design for logistics

capacify.wordpress.com

Design For LogisticsRichard Farr

Contents

What does packaging do?

Key features of products with good logistics properties

Efficient packaging

The influence of supply chain relationships

Sustainable packaging


What does packaging do?

Eight purposes...

Physical protection

Barrier protection

Containment or agglomeration

Information transmission

Marketing

Security

Convenience

Portion control


1. Physical protection

Defend against...

Mechanicalshock

Vibration

Electrostaticdischarge

Compression

Changes intemperature(hot or cold)

The eggbox protects against impact, and compression


2. Barrier protection

Keep the contents clean.

Keep medications sterile until opened.

Keep the contents dry, or stop the contents drying out, as required.

May be combined with desiccants or oxygen absorbers to further extend shelf life.

Modified atmosphere inside, to inhibit microbial action.

This coated plastic keeps the contents fresher – but it isn’t

very recyclable


3. Containment or Agglomeration

Group small items together.

Make low-value items more economical to track, sell and handle.

Group products into sets or kits.

Keep liquids, gases, powders or small parts in place.

A package allows us to sell a kit of assorted Lego parts.


4. Information transmission

Labels – not including those used to provide a marketing function.

Instructions for use, transportationor safe disposal.

Information required by law.

Barcodes & QR codes.

These instructions are

necessary for the

product, so they are

printed on the

packaging.


5. Marketing

Encourage potential buyers to purchase the product.

Graphics design.

Physical design.

Show off the best features of the product.

Point of sale display.

These are not ‘design for logistics’ reasons for packaging.

This packaging seeks to attract the attention of children


6. Security

Childproof seals

Tamper-evident seals

Resistance to counterfeiting

Anti-theft devices

RFID tags performing asecurity function

This seal guarantees that the contents have not been refilled, and the pot hasn’t been opened before.

RFI

D t

ag


7. Convenience

Built-in handles

Stacking features

Ease of opening

Reclosing / resealing

Dispensing

Features for theconvenience ofthe retailer?

Soap

dis

pens

ing

feat

ure

from

a b

ottle.

Carr

yin

g h

an

dle

on

a b

ox


8. Portion control

No need to measure out the product for each customer .

Single doses of medicine.

Individual pots (often desserts).

Child-sized servings.

This ‘EpiPen’ dispenses one dose of medicine, in emergencycapacify.wordpress.com

Packaging Design

With the eight purposes of packaging understood, there remains the question of how to design it in order to meet the requirements of the supply chain at the lowest possible cost.

The design of the product itself can also simplify or complicate its logistics...


Key features of productswith good logistics properties

Light weight (save fuel in transportation).

Low bulk and a neat fit (get more in a container, or on a truck).

Standardised (loading is simpler if each item is the same).

Robust (able to survive a journey over rough roads, and proof against humidity, dust, pests).

Not time-sensitive, and not requiring additional cooling (so it won’t spoil if there are delays, as most foodstuffs and some vaccines will).

What others can you think of...?


Believe it or not...


Chevrolet Vega and‘Vert-a-Pac’ rail cars


How to get thirty carson a railway wagon...

Vert-a-Pac was a special railway goods wagon designed to hold new cars vertically, for delivery to dealerships in other states. It was possible to transport 30 cars on each railway wagon, where a conventional car transporter would have carried at most 18.

The Chevrolet Vega each had special clamping points on the floor pan to hold it in place. It was designed so that fluids (coolant, fuel, screen wash, oil, battery acid) would not spill when it was held in a nose-down position.

Only the Chevrolet Vega (1970–1977) ever used the system, so it probably counts as a failure.


Efficient Packaging

Do you really need to pack things?

Nature provides a pretty good“wrapper” on most fruit.


Efficient Packaging

The use of plastic shrink wrap isn’t terribly sustainable, but a gram or two ofplastic film can extend the shelf life of a cucumber significantly.

It acts as barrier protection, keeping moisture in.


Efficient Packaging

Apple’s original iPod came in a very bulky package.

Minimising packaging can make the product more desirable – and it allows you to get a lot more products in a shipping container.


Standardised Packaging

Conform to standards that allow you to share and reuse packaging.


Reusable Packaging

Design the Business Model to ensure that your product is reused


Discussion point...

If reuse is better than recycling... whatever happened to reusable glass milk bottles?


Avoiding a ‘Monstrous Hybrid’


Don’t mix organic and ‘technical’ materials in a single package.The window on this packet is made from cornstarch.Everything can be composted after use.For more information on the ‘Monstrous Hybrid’...McDonough, W. & Braungart, M. (2002) ‘Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things’, North Point Press

Save some money, be sustainable andmarket your product

Modern Easter egg box


A good supply chain relationship can make logistics simpler and more efficient

Kit parts together into specific sets – may reduce Stock Keeping Units.

Establish better batch sizes or agree new order quantities that match logistic constraints.

Present parts in an orientation that suits the customer’s requirements (e.g. automated assembly process).

Develop a reusable box that you get back from your regular customers.

Find out what your customer uses, and values – and don’t do anything they don’t value (e.g. don’t package goods individually in 4-colour printed retail cartons if when they’re being ordered in bulk).


Sustainable packaging in summary

Protect the product from harm, but...

Minimise the ratio of product and packaging weight.

Minimise the volume occupied, and aim for a good fit in standard shipping containers, if required.

Plan for reuse of packaging with corporate customers.

Material selection: choose renewable materials, or at least recyclable materials. Aim to use recycled content. Biodegradable materials may reduce litter.

See http://www.wrap.org.uk/ for more information; search for packaging.


http://www.wrap.org.uk/

Final Remarks

The design of packaging is a science in itself.

We need to design products to suit shipping, not just design for manufacture, assembly and end use.

‘Green’ packaging makes a good subject for student design projects.

Sustainability is a major theme, due to the comparatively short useful life of most packaging.


Further articlesfrom Richard Farr at:

http://capacify.wordpress.com

http://capacify.wordpress.com/

Tutor note for Slide 22

Glass bottles were reused about 12 times on average, making them a useful form of packaging – dating back to when there were fewer packaging options.

When small dairies were replaced with larger, more distant ones, the weight of the bottles became a more significant factor.

With the general shift away from doorstep deliveries that saw customers buying milk at the supermarket, weight was again an issue – and the empty bottles were much less likely to be returned.


design for logistics

Engineering