Emerging Trends - Intermediate Bulk Container

Intermediate Bulk Containers



An Intermediate bulk container (IBC) is a container constructed of molded plastic , fiberglass, or plywood with steel reinforcing and is used for storage and transportation of goods.

Recently, Buckhorn has introduce a wide range of Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs) for safe, sound and secure liquid material handling. The new IBC advanatges are:

• Molded from FDA-approved materials, USDA-approved designs
  
• Substantially lowers packaging costs and cost per trip with a returnable / reusable system
  
• Limited use of packaging materials (only the liner bag is disposable)
  
• Hygiene - containers do not rot or become corroded, and are easy to clean
  
• Safety - improved product protection and storage
  
• Easy to fill, discharge and transport
  
• Optimal space utilization - stackable and foldable
  
• Secure stacking up to five-high with up to 3,000 lbs. of product*
  
• Withstand temperature extremes
  
• Certified for rail shipping
  
• Tamper-evident features
  
• RFID and other identification options available
  
• Can be filled and shipped with hot liquids

Reference:

http://www.buckhorninc.com/products/intermediate-bulk-containers.asp

Emerging Trends in Logistical Packaging: Plastics Pallets

Pallets are also counted as packaging for products in logistics and warehousing. It usually used as a support base in storage and transporting for many different types of goods in general. Traditionally, pallets are general made with wood, but their usage was riddled with problems like fungus, pests and insects, nails and splinters. Disposal problems of wood pallets are a headache as it carried the threat of land filling/burning etc. This also contributed to the overwhelming concerns arised over the environmental issues. Continuous research has gone into finding the substitutes for wood.


However, Research and Development (R&D) of many logistical packaging companies has comes up with an environmental - friendly, lightweight and recyclable material - Plastics pallets. Plastics pallets has become a upcoming trend in the future logistical packaging field and has been categorised as the 'packaging product of the future'. Although the costs to produce plastics pallets are expensive, benefits are unlimited in the long run.


*Reference to http://www.indiamart.com/ssvpallets/

Emerging Trends in Logistical Packaging: Blanket Wrapping

As we paced into the new century, innovative packaging ideas has to be constantly introduced to maximise the benefits of packaging and minimise the disadvantages.

One of the new effective services - Blanket wrap eliminate crating and other packaging problems and yet increased loading capacity and significant cost savings.

Some advantages known when adopting a blanket wrap service are:

• No disposal costs


• Environmental friendly (Not dependent on paper)


• Minimal floor space needed


• Reduced damage to the product


• Damages noticed immediately ( compared to other packaging where damages could only be noted when unpackaged)


• Increase the number if pieces per load


• Reduced labour costs

*Reference to http://www.elderlitelogistics.com/sol-bktwrap.html

Emerging Trends in Logistical Packaging: Pallet Pools

What is pallet pooling all about?

Renting system - Pallet operator delivers pallets according to orders to the customer. The customer use the pallets to pack and carry their product and transport the product that is securely packaged to their own customers. The customer will then informs the pallet operator when and where pallets have been shipped. The pallet operator arranges to collect the pallets when empty. Once returned to the depot the pallets are inspected and repaired if necessary before starting the cycle again.

Advantages of Pallet Pooling:

• Relatively cheap
• Pallets can be re-used and refurbished many times
• Requires minimal administration
• Reduce number of inventory

Disadvantages of Pallet Pooling:

• Might be prone to theft and unreliable customers
• Difficulties in tracking and tracing

Reference :
http://www.palletlink.co.uk/pallets/pallet-pools/

Practices: Functions of Logistical Packaging

1. To protect a product from damage or contamination by micro-organisms and air, moisture and toxins.
The product must be protected against being dropped, crushed, and the vibration it suffers during transport. Delicate products such as fruits need to be protected by a rigid package such as a laminated container.
The product most also be protected against the climate including high temperatures, humidity, light and gases in the air.
It must also be protected against micro-organisms, chemicals, soil and insects.

2. To keep the product together, to contain it (i.e. So that it does not spill).
Some shapes cannot be easily packaged, for example, certain vegetables. However, there are methods of getting around this problem. Suppliers of canned vegetables such as carrots have developed a particular type of plant that yields carrots that are straight and smaller than the normal variety. These fit into cans. Some products such as fruit juices and sausages need to be contained in packages that hold them together and are sealed to prevent spillage and loss.

