Packaging Challenges, Trends & Best Practices for Improved Operations

Every product that reaches a customer goes through packaging operations. This makes the packaging industry central to modern commerce. Packaging facilities therefore have a major responsibility to protect products, support supply chains, and drive profitability across sectors. As a result, there is mounting pressure on packaging operations to be as efficient as possible.

Today, labour shortages, unpredictable demand, more stock-keeping units (SKUs), faster changeovers, and tighter safety regulations are reshaping how facilities operate. Material handling has become a critical bottleneck in many plants.

Plants that successfully solve these material handling challenges usually benefit from increased speed and reduced injuries, helping them remain competitive. Facilities that fail to adapt face downtime, waste, and rising costs.

Table of Contents 

• What Material Handling Means in Packaging Operations 
• Why Material Handling Is Critical for Packaging Success 
• Key Packaging and Material Handling Challenges 
• Packaging Automation & Other Important Trends 
• Safety and Ergonomics as Competitive Advantages 
• Best Practices for Smarter Material Handling & Packaging Equipment 
• Moving Forward with Smarter Material Handling 

What Material Handling Means in Packaging Operations

Material handling in packaging refers to the movement, storage, and control of raw materials and finished products throughout production. This includes lifting rolls of film or paper, moving cartons between stations, positioning sheets for feeding into machines, and stacking finished packages for distribution. 

Packaging operations handle items repeatedly during every shift. For example, a worker might lift a roll of film from a pallet, transport it to a machine, mount it for unwinding, and then replace it when it is empty. On the same line, workers may fill, seal, label, inspect, and palletise boxes. Each touchpoint in this sequence creates an opportunity for injury, damage, or delay.

The materials handled in packaging plants vary widely. Facilities manage films that come in different shapes and sizes, heavy corrugated rolls weighing 80 kg or more, fragile glass containers, and unstable stacks of folded cartons. This variety requires different lifting techniques so that each material is lifted and moved efficiently and safely.

This complexity explains why material handling sits at the centre of production speed, product quality, and worker safety in packaging operations.

Why Material Handling Is Critical for Packaging Success 

Three factors make material handling essential in packaging operations: speed, safety, and consistency.

Speed and Throughput

Packaging lines run fast. A bottling line might fill 600 units per minute. A carton erector could handle 40 cases in the same time. When operators wait for a roll change, struggle with heavy loads, or spend time repositioning pallets, the line stops. A two-minute holdup, repeated across shifts, can cost hundreds of units in lost output.

Efficient material handling, including the use of packaging automation systems, keeps machines fed and lines moving. Quick mounting of rolls, easy switching between materials, and rapid movement of finished goods help maintain the rhythm that high-speed packaging demands.

Safety and Injury Prevention

Manual handling causes a large share of packaging facility injuries. Lifting heavy rolls strains backs and shoulders. Twisting while carrying loads can damage knees. Repetitive movements lead to cumulative trauma over time.

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work notes that manual handling of loads exceeding 25 kg typically violates ergonomic safety guidelines. Many packaging materials weigh far more than this threshold.

Injuries result in lost work time, increased insurance costs, damaged team morale, and compliance risks. Plants that invest in safer handling methods can protect their workforce and their profitability.

Quality and Consistency 

Damaged materials create quality problems. A dented roll edge can cause feeding issues. Crushed cartons may be rejected. Contaminated film can ruin entire batches. Operators who struggle with awkward loads are more likely to make mistakes.

Proper handling equipment reduces material damage and helps maintain quality standards throughout production. Regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals and food see particular benefits, where even minor defects can trigger costly waste, rework, or product rejection.

Key Packaging and Materials Handling Challenges 

There are multiple packaging industry challenges that facilities need to understand when working to enhance operations. Key challenges include the labour shortage, SKU proliferation, machine uptime, and more.

Labour Shortages and Workforce Strain

 The packaging sector struggles to find workers. In fact, 95% of packaging end users face difficulties recruiting skilled operators and technicians [PMMI's 2025 Inside the Workforce Gap report]. This shortage affects machine operation, material handling and quality control. 

The problem goes beyond headcount. Existing staff often work longer hours, take on more responsibilities, and face greater physical demands. Under increased fatigue, the likelihood of mistakes grows, which can lead to injuries and quality problems.

This makes physical tasks more problematic. A facility that once had three people to handle heavy rolls may now have only two. Jobs that previously required staff rotation to prevent strain can end up being done by the same individual, shift after shift.

