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Originally Posted by sciguy125
I was looking through my course catalog awhile back and discovered that you can get a BS in Packaging Engineering. ...
A few months ago, I had an experience that would change my view of Packaging Engineers forever.
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I'm no engineer, but I've worked in the graphic arts field (do you have any idea how much work goes into designing ONE Barbie accessory package?), and as a packager in a cosmetics factory (put the perfume bottles in the boxes by hand, because the owner is too cheap to buy a machine to do it).
From what I've observed of packaging, since almost every product in America has to have its own package, I'm sure that billions of dollars more are spent on package design than on automobile design.
Yet, I think you'd have the same workplace conflict between the artsy people in the marketing department and the engineers: pretty vs. practical. The artsy people think that a rectangular cap with a cuckoo on top would be perfect for their new shampoo bottle. The engineers note that you can't thread a rectangular cap. Then they make jokes about how many marketers it takes to change a light bulb.
Back to flat white boxes: have you seen the packaging for the new VEX kits? They look great in the store, and no doubt do a good job of protecting the delicate contents. But unpacking them without dropping the fragile parts everywhere almost requires a college degree. And, once the box is opened, you may need to purchase another type of container if you wish to keep your kit parts organized.
