Height of corrugated cases calibrated to specific products results in extreme space efficient packaging and cost savings for Logistics Managers

In today’s challenging economic climate, logistics Managers are scrutinising their supply chains in an effort to drive down costs and meet environmental objectives through improved efficiency in the transportation, handling and storage of products.

Transportation is a major cost factor for all logistics Managers. However, with modern innovations from Corrugated, industry is offering extremely space-efficient packaging which is leading to better use of pallets, resulting in fewer vehicles on the road.

Boxes need to be designed to fill lorries from floor to roof. If every single lorry on the road were filled to complete capacity, the savings in fuel costs and CO2 emissions would be huge. Corrugated can adapt itself to various-shaped products, no other packaging material has such flexibility.

Confederation of Paper Industries (CPI) is pleased to confirm that the UK Corrugated Packaging Industry is making a significant investment in new technologies that are providing innovative packaging solutions to help streamline logistics operations.

Industry is increasingly making use of the opportunity for the height of corrugated cases to be calibrated to specific products, making it possible to carry far more on a pallet. A study by Ceres Logistics (Study to consider the comparative cost of corrugated cases and reuseable plastic containers, 2007) using sugar snap peas as an example, found that for exactly the same number of items per tray, corrugated is 33% more space efficient than returnable packaging in other materials, saving 141 lorry journeys.

Lightweight papers and new flutings are key developments enabling more efficient logistics management. For many years the Corrugated Packaging Industry in the UK has been instrumental in driving down waste within the supply chain. It is a pioneering force in sustainable, lightweight, recyclable packaging that does not compromise the integrity of the products, but ensures that they arrive still in perfect condition.

While Corrugated companies have been developing lightweight papers for years, new types of fluting are a more recent innovation, designed to allow the required compression strength to be achieved while reducing the space necessary to contain the product.

CPI’s Director of Packaging Affairs, Andy Barnetson, said: "The industry is focusing on managing the production process in such a way that it only uses the minimum amount of fibre to do the job. It’s really all about utilising lorry and shelf space more effectively; fewer vehicles mean less fuel miles which all contributes to a greener economy."

Corrugated has stood the test of time because it has proved to be a hugely flexible packaging medium. It is not only economical, but also has a superb environmental record – over 80% of the material is recycled, saving an area the size of Greater London from landfill every four months.

During the last decade, the industry has initiated corrugated packaging weight savings without impairing protective or structural qualities and the drive for even greater efficiencies continues. New developments in engineering have lead to new types of structural products such as corrugated pallets, which offer huge economic and other advantages.

Corrugated packaging has always offered protection without loss of flexibility, and the industry has continued to evolve to meet the needs of new, more efficient distribution systems. In the future, the innovative use of resources and combinations of components will ensure that Corrugated packaging continues to offer a superb range of benefits for the supply chain.