Addressing the Labour Shortage 

Packaging automation systems can help address labour shortages and improve operational efficiency. Semi-automated solutions like smart lifting enhance productivity without eliminating human roles. Full automation, by contrast, can risk displacing skilled workers without fully leveraging their expertise, and fully robotic systems often overlook the adaptability and problem-solving ability of experienced operators.

In short, smart lifting empowers a broader workforce, including people with mobility restrictions or older employees who may no longer be in their physical prime. By reducing the strain of heavy or repetitive tasks, semi-automated packaging equipment minimises wear and tear on the body, preventing both immediate injuries and long-term occupational damage. It also helps create a more inclusive and flexible work environment.

This approach preserves the value of existing skills while extending careers, attracting diverse talent, and maintaining morale instead of eliminating jobs outright.

Smart lifting tools include: 

• Vacuum lifters: Use suction power to lift heavy loads effortlessly.
• Hoists and cranes: Mechanically move large or awkward items.
• Trolley systems and conveyors: Reduce manual handling distances. 

SKU Proliferation and Shorter Production Runs 

Customers increasingly expect variety. A brand that once offered five flavours may now sell twelve, each with multiple package sizes and seasonal variations. This stock-keeping unit (SKU) proliferation drives complexity throughout packaging operations.

More SKUs mean shorter production runs. Instead of running one product for eight hours, a line might switch between four products in a single shift. Each changeover requires different materials, such as new rolls, different carton sizes, or alternative labels. As a result, operators spend more time on setup and less time on actual production.

Material handling also becomes more demanding. Workers must move a wider range of items more frequently, dealing with varying weights and dimensions and needing greater flexibility. Over time, the physical toll compounds as SKU variety and changeover frequency increase.

Demand Volatility and Capacity Planning 

Packaging demand fluctuates unpredictably. For example,  e-commerce volumes often surge during holidays and peak seasons, then drop off at other times of the year. Seasonal changes also affect packaging, because weather conditions can damage packaging materials and disrupt supply chains. As a result, capacity planning becomes difficult, and operations designed for steady throughput can easily become strained.

During volume spikes, material handling bottlenecks intensify. More materials must move through facilities in less time, which can cause storage areas to overflow while operators rush to keep pace. This combination of higher speed and congestion increases the risk of errors and raises the likelihood of injury to workers.

Facilities that are able to smoothly handle peak demands typically have flexible material handling systems that scale with volume. These systems adjust to higher throughput without overwhelming storage areas or overloading workers, helping plants maintain safety, quality, and on-time delivery even during the busiest periods.

Packaging Equipment Uptime and Changeover Speed 

Ergonomic packaging equipment represents significant capital investment, so maximising uptime is critical. However, many facilities lose productive hours to preventable delays such as: 

• Waiting for material delivery
• Struggling with roll mounting
• Clearing jammed feeds
• Dealing with damaged supplies

Changeovers also present particular challenges. When plants reduce changeover time from 30 minutes to 15 minutes, they gain substantial additional capacity over a day, week, or year. Much of that speed improvement comes from better material handling, including faster material swaps, smoother roll mounting, and more efficient staging of supplies at each machine.

Material Diversity and Sustainability Pressure 

As packaging materials continue evolving, the challenge of handling them evolves as well. As brands shift towards recyclable films, paper-based alternatives, and lightweight substrates, handlers must meet the demands of each material’s delicateness. For example, newer materials may require different tension control, adjusted gripping forces, or modified processing steps.

Lightweighting, often introduced for sustainability reasons, reduces material usage but creates thinner, more fragile products that need careful handling. As a result, operators must further adapt their techniques and equipment settings as materials change, ensuring that sustainability goals do not introduce new risks of damage, waste, or downtime.

Packaging Automation & Other Important Trends

Several trends are reshaping how packaging facilities operate. Understanding these shifts helps plants prepare for changes ahead and make better long-term decisions.

Explore more about "Packaging Trends in 2026" here. 

Packaging Automation Systems for Workflow Efficiency

Packaging automation is expected to play a key role in the future of the packaging industry. The packaging automation market is forecast to grow to $134.6 billion by 2032, up from $78 billion in 2025 [Fortune Business Insights]. This growth reflects widespread adoption of automated filling, sealing, labelling and palletising systems. 

