Design for logistics

You design for manufacture, design for assembly, design for reliability... why not design for logistics as well?

This presentation provides a theoretical background on the purposes of packaging, and the characteristics of products with good logistics properties. The efficiency of packaging strategies is discussed, and the influence of good relationships within the supply chain.

1. capacify.wordpress.com Design For Logistics Richard Farr

2. Contents What does packaging do? Key features of products with good logistics properties Efficient packaging The influence of supply chain relationships Sustainable packaging capacify.wordpress.com

3. What does packaging do? Eight purposes... Physical protection Barrier protection Containment or agglomeration Information transmission Marketing Security Convenience Portion control capacify.wordpress.com

4. 1. Physical protection Defend against... Mechanical shock Vibration Electrostatic discharge Compression Changes in temperature (hot or cold) The eggbox protects against impact, and compression capacify.wordpress.com

5. 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 capacify.wordpress.com

6. 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. capacify.wordpress.com

7. 4. Information transmission Labels – not including those used to provide a marketing function. Instructions for use, transportation or safe disposal. Information required by law. Barcodes & QR codes. These instructions are necessary for the product, so they are printed on the packaging. capacify.wordpress.com

8. 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 capacify.wordpress.com

9. 6. Security Childproof seals Tamper-evident seals Resistance to counterfeiting Anti-theft devices RFID tags performing a security function This seal guarantees that the contents have not been refilled, and the pot hasn’t been opened before. RFID tag capacify.wordpress.com

10. 7. Convenience Built-in handles Stacking features Ease of opening Reclosing / resealing Dispensing Features for the convenience of the retailer? Soap dispensing feature from a bottle. Carrying handle on a box capacify.wordpress.com

11. 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 emergency capacify.wordpress.com

12. 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... capacify.wordpress.com

13. Key features of products with 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...? capacify.wordpress.com

14. Believe it or not... capacify.wordpress.com

15. Chevrolet Vega and ‘Vert-a-Pac’ rail cars capacify.wordpress.com

16. How to get thirty cars on 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. capacify.wordpress.com

17. Efficient Packaging Do you really need to pack things? Nature provides a pretty good “wrapper” on most fruit. capacify.wordpress.com

18. Efficient Packaging The use of plastic shrink wrap isn’t terribly sustainable, but a gram or two of plastic film can extend the shelf life of a cucumber significantly. It acts as barrier protection, keeping moisture in. capacify.wordpress.com

19. 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. capacify.wordpress.com

20. Standardised Packaging Conform to standards that allow you to share and reuse packaging. capacify.wordpress.com

21. Reusable Packaging Design the Business Model to ensure that your product is reused capacify.wordpress.com

22. Discussion point... If reuse is better than recycling... whatever happened to reusable glass milk bottles? capacify.wordpress.com

23. Avoiding a ‘Monstrous Hybrid’ capacify.wordpress.com 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

24. Save some money, be sustainable and market your product Modern Easter egg box capacify.wordpress.com

25. 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). capacify.wordpress.com

26. 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. capacify.wordpress.com

27. 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. capacify.wordpress.com

28. Further articles from Richard Farr at: http://capacify.wordpress.com

29. 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. capacify.wordpress.com