Custom foam inserts can seem like another cost to tack on in product development. But when you zoom out and look at the long term, custom foam inserts emerge as the more economical choice compared to their pick-and-pluck foam counterparts. So while there may be more of an upfront cost, you’ll get back all you’ve put in with a custom foam — and then some.

Let’s dive into the reasons why custom foam inserts are better for your business wallet.

Your Products Are Better Protected

When products are damaged in transit, manufacturers end up eating the costs. But product loss isn’t the only cost they’re dealing with: there’s also producing and shipping replacement products, and disposing of damaged goods, just to name two.

What’s great about custom foam inserts is they are designed to fit the unique contours of your products. When inevitable shocks and vibrations occur in transit, products don’t have extra space or gaps to move around. All of your equipment and tools are kept secure in their respective locations, which helps reduce the odds of costly damage.

Custom Foam Inserts Are Built To Last

Foam inserts have a tough job. They are subjected to continuous use and handling as products are transported, with exposure to external factors like moisture and extreme temperatures. The faster that foam inserts start to experience wear and tear from these variables, the faster that businesses have to shell out money for replacement inserts.

Picking and plucking foam causes foam cells to separate, and this ultimately weakens the insert’s structural integrity. Custom foam inserts eliminate these weak points. At the same time, the high-quality materials used in custom foam inserts — materials that can be selected based on individual products — help them better withstand repeated use.

You’ll Save Yourself Time

The pick and pluck foam process is just that — a process. Having to pull out individual foam cubes or sections to create the intended layout is labor intensive. While this adds to the overall labor costs of product development, there is also more potential for error, like arrangement inaccuracies, that need to be manually rectified.

With custom foam inserts, you have a solution that’s ready to use right away — no manual labor required. While decreasing handling time right off the bat, a custom insert also makes it easy to adapt to new product configurations. Custom foam inserts can be designed with elements like reconfigurable cells or adjustable compartments so inserts can be resized to suit new items or changes in product size. At the same time, the foam is precision cut. Ensuring the case and foam is always the same brings consistency to the product kitting process.

Superior protection, long-term durability, big time savings — these are some key reasons that justify and encourage an investment in custom foam inserts. To learn more about where the pick and pluck foam strategy falters, take a look at this resource.