Images

Individual folding boxes can be stacked precisely to form shipping towers for safe transportation. © Walther folding systems

Optimum freight space utilization, low transport costs, real-time tracking of goods routes and a high level of product protection: companies that replace disposable packaging with reusable plastic transport solutions benefit from this. "Experience has shown that a container solution tailored to the processes and the transport route not only brings high added value financially through process optimization, but also in terms of the ecological footprint," explains Dominik Lemken, authorized signatory and Head of Project Management at Walther Faltsysteme. "Aldi Süd, for example, announced that it had saved more than 60 million cardboard boxes and thus more than 24,000 tons of_{CO2 equivalents} in 2017 alone by using reusable crates for transporting fruit and vegetables."

Runner bases of returnable transport solutions prevent heavy goods from deforming the containers and thus ensure optimum conveying of the boxes on the conveyor system. © Walther folding systems

Making the most of freight space
Optimizing the logistics chain in conjunction with efficient intralogistics also involves making the best possible use of freight space on the further transport route: modular container solutions that can be reduced in volume and are precisely tailored to the product dimensions or stacking height in the truck can achieve high added value while keeping transport costs to a minimum. "With the fruit and vegetable collapsible boxes we have developed, we have set new market standards in terms of reducing the volume of containers. When folded, the box is 27.5 millimetres high and more than 11,000 crates fit into a truck," says Lemken.

Another example of the best possible use of freight space can be found at a large German drugstore chain: to optimize its store logistics, the company uses modular folding boxes that are picked for specific stores and automatically stacked on roll dollies. Once they have been transported to the store, the finished shipping towers can simply be rolled out of the truck to their destination. As a result, the drugstore chain benefits from better utilization of the transport volume of the trucks and the simplest and most time-saving handling of the transport containers in the store.

Conveyability of containers or trays
In an automated warehouse environment, transportability is also an important factor: a wooden pallet that has splintered at a corner and is no longer recognized by the camera system or AGV (automated guided vehicle) interrupts the efficient flow of materials. Runner bases of reusable transport solutions prevent heavy goods from deforming the containers and thus ensure optimum conveying of the boxes on the conveyor system. The type of conveyor technology used, such as roller conveyors, chain conveyors or shuttle systems, has different requirements for the optimum design and transportation of the containers.

As many of the containers are moved in combination with gripper and transport systems from different manufacturers, various other details need to be considered in the design: for example, robots require pockets for automatically stacking, unstacking and erecting the containers, to which the gripper arm can hold the base and pull up the frame. In addition to differences between manufacturers, special features in the material flow should also be clarified in advance. For example, if the containers are to be erected in pairs to increase throughput, this is another factor that needs to be taken into account when planning the design.

Transport solutions such as trays are tailored precisely to the conveyor technology on which they are used. © Walther folding systems

Product protection for sensitive goods
Another plus point for reusable plastic transport solutions is the high level of product protection: compared to cardboard boxes, plastic containers can be used along the entire transport chain and, depending on their design, provide reliable protection against environmental influences such as rain and moisture or improper handling. Users can achieve even better protection with lids or suitable interior fittings for the transport solutions. "A major problem for many manufacturers is the fact that expensive goods do not reach their destination intact. A high level of product protection with individually adapted containers can reduce breakage rates to a minimum," says Lemken.

The foldable Mega-Pack pallet boxes from Walther Faltsysteme are an example of reusable containers with a high level of product protection. "Our Mega-Pack pallet boxes can be customized on the inside. Specially shaped workpiece carriers, compartments or foams provide space for large and bulky machine parts while protecting sensitive product areas," says Lemken. "As a market leader in the field of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, one of our customers uses our container system to supply different production sites - with minimal breakage rates."

From hygiene to fire protection
Another decisive factor is whether the container solutions meet the company's hygiene and fire protection requirements. In food logistics, the cleanability of the load carriers and the composition of the material can also be decisive factors. "In many cases, containers are spin-dried. This in turn means that the moisture must be conducted to the outside through sufficient openings to ensure rapid drying. Such smaller aspects are also important for the efficiency of the transport solutions," says Lemken.

As far as the material composition is concerned, it is crucial in the food sector that the containers are approved by the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority). Precise documentation and careful reprocessing are essential, especially when the plastic is reused after the first product life cycle.

There areno universal solutions
The right material properties, external dimensions, identification options and much more - there is no such thing as a single load carrier that meets all process requirements straight away. Instead, maximum efficiency can only be achieved if the container solution is tailored to the transport chain and the requirements of the individual process steps. "The better we know the customer's prerequisites and requirements, the more precisely our development department can work," says Lemken. "And the results are impressive: Lower breakage rates for packaged goods and savings in transport and disposal costs for disposable packaging of up to 30 percent or, in some projects, significant six-figure euro amounts are not uncommon." as