The word package is defi ned as the surface of the packed material that secure the material from the influence of the environment and the influence of mechanical energy during the transportation process.
The physical flow of products in the economy is greatly depends on the adequate packaging. Aparts from other usage, the functions of packages are the package enables to prepare a suffi cient amount of goods that are to enter production and to attain a suffi cient number of goods that are to leave production, the packaging of goods constitute an important part of the product’s marketing strategy, which allows the good to be distinguished from the goods produced by the competition, the reuse of the package by the buyer or using it for different aims, the so-called multiple use, the package should make other logistic processes easier, which improve the quality of transportation processes. The marketing and applied functions of packages are widely known. A package is usually enumerated as the basic instrument of a company’s marketing strategy. The good conduction of the transportation, manipulation and storage activities are decided by the company’s. The diversifi cation of package functions relates to their meaningfulness in the process of distribution. Optimally matched individual and bulk packages lead to the faster fl ow of goods at all the points in the distribution. At the same time, they also infl uence the costs of distribution, making them lower. Proper usage of packages should occur in order to exclude the possibility of over packaging and for the optimal usage of storage space and capabilities of transport means. The goods and their packages create an integral whole, and the recipients might have particular requirements with respect to them. The logistic functions of packages are:
Protection function – the protection of goods by the packaging is considered to be the most important logistic function of the package, which should protect the load from loss or lowering of its quality on its way from the producer to the consumer, as well as it should protect the goods during shipment from mechanical and climatic burdens (moisture, temperature), it is also to make stealing of the product inside harder.
The storage function – the package is required to make storage of the goods easier, i. e. it should be easy to put in piles, its shape and size should enable to put several packages directly one on another, it should also enable appropriate usage of storage space.
The transportation function – the package is to make transport easier and its shape and size should enable optimal usage of the capability of the means of transportation (thanks to its relatively low weight)
The manipulation function – making the loading process easier manually and mechanically.
The informative function – the package is a carrier of information; it should be marked (e.g. with colors or signs) so the worker carrying out the order can easily identify the required goods, pack delicate materials which mayget stale quick that need special treatment during shipment and they should be marked by fi gures, signs or explanations.
Thus it can be said that Packaging plays a major role in the logistics courses in kerala industry.