Often, facilities start with semi-automated solutions such as assisted lifting packaging equipment like TAWI’s vacuum lifters. These partial automation steps reduce physical strain, improve speed, and prepare operations for future expansion without requiring system overhauls. 

Choosing a packaging automation system that fits current needs while allowing for growth is a key consideration.

Flexible Production Systems 

Packaging lines must handle increasing variety. Flexible packaging equipment can adjust quickly between product sizes, package formats, and material types. This flexibility becomes essential as SKU counts rise and production runs shorten.

Material handling plays a central role in this flexibility. Equipment that can adapt to different roll diameters, switch between carton sizes, or adjust lifting capacity without lengthy setup enables faster changeovers. Instead of relying on dedicated equipment for each SKU, plants can invest in versatile handling tools that serve multiple product lines and support frequent product changes.

Workforce Adaptability and Cross-Training 

With fewer workers available due to the labour shortage, facilities need increasingly adaptable teams. Cross-training allows staff to cover multiple roles, fill gaps when colleagues are absent, and support different production lines as volume shifts. 

Ergonomic material handling equipment supports this cross-training. Packaging equipment that is intuitive to use and reduces physical demands allows more workers to handle materials safely, regardless of their size, strength, or previous experience. This flexibility helps facilities maintain production when specific operators are unavailable and makes it easier to reassign people as priorities change.

Safety and Ergonomics as Competitive Advantages 

Safety is crucial not only for preventing accidents and ensuring compliance. Safety is also a business advantage. Facilities with strong safety records attract better workers, reduce insurance costs, maintain productivity, and build reputations as responsible employers.

Learn more about how to  "Improve Ergonomics & Safety with Packaging Automatoon Solutions" here. 

The Business Case for Ergonomic Packaging Equipment 

Ergonomic packaging equipment for material handling helps prevent injuries. Workers using assisted lifting solutions stay productive for longer periods. They make fewer mistakes, take less sick leave, and maintain better morale. More efficient material handling therefore delivers both greater business benefits and increased worker happiness and safety.

Additionally, the case for ergonomic packaging equipment becomes clear when you consider that workplace injury costs extend far beyond direct medical expenses. Lost productivity, replacement worker training, increased insurance premiums, and potential regulatory penalties all add up. Preventing injuries through better equipment typically costs less than managing their consequences after they occur.

Reducing Physical Strain Across Shifts 

Physical work takes a toll across an entire shift. An operator might feel fine lifting 30 kg rolls during the first hour. By the middle of the shift, however, fatigue begins to set in and movements become less controlled.

Semi-automation systems have lower investment costs, but if lifting is still largely unassisted, the likelihood of mistakes increases as workers tire and their movements become sloppy. 

This raises an important question: is unassisted packaging and materials handling really worth the risk?

Assisted material handling maintains more consistent performance throughout shifts. Ergonomic packaging equipment handles the weight, while operators control positioning and timing. This reduces cumulative strain and helps workers remain effective and safe throughout the day.

Meeting Regulatory Requirement 

Safety regulations continue to tighten. Employers must assess manual handling risks, implement control measures, and demonstrate their duty of care. Facilities that proactively address ergonomics stay ahead of compliance requirements and avoid costly violations.

Documentation also plays a critical role. Plants need clear records showing that they have identified and addressed known risks, trained workers properly, and provided appropriate equipment. This documentation helps protect against liability claims and demonstrates responsible management to regulators, customers, and employees.

Best Practices for Smarter Material Handling & Packaging Equipment 

Improving material handling does not require a complete overhaul. Focused changes in key areas can deliver measurable results. 

Assess Your Current Handling Challenges 

It’s crucial to understand current material handling challenges before investing in new solutions. Start by identifying where problems exist. For example, you can walk the floor and observe material movements, or ask operators which tasks cause the most difficulty.

Other assessment tips include: 

• Review injury records to identify recurring issues linked to material handling.
• Check production logs for delays or stoppages related to material handling.

Common trouble spots include roll changeovers, carton palletising, heavy item positioning and material transfer between stations.  Focus improvements on these high-impact areas first to achieve the greatest benefit with the least disruption.

Match Ergonomic Packaging Equipment to Materials and Tasks 

Different materials need different handling approaches. For example, rolls of film or paper benefit from lifting trolleys that can mount them directly onto machine shafts. Boxes and cartons work particularly well with vacuum lifters that can grip multiple items at once. Sheets are best handled with panel lifting equipment that has large contact surfaces to support and stabilise them.

