart contracts, blockchain automates production processes and facilitates real-time order settlement. Even the most secure cryptocurrencies on the blockchain can be traced to varying degrees, emphasizing the importance of blockchain transaction reliability. To address privacy concerns and enable data-sharing capabilities, food companies should integrate blockchain with the Internet of Things (IoT). Using blockchain technology in food supply chain and packaging operations can also enhance transparency and traceability by enabling consumers to scan product codes using a mobile app.

Automation and Digitization in the Seed Sector: Offline to Online

As automation has become an integral part of today's world, the Internet of things (IoT) and Machine learning (ML) offers a platform for tracking and controlling different environments remotely with the help of sensors, controllers and the internet. Today IoT and ML are taking over control of agriculture industries and playing an important role in smart farming. The literature highlights the potential use of IoT and ML in agriculture and even in seed sector which is feasible for surveillance and monitoring from sowing to harvesting and similar packaging operations. In this review, we have highlighted the use of IoT applications with remote sensors such as temperature, humidity, soil moisture, water level sensors and pH value providing an idea of automation in seed sowing, seedling development and yield, which displays precision as well as practical utility to cope with difficulties in the field. It also addresses the digitalization in seed distribution and market systems. Some notable prospects by ML in the seed industry viz., seed tracking and smart storage system has also been stated.

Scaling toward Diminutive MEMS: Dust‐Sized Spray Chips for Aerosolized Drug Delivery to the Lung

AbstractThe functional area of silicon‐based microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices often occupies only a fraction of the actual silicon area of the chip. As the chip cost directly scales with the total chip area, there is an incentive to reduce the chip to the smallest possible size. However, handling such diminutive devices poses challenges that industry‐standard packaging cannot solve. Here, the world's smallest spray nozzle chip for drug delivery to the lung is manufactured and packaged and how magnetic assembly combined with microfluidic glue fixation can overcome this barrier for diminutive MEMS devices is demonstrated. The spray nozzle chips have a circular footprint with a diameter of 280 µm and feature a nickel coating on their conical sidewall, allowing magnetic manipulation. The chips are assembled and sealed into plastic substrates using a three‐step gluing process guided by capillary action and activated by heat. Assembly speeds of up to 147 chips per minute are demonstrated and fabrication to packaging and functional operation of this device is shown for the target application.

Socioeconomic Assessment of Mandarin Postharvest Loss: A Case of Gandaki Province, Nepal

This study focused on the socioeconomic assessment of mandarin postharvest loss in the Gandaki Province of Nepal. Two mandarin growing districts Tanahun and Syangja of Gandaki province were selected for study purposes. A simple random method of sampling was employed to select 45 mandarin farmers from each district making a total sample size of 90. Primary data were collected with the help of a pre-tested semi-structured interview schedule along with two focus group discussions and field observation of the mandarin orchard. Data were analyzed by using both descriptive and inferential statistics. This paper explored the mandarin production status, major post-harvest practices, marketing channels, and barriers to post-harvest technology adoption. The findings revealed that farmers were producing 5.4 tons of fresh mandarin each year earning around 50 thousand Nepalese rupees as profit from mandarin farming. Similarly, the result showed that the post-harvest loss was 8%-9% during the harvesting, grading, and packaging operation while a loss of 2%-3% was recorded during the transportation of mandarin from the production site to the wholesaler site. In total, loss ranging from 14%-18% was recorded in all chains of mandarin postharvest operations. Also, it was found that more than two-thirds (76.7%) of farmers practiced mandarin marketing based on preharvest contracts. The technical know-how of farmers about post-harvest technologies was a major challenge associated with the low adoption of mandarin post-harvest technologies. The concerned government agency, I/NGOs, and other organizations need to emphasize post-harvest loss issues by incorporating loss minimization activities in their program ensuring higher adoption of postharvest technologies by mandarin farmers and traders.

Block Sponge Compression and Packaging System Design and Analysis with Finite Element Method

In today's sponge industry, sponges are large and take up space, so there is an excessive amount of shipments for delivery. For this reason, there is a need for a system that can pack the sponge in order to reduce the height of the sponge and to ensure the shipment of more products at once, in order to compress the sponge and prevent it from returning to its original state. In this study, the design and analysis of the sponge compression and packaging system, which will reduce the height of the sponge by 10 times, has been made. Soldiworks program was used to model this system. The structural analysis of the system was examined with the help of the widely used Ansys Workbench 18.1 program, that is, the stress, deflection and safety coefficient values of the system elements were obtained. As a result of the analysis, it was concluded that the designed system can be used safely in the compression and packaging operations of sponges up to 28 density.

