Category Archive: Materials

Choosing the Right Packaging Solutions for E-Commerce Success

Your e-commerce business gets overlooked until the package arrives. And it arrives damaged more often than anyone wants to admit. When packaging fails, you’re not just dealing with a broken product. You’re facing the costs of returns, negative reviews, and a customer who won’t order from you again. It adds up, operationally and financially.

The right packaging strategy solves these problems before they start. It’s not just about a box; it’s about delivering the product and the brand experience you promised. But with so many options, how do you get it right?

The Material Makes the Difference

A standard box works until it gets dropped, crushed, or left in the rain. That’s when things fall apart.

The right material has to withstand the entire shipping journey, from your warehouse to the customer’s doorstep. It needs to absorb impacts, resist punctures, and protect against moisture. Corrugated cardboard is the standard for a reason—it’s strong and reliable. For heavier or fragile items, double-wall corrugated boxes provide an extra layer of security.

But the box is only part of the solution. The sealing is just as critical. Standard plastic tape can lose adhesion in extreme temperatures or be easily cut open. Reinforced water-activated tape (WAT) creates a permanent, tamper-evident bond with the carton. It makes packages stronger and shows clear evidence of any attempt to open them.

What It Means in Practice

A well-packaged product arrives intact. That’s the primary goal. But good packaging does more. Right-sized boxes and smart use of void fill, like kraft paper, reduce shipping costs by minimizing dimensional weight. You avoid paying to ship empty space.

Branded elements, like custom-printed tape or boxes, turn a generic delivery into a memorable unboxing experience. It’s the first physical interaction a customer has with your brand, and it sets the tone for what’s inside. This attention to detail builds customer loyalty and encourages repeat business.

Packaging for Every Sector

Different products have different needs. What works for one industry won’t work for another.

Apparel & Soft Goods: Lightweight poly mailers are often sufficient. They are water-resistant and inexpensive to ship. Branded mailers or custom-printed tape can add a touch of personality without adding significant cost.

Electronics & High-Value Goods: Protection is paramount. These items require sturdy, double-wall corrugated boxes, often with foam inserts or custom-molded pulp to prevent shifting and absorb shock. Reinforced, tamper-evident tape is essential for security.

Cosmetics & Subscription Boxes: The unboxing experience is key. Custom-printed boxes, tissue paper, and inserts create a premium feel. Padded mailers can work for smaller, semi-fragile items.

Books & Media: Padded mailers or “book wrap” style boxes provide a snug, secure fit that prevents items from sliding around and getting damaged.

Cost vs. Protection

It’s tempting to choose the cheapest packaging available. But that decision often backfires. The cost of a single damaged product return can wipe out the savings from using cheaper materials on dozens of shipments.

The goal isn’t to find the cheapest option, but the one with the lowest total cost. This means balancing material costs with the costs of shipping, damages, and returns. As noted in a recent Forbes analysis on the psychology of packaging, design directly influences consumer perception and profitability. Testing is critical. Before committing to a packaging solution, ship products to yourself to see how they hold up under real-world conditions.

A Small Detail That Defines the Customer Experience

Packaging seems like a small part of the e-commerce process, but it has a huge impact on customer perception and your bottom line. Getting it right protects your products, reinforces your brand, and keeps customers coming back. It’s a solution that pays for itself.

Order Your E-Commerce Packaging from Holland Manufacturing

Holland Manufacturing provides a range of e-commerce packaging solutions, from reinforced water-activated tape for superior sealing to custom-printed options that build your brand. Contact us at 1-800-345-0492 or request a quote to find the right packaging to protect your products and your reputation.

Folding Carton Stock in the Food Industry: Safety and Compliance Considerations

Packaging gets overlooked until it fails. And in the food industry, a failure isn’t just a crushed corner on a box. It’s a contamination risk, a potential product recall, and a permanent loss of consumer trust. These issues don’t just cost money; they can destroy a brand’s reputation overnight.

Folding carton stock that is not fit for purpose is a direct cause of these problems. Without properly engineered barriers, moisture, grease, and oxygen will compromise food quality and safety. Worse, chemical migration from non-compliant materials can contaminate the food itself, creating a significant health hazard. For any company handling food and beverages, selecting the right carton stock is a non-negotiable part of product safety.

