The making of the fulfilment warehouses secret weapon

As peak retail season approaches, the importance of time and productivity is of the greatest importance. This year many online retailers have experienced demand increase by over 40% and whilst all bets have been off, the demand for online shopping is expected to surge throughout the peak retail trading period. As time and productivity takes centre stage, Duo’s Commercial Director Anthony Brimelow explains how the DuoOptipac earned its reputation as the fulfilment warehouses secret weapon.

How was the concept for the DuoOptipac mailing bag born?
When retailers started to offer click and collect as a delivery option a handle on a mailing bag became a must have to help carry the parcel from the location to customers home. Then as more delivery options became available and more parcels were being delivered to work or collection points, the mailing bag with a handle started to enter the postal system. It was at that point we started to think about ideas to change the design of the bag to make it more streamlined and keep the convenience of the handle. The mailing bag worked fine as it was but as some retailers pay for volumetric shipping and the amount of additional processes and handling the bag goes through in the postal system we knew there would be huge advantages if the handle was integrated into the bag. We developed a number of design iterations, but it wasn’t until a client meeting in 2016 when we pushed the button and developed prototypes.

During a client site audit, when reviewing the parcels on the conveyor belt it was clear to see that the handle made the overall dimensions of the parcels larger, less parcels were on the conveyor and therefore reducing throughput. However, the handle was integral to the customers shopping experience as they loved the convenience. We took the problem back to our innovation team and we used this opportunity to further develop what is now known as the DuoOptipac mailing bag.

How does this bag solve time and productivity problems for online retailers?
The DuoOptipac mailing bag solves many problems from speed of parcel throughput, reducing shipping costs and it’s simple to adopt as there are no changes required to the pick and pack operation.

Many customers found that the handle could get caught as it is made its way along the automation lines resulting in the machine having to stop and therefore a reduction in productivity and fewer orders going out the door. The DuoOptipac mailing bag eradicates that problem as the handle is tacked down, streamlining the parcel and stopping the opportunity of the handle getting caught.

The DuoOptipac mailing bag also gives a customer collecting on-the-go a convenient way to as carry their parcel which is easy to use just by pulling the handle away from the body of the mailing bag.

You make it sound so simple, why do you think this solution hasn’t been developed before?
Our clients come to us for more than a bag, they share their goals and the issues they want to overcome and it’s in that scenario where we can deliver true value to our clients brand. We have a fantastic operational and innovation team that genuinely get excited about trying to solve our client’s problems and jump at the chance to try something new.

We are constantly reinventing our products and we’re so proud to invent something new and unique to the packaging industry. But most importantly, in this current climate if you don’t innovate and work together with your clients you’re not delivering true value or differentiating yourself from the competition. The DuoOptipac mailing bag was our first patented product and we are now working on patent number two.