The last box of 250 gram bags
It is the Monday before the subscription run and somebody opens the last box of printed 250 gram bags. The supplier needs weeks for a new print run. The fallback is plain bags with a sticker, which looks nothing like the brand, or a scramble to find stock from another supplier at a much higher price.
The same thing happens with one way valves, labels for the gift range, and the letterbox boxes that were supposed to last until after Christmas.
Packaging is counted by looking at the box
Packaging is dry goods, bought occasionally and used constantly, and it never feels important enough for a system. But it has awkward characteristics: printed items have long lead times and large minimums, several sizes and designs run at once, and usage jumps with subscriptions and seasons.
- Nobody deducts packaging when orders are packed.
- Lead times and minimum quantities are remembered, not recorded.
- Seasonal and gift packaging needs ordering months ahead.
- Several bag sizes and designs run out at different rates.
- The person who orders packaging is not the person who packs.
Running out has a real price
Running out means plain bags, delayed parcels or rush orders at premium prices. Over ordering to be safe ties up cash and storage in bags that may need redesigning before they are used. When a label or bag design changes, old stock can be wasted if nobody knew how much was left. And the scramble always seems to happen in the busiest week.
There is a knock on effect on the roast plan as well. If the 1 kilo wholesale bags run out, cafés get their coffee in whatever you can find, or a day late, and the driver has to explain why. If subscription boxes run short, the dispatch day stops halfway through while someone drives to a supplier. Packaging is cheap next to coffee, which is exactly why nobody watches it until it stops everything else.
Tracking packaging from the orders
- Each product is given a packaging recipe: which bag, valve, label and box it uses, and in what quantity.
- As orders are packed, the packaging in their recipes is deducted from stock automatically.
- Deliveries of packaging are booked in against a supplier order, with the quantity received.
- Each item holds its supplier, lead time and minimum order quantity, and a reorder point is calculated from recent usage and the lead time.
- Warnings arrive by email or in the roastery dashboard while there is still time to order, with a draft purchase order for the supplier.
- Seasonal items such as gift boxes are planned from last year's usage and your forecast, with a reminder at the date the order needs to go in.
| Item | Why it runs out | What the tracking uses |
|---|---|---|
| Printed bags | Long print lead time | Usage by bag size and lead time |
| Valves | Forgotten until empty | Deducted per bag packed |
| Labels | Several designs at once | Recipe per product |
| Letterbox boxes | Subscription peaks | Subscription volume |
| Gift packaging | Ordered too late | Seasonal reminder |
A weekly count of a few items keeps the numbers honest. Differences are recorded rather than overwritten, so spoilage and misprints show up.
What the packing bench notices
The bench stops running out. Packaging orders go in on time, in sensible quantities, and design changes are planned around the stock that is left. The person who orders packaging does it from a list rather than a walk round the store room, and seasonal packaging arrives before the season.
Have you run out lately?
- You have used plain bags because printed ones ran out.
- Packaging is ordered when someone notices the box is empty.
- You do not know your supplier lead times without checking emails.
- Gift packaging has arrived late for the season.
- Old bag designs were thrown away after a rebrand.