When Should You Redesign Your Product Packaging? Six Signs That Now Is The Time

Here at Kingston Carton, we’re engineers at heart. We understand that product packaging needs to do more than look good. It needs to protect the product, work efficiently and perform throughout its journey to the end user.

That’s why, before you start redesigning your packaging, there are a few important things to consider. Here are our top six considerations to help you make sure your next carton works for your product, your process and your customers.

1. Your product is changing

When a product changes, it’s worth checking whether the existing packaging is still fit for purpose. Changes to the product’s size, weight or shape may mean the carton needs to be redesigned or strengthened.

Even a small change in the product's dimensions can affect how well the existing carton works.

The packaging needs to fit the product properly. Otherwise, it can lead to damage, wasted material or problems further down the line.

2. You're rebranding

If your brand has a new identity, your packaging needs to represent this change. This could mean a new look and feel, with new colours, graphics, messaging or a different style of print.

Your packaging is often one of the first things a customer sees. A redesign can help make sure it reflects where your brand is today.

Our graphic design team can drive this process. But it is important to consider what happens beyond this design stage.

3. Your print run is changing

The quantities you produce can change over time. You might have started with relatively small volumes. Your team may have packed the products by hand because this was the most practical option.

But as demand grows, that process may no longer be efficient. Higher volumes can mean you need packaging that is quicker and easier to assemble and pack.

This is where a carton redesign can make a real difference.

The objective is not necessarily to change how the packaging looks. It is about making sure the carton is suitable for the way you now produce and pack your product.

4. You've invested in new machinery

New machinery can create new opportunities. But it can also mean your existing carton design needs to be reviewed.

For example, a customer may invest in an automated packing machine. The carton that worked perfectly well before may not run as smoothly on the new equipment.

This is where our carton design expertise can help. We can assess how the machine operates and adjust the carton profile to suit.

Sometimes, our team will visit your site to help set up the machine and make sure the carton runs as it should so the packaging works with the new process.

5. Your packing process has become a problem

It's not always the packaging itself that’s the problem. It is the way the packaging works when you are packing the product.

This is particularly important for customers who pack their products in-house. Whether they glue the cartons themselves or have teams manually packing them, an awkward carton can quickly slow the process down.

When you’re producing thousands or even millions of units, saving just a few seconds per carton can make a big difference.

A small carton change can save a lot of time

One of our customers was using a large carton to pack food products. The box was suitable for the product, but the design made it awkward to pack and glue.

With large volumes, those difficulties can quickly add up. 

Our team reviewed the existing carton and were able to make some redesigns to the finishing side of production, making it easier to assemble, pack and glue. Our customer has saved nearly 20% in packing efficiency, due to our design tweak. This is because they are able to put the carton together and fill it 20% faster on their production line, compared to the previous carton design. 

From the outside, there is very little difference. But in practice, the new design makes the packing process much easier.

The customer has been really impressed with the result.

"Sometimes, you don't need to change the carton completely. You just need to engineer it so it works better. By looking at how the carton is being used, we can make small changes that have a big impact on the customer's packing process." - Rob Fish (pictured), Estimator, Kingston Carton. 

The redesign is a good example of where our experience can add value. We don't only look at how a carton is manufactured, we look at how it will be used.

When producing large volumes, a faster and easier packing process can make a real difference. Even just being able to save a few seconds producing each item can make a big savings when you think of the full production line. 

The benefits don't just stop there, as it can help prevent delays further down the supply chain such as getting it to the end customer. 

Even small businesses can help save time, reduce waste and keep costs under control through improved assembly and packaging production. 

6. The amount of product is changing

Reducing the amount of product inside a carton can also mean the carton needs to be changed. 

For example, one of our customers produces wall filler and wanted to reduce the quantity of product in each pack. This meant the carton could be made smaller, but we needed to get the balance right.

The carton needed to fit the reduced quantity without looking noticeably different to the customer. It also needed to provide enough support. Too much empty space could make the carton less stable and more likely to crush.

This is particularly important for DIY products, where strength and protection are key. Our experience in this sector helps us develop cartonboard packaging that meets these requirements while remaining practical and cost-effective. 

We are currently trialling a new box design for this application and this example proves that a redesign is about more than size. It's about understanding the product, materials, manufacturing process and how the carton will be used.

Packaging should work as hard as you do

Redesigning your packaging doesn't automatically mean you need to start from scratch. Sometimes, a small change can make a carton stronger, easier to pack and more efficient to produce.

At Kingston Carton, we’re innovators that look at the whole picture. From design and print through to production, packing, storage and logistics, we make sure the carton works at every stage.

A carton can look perfect on the drawing board but what really matters is how it performs in the real world.

If your product, production process or packing operation has changed, it could be time to look at your packaging, too. Get in touch with our team today to see how we can help.