Customer Based Performance of the Hotel Industry: Analysis of Service Package and Brand Innovations

This study aims to examine the influence of service package and brand innovation on customer relational performance and customer profit performance of the hotel industry. Data were collected from 112 hotel operators. PLS-SEM was used to derive the path coefficient (β) and t statistics to determine the path relationship between service packages, brand innovation, customer based relational performance and customer based profit performance. This study shows that both service package and brand innovation have influence on both customer relational performance and customer profit performance. Brand innovation does not moderate the relationship between service package and customer relational performance of the hotel industry. The study findings may not be generalizable to other categories of the restaurant industry because of the relatively small sample size and the respondents selected from limited geographical area. The findings, however, will help hotel operators to implement critical packaging operations of the hotel services and improved brand innovations to elicit higher customers’ based performance. Unlike the previous studies on marketing performance, this study examines the combined effect of service package and brand innovation on customer based relational performance and customer based profit performance of the hotels.

MGA-Net+: Acceleration-based packaging work recognition using motif-guided attention networks

This study presents a new method for recognizing complex human activities within the logistics domain, such as packaging operations, using acceleration data from a body-worn sensor. The recognition of packaging tasks using standard supervised machine learning is complex because the observed data vary considerably depending on the number of items to be packed, the size of the items, and other parameters. In this study, we focused on the characteristics and necessary key actions (motions) that occur during a specific operation. For instance, when the packaging tape is stretched while assembling the shipping boxes. To focus on these characteristic actions when recognizing data, we propose the use of an attention-based neural network. With our method, the attention-based neural network’s training is guided such that its focus is on the motifs. In addition, this method was designed to accurately recognize short operations by leveraging data augmentation techniques. We tested our method on two logistics datasets and achieved a 3.9% improvement over the previous MGA-Net approach.

GMP AUDIT CHECKLIST – A VALUABLE MANAGEMENT TOOL IN PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

Internal audit is an effective independent activity within a pharmaceutical industry quality management system. It ensures a thorough analyses and evaluation of the company activities and helps prevent, predict and detect mistakes and weaknesses in order to minimize losses. Internal audits help the organization achieve its goals and ensures all the involved parties that a program complies with regulatory and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements. A successful audit, is carried out by quality auditor or audit team members, chosen carefully and properly trained. The auditor should gain as much information in advance before the auditing process begins that should help him to design tools useful in achieving the desired results. There are several sections recommended to be included in the GMP audit checklist: Quality management, Personnel, Facility and Equipment System, Documentation, Production System, Packaging and Labelling System, Storage System, and Laboratory Control System. A quality management system (QMS) is a formalized collection of processes, procedures, and documented policies, therefore the auditor looks to find out if the system complies with GMP requirements. As for the personnel, GMP audit checklist cover all the necessary procedures to ensure that the organization’s hiring and supervising practices are in compliance to GMP requirements, such as competences, trainings, dressing, and hygiene of the employees. Documentation ensures traceability of all development, manufacturing and testing activities, so the auditor needs to verify major types of documents that should be kept and recorded. The checklist includes questions addressing review of the layout, construction, size, location of the facility and main areas such as production area, storage, and laboratory, as well as the installation, operation, instructions, maintenance and cleaning of the equipment used in the manufacture. The production and process audit checklist include organization’s various stages of manufacturing such as weighing or measuring of raw materials, appropriate storage conditions for intermediates, In-Process sampling and controls, contamination control, process validation. Checklist points for internal audit of Packaging and Labelling System include elements ensuring the security and quality of packaging and as well elements that relate to labelling such as documentation, storage of starting materials and finished products, packaging and labelling operations. Internal auditing of storage system should prevent occurrence of mix-ups, damage, physical, chemical or microbial contamination. As for the Laboratory Control System, the GMP checklist questions aim to ensure that pharmaceutical products meet safety, efficacy, purity, and stability standards. The checklist is a good and critical tool to assist in conducting an in-depth and consistent audit and will serve as guideline for evaluation of compliance to standards and documentation, as well as for the effectiveness of the audited process.

Neuromarketing - Seeing the Unseen: Effect of In-Store Category Artwork, Structures and Packaging on Shopper’s Buying Behaviors in Pakistan

Neuromarketing in the simplest terms is the intersection of brain research and marketing. Neuromarketing combines cognition, technology, and marketing. Neuromarketing is a relatively young branch of marketing that examines how consumers react to marketing stimuli. The term "neuromarketing" refers to the use of neuroscience in the marketing process. The neuromarketing impact of packaging and labeling on consumer buying behavior was examined in this paper; as packaging is a critical way of transmitting product information. The attraction of a product is maintained by the color, substance, design, and creativity of its packaging, which should be simple to handle and aesthetically appealing. Color, design, packaging material, or size, as well as the packaging's ease of handling or reuse, can influence a customer's willingness to buy. For instance, pet bottles may be used for a number of purposes around the home. Regardless of the size or form of the goods, all packaging materials have a direct effect on the purchase behavior of the client. While packaging material has a direct impact on customer purchasing choices for most items, when it comes to food, information is critical to the consumer. Packaging and product information may be a more successful marketing tactic than conventional advertising since the brand speaks for itself. The movement of packaging operations throughout the value chain has been shown to have an effect on customers and goods. Packaging serves as an advertising and communication tool. Today, product and store displays, product mix, and container design all affect impulsive purchases. The practice of directly measuring a subject's reaction to certain items, packaging, advertising, or other marketing aspects via the use of brain imaging, scanning, or other brain activity measurement equipment.

