We see further integration of every element in the supply chain to create efficiencies that minimize packaging material waste, reduce labor dependence, speed loading and unloading operations, and ultimately reduce the impact of shipping and handling on the bottom line. For example, to circumvent the problems created when uninspired teenage retail workers were assembling point-of-purchase displays on site, we manufactured a P-O-P display that we then assembled, pre-wired, and shipped in a single container ready for immediate installation on the retail floor. More and more products will be packaged by the manufacturer and shipped ready for display at the retail level.

With reusable containers that are easier to clean than ever, and improved container tracking systems that aid security and accountability, more and more companies will be able to effectively manage their own container fleets, reaping significant cost-saving rewards by canceling outsourced trip-leasing programs and by eliminating container disposal. Cost-conscious managers will accelerate the replacement rate of disposable containers with durable, environmentally sound reusables.

In the future, more and more containers may feature permanent, molded-in codes as standard to enable manufacturers and their customers to track an order online as it is filled, loaded, or packaged and hauled across the country, all the way through setup at the retail level, for example, and through the entire system to integrate with inventory management systems.