It is a system integral to the value chain that impacts product quality, user satisfaction, distribution efficiencies, and safety.
Packaging engineers must interact with research and development, manufacturing, marketing, graphic design, regulatory, purchasing, planning and so on.
Some materials have scores or creases to allow controlled folding into package shapes (sometimes resembling origami[3]).
Students in a packaging program typically begin with generalized science, business, and engineering classes before progressing into industry-specific topics such as shelf life stability, corrugated box design, cushioning, engineering design, labeling regulations, project management, food safety,[5] robotics, RFID tags, quality management, package testing, packaging machinery,[6][7] tamper-evident methods,[8] recycling, computer-aided design,[9] etc.
For example, the DABUS system designed containers for food and beverages with fractal patterns for gripping and for optical impact.