The easiest way to spot inefficiency is to look at your waste. Walk over to the trash bins near your packing stations and stretch wrappers.
What to look for: Do you see half-used rolls of tape or stretch film thrown away? Do you see cardboard cores with usable material still on them?
The Fix: This is often a training issue or an equipment issue (e.g., a dispenser that jams near the end of a roll). A "run-to-zero" policy can save surprisingly significant amounts of annual revenue.
Stand back and watch your packers for 10 minutes. Don't let them know you are auditing—just observe their natural rhythm.
What to look for: Are they applying one strip of tape to seal a box, or are they adding a second (or third) "safety strip"?
The Diagnosis: If your packers feel the need to double-tape, one of two things is happening: either they lack confidence in the tape's adhesive, or they are using a low-quality tape that actually requires multiple strips. The Resolution: Switching to a higher-grade tape or a Water-Activated Tape (WAT) dispenser often eliminates the need for that second strip. You might pay slightly more per roll, but you will use 50% less material.
Go to your pallet wrapping area. Whether you wrap by hand or machine, this is a prime spot for hidden costs.
What to look for: Look at a wrapped pallet. Is the film loose? Can you easily pull the film away from the product? Conversely, is the pallet wrapped with so many layers it looks like a cocoon?
The Diagnosis: "More plastic" does not equal "safer load." If you aren't pre-stretching your film correctly, you are wasting material. High-performance films can be stretched up to 250-300%, meaning you use less film to get better load containment.
The Resolution: Audit your wrapper settings. If you are hand-wrapping, consider if the labor cost and inconsistent film usage justify moving to an automated wrapper in 2026. Discover more with Load Containment article.
Look at a few sealed boxes ready for the truck. Shake them.
What to look for: Does the product rattle? Open it up. How much void fill (air pillows, paper, peanuts) is inside?
The Diagnosis: If you are stuffing a small product into a large box, you are paying triple: once for the extra cardboard, once for the excessive void fill, and again for the DIM (dimensional) weight shipping costs.
The Resolution: Analyze your most common order sizes. Optimizing your box suite to fit your actual orders is one of the highest ROI changes you can make.
The Kyana Packaging Assessment (KPA) can be a Small Audit, with Big Savings.
Performing this audit doesn't cost a dime, but it can reveal thousands of dollars in potential savings.
If you are struggling to identify where the waste is happening, that is where we come in. The Kyana Packaging Assessment will determine if you need a stronger tape to stop the double-stripping, or a high-yield stretch film to reduce plastic usage. Regardless, Kyana Packaging Solutions has the products to solve the problem your audit uncovers.