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The mission of transport packaging is to get the product to the customer, undamaged. Here is how some companies solved special challenges.
Transport packaging, or logistics packaging as it is frequently being called, impacts supply chain flow at many points along the line. Packaging begins at the end of the manufacturing line and ends when the product reaches the user. Packaging is the thing that separates you from your customer. The challenge all packaging professionals face is to create the most protective package, using the right amount of material at the lowest possible cost.
Jeg's High Performance, Columbus, Ohio, is a mail order business catering to automotive do-it-yourselfers and racing enthusiasts. In this fast-track business, Jeg's stays ahead of its competition with superior customer service. Its competitive advantage was recently enhanced with the addition of Sealed Air Corporation's Speedy-- Packer System.
Formerly Jeg's had a pick-and-pack operation that required more than 50 packers to hand-tape each shipping carton, then load the selected parts. Each carton was filled with kraft paper, then placed on a gravity roller conveyor to the shipping area. An estimated 23 percent of the packer's time was spent placing kraft paper in the boxes. And it was not an accurate system. Each packer would vary the amount of void fill, resulting in complaints from customers about messy and wasteful packaging.
This over-use of void fill led to inconsistent and increased costs per package. In addition, a week's supply of pallets to hold the kraft paper occupied about 4,000 square feet of valuable warehouse space.
The SpeedyPacker foam-in-bag packaging system dispenses Instafill foam into a bag, which is then placed inside the packing carton. As the foam sets, it conforms to fill the voids and secure the contents.
The entire packaging line at Jeg's was revamped, with the SpeedyPacker system a key component among high-speed belt conveyors and case sealers. An IBM Workflow Study conducted before and after the installation of the SpeedyPacker system showed an increase of 26 percent in workflow efficiency.
The benefits of packaging
One SpeedyPacker system supports 44 packaging stations. A designated SpeedyPacker operator places a foam bag in each boxed order, closes it and sends...