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Logistical Packaging
hello!This blog is done by:Doreen, Mei Tong, Sally, Zhang Xiao and Peiyan =) Teachers, please click Journal on the top right corner to view our project! |
About the people involved in this blog
.This is a blog for the project, Distribution Centre Mangement. The group, which includes Doreen, Zhang Xiao, Sally, Peiyan and Mei Tong. We are currently studying in Temasek Polytechnic |
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Thursday, January 10, 2008
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Logistical Packaging Introduction Logistical packaging covers the overall design of a product, its package and packing. Packaging and logistics form important parts, therefore, safe delivery of goods can be offered to customers and users at a low cost. By ensuring that packaging logistics can contribute to modern product development and design, products should be distributed with a minimum use of resources from production to consumption. Packaging has 2 basic functions, marketing and logistics. Packaging of product is promoted to customers through providing attractive design and detailed information. In logistics perspective, the function of packaging is to protect, identify products and materials while it takes up space and adds weight. Hence industrial users want to gain advantages offers and minimizing added space and weight.  Six logistics functions: Benefits of good packaging Costs can be reduced and service levels are improved due to customers who are able to obtain more of the same amount of product in lesser space with fewer partials or split shipments from supplier as more products can be placed on the transport vehicle that makes the delivery. History
Paper may be the oldest form packaging. In the First of Second Century B.C., Chinese used sheets of paper that were treated by mulberry bark to wrap foods.  History of Plastics Compared to other packaging materials such as glass, metals and papers, plastic is the youngest. Plastics packaging becomes popular as it is tedious compared to paper. In addition, it is cheap to manufacture and seems to be able to last forever. Plastics packaging is widely in industries such as manufacturing, food, chemical agricultural, etc.
Insulation and cushioning materials as well as foam boxes, packaging sheets become popular in various industries However, due to the rise in environmental concerns lately; current packaging designs are beginning to use recycled and reusable materials. 1. Container   Containers are being used for various purpose, such as , to store goods in temperature controlled from −25 °C to +25 °C reefer, open top bulktainers for bulk minerals, heavy machiner and transporting of bulk liquids and dangerous goods etc.2. Plastic Slip Sheets Slip Sheets are used as a support device in vehicle delivery and transportation of goods. It is a thin sheet of plastic or fibreboard and commonly used in United States.  An example of slip sheet Goods are placed on slip sheets and forklift will pull the load, after which goods will be placed on a truck. Using slip sheets allows unit load to be transported easily. An example of lifting the slip sheet is being shown in Figure 1 below.  The advantages of using slip sheet are that it is fully recyclable and environmental friendly. Other than that, it is usually used for long distance shipping as it is cheaper and lighter compared to using pallets. In addition, slip sheets are bacteria and moisture resistant, maximize warehouse space and hygienic.  The disadvantages of using slip sheet is that it causes slower handling than using pallet and greater damage to goods  4. Pallets  Pallets are made of plastic and wood. Plastic pallets allow more cost savings, are more durable, stable and stable compared to wood pallets. Pallets made of plastics also allow workers to be working in a safe environment as they are smooth, free of nails and splinters. In some instances, plastic pallets are lighter than wood pallets. Plastic PalletThere are other types of pallets, such as, nestable pallets, stackable pallets and rackable pallets.  Different types of pallets 5. Tote pans   6. Cartons
7. Crates   A crate is a large container that are used to transport large, bulky and heavy items. Crate is made of plastic, metal and other materials, but it is commonly made of wood as this is because most plastic crates are small and metal is heavy.  8. Strapping    Strapping is usually done to stabilize goods and to keep products from being firmly strapped together. Strap is usually steel or plastic. Strapping will be done by using strapping machine and tools.
10. Overpacks 
 All drums must be properly labeled with the drum contents, whether hazardous or non-hazardous, date collected, 24-hour emergency contact number, and name of the responsible party. Under strict legislation by the government, they must be labeled permanently to identify the products, their hazardous characteristics, proper disposal, lot code, etc.Labels Diagnostic Specimens Infectious samples not falling into Infectious Substances are Diagnostic Specimens and must be labeled with “Diagnostic Specimen Packed in Compliance with IATA Packing Instruction 650."
