“We were heading into moving season with demand spikes we couldn’t fully forecast,” says Lin, Operations Director at MoveMate Asia. “Customers keep asking two things: can i ship moving boxes and what’s the easiest way to pick them up near home? That’s what pushed us to rethink how we print and fulfill.”
From the sales side, I heard the same refrain in every meeting: customers want boxes now, proof marks that look consistent, and simple pickup options. We also saw more searches like how to get boxes for moving coming from mobile. To keep up, we needed faster changeovers and truly on-demand print—not just shorter runs, but variable data for QR codes and routing labels.
We mapped a new workflow and partnered more closely with pickup points customers already recognize. In major cities, that included locations branded as the upsstore network that shoppers were familiar with. Early in testing, we even embedded a QR link for **upsstore** pickup confirmations, so store associates could scan and hand off in seconds.
Company Overview and History
MoveMate Asia started in Singapore with a simple online catalog of corrugated moving kits. Today, they serve Singapore, Johor Bahru, and Bangkok with a mix of classic RSC boxes, wardrobe packs, and tape kits. Peak weeks mean 8,000–12,000 boxes per day, with SKU counts that swing by 30–40% between months. That variability makes traditional long-run flexo a tough fit for frequent artwork changes and late adds.
The original model outsourced Flexographic Printing on Corrugated Board with Water-based Ink. It worked—until SKU volatility and color consistency expectations climbed. Changeovers could sit at 45–60 minutes. Waste ran around 7–9% on art swaps and plate issues, and ΔE drift of 3–5 on brand blues led to reprints. None of this is unusual for seasonal, multi-SKU box lines, but it was enough to slow launches when every day mattered.
On the retail side, the questions kept piling up: can i ship moving boxes, and where are moving boxes for purchase closest to me? The operations team added pickup choices recognizable to shoppers, including the upsstore counters in several malls. That’s where the idea for QR labels that connect directly to upsstore tracking came from—reduce queue time, reduce the back-and-forth, and keep everyone aligned on status.
Solution Design and Configuration
We shifted artwork and frequent-change SKUs to Digital Printing (Inkjet Printing) on Corrugated Board, keeping long, stable designs on flexo. The digital line uses Water-based Ink, G7-calibrated color targets, and a press speed tuned to 40–60 m/min for coated and uncoated liners. Variable Data printing handles QR codes compliant with ISO/IEC 18004 (QR), plus GS1 barcodes for cartons destined for specific pickup points. Die-Cutting and Gluing workflows remained the same, so operators didn’t have to relearn downstream steps.
Here’s where it gets interesting: those QR codes weren’t only for warehouse routing. We encoded order IDs that resolve to upsstore tracking pages, so store scanners could confirm arrival and customer pickup without extra handling. It sounds simple, but it cut at-counter lookups. For durability, we used a light Varnishing pass on high-touch panels, which kept scans crisp even after handling. On color, the target ΔE stayed within 2–3 across daily checks, and plate-free changeovers dropped to 12–18 minutes.
There was a catch. Ink laydown on recycled liners in humid Singapore created occasional mottle. We added preheaters and tightened moisture control, which stabilized it most days, but on high-humidity afternoons, we still saw a 1–2% uptick in touch-ups. Also, cost per box on digital sits about 10–12% higher than flexo on very long runs. The trade-off paid off when you factor in avoided reprints, faster launches, and fewer small-lot stockouts—especially when customers searched how to get boxes for moving and found moving boxes for purchase available same-day.
Quantitative Results and Metrics
Fast forward six months: First Pass Yield rose by 8–12 points, landing around 92–95% on digital SKUs. Waste dipped by roughly 10–15% during changeovers, and throughput stepped up 15–20% on peak days as the team slotted short runs between larger jobs. Average color variance tightened to a ΔE of 2–3, which kept reprints rare. None of these figures tell the whole story, but they align with what we see when moving frequent-change SKUs to Digital Printing while keeping steady movers on flexo.
We tracked sustainability signals, too. With fewer reprints and better right-sizing of run lengths, estimated CO₂/pack fell in the range of 8–12%, based on energy per sheet and transport assumptions. Payback pencils out at about 12–16 months, depending on seasonal volume and how many SKUs stay on digital versus flexo. On the service side, customer tickets about pickup status dropped as QR scans routed shoppers straight to upsstore tracking, and satisfaction scores nudged up by 6–10 points during peak weeks.
What worked best was clarity: boxes printed cleanly, pickup choices were obvious, and the scan-to-confirm flow at the upsstore counter took seconds. If you’re fielding the same questions—can i ship moving boxes and where are moving boxes for purchase today—the combination of Digital Printing on Corrugated Board, scannable QR tied to tracking, and flexible batching helps. And yes, we still keep some SKUs flexo for cost balance. For our team, the clincher was seeing store associates scan a label and hand off without typing. That last mile—and the small touch of printing route labels for **upsstore**—made the difference in real life.