Choose ergonomic packaging equipment based on your actual workflow requirements. Consider material weights, dimensions, handling frequency, and available space around each machine or station. Solutions that fit naturally into existing processes are more likely to be used consistently and deliver long-term value.

For more information, explore our smart reel handling equipment. 

Prioritise Versatility and Adaptability 

Equipment that can handle multiple tasks provides better value than single-purpose tools. For example, vacuum lifters with interchangeable suction feet can switch between boxes, bags, and sheets, allowing one system to support several workflows.

Mobile vacuum lifters provide additional flexibility by enabling operators to lift and move goods anywhere in the facility. They are especially valuable when ergonomic handling is needed in multiple locations or where no permanent installation is possible. In general, they act as highly versatile lifters that can be redeployed as needs change.

Versatility matters especially for facilities with diverse product portfolios or changing material mixes. Having adaptable packaging equipment allows operations to accommodate growth and product changes without requiring constant equipment replacement.

Design Workflows for Efficient Movement 

Layout has a major impact on handling efficiency. Materials should flow logically through receiving, production, and shipping so that operators spend less time walking, searching, and repositioning loads.

Workflows should be designed with the following recommendations in mind:

• Minimised travel distance 
• Minimal direction changes 
• No unnecessary transfers 
• Materials positioned close to where they are needed 
• Rolls stored near machines using them 
• Carton stocks placed adjacent to packaging lines 
• Accessible handling equipment at each workstation 

When these workflow considerations are applied, facilities can achieve significant time savings, reduce congestion, and make better use of both people and packaging equipment.

Train Staff Thoroughly and Consistently 

Equipment only delivers value when it is used correctly. Train all operators on proper handling techniques, equipment operation, and safety procedures. Ideally, training should be ongoing rather than a one-time event. New staff will join the business, roles will change, and skills can fade over time, so regular refreshers are essential.

It is also important to include material-specific guidance in training, since different items require different handling approaches. For example, operators should understand how to safely lift rolls versus boxes, or how to handle fragile packaging materials compared with more robust cartons.

Maintain Packaging Equipment Proactively 

Material handling and packaging equipment needs regular maintenance to perform reliably. This includes checking vacuum systems for leaks, inspecting lifting mechanisms for wear, cleaning components on a regular schedule, and replacing parts before they are worn down. Whenever possible, maintenance should be scheduled during planned downtime to avoid unexpected breakdowns and production interruptions.

It is also important to keep spare parts on hand for quick repairs. Document all maintenance activities to track equipment condition over time and identify any recurring issues. This proactive approach helps extend equipment life, reduce unplanned stoppages, and support consistent packaging operations.

Measure and Monitor Performance 

Measure and monitor the performance of your material handling and packaging equipment regularly. Focus on metrics that matter, such as injury rates, handling-related delays, material damage incidents, and changeover times.

If roll changeovers remain a bottleneck despite initial improvements, investigate additional solutions or adjustments. If one area shows strong results after implementing ergonomic packaging equipment or workflow changes, look for ways to apply similar approaches elsewhere in the facility.  

TAWI’s Packaging Case Studies 

Many facilities have already solved key material handling challenges. Case studies provide practical examples of what works in real operations.  

Explore TAWI’s case studies to see how different facilities approached their material handling challenges, which ergonomic packaging equipment they implemented, and the results they achieved. These real-world examples can help you identify solutions worth considering for your own operations.

Moving Forward with Smarter Material Handling 

The packaging industry continues to evolve. Labour shortages, SKU proliferation, and demand volatility now represent the new operating environment rather than temporary issues. Facilities that adapt their material handling approaches gain competitive advantages through greater speed, improved safety, and increased flexibility. 

Improvement does not always require massive capital investment. Start with the biggest bottlenecks. Address the most physically demanding tasks. Learn what others have done. Measure results and refine your approach over time. 

Material handling might not be the most glamorous part of packaging operations, but it is fundamental to everything else. Plants that get it right run faster, safer, and more profitably, which is why it is worth exploring packaging automation systems and ergonomic packaging equipment. 

Facilities that fail to adapt face ongoing struggles with costs, delays, and workforce issues. 

For more information on packaging material handling solutions, visit the packaging industry solutions page and explore how smarter, automated, and ergonomic handling can support your operations.