The Material Science of Food Safety

The primary concern is the interaction between the package and the product. Every component—from the paperboard substrate to the inks, coatings, and adhesives—must be proven safe for its intended use. This is where a deep understanding of material science becomes critical.

The foundation is often a pure substrate like Solid Bleached Sulfate (SBS) paperboard. But the real work is done by the barrier coatings. Holland’s specialty coated and laminated products are engineered with specific formulations to create functional barriers that preserve freshness and extend shelf life while preventing chemical transfer.

Navigating the Regulatory Landscape

Food packaging is a heavily regulated environment for a good reason. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sets strict rules for what is permissible. Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations outlines the substances cleared for use as components in paper and paperboard that come into contact with aqueous and fatty foods.

Adherence is not optional. It is a fundamental requirement for market access and consumer protection. Working with a converter who understands these regulations is essential to ensure that every material used in the packaging is fully compliant.

Durability and Integrity Matter

Beyond chemical safety, the carton must be structurally sound. It has to withstand the rigors of automated packing lines, shipping, and handling without failing. A weak carton compromises the protective barriers and exposes the food to external contaminants.

For many products, tamper-evident features are also a key part of the design, providing another layer of security and reassuring consumers that the product has arrived safely.

The Reinforcement Advantage

Choosing the right folding carton stock is not merely a packaging decision—it is a critical food safety protocol. The small investment in specifying and sourcing a certified, compliant, high-performance material eliminates the enormous downstream risk of recalls, legal trouble, and damage to consumer confidence. It is a seemingly minor detail that solves some of the biggest problems a food company can face.

Order Your Food-Safe Packaging Materials

Holland Manufacturing develops custom-engineered coating and laminating solutions for paperboard designed to meet specific barrier properties and food safety requirements. To ensure your packaging materials are fully compliant and effective, contact us at 1-800-345-0492 or request a quote online.

Surface Protection Strategies for Construction and Renovation Projects

A finished surface gets overlooked until it’s damaged. A deep scratch in a new hardwood floor, a paint spill on a countertop, or a chipped tile can bring a project to a screeching halt. These mistakes aren’t just frustrating; they lead to costly repairs, project delays, and unhappy clients. Protecting surfaces from the start is not an option—it’s essential.

On any active job site, floors, stairs, and counters are exposed to heavy foot traffic, dropped tools, spills, and debris. Standard protection often fails under stress, tearing easily and allowing damage to occur. A proactive surface protection strategy is the only way to safeguard the investment in finished materials.

Matching the Material to the Risk

Not all surfaces face the same threats. A hallway needs a durable covering to withstand constant foot traffic, while a countertop requires a waterproof barrier to protect against liquid spills. The key is to use a material engineered for the specific application.

Lightweight builder’s paper may suffice for preventing dust accumulation, but it offers little resistance to tears or moisture. For more demanding jobs, a stronger, more reliable solution is required to prevent costly rework.

The Reinforced Paper Advantage

Reinforced kraft paper is a superior choice for high-risk environments. This material is specifically engineered for durability, combining heavy-duty kraft paper with a layer of fiberglass scrim. This integrated reinforcement stops punctures and prevents small tears from becoming large ones, a common failure point for lesser papers. The scrim distributes impacts and stress across the sheet, maintaining its integrity even under demanding job site conditions.

Its resilience makes it ideal for protecting a wide range of surfaces, including hardwood, tile, and vinyl floors, as well as countertops and stairs. Many varieties are also moisture-resistant, providing a critical barrier against paint, mud, and other liquids that could stain or damage the surface beneath.

Poly-Coated for Ultimate Protection

For maximum defense against liquids, poly-coated reinforced kraft paper is the answer. This product adds a layer of polyethylene to the reinforced paper, creating a completely waterproof and non-staining shield. It stands up to grease, oil, and paint, ensuring that nothing seeps through to the finished surface. The poly coating provides a robust barrier that gives contractors peace of mind, especially on projects where liquid spills are a significant risk.

