Reengineering a bulk unit pack for safety, strength & capacity

When a high-volume customer needed a better way to transport and dispense thousands of small units, JackPack reengineered the entire pack — eliminating tools at the line, holding spec under heavy load, and squeezing hundreds more units onto every pallet.

The package is a bulk corrugated system: a tube body with top and bottom tray components that protect thousands of units in transit and feed them into an automated line. During the dispensing stage, operators remove cut-outs from the pack so units can flow into the system.

The challenge

The original design asked operators to carry a knife and cut the dispensing openings out by hand during setup — relying on printed graphics to mark where to cut. It worked, but it carried real friction and risk:

• Extra manual steps and ergonomic strain at every setup
• Dependence on a secondary tool — and the safety risk of knife use on the line
• Added print and graphics just to identify the cut locations
• Separate top and bottom trays — two SKUs, more inventory, more storage
• Under-used pallet footprint, capping how many units shipped per load

Heavy product load made it harder. The weight of the units caused box bowing, and cut-outs would sometimes release prematurely in transit — forcing a "thread-the-needle" balance between secure retention on the road and easy removal at the line.

The solution

JackPack engineered integrated finger-relief features directly into the removable dispensing cut-outs on both the tube and the trays. Operators now identify and pop out the openings by hand — no knives, no tools. Because the relief features make the openings visually obvious, the extra printing and graphics were eliminated entirely.

The cut-out geometry was refined to hold securely in transit while still releasing cleanly and intentionally at the line — solving the premature-release problem without making removal harder. The two trays were standardized into a single interchangeable component that works as either top or bottom, and the tube-and-tray footprint was expanded to fully maximize the customer's pallet.

The results

The redesign delivered gains across the board — safety, ergonomics, structure, inventory, and logistics:

• Safer & easier setup — hand-removable openings eliminated routine knife use and reduced operator strain
• Simpler to produce & stock — no dispensing-location graphics, and one interchangeable tray instead of two
• Holds spec under load — refined geometry stopped premature cut-out release and reduced box bowing
• More units per load — a maximized footprint added hundreds of units per pack, cut changeovers, and improved trailer utilization
• Better in the warehouse — stable stacking up to four high improved storage, staging, and handling safety

A tool-dependent, structurally inconsistent process became a safer, more ergonomic, and far more efficient pack — without compromising the retention the line depends on.

— JackPack Packaging Engineering

It's the kind of value engineering JackPack runs every day: large-format die-cutting capability paired with a packaging team that sweats the details at the customer's line. Got a pack that's fighting your operation? Let's reengineer it.