by Sterling Anthony, CPP, expert witness, packaging, warnings, patent infringement, cargo loading & securement, insurance claims
Packaging is first and foremost a system. The physical component of the system—— meaning what’s combined with the goods——comes in three levels, appropriately named: primary, secondary, and tertiary.
Primary packaging is in direct contact with the goods.
Secondary packaging contains one or more primary packages.
Tertiary packaging unitizes the two other levels.
An example of the interrelationships among the three levels is: a can (primary) of soup; a corrugated box (secondary) containing dozens of cans; and, the unitization (tertiary) of dozens of corrugated boxes onto a pallet, strapped and stretch-wrapped.
The traditional definitions notwithstanding, the lines of demarcation among the levels at times can blur. A box for cereal is considered a primary package, although an inner bag is what’s in direct contact with the product.
Not all three levels are present in every type of product; for example, sacks (primary) of fertilizer are palletized (tertiary) and there’s no secondary packaging.
Illustrating a different point, a wood crate and a metal rack perform as primary, secondary, and tertiary packaging.
What never blurs and what is always the case is that the levels are system components that should perform for a combined optimal result. The performance of any one level impacts the performance of the others. If, at any level, the packaging proves unfit, the results are never positive, sometimes causing damage to goods, or of greater concern, sometimes causing personal injury and even death.
In the case of substantial damage to goods and more certainly in the case of personal injury, litigation can ensue. When it does, one or both sides will need a packaging expert. But what should that expert bring?
The expert should be experienced in package design & development at all three levels. The expert also should be experienced in packaging-line operations and the involved machinery, calibration, trouble-shooting, and record-keeping. The expert should be conversant with applicable regulations and standards-of-care and be able to opine on what’s technologically and financially feasible. Overall, the expert should, indeed, be expert, in managing packaging for functionality and safety, consistent with reasonably foreseeable conditions encountered through the service life of the packaging.
Sterling Anthony, CPP, is a consultant to the industrial, institutional, and government sectors and an expert to the legal community. He is a former manager at Fortune 100 companies and a former instructor at two major universities. His contact information is: 100 Renaissance Center-Box 43176, Detroit, MI 48243; (office) 313-531-1875; (cell) 313-623-0522; (fax) 313-531-1972; thepackagingexpertwitness@gmail; www.thepackagingexpertwitness.com