Packaging Solutions
The team at Antalis’ Smart Packaging Centre (SPC) has designed an ergonomic packaging solution for the delivery of vital medical equipment to patients who have just returned home following a life changing spinal injury or diagnosis.
The bespoke design was created for one of the UK’s leading home delivery companies for medical supplies. The company had been using standard, off the shelf packaging to package the equipment and accompanying instructions, however, it proved difficult for its customers to open without assistance and provided poor presentation. The company was keen to find a more suitable solution that would provide clients with as positive experience as possible when receiving the equipment.
Following a consultation with the SPC team to discuss how it might be able to improve the clients’ experience, priority was given to finding a solution that would be easy to access and open.
The SPC’s packaging technologists devised a box design that, as well as being easy to open, would also present the contents in a more professional manner. The design incorporates an easy to use thumb hole and tear strip that enables customers to open the packaging easily and without dependence on others; a pull cord and castors make it possible for the box to be pulled through doorways; and a secondary box with magnetic enclosure is included to provide handy storage for the apparatus instructions. Use of recycled materials for the outer box limits the environmental impact of the packaging. Rigorous testing of the design followed to ensure it achieved the desired goals.
Packaging technologist manager Jason Poxon explains how the project really challenged the team to think differently about packaging and how it is used by the end user. He said, ‘The packaging needed to work not only as a means of transporting goods from one point to another, it had to function on a much higher level too, working for the end user on both a physical and emotional level by helping them to retain a degree of independence at an incredibly difficult time in their lives. The fact that the trials went so well and the positive responses the client has received from their customers, is one of the best demonstrations I have seen of the power of well designed packaging.’
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