3. To identify the product.
Packaging is the main way products are advertised and identified. To the manufacturer the package clearly identifies the product inside and it is usually the package that the customer recognises when shopping.
Advertising is very important when a manufacturer launches a new or existing product. The package, through its colour scheme or logo, is what is normally identified by the customer.
The package will also contain important information including ingredients and ‘sell by date’.

4. Protection during Transport and Ease of Transport.
A package should be designed to make it easy to transport, move and lift. A regular shaped package (such as a cuboid) can be stacked without too much space between each package being wasted. This means that more packages can be transported in a container of a lorry. Unusually shaped packages can lead to space being wasted and this can be costly if thousands of the same package are been transported.

5. Stacking and Storage.
In supermarkets and shops it must be possible to stack packages so that space is not wasted on the shelves. Lost space on shelves is looked up on a lost opportunity to sell to a customer. Also, the package must be designed in such a way that all the important information can be seen by a potential buyer, especially the product name. The next time you visit the supermarket look carefully at the shape of the packages. They are usually the same rectangular / cuboid shape. It is the selection of colours and shades that determine whether the product inside is regarded as a quality, sophisticated or cheap item. Often packages are stacked on top and alongside each other to reduce wasted space. The shape and form of the package determines how efficiently they can be stacked or stored.

Reference:
http://www.technologystudent.com/despro2/packfn1.htm

Practices:Channels used for Packaging

There has been a lot of packaging channels available. Some of the few examples are as stated below:

● Channel used for Sustainable Packaging
This channel concentrates on packaging that can be used for concerns of the environment like plant energy efficiency and organic substances.

● Channel used for Carton, Case Packaging
This channel will consists of materials like cartons, cases, divider, placers and others. This is used for the pharmaceutical and industrial packaging industries.

● Channel used for Filling, Form/Fill/Seal
This channel includes filling, bagging and weighing equipment and pouching and other. This is used in the pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries.

● Channel used for Labeling
This channel includes machines to do labeling, labels and others.

● Channel used for Package Coding
This channel will require marking using laser, chopping, printers and bar coding for the food and beverage and pharmaceutical industries.

● Channel used for Package Handling
This channel is one of the packaging function that consists of equipment used for pallets, containers and others that are used in pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries.

● Channel used for Package Design

● Channel used for Packaging Automation
This channel consists of packaging using robotic equipments, sensors and the integration of system and others.

● Channel used for RFID/Smart Packaging

● Channel used for Rigid Container Packaging
This channel consists of materials such as cans, containers, bottles, packaging made from plastic substance, lid, jar and others. This can be used for the makeup, pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries.

● Channel used for Flexible Packaging
This channel consists of materials such as flexible substances, bags and others.

Reference:
http://www.packagingdigest.com/

Practices: Advice for internal packaging

Internal packaging advice for shipment protection.

From our research, we learnt that it is recommended to leave a space of at least 5cm between the outer container and the product being packed inside.This space serve the purpose to fill it up with cushion such as padding of some type, any substance from crumpled newspaper to old pieces of clothing to prevent vibration or compression.

If any form of damage happens, the cushion will help to reduce the impact. The cushion needs to be able to withstand the pressure caused by compression and can return to its initial form after the cargoes are being loaded and unloaded. The type and amount of cushion to be used depends mainly on the cargo weight and how brittle it is. Brittle cargoes should be packed and wrapped up in an even manner to prevent the cargoes to come in contact with each other which can cause damages.


Cushioning
Different types of cushioning are available, from loose "chips", "shreds" and "peanut" shaped materials to rolls of bubbled-plastic sheet.Loose cushioning is usually made out of very lightweight materials - it's used to fill in corners, keep the articles centred in the container and provide cushioning and shock absorption. It is clean and reusable but can be bulky to store. Most of the fillings available in the market are manufactured from recycled products. Avoid the use of polystyrene, as in many countries it is considered not to be environmentally friendly and it may be forbidden or fined at destination. Vegetable-based and biodegradable materials are preferred.Many materials found around the house can also be used - old newspapers, shredded clothes, cushion stuffing all make ideal cushioning.Bubble wrap is made of pockets of air distributed on a plastic film. It provides very good protection to shock, vibration and abrasion, as well as being lightweight and flexible.

Reference:
http://www.knownet.hhs.gov/log/transDR/LAI/module1/packaging.htm#Basic_Packing_Principles
http://www.dhl.com.sg/publish/sg/en/information/shipping/pack/internal.high.html