Choosing a durable, reinforced paper improves job site productivity by eliminating the need to constantly replace torn and ineffective coverings.

A Small Investment That Prevents Big Costs

Surface protection is a minor line item in a project budget, but its failure can lead to major financial consequences. The small additional cost for a high-performance, reinforced paper pays for itself by preventing just one significant repair. It’s an investment in reliability and client satisfaction.

Order Surface Protection from Holland Manufacturing

Holland Manufacturing offers a range of durable surface protection solutions, including tough, tear-resistant reinforced kraft paper and poly-coated varieties. Contact us at 1-800-345-0492 or request a quote online to ensure your finished surfaces remain pristine.

The Evolution of Water-Activated Tape

A package seal gets overlooked until it rips open. A failed seal means more than just a damaged shipment; it leads to financial losses, operational chaos, and disappointed customers. Before modern logistics, shippers relied on simple twine and string, but as commerce grew, a better solution was needed.

The answer was water-activated tape (WAT), a product that has evolved from a simple paper strip into a high-performance sealing solution. Its history is one of constant improvement, driven by the ever-increasing demands of the shipping industry.

From Simple Paper to a Secure Bond

The story of gummed paper tape begins in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time of rapid industrial growth. While legend sometimes credits Thomas Edison with its invention, the true origins are less concrete. What is clear is that by the early 1900s, basic versions of WAT were being used as an alternative to twine. These early tapes were simple: a strip of kraft paper coated with a starch-based adhesive that, when moistened, created a secure bond with cardboard boxes.

This fundamental innovation was a game-changer. For the first time, a package could be sealed with a bond that fused directly with the corrugated surface. This created a strong, tamper-evident closure that twine could never offer.

The Drive for Industrial Strength

As supply chains grew more complex and packages became heavier, the industry needed more than just a basic paper tape. World War II, in particular, accelerated innovation due to the need for reliable packaging for military supplies. This era saw significant advancements in reinforcement.

The solution was fiberglass.

Engineers began sandwiching a grid of fiberglass filaments between two layers of kraft paper. This composite structure transformed the product. The fiberglass scrim prevents small tears from propagating and provides immense tensile strength, allowing the tape to handle heavy loads and rough handling without failing. This reinforced structure stands up to the rigors of automated sorting systems and long-haul transit, preventing the costly failures of unreinforced tapes.

Modern Tape for Modern Logistics

Today, water-activated tape is a sophisticated product. The adhesives are advanced starch blends that perform reliably in various environments, and automated dispensers with heated water systems have made application fast and efficient for high-volume operations.

The rise of e-commerce has led to a renewed interest in WAT for its security and branding capabilities. The tamper-evident seal is a critical feature for protecting consumer goods, while high-quality printing on the tape itself turns a simple seal into a branding opportunity.

The evolution from a basic paper strip to fiberglass-reinforced tape is a story of targeted innovation. Each step was a direct response to a real-world problem, resulting in a product that delivers unmatched reliability.

Order High-Performance Tape From Holland Manufacturing

Holland Manufacturing provides a full range of water-activated tapes, from non-reinforced grades to heavy-duty, tri-directionally reinforced options. If you need a seal that holds up under pressure, contact us at 1-800-345-0492 or request a quote online to find the right tape for your operation.

Industries That Benefit from Reinforced Kraft Paper Packaging

Packaging gets overlooked until it fails. And it fails more often than anyone wants to admit. When protection breaks down, businesses face damaged products, operational delays, and unhappy customers. These issues add up financially and logistically.

Reinforced kraft paper packaging solves these problems across multiple industries. Its fiberglass-reinforced structure creates exceptional strength without sacrificing recyclability. But which businesses benefit most from this material?

E-commerce & Fulfillment

Online retailers battle package security issues daily. Theft and damage cut into profits and harm customer relationships. Reinforced water-activated tape (WAT) creates tamper-evident seals that work. Major e-commerce companies have switched to WAT specifically for its superior security properties.

The productivity boost is just as impressive. The Packers use WAT dispensers to seal boxes 21% faster than with plastic tape guns. In high-volume fulfillment centers, this efficiency adds up quickly.

