Boys Pilfering Molasses by George Henry Hall

Package pilferage is the

theft Theft (, cognate to ) is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shor ...

of part of the contents of a package. It may also include theft of the contents but leaving the package, perhaps resealed with bogus contents. Small packages can be pilfered from a larger package such as a

shipping container A shipping container is a container with strength suitable to withstand shipment, storage, and handling. Shipping containers range from large reusable steel boxes used for intermodal shipments to the ubiquitous corrugated box design, corrugated b ...

. Broader and related aspects of package theft may include taking the entire package, pallet load, truck load,

shoplifting Shoplifting (also known as shop theft, shop fraud, retail theft, or retail fraud) is the theft of goods from a retail establishment during business hours. The terms ''shoplifting'' and ''shoplifter'' are not usually defined in law, and genera ...

, etc. The theft may take place at any point in the parcel's journey from source to destination, including theft by rogue logistics employees and customs agents in international mail scenarios.

Solutions

Solutions involve ''all phases'' of product production,

packaging Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a coo ...

, distribution,

logistics Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the Consumption (economics), point of consumption according to the ...

, sale, and use. No single solution is considered as "pilfer proof". Often, packaging engineers,

engineers, and security professionals have addressed multiple levels of

security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercion). Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be persons and social groups, objects and institutions, ecosystems, or any other entity or ...

to reduce the risk of pilfering. Each situation is unique. Some considerations have included: * Identifying who a potential pilferer might be: an internal employee, security guard, truck driver, delivery person, receiver (consignee), organized crime, etc. Engineers usually start with knowing what level of knowledge, materials, tools, etc. might they have. * Identifying all feasible methods of unauthorized access into a product, package, or system. In addition to the primary means of entry, engineers also consider secondary or "back door" methods. * Identifying available means of resealing, reclosing, or replacing special seals. * Using extra strong and secure packaging: A weak or damaged package is an invitation to pilferage. * Considering unique custom seals and

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...

s (changing regularly because these are subject to

counterfeit A counterfeit is a fake or unauthorized replica of a genuine product, such as money, documents, designer items, or other valuable goods. Counterfeiting generally involves creating an imitation of a genuine item that closely resembles the original ...

ing) * Utilising mandatory

package tracking Package tracking or package logging is the process of localizing shipping containers, mail and parcel post at different points of time during sorting, warehousing, and package delivery to verify their provenance and to predict and aid delivery ...

scans at each stage of the shipping process to ensure the parcel is monitored for suspicious activity; both the sender and recipient can then check the status of the parcel through a

track and trace In the distribution and logistics of many types of products, track and trace or tracking and tracing concerns a process of determining the current and past locations (and other information) of a unique item or property. Mass serialization is t ...

system. * Improving the pilfer resistance to make pilfering more difficult, time-consuming, etc. * Concealing the identity and value of a pilferable item. Logistics and packaging professionals do not want to bring attention to the item, its package, addresses, names, etc. * Adding pilfer-evident features to help indicate the existence of pilfering. * Choosing a

provider who can reduce the risks of pilferage. * Shipping in packages in unit loads with stretch wrap or in

intermodal shipping container An intermodal container, often called a shipping container, or a freight container, (or simply "container") is a large metal crate designed and built for intermodal freight transport, meaning these containers can be used across different mod ...

s with security seals * Educating people to watch for evidence of pilfering. * With a corrugated box, using a wider and stronger closure tape, 3-inch or 72 mm, reinforced gummed tape or

pressure-sensitive tape Pressure-sensitive tape or pressure-sensitive adhesive tape (PSA tape) is an adhesive tape that sticks when pressure is applied without the need for a solvent (such as water) or heat for activation. It is also known in various countries as self ...

. * Using a special

security tape Security tape (or security label) is a type of adhesive tape used to help reduce shipping losses due to pilfering and theft. It helps reduce tampering or product adulteration. It is often a pressure-sensitive tape or label with special tam ...

or seal on packages that leaves a message, warning, or other indication if removed. * Installing a surveillance system to help identify any suspects.

References

Sources

* Soroka, W, "Fundamentals of Packaging Technology", IoPP, 2002, * Yam, K. L., "Encyclopedia of Packaging Technology", John Wiley & Sons, 2009, * Rosette, J. L, "Improving Tamper-Evident Packaging: Problems, Tests and Solutions", 1992 * * {{Packaging Packaging Theft Commercial crimes Security breaches Security technology

Solutions

See also

References

Sources