Class 1 Explosives  Class 2 Gases  Glass 3 Flammable Liquids  Class 4 Flammable solids  Class 5.1 Oxidising substances and Class 5.2 Organic peroxide  Class 6.1 Toxic substances and 6.2 Infectious substances  Class 7 Radioactive material  Class 8 Corrosives  Class 9 Miscellaneous  International pictorial labels
Trends Blanket Wrapping Blanket wrapping is used to transport valuable items that require delicate handling. It reduces packaging needs and ensures products are received in perfect condition. Returnable Containers Returnable Containers are rapidly becoming a standard method for shipping parts. The advantages are economic, efficiency, and environmental.
Plastic Pallets  Advantages: -Precise and consistent specifications -Do not absorb humidity -Some can be moulded so that that can be nested when empty -No sharp edges, loose nails or splinters -Can be cleaned effectively -Very low maintenance required -Can be manufactured from recovered material -Can be lightweight (depending on density) -Long life if handled correctly -Washable and not prone to infection or infestation Disadvantages: -High purchase cost -Cannot be repainted -Stickers may not be easily removed, leaving bug harbouring and unsightly residue -There are no universal standards, reducing the possibility of pooling and swapping Containerization Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport cargo transport using standard ISO containers (known as Shipping Containers or Isotainers) that can be loaded and sealed intact onto container ships, railroad cars, planes, and trucks. Containerization is able to determine best carton, box or pallet to be used to ship a single item or number of items. The need to transport products that is of high value, fragile or product that is too small for traditional bulk system developed containerized shipping. Since 1966, container shipping has become a common way to move all types of products, especially high-value cargo. The use of containers for seaborne cargo has increased since mid 1960’s due to decreased cost, customer demand and increasingly cost-efficient processes.  Seaborne Containerization Trend  Year TEUs 1969 - 270,000 1979 - 2,650,000 1989 4,785,000 1999 11,600,000 Improvements in port handling efficiency, thus lowering costs and helping lower freight charges and, in turn, boosting trade flows has resulted from the introduction of containers. Containerization has revolutionized cargo shipping. Today, approximately 90% of non-bulk cargo worldwide moves by containers stacked on transport ships; 26% of all containers originate from China. In addition, containerization improved cargo security as the products in containers are not visible to viewer and thus, less likely to be stolen. In addition, containers’ doors sealed and this reduced the "falling off the truck" syndrome that long plagued the shipping industry. Some of the largest global companies containerizing shipments today are Patrick Global Shipping, Bowen Exports, and Theiler & Sons Goods, LLC.  Case Study Rubber banding wrapping instead of shrink wrapping  Company: Traex / Menasha Corporation Summary : Rubber pallet bands replace shrink wrap for securing skid-loads in warehouse operations, yielding annual savings of $49,706 from reduced labor and materials. Action : Traex manufactures injection molded plastics and other products for the food service industry. Finished products are boxed in corrugated containers and stored on pallets in the warehouse until needed to fill orders. Previously the company stretch-wrapped the pallet-loads by hand for transfer to the warehouse. The wrapping process was time-consuming and required most of one employee's attention over three shifts. The process also exposed workers to the risk of back injury from stooping and straining. Traex began to study a change in this method of warehousing on pallets when its waste hauler announced a new requirement: old stretch-wrap removed from pallets during the order-filling process henceforth would have to be baled for disposal. Beginning in April 1995, Traex began testing rubber pallet bands to secure loads. Unstretched bands measure 3/4" wide by 92" in circumference, the proper size for use with 40" x 48" pallets. Typically, two bands are used per skid, one looping around the top layer of boxes and the other about mid-load. Bands are applied by hand, an operation that takes one worker about 10 seconds per band. (By comparison, stretch-wrapping required about 1 minute per skid.) When skids are brought from the warehouse to fill orders, the bands are quickly removed and tossed in a container for reuse. From pallet-loading at the production line, to warehouse, to pallet-unloading, bands make the roundtrip in about six weeks. With training provided by the warehouse manager, this change in operations was adopted easily. Employees like the rubber bands better than shrink-wrap. After 10 months under test, only four bands broke. There is no risk from snapping bands.  