Manufacturing & Industrial Goods

Heavy metal parts and machinery components destroy weak packaging materials. Reinforced poly-coated kraft paper stands up to the challenge. It resists punctures and tears while creating essential moisture and oil barriers that prevent corrosion.

The small extra cost pays off immediately by preventing expensive returns and replacements. For industrial shipping, this reliability is crucial.

Building Materials & Construction

Construction sites aren’t gentle environments. Materials get exposed to rough handling, moisture, and physical stress. Reinforced kraft paper wraps protect lumber during transport while heavy-duty sheets shield finished surfaces like flooring and countertops during installation.

The material’s durability under stress makes it ideal for this demanding sector.

Food & Beverage

Food packaging requires both performance and safety compliance. FDA-compliant reinforced kraft papers provide necessary grease and moisture resistance for everything from baked goods to frozen products.

The “non-staining, non-bleed” characteristics of poly-coated varieties maintain regulatory compliance while protecting contents.

Pharmaceuticals

Patient safety depends on package integrity. Reinforced WAT delivers excellent tamper-evidence, immediately showing if a package has been compromised. This security makes it a standard choice for medication shipments where verification matters.

Agriculture & Automotive

Farm products and automotive parts face unique challenges. Agricultural packaging needs breathability while resisting moisture and punctures. Reinforced multiwall kraft bags handle everything from seeds to feed without tearing.

Automotive components require protection from oil, grease, and corrosion. Specialized poly-coated reinforced kraft paper prevents contamination while ensuring parts arrive intact, saving both time and money in production lines.

The Reinforcement Advantage

The secret lies in the structure. Fiberglass reinforcement integrated between kraft paper layers prevents small tears from growing and distributes stress across wider areas. This engineered approach ensures packages maintain integrity even under challenging conditions.

During recycling, the paper component remains recoverable, with the fiberglass scrim typically screened out without contaminating the paper stream. This sustainable profile satisfies growing environmental initiatives without sacrificing performance.

For businesses facing packaging challenges, reinforced kraft paper represents more than just material—it’s an investment in operational reliability and customer satisfaction.

Holland Manufacturing offers specialized solutions, including Grade RPW reinforced poly-coated kraft paper and various grades of reinforced water-activated tape. Contact us at 1-800-345-0492 or request a quote online to discover how our reinforced packaging can benefit your operations.

Choosing the Right Non-Adhesive Label Material for Your Business Needs

Labels and tags get overlooked until they fail. And they fail more often than anyone wants to admit.

A torn hang tag. A smudged insert. An unreadable barcode. When identification materials break down, products lose their identity. Operations slow down. Orders get mixed up. It adds up financially and logistically.

Non-adhesive labels handle the jobs where sticky labels won’t work. They appear as hang tags, inserts, wraps, and more. But not all materials can handle the same conditions.

That’s where material selection makes all the difference.

What Makes a Good Non-Adhesive Material

Standard paper works fine until it gets wet or snagged on something. Then you’ve got problems.

The right material needs physical toughness. It needs to resist tearing when pulled or caught. It needs to stand up to whatever environment it faces – moisture, oils, chemicals, or just rough handling during shipping.

Kraft paper reinforced with fiberglass solves many of these issues. The fiberglass grid sandwiched between paper layers stops small tears from growing. It creates strength without sacrificing the paper-like properties that make printing and processing easy.

But sometimes, even reinforced paper isn’t enough. That’s when synthetic options come into play.

The Material Spectrum

Standard papers cost less but tear easily. They work well indoors, in controlled environments, for short-term use.

Synthetic materials like polypropylene resist water and chemicals. Polyester handles higher temperatures and rougher treatment. Vinyl stands up to outdoor exposure for years.

Cross-laminated films provide extra dimensional stability for applications where maintaining shape is critical.

They each have their place depending on what your tag or label needs to endure.

What It Means in Practice

Manufacturing facilities need tags that survive oils, chemicals, and rough handling. The production floor destroys weak materials quickly.

Distribution centers need labels that maintain barcode readability through automated sorting systems and shipping. One torn tag means a lost package.

Retail environments need hang tags that look good while resisting the constant handling of shoppers.

