Michigan State University - School of Packaging

[gorcorps]

Does that mean there are Michigan students with an end goal of literally packing fudge?

 

[DesiPower]

Interesting story: I had a friend who went down to Miami after Hurricane Andrew to help out with the rebuilding efforts. He didn't really have any skills, but they needed to figure out where to rebuild houses since it was all blown away down there, so they put him to work building mailboxes to mark plots of land to throw homes up on. He got so good at it that he ended up quitting his job & made really awesome customized wooden mailboxes full-time with all kinds of different neat designs.

From there, he got into the wood-packaging business, where he made custom shipping containers out of wood for big, heavy stuff like engines, machinery, etc. He was the go-to guy for a lot of local companies because he could build a box like a Jenga setup out of wood that would totally protect whatever they were shipping. Really cool job, never seen one like that before! Super lucrative too, he made a great living at it, and basically got to play in his shop with his tools all day.

well, now he can become a prof at MSU and never have a work a single day of his life!

 

[vi edit]

As you unbox different pieces of computer hardware you can tell where some companies put a lot of time and effort into things and ones that don't. I remember unboxing a docking station once for an HP laptop. The packaging of that docking station was almost a piece of origami art. The time, effort, and precision needed to make this elaborate puzzle of cardboard pieces fit together was incredible.

Then you flip over to Dell Poweredge server and it basically has two simple rings of foam around it and thrown in a box.



There is definitely an art to it. Crazy that half of all of the "packagers" in the US came from MSU.

Find a niche, fill a niche.

 

[kranky]

Probably even more important now since the ground shipping companies charge by size as well as weight. This is a big problem for online vendors. Being able to package something safely in the smallest possible container is a priority.

 

[gotsmack]

Why would this be weird? There is a certification engineers get to design HVAC, why not a course on packaging goods for transport?

 

[Slew Foot]

More useful than 99% of liberal arts majors

 

[OBLAMA2009]

No seriously, a school of packaging? Like, I can be a Doctor of Packaging?

http://www.packaging.msu.edu/

packaging design is something that is typically taught at any art school, not just that school

 

[Jeff7]

packaging is a complex undertaking. Trying to minimize the packaging, make it attractive, cost effective, protective of the item, fit within shipping guidelines, etc... It is not as simple as some here may think. Graduates out of that school used to be in such demand they had a job at or even before graduation. And very well paid.

Then spend at least 2 years in a graduate program making a package that'll efficiently protect the contents from UPS or FedEx.


Here's the International Safe Transit Association's PDF overview. Starting on page 14 is a listing of testing procedures to choose from.
Yes, there's an association for this stuff. Test 3A's procedure is 28 pages, and includes some things like vibration frequency and acceleration profiles for manual handling and truck transit. I just wonder what all went into producing those models. 500 datalogging accelerometers sent out all across the country?

 

[OverVolt]

http://www.packaging.msu.edu/about_the_school

About
For more than 60 years Michigan State University has been a leader in teaching, research and outreach focused on packaging containers, materials, their functionality and improvement. Established in 1952 (first as a discipline within the MSU Department of Forest Products, then, in 1957, as an independent school), the MSU School of Packaging (SoP) is the pioneer and leader in its field. As the first program of its kind, the SoP has a substantial track record of providing high quality undergraduate, graduate and continuing education and conducting research that advances the science and technology of packaging. Key to the future success of the MSU School of Packaging is an overriding commitment to innovation, sustainability and stewardship.
School of Packaging Expertise
Research: Throughout more than five decades of dynamic development, the MSU School of Packaging has built significant research expertise and earned national and international recognition in physical distribution and protective packaging. We continue to enjoy a worldwide reputation for leadership in this area, with computer applications in cushion design, fragility assessment, distribution dynamics and modeling of the physical environment. The school is also known as a leader in the areas of permeability and migration, shelf life, food packaging, product/package compatibility, tamper evidence and legibility. Among our new research areas are bio-based polymers, nanocomposites, radio frequency identification, automotive packaging, pharmaceutical packaging and packaging solutions for food quality and safety.
Collaboration & Industry Outreach: The MSU School of Packaging is uniquely positioned to create and disseminate valuable knowledge in packaging science and technology that empowers people around the world to make more informed decisions and enjoy improved quality of life. We maintain close ties to the packaging industry numerous ways, including the School of Packaging Industry Advisory Council, the Packaging Alumni Association, Packaging Executive forums, company visits, etc. A great majority of our students interact with industry partners through their participation in paid internships as part of their studies. They are also exposed to the international packaging industry through MSU’s nation-leading study abroad program, with packaging links to the UK, Japan, Sweden, Spain and other parts of the world. The School of Packaging’s Center for Packaging Innovation and Sustainability is a global leader in research and outreach related to packaging innovation and sustainable systems, resulting in positive environmental effects on the global footprint of packaging and related systems across the supply chain . In addition, the faculty members work in close collaboration with faculty members from related disciplines at MSU and with their industry counterparts in food science (Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition), food safety (National Food Safety and Toxicology Center), engineering (College of Engineering), supply chain (Broad College of Business) and numerous other disciplines.
Academic Strength: More than half of all packaging graduates employed in the U.S. come from Michigan State. Our academic offerings include bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs in packaging, as well as certificate programs and an on-line master’s degree aimed at mid-career professionals. We have conferred more than 8,000 academic degrees – the School of Packaging currently houses approximately 850 undergraduate and 100 graduate students and is known worldwide as the leading resource for developing package professionals.

Mmkay>

Dude I would work in packaging.

 

[Triumph]

Many years and years ago (read, currently) I worked in a machine shop as an engineer, where we would do these production runs of 100-200 kits, and I as the engineer, would do the design for the kit, track the bill of materials, buy the material needed, do the detailed drawings to send to the shop, who would then cut, machine, weld, and paint whatever it was. But when it came time to packing the kits, my boss, inexplicably, made the engineers do the packing instead of the technicians. Pretty much twice the labor rate, and here I am putting bolts into little baggies and taping cardboard boxes together. So, I guess I could be considered a packaging engineer?

 

[Ns1]

I'm interviewing a guy from this school next week; I'll be sure to ask him about his experience.


oh yeah, he's done NOTHING packaging related since he left.

 

[rcpratt]

I'm interviewing a guy from this school next week; I'll be sure to ask him about his experience.


oh yeah, he's done NOTHING packaging related since he left.

What's he been doing?

 

[dr150]

Newegg should hire some of these motherfuckers so my shit don't come broken.

 

[Ns1]

What's he been doing?

business/finance stuff

 

[Red Squirrel]

As funny as this is I imagine there's actually a whole engineering aspect to packaging. Guessing this school is for packaging actual products and not putting already packaged item in boxes to ship out.

If you are a packaging engineer at a fudge factory, I wonder what that makes you.

 

[OVerLoRDI]

It is huge business and very lucrative. Cal Poly SLO has a packaging concentration and the VCs were all over their ideas.

 

[dr150]

It is huge business and very lucrative. Cal Poly SLO has a packaging concentration and the VCs were all over their ideas.

Very lucrative. They had a French CEO of a packaging company on today on CNBC and was talking about his products and future innovations in food/meat packaging. His company had a great quarter.