Folding carton printing and converting in packaging markets

By Patrick Henry

JIT for you, but not for me

At K-1 Packaging Group, president Mike Tsai is seeing an increasing trend toward just-in-time (JIT) delivery, but he draws a distinction between customers' perceptions of JIT and what it sometimes can mean for suppliers of the packaging.

According to Tsai, even the largest distributors of packaged goods aren't always on top of their forecasting. When demand estimates are poor, the folding carton printer has no choice but to overproduce and hold the excess until the customer calls for discreet quantities that won't crowd retailing space. That may be JIT as far as the stores are concerned, says Tsai, but there's no benefit in the scenario for the printer.