Benefits The most important saving is reduced labor cost. Traex calculates that it recovered the cost of its initial supply of rubber bands in just four 3-shift production days. Here is the company's summary of overall annual savings: Reduced labor $50,112 Reduced disposal expense 400 Reduced purchase of stretch-wrap 195 550 rubber bands @ 1.82 - 1,001 NET SAVING $49,706 Reduced demand for stretch wrap has freed some storage space, and additional labor has been saved by avoiding baling of stretch-wrap. Occasional use of temporary workers for unwrapping stretch-wrap has ended, as have occasional injuries to workers from using a knife to cut away stretch-wrap. The group's analysis of the case Based on the case study of using rubber banding wrapping instead of shrink wrap as shown in the references, it was shown that it helps in reducing labor cost, storage cost and prevent wastage of materials like shrink wrap. Rubber banding wrapping also helps in saving the environment as it can be recycled which results in the cost savings for the shrink wrap method will require a new shrink wrap to be used for a new product packaged. This is an innovative invention as in recent trend, being environmental friendly will help gain competitive advantage over others. And in today’s world context, saving costs has become a challenge and a need to be achieved as there are many competitors. Hence with this innovation in packaging, it not only helps Traex to save costs, it also helps gain competitive advantage in being environmental friendly. Therefore, I feel that flexibility in logistical packaging is the key to success of the company. Logistical packaging is important as if a package is more standard and easy to access, it will help save a lot of time and labor in doing the packaging. This can be shown in this case as much works are simplified through this innovation which saves much time in doing the wrapping. 3M reusable pak Company: 3M Through packaging innovation, 3M’s Audio and Video Products Division has created enormous industry interest in its new bulk videotape logistical shipping container, the 3M Reusable Pak. This new container eliminates the cardboard, plastic, and foam waste associated with other packaging methods. The 3M Reusable Pak not only reduces waste and disposal fees, it has saved millions of dollars in material costs and eliminated over 1.4 million cubic feet of waste from entering area landfills and incinerators. Background As a leading producer of bulk videotape for the film duplication and packaging industry, 3M was looking into videotape packaging when the Audio Video Duplicator Association approached 3M and requested help in finding ways to reduce packaging waste. Previous shipments of videotape in the "pancake" format lead to the creation of 1 cubic foot of waste for every 8 pancakes shipped. The same waste stream inflated customer’s labor costs by increasing the handling expense for both incoming shipments and waste disposal. In addition the previous packaging involved 11 different components to create a standard package for the shipment of 8 pancakes. Because of the complexity of the packaging, 3M incurred increased expense for both labor and material. As the need to redesign the packaging became evident, a survey demonstrated that 3M customers rated recyclability, reusability, environmental impacts and low cost equally when considering package design. Creating a healthier environment and bottom line became the important fuel for the challenge of a better package design. Solution 3M created an innovative patented solution that eliminates all dunnage, reduces the number of packaging components to 2, saves labor costs and eliminates any material from entering the waste stream. In this case, the annual 1.4 million cubic feet of waste is eliminated. The solution involves the use of two identical panels, blow molded out of HDPE in an interdigitated format that allows for interchangeability. Each panel collapses to create a stack ratio of 3 to 1 allowing for the return shipment and reuse by 3M to be economically feasible. Through the simplicity of the 2 piece design and use of non fiber material, customer’s handling costs were also significantly reduced by making the containers safe for transport directly into clean rooms. In some instances, all hand contact can be eliminated for additional customer productivity enhancement. The success created by the 3M Reusable Pak has created significant opportunities for a new system in logistical packaging. These systems will incorporate design efforts that begin with the customer’s design process and eliminate dunnage, create better unitized loads, add enhanced ergonomic designs and increase efficiency. All of which add money to the bottom line. The group’s analysis of the case Based on the case study of 3M Reusable Pak, it shows how each packages panel can be collapse to allow the packages to be reused by 3M for the return shipment. This help to save cost as the carton can be used to and fro of the shipment. This helps to eliminates waste materials which prove to be environmental friendly. It also minimizes errors as standard packages are used to contain the products and it is used for to and fro shipments hence people handling the shipment will not be confused. And with standard packaging and packages that are not of odd shaped it helps to save a lot of cost in transportation as it can contain more per (m3). Therefore, all in all with an excellent