There are two ways to buy custom corrugated boxes — from a manufacturer or from a broker.
Manufacturers are either mills or sheet plants. Mills make the corrugated board (layers of wavy corrugated between layers of flat linerboard) and the boxes all under one roof. Sheet plants buy enormous sheets of corrugated from mills and convert the sheets into custom boxes. Mills excel at large-scale box orders, whereas sheet plants are generally geared for smaller ones.
Brokers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some brokers only handle billing and serve as your customer service contact. Other brokers offer value-added services, such as warehousing, inventory management, and custom packaging design solutions.
To buy custom corrugated boxes like a pro, here is the inside story.
1. Buying Directly from a Manufacturer Is More Expensive
Many buyers believe “cutting out the middleman” results in a lower price. Unless you buy in very large volume (and even then, not always) — the opposite is true. Why? Mills and sheet plants all have certain “sweet spots” – styles, sizes, and quantities of boxes their operations are geared to produce. Brokers are able to match you up with the mill or sheet plant that can produce your boxes most efficiently — and therefore most inexpensively. If you are buying custom boxes directly from a manufacturer, there is a very good chance you are buying from the wrong one — that is, a manufacturer not ideally suited to produce your particular box(es).
Beyond unit pricing, buying from the wrong manufacturer can be exceedingly expensive in indirect ways. For example, a broker will know if another manufacturer is capable of producing your box more consistently, or with superior quality material, or with an eco-friendlier material, or with a coating to prevent product damage, etc. Having the best quality box for your application means less product damage, fewer returns, happier customers, and a better brand image. The value of these things may be far greater to you than the entire cost of the boxes themselves!
2. Buying Directly from a Manufacturer Results in Worse Service
Many buyers believe working directly with the custom corrugated manufacturer improves service. Again, the opposite is true — ordering through brokers results in better service. Why? Brokers maintain very close relationships with mills and sheet plants and command a lot of their attention because they bring these manufacturers business from a multitude of customers. Brokers are a big fish in the manufacturer’s pond, whereas an end-user seldom if ever is, unless that end-user is buying in multiple truckload volume. So, when it comes to expediting orders and accommodating unusual requests, the broker is more likely to get the desired result.
Furthermore, mills and sheet plants, being manufacturers, don’t have the same flexibility and breadth of service capabilities as a value-added broker. Instead, manufacturers want to handle customers as uniformly as possible, which makes sense because without a streamlined operation, manufacturers can’t make boxes affordably. So, if you need special billing terms, just-in-time delivery, custom packaging design, an unusual unitization configuration, or any other out-of-the-ordinary assistance, you’re far more likely to get what you need from a broker.
For the Best Custom Packaging Solutions, Talk to a Broker
In summary, brokers offer the best combination of low prices, exceptional customer service, and high quality to buyers of custom corrugated boxes.
The “big picture” reason behind this is simple: brokers are interested in improving your packaging, whereas manufacturers are interested in the status quo. Why?
Manufacturers, as touched on earlier, are good at making certain types of boxes in certain quantities. A manufacturer is mainly interested in running the same item(s) for you day after day, week after week, year after year. The manufacturer, liking consistency and predictability, is unlikely to come to you with new ideas — and will never bring you custom packaging solutions they cannot produce efficiently.
Brokers, in complete contrast, have wide knowledge of what many box manufacturers can do well. Thus, brokers have an interest in bringing you new ideas and have the expertise to bring those ideas to life with boxes that better fit your needs.
Keep these insights in mind when you are reviewing your custom corrugated requirements or developing a new product.
Salazar Packaging, by the way, functions as a broker for custom corrugated boxes, and is moreover a distributor of standard packaging items. Our experience and depth in the distribution business enables us to provide a very wide range of value-added services for custom corrugated, including eco-friendly packaging solutions, custom packaging design that integrates other packaging materials, and sophisticated order fulfillment services.
Related posts:
https://www.salazarpackaging.com/free-packaging-services-why-were-unique/
https://www.salazarpackaging.com/4-ways-to-know-you-need-a-new-packaging-supplier/
