For some time now the construction of vendor shipping cartons, used to ship all types of products, has been going through a redesign process leading to the accelerated use of “softer” and “lighter” materials. In one of the most extreme developments, cardboard is being replaced with stretch-wrap material. Many of these “cases” do not even have a cardboard tray on the bottom for support making them problematical for handling on powered roller conveyor and on some of the most common types of automated sorting equipment used in the DC.

Holste Says: It's interesting to note that the inherent product handling advantages offered by most sliding shoe sorters on the market today are becoming increasingly more relevant as packaging engineers continue to push the limits of economical carton design and construction. What Do You Say? Click Here to Send Us Your Comments Click Here to See Reader Feedback

While it’s relatively easy to understand how this initiative will directly lower packaging and shipping cost, its impact on overall logistics costs is just beginning to be understood.

One of the most obvious consequences of the wide spread use of “economical” carton construction is in the bulk storage of pallet loads. Whereas solid SKU pallet loads of hard or strong cardboard cartons can be safely stacked (4) high on the floor – are now limited to just (2) high. Going up any higher may cause the economical cartons on the bottom to crush creating a potentially dangerous and costly situation.

In DCs equipped with conveyors, sorters, and other mechanized and automated carton handling systems, the amount of non-conveyable SKUs is rapidly increasing. Some of this is the result of product downsizing, where cases and inner-pacts that were once conveyable are now too small, too light, or too flimsy to be placed directly on the transportation system. Still, much of the problem is related to the new carton construction that is so soft and weak that the bottom of the carton will not properly hold the contents. When these types of cartons are picked-up without supporting the bottom surface, there is a risk that the product inside will break through the bottom.

Testing for Product Handling Capability

The above should provide reason enough for distributors, especially those that are planning on deploying automated equipment, to give serious consideration to the types of products and materials they will be handling and the ability of the equipment to reliably handle those products.

Companies should have all products that may require special handling tested by the equipment provider before making a final decision on system design and equipment deployment.

As an example: the adjacent picture provides some idea of the range of product types and configurations that some automated sliding shoe sorters are designed to handle.

Other types of sorters will have handling pluses and minuses based on their design, sorting rate, and cost.

It’s interesting to note that the inherent product handling advantages offered by most sliding shoe sorters on the market today are becoming increasingly more relevant as packaging engineers continue to push the limits of economical carton design and construction. Once considered justified for only high throughput operations (running at 7,000 packages per hour or more), sliding shoe sorters are now being deployed for their product handling flexibility and adaptability.

Costs Continue to Add-up

The impact of changes in package construction must be factored into the design and selection of all types of automated handling equipment and systems especially those operating at high speeds and in hard to access areas.

Transporting products that require special handling may require a higher degree of manual interaction, perhaps being delivered to a manual sorter induction station via lift truck or AGV system where they can be “picked” and placed directly onto the automated sorter.

A broad range of after-sort equipment designs, including high-density gravity roller or skate wheel conveyor and/or custom designed chutes, are available from material handling system providers to transport hard-to-handle product from the sorter to packing and shipping.

Note: For a more in-depth analysis of sorting equipment types and systems see – The SCDigest Letter: “Sortation Systems for Distribution”.

Final Thoughts

All of this reminds me of the handling problems associate with rice-paper cartons that were typical to products imported from the Orient up until a decade or so ago when they were forced to upgrade their packaging - at least for shipments going to the United States. These cases were so bad that assuming they even survived overseas handling and shipping (which was by no means a sure bet) by the time they arrived at the DC receiving dock they needed to be re-boxed before they could be put away.

I’m betting that this time DCs will be once again forced to make the required adjustments to accommodate more economical packaging construction, which is now a global initiative.