Analysis of the Implementation of the Single Minute Exchange of Die Methodology in an Agroindustry through Action Research

This work aims to implement and analyze the effect of the Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) implementation in the bean packaging operation in a company in east Minas Gerais, Brazil. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research methodology used was action research. Two cycles of action research were conducted; the first to carry out phase one of SMED, and the second to execute phases two and three. Originality/Research gap: There are few studies on the application of Lean Manufacturing tools in agroindustry. Some works present case studies, mainly in the food supply chain aiming to fill this gap. Regarding SMED applied in agribusiness, no work was found. Key statistical results: The implementation of this methodology allowed the reduction of setup time by around 58%, the distance travelled by operators in the process by approximately 50%, in addition to gains in a production capacity of 14%. Practical Implications: It is concluded that the application of the methodology caused an increase in the company’s productivity, as it was possible to obtain gains in productive capacity without changing the amount of hours worked or the number of employees involved in the production process. Limitations of the investigation: This methodology was applied only once and the challenges encountered were not documented.

Postharvest Conservation of ‘BRS Nubia’ Hybrid Table Grape Subjected to Field Ultra-Fast SO2-Generating Pads before Packaging

The gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea is the main concern for the postharvest conservation of table grapes worldwide, and the use of sulfur dioxide (SO2) is the most common practice for its control. The aim of this work was to assess the postharvest conservation of the hybrid table grape ‘BRS Nubia’ by using a new technology known as a field ultra-fast SO2-generating pad before packaging the grapes. The fruits were harvested in the 2021 season from a commercial vineyard located at Marialva, Parana, Brazil. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design, with 4 treatments and 4 replications, and each plot consisted of 10 bunches. The treatments included: (a) control; (b) field ultra-fast SO2-generating pad (FUFR) during the 4 h before packaging; (c) dual-release SO2-generating pad (DR) during cold storage; and (d) FUFR pad during the 4 h before packaging in combination with the DR pad during cold storage. The bunches were packaged in 0.5 kg plastic clamshells and placed in carton boxes with a capacity of 10 units each. The treatments were evaluated after 30 and 45 days in cold storage (1 ± 1 °C) by means of the incidence of gray mold, shattered berries, stem browning, bunch mass loss and bleaching. After 45 days, the boxes were removed from cold storage and kept without the pads and liners for 3 days at room temperature (22 ± 1 °C), and the incidence of gray mold, shattered berries and stem browning were assessed. The use of the FUFR pad before packaging and the DR pad during cold storage, combined or not, were efficient at controlling gray mold, keeping the incidence of the disease very low. Both pads were also efficient at preventing the mass loss of grapes, but the percentage of shattered berries was lower when the FUFR pad was used. This allowed grapes to arrive already sanitized to the packing house, and no additional SO2-generating pads were needed, representing savings in economic terms for packaging operations. The stem browning, the chemical properties, and the color attributes of berries were not influenced by any treatment.

Coping with the postponement boundary problem: an empirical investigation in global food supply chains

PurposeThe postponement boundary problem entails that duties and cross-border trade complexity can lead companies to geographically postpone operations to downstream global facilities. The present study aims at investigating the problem to provide insights into the drivers behind the choice of different postponement strategies for global food supply chains.Design/methodology/approachA single case study was conducted considering an Italian company exporting olive oil toward the United States. Two global postponement strategies, previously formalized in the literature, were tailored for food supply chains. A multi-methodological approach was adopted, combining data obtained through exploratory case research with empirically grounded analytical modeling. A sensitivity analysis was also performed, to investigate outcomes related to the considered problem when changing key parameters.FindingsBulky and heavy packing materials account for a big percentage of finished products' volume and weight, and this can deeply affect strategies' cost-effectiveness. Postponing packaging operations could allow for taking advantage of lower tariffs levied on bulk goods, contributing to significantly lower duties to be paid. However, important trade-offs could arise related to the required investments, and the fiscal regulatory frameworks must be carefully examined.Originality/valueThis study offers an empirical investigation of the postponement boundary problem, which is largely unexplored in the current literature. It also tackles an understudied empirical context as global food supply chains. It summarizes the drivers behind and explores the costs related to the implementation of different strategies, offering an original quantitative approach that could support practitioners' decision-making. Lastly, it formalizes five propositions that could pave the way for further research inquiries.