Food processors need materials that meet FDA standards while handling refrigeration, moisture, and sometimes cooking processes.

The right choice depends entirely on matching material properties to these real-world demands.

Who’s Using What

Material choices vary widely by industry and application.

Manufacturers often use heavy-duty synthetics or reinforced papers for equipment tags and work-in-progress tracking.

Retailers typically balance appearance and function with mid-range options for hang tags and product inserts.

Pharmaceutical companies choose materials that maintain regulatory compliance through handling, shipping, and storage.

Food and beverage producers select options that work with their packaging process while maintaining brand appeal.

Cost vs. Performance

Cheaper materials often cost more in the long run. When a label fails, you’re not just replacing the label – you’re dealing with all the operational problems it causes.

The most expensive option isn’t always necessary either. Matching the material to actual conditions prevents overspending on unnecessary features.

The goal is simple: find the material that reliably performs its job for the required lifespan at the lowest total cost.

A Small Decision That Solves Big Problems

Label and tag materials seem like minor details until they cause major headaches. Getting it right from the start prevents problems throughout your operations.

The right non-adhesive material keeps information intact, processes running smoothly, and customers satisfied with your attention to detail.

That’s why it pays to choose carefully.

Order Non-Adhesive Tags From Holland Manufacturing

Holland Manufacturing offers custom non-adhesive tags printed and die-cut to your specifications. We provide a wide range of material options, including cross-laminated films, synthetic papers, various paper stocks, polypropylene, and vinyl.

For durable, high-performance non-adhesive materials, contact us at 1-800-345-0492 or request a quote online.

How Water-Activated Tape Enhances Packaging Efficiency and Security

Water-activated tape forms a strong bond with cardboard and other paper-based packing materials. In doing so, the adhesive creates a secure seal. And as a bonus, it’s easier to apply than plastic tape.

Are you considering switching from plastic adhesives to water-activated tape? Making this simple change to your packaging processes can promote security and help your team get orders out the door more efficiently. Here’s everything you need to know. 

Security Benefits of Water-Activated Tape

Water-activated tape creates a tamper-proof seal. The tape forms a strong bond with the box it’s applied to, making it nearly impossible to remove without tearing the underlying packaging.

When using this kind of tape, your team will only need to apply a single strip to securely seal the box. This feature makes it difficult to conceal any tampering attempts.

The strong seal also reduces the risk of the box coming open during transit. This, in turn, reduces the likelihood of product damage, which improves the customer experience and protects your bottom line.

Efficiency Advantages of Water-Activated Tape

Your employees will likely need to apply multiple strips of plastic tape to seal packages, a process that’s wasteful and time-consuming.

Alternatively, they’ll need just a single strip of water-activated tape to secure each package. Your team members will save precious seconds on each box, which can translate to several hours of labor reduction per employee over any given month. 

Cutting back on tape usage is also great for the environment. You can use less packaging material and reduce your overhead costs. Water-activated tape truly benefits everyone, including your company, employees, and customers. 

Get a Quote From Holland Manufacturing 

Holland Manufacturing offers a diverse selection of water-activated tape solutions, including custom-printed products and reinforced tape. Request a quote online or call us at 1-800-345-0492 for more information.

Water-Activated Tape: The Best Solution for Secure Case Sealing

Before you ship an order to your customers, you need to make sure the case is secure. Plastic tape has its uses, but it’s not the best option in terms of protection. 

If you’re looking for a better way to keep packages securely sealed, water-activated tape is the best solution. Water-activated tape offers several notable advantages over other sealing options, including the following:

Superior Bond Strength

Water-activated tape creates a strong bond with your boxes. This bond reinforces the integrity of the package and reduces the risk of tears or breaks along the taped crease. 

Additionally, water-activated tape forms a tamper-proof seal. Preventing tampering with high-quality adhesives can protect your brand’s reputation and provide a better experience for your valued customers. 

Cost Effectiveness

Water-activated tape is extremely cost-effective. When sealing packages with plastic tape, your employees may need to use multiple strips of adhesive material, which can quickly become wasteful.

With water-activated tape, you can seal packages using a single strip, reducing your tape usage and unlocking long-term cost savings for your business. 

