Thinking Like a Packaging Engineer

Guiding question How do packaging engineers use what they know about the properties of the product and the needs of the consumer to design packages?

Do you remember some of the functions of packages that you learned about in A Gift From Fadil?

What part is the package? What part is the product?

Functions of the package ANALYZE A PACKAGE Package Product Consumer Functions of the package   Plastic bottle Water Do you think this package is a good match for the product? Why? Do you think this package is a good match for the consumer? Why? Are there any parts of the package not represented on the “functions” column?

The qualities or characteristics of packages you just identified are the properties of the package. Properties are characteristics such as the material how it feels how it looks how it behaves.

You will work in small groups to analyze another package. What is your item? What part(s) are the package? What is the product? What are the functions of your package? What are some properties of your package? Do you think the package is a good match for the product? Why? Who is the consumer of this product? Why do you think so? Is this package a good match for the consumer? Why or why not?

Which functions of a package are the most common? Which functions are the least common? Why do you think packages have more than one function? How might our list of functions of packages be useful to a packaging engineer?

If a friend asked you to tell him or her what packaging engineers do, what would you say? What are some ways that packages could be improved?

What does it mean to be overpackaged What does it mean to be overpackaged? Do you think any of our products were overpackaged? Why? What problems does overpackaging cause?

Complete sheet Redesign a Package (2-7) Share your redesign. Why do you think your redesign is an improvement to this package? Would you redesign your package if your target consumer were different? Why?