Board Converting News, October 19, 2026

Jamestown Container’s Reger: Packaging Costs Beyond The Box In a recent interview with HelloNation, Kyle Reger, Region- al Sales Manager at Rochester, New York-based James- town Container Companies, offered a broader way to think

trailers. Right-sizing packaging can improve pallet utiliza- tion and allow more product to move in fewer shipments, connecting the design of the package directly to freight efficiency. The impact continues inside the plant. Reger noted that seemingly small changes to a box or packing method can make a difference in how quickly employees assem- ble and pack an order. Saving only a few seconds on an individual package may not seem significant, but across thousands of shipments, those seconds can translate into significant labor savings. Packaging can have a similar effect on warehouse op- erations. Designs that ship flat or nest efficiently require less inventory space, while better organization and acces- sibility can reduce unnecessary handling for employees working with those materials each day. Taken together, those considerations make the cost of packaging less about a single line item and more about how the package performs throughout the supply chain. Reger encouraged procurement teams to consider dam- age rates, freight expenses, labor efficiency, storage re- quirements and existing workflows alongside the initial purchase price when evaluating packaging options. Jamestown Container Companies is a family-owned packaging manufacturer headquartered in Falconer, New York, with operations across New York and Ohio. Found- ed in 1956, it provides custom corrugated packaging, dis- plays, packaging, and contract packaging services.

about the cost of packaging: look beyond the price of the box itself. For procurement teams, pur- chase price may be the most obvi- ous place to start, but Reger pointed to the many ways a packaging de- cision continues to affect costs after an order is placed. How well a pack-

Kyle Reger

age protects the product, how efficiently it moves through production and transportation, and even how much room it takes up in a warehouse can all factor into its true cost over time. Product protection is a big piece of that equation. A box that costs less upfront may offer little savings if a poor fit contributes to damaged products, returns, replacement shipments or production delays. Conversely, packaging that is properly sized for the product can help limit damage while also reducing the amount of filler material needed. That same attention to size can carry through to trans- portation. Oversized boxes can increase dimensional freight charges and take up valuable space on pallets and

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