Eco-Friendly Materials

Are you trying to cut down on waste? Water-activated tape can help you achieve this goal in several ways.

The water-activated tape from Holland Manufacturing is paper-based, meaning it’s recyclable. Additionally, our tape is more effective than plastic alternatives, so your team can use less without compromising package integrity.  

Customization Options

Branded tape can improve the customer experience and make your packages stand out. Water-activated tape can be customized to display your company name and brand colors. Add some personal flair to your packing while ensuring that every parcel is secure. 

Place Your Order Today

Holland Manufacturing offers a variety of water-activated tape products, including reinforced and custom-printed options. Call us at 1-800-345-0492 or request a quote online to learn more.

How Breathable Underlayment Enhances Roofing and Flooring Longevity

Moisture control plays a critical role in the lifespan of roofing and flooring material. Without adequate protection against moisture, both roofs and floors will degrade at an accelerated rate. Failing to guard against moisture can damage an installer’s reputation, as it will result in premature wear and lead to unhappy customers replacing their roofs or floors sooner than expected.

The good news is that installers can use breathable underlayment to minimize moisture-related damage and extend the longevity of roofing and flooring materials. A high-quality underlayment may also prevent warping, bowing, and other water-related defects. 

The Benefits of Breathable Roofing Underlayment

The underlying wood used during roofing projects needs to be protected from excessive moisture. While surface-level roofing materials such as shingles provide substantial protection against the elements, they do not stop all moisture from making it through.

Breathable roofing underlayment creates a semipermeable barrier between the wood and shingles. It allows moisture to evaporate at a controlled rate, which reduces the risk of rot and expands the lifespan of the roof. 

The Advantages of Breathable Flooring Underlayment

Wood and tile flooring also need protection from moisture. However, an impermeable layer can actually shorten the lifespan of flooring materials by allowing mold growth. 

Breathable flooring underlayment provides optimal moisture control, preventing water droplets from coming into direct contact with the flooring material while allowing excess moisture to evaporate. 

The semipermeable solutions offered by Holland Manufacturing allow moisture to pass through at a controlled rate, which reduces the risk of warping and mold development. This increases the lifespan of the floor, and the noise suppression qualities of this underlayment add even more value.

Request a Quote From Holland Manufacturing 

Holland Manufacturing offers high-quality underlayment solutions for roofing and flooring companies. Contact us at 1-800-345-0492 or request a quote online. 

How Reinforced Kraft Paper Enhances Packaging Durability

Reinforced kraft paper is a great investment for companies that want to make their product packaging more durable. This packaging solution, made of laminated layers of paper reinforced with fiberglass, reduces the risk of damage during shipping and handling and protects against moisture and other environmental hazards. 

Because it offers a good mix of security and cost efficiency, businesses rely on reinforced kraft paper for a range of packaging tasks. It’s a good choice for filling empty spaces within boxes or wrapping fragile items prior to transport. Here’s why it’s so popular.

What Makes Reinforced Kraft Paper More Durable?

While standard kraft paper is relatively strong, it can rip under stress. It also provides limited moisture protection. 

Reinforced kraft paper is engineered with a layer of fiberglass between two sheets of standard kraft paper. The three layers are then laminated to hold them together. The addition of fiberglass increases the paper’s tear resistance and tensile strength, preventing punctures and rips. It also creates a moisture barrier. 

Is Reinforced Kraft Paper Worth the Investment?

Absolutely. Reinforced kraft paper is slightly more expensive than traditional kraft paper and similar paper-based packaging materials, but the benefits are undeniable. The most notable advantage is that it reduces the risk of product damage, which means happier customers and fewer returns.

Reverse logistics is a huge financial burden for any company, but especially for brands that ship their products directly to consumers. An investment in reinforced kraft paper can offer a strong ROI by reducing returns, and it can improve your reputation by promoting a better customer experience. You’ll build more loyal customers and increase your sales.

Order Your Packaging Supplies From Holland Manufacturing Today 

Holland Manufacturing provides high-quality reinforced kraft paper that promotes durability. Contact us at 1-800-345-0492 or request a quote online.