packaging it will help to save a lot of costs such as transportation, storage and labour costs. Fresh Fruit Salad Packaging for Airfreight, South Africa and UK Fresh fruit salad is exported daily between Heathrow, London and South Africa’s retail shelf ready for consumer’s selection. A span of control is needed by the exporters in the quality of preparation, presentation and delivery of a fragile product. The edible fresh fruit is diced into smaller pieces that are easy to serve. The different varieties of fruit are then mixed together in punnet-sized consumer packs, normal clear plastic. It was then sealed with a film to protect the product throughout its journey to the end consumer. Each of these consumer packs is labeled. Throughout this process there is strict quality control to ensure that the flavor, sizing and trimming meet the retailer’s standards. Consumer packs are arranged in set quantities into transport cardboard boxes, labelled and sealed. Pallets of the transport boxes are then arranged according to their different destinations of distribution centre in the UK. Correct quantity must go to each depot daily. Pallets are then labeled with their destination and other information. The next stage in the distribution channel is the transfer of the products from one continent to another by airfreight. Fresh fruit salad which is prepared in Johannesburg, South Africa, is sent that same evening from Johannesburg airport by air cargo to Heathrow, London, where it arrives in the early hours of the morning (about 5 am). It is distributed to the various retailers’ distribution centre that morning so that it can be on the retailers’ shelves by the time consumers are leaving work to go home. They can collect their fresh fruit salad and eat it with the evening meal or snack on the way home.  The group’s analysis of the case To ensure that the fruit is not spoilt in the process of airfreight, breathability of packaging and packaging design for improved space utilization has to be exercised Breathability is through the thin membrane film sealing the top of the consumer punnet pack containing the ready-to-eat fresh fruit salad. Some plants continue to live even after they have been harvested; a well- known instance is cut flowers. The packaging and the transport container have to allow the flow of vapours to escape. This applies to fresh fruit salad and is addressed by pores that are so tiny they are not visible. It has been known for fresh fruit salad packages to be placed upside down and the juices to leak out through these pores in the film. When this happens the product has to be thrown away. Second aspect is the packaging design for improved space utilization. As the fresh fruit salad is ready to eat, the weight of the product has already been reduced to a minimum when the skin and non-edible parts were removed during the production process. By reducing the actual weight in this way, it is important to design the packaging so it is the minimum cube. In airfreight, both weight and cube impact on the cost of transportation, hence it is worth examining those instances where there has been a redesign of the packaging to improve space utilization. In field research the author found out that the original design for the fresh fruit salad consumer pack was in the shape of a bowl. But this bowl design was not space efficient, although there is a need to be space efficient when using expensive airfreight. It was this bowl design, with one packed upside down on top of another to save space, that had the disastrous result of leakage and consequent product waste. The packaging logistics redesign was a rectangular shape with a sloping base such that, by rotation of one pack by 180 degrees, it fitted on the bottom pack in a space-efficient way. By implementing this design at source, less space was needed for airfreight, the problem of leaking from upside-down bowls was eliminated and the packages did not need to be re-sorted in the UK prior to destination to the retail distribution centre. Conclusion Logistics packaging is important in protecting and delivering the products to customers safely. It helps to reduce costs, improve customer service levels and increase environmental awareness. The earliest form of packaging started from paper but was later faded due to the increasing popularity of plastics which is widely used today. Reference http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Packaging http://www.library.yale.edu/Sys_Demo/Twede-f.pdf http://www.ehs.cornell.edu/lrs/chp/17.labeling.req.html http://www.ilpi.com/msds/osha/cpl2238d.html#paragraphf http://www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/smc/department/printable/0,,1954_2139_188228,00.html http://www.mass.gov/dph/bls/div_6_2_infectious_substance_shipping_guide.doc http://www.mass.gov/dph/bls/div_6_2_infectious_substance_shipping_guide.doc http://www.ruscopackaging.com/Product_Catalog/Plastic_Strapping/plastic_strapping.html http://www.5es.co.uk/reverse_logistics/rtp/rtp_types/pallets.htm http://www.barcominc.com/solutions/ContainerTracking.pdf http://www.5es.co.uk/reverse_logistics/rtp/rtp_types/pallets.htm http://www.5es.co.uk/reverse_logistics/rtp/rtp_types/pallets.htm  |
