Experts debate on the impact of the packaging in the global chain of supply

Factors like the use of new materials, the design and the innovation applied to the packaging are fundamental to the hour to facilitate the organisation of agile logistical chains and efficient. The packs and packaging of products and commodities have a direct impact in the cost of the global chains of supply. This would be the main observation that discerns as a result of the two breakfasts of work, celebrated the days 20 and 22 March in Barcelona and Madrid, organised by Hispack and the Foundation ICIL.

In the course of both days tackled the main challenges that faces the sector of the packaging for like this fulfil with the expectations and needs of manufacturers, distributors, logistics operators and consumers. Of the hand of diverse professional, presented several cases of success and analysed notable points for the sector, like the recycling and the reuse of containers and packagings or his contribution to the reduction of costs in the chain of supply.

Both breakfasts of work had a nourished representation of experts in packaging. In the celebrated meeting in Barcelona took part Oriol Arán (Font Vella/Lanjarón), Menno Veefkind (Idom), Pedro Macià and Pedro Thin (SSI Schäfer), Juan Carlos Fontela (Roche), Jordi Soler (Zetes), Enric Blesa (Akzo Nobel Paintings), Francesc Font and Manel Muñoz (Carton packagings Font), Albert Martorell (SLI), Joan Prades (Promaut) and Jaume Looks (Foundation ICIL).

By his part, the breakfast that took place in Madrid had the contributions of Alberto García (Group Mahou-San Miguel), Miguel Saltworks (Ferag Iberian), Alberto Sanz (Carton packagings Font), Oscar of Gruijter (Stork Inter Iberica) and Jaume Looks (Foundation ICIL).

In the design of a container or packaging can not overlook a series of premises of which depends his functionality of use and his success of application and utilisation in the market. They are the designated “3 R”: recyclable, reusable and revalorizado.

A container or packaging has to be recyclable one hundred by one hundred and reusable, in the measure of the possible, for like this reduce costs. Also it is important to delete, to the maximum, the material employed in his manufacture, as well as the use of materials that contribute to reduce his global weight. Likewise, the containers and packagings have to be ergonomic, so that his manipulation was comfortable and his setting and desmontaje fast and simple, occupying the minimum space.

Regarding the image, this is basic since it contributes, beside the use of innovative materials, to the functionality and, of course, the revalorización of the product. The last notable factor to treat is the economic, since the relation cost/price has to be the suitable to ensure his entrance and success in the market.

A container or packaging has to be recyclable one hundred by one hundred and reusable for like this reduce costs. Also it is important to delete, to the maximum, the material employed in his manufacture and the use of materials that reduce his global weight

These professionals no only have to take into account the use that goes to do the final consumer of the product, for the one who the format has to be comfortable, appeal and functional, but they have to attain that the materials and formats chosen integrate in the lines of production and are easy to manipulate and transport until the points of consumption. It treats of conjugar the binomial between what the user needs and what the company can manufacture, until finding a balance between the engineering of the design and the one of the process. The end last is the one to reduce to the maximum the costs of manufacture of the containers and packagings.

According to the material with which manufactures a container, his recycled and reuse comports high costs. It is the case of the bottles of glass, whose industry has opted for designing lines of containers no retornables because, to operative level and of costs, his recovery and reuse is unfeasible.

Our country, unlike other European countries, still has not developed the sufficient the culture of the recycled of containers and packagings, because neither they have set up political that incentiven this practice. Like this, in general terms, the society will recycle and will recover containers and packagings in elder or lower measure, in return that it obtain a return and was him given back, of a form or another, a part of the amount that has paid by the products consumed.

So that the logistical chain was profitable and operative, packaging and intralogística have to go of the hand. The design and the functionality of the first does not have to interfere in the movements that produce inside the warehouse. The equipment intralogístico, by the high investment that requires, does not have reason adapt to the modalities of the packaging, but rather to the reverse. Like this then , the manufacturers of packaking do not have to forget that the design that apply to his containers can incidir negatively in the operations in warehouse and generate operational problems interns.

With the purpose to avoid that this suceda, advises use the existent standardisations, like the international ISO. These, although very clear-cut, still employ little since the marketing predominates on the operations and does not think in the logistical chain neither in the people and processes, but only in the consumer.

This reality comes contrasted by a notable data: Spain is the European country more expensive in logistical costs by on the dot positioned unit available. The requests are small and with little rotation, to what adds a distribution capilar still little efficient. In our country, the supermarkets and the big surfaces are those that have won more weight inside the chain of supply and those that at present put the guidelines in the design of the logistical chains by in front of the own operators. These finish assuming risks and difficulties for like this optimise the chains of his customers.

Another data that avala this situation atañe to the sector of big consumption, where produces a loss of 40% of the sales because of the procurement by taut flow, that in occasions generates that the products are not in the linear in the timely moment. Of this volume, 25% could avoid since the product finds in the warehouse of the big surface, but there is not sufficient personal reponedor of linear.

The requests of the market do that some containers and packagings, in addition to resistant and insurance, make possible the trazabilidad of the products that contain.

From does years, speaks of the RFID like an option to attain this trazabilidad, but the pilot proofs carried out to date show that I irradiate it frequency is a system that still can not substitute to the bar code.

The RFID has not been able to apply in the whole of a logistical chain, precisely because they take part a lot of phases: from the design of the packaging going through the warehouses, the infrastructures and the transport. Besides, it can not guarantee the total visibility of a product in the logistical chain if this goes through a link in which it does not apply the RFID. The success of the RFID roots in that it has to be a system imposed by the manufacturer, with continuity in the rest of the chain of supply.

Also appear new forms of reading and parallel technology, like the massive vision through photography that, in few seconds, can read all the visible bar codes in the containers or packagings of a grouping of products or commodities.

Like this then , the alternative to the implementation of the RFID continues being the bar code, a two-dimensional system and standardised whose use is simple, economic and allows to advance in the trazabilidad and the visibility of the chain of supply.

In the sessions of work also exposed diverse practical cases and of success that show how the innovation in the packaging and his relation with the transport and manipulation of commodities can contribute to win in logistical efficiency, value added and quality, in addition to satisfying the needs and exigencias of the customers in diverse appearances.

Carton packagings Font

Francesc Font, of Carton packagings Font, gave to know one of his novelties, the Bottle Pack, designed so that the companies of distribution and couriers can realise sendings of bottles of glass. This packaging avoids the break of, for example, bottles of wine during his transport.

Also gave to know diverse types of containers of folding cardboard for the transport and manipulation of liquids or semilíquidos with capacity until the 1.000 litres. These containers carry in his interior a stock exchange of plastic of an alone use.

Roche

Juan Carlos Fontela, of Roche, specified that the containers that use have to be adapted to the characteristics of his products, from the frozen products to -20 degrees, until the two or eight degrees, going through the ones of temperature acclimatise. Likewise, the more than 5.000 references with which work, of different sizes, transport generally in boxes of some five kilos.

Thus in Roche have designed the system Varipack. A type of box that recorta by the top, once full, to adapt it to the volume of products that go inside. With this ensures the verticalidad of the containers in his interior, reduce the costs of packaging and the volume of the same, optimising with this the volume transported. To way of example, with this system Roche has achieved to reduce 20% the volume of the packaging, which involves to have taken out of the road a tráiler and half.

Mahou-San Miguel

Alberto García, of the Group Mahou-San Miguel, explained with detail the project of the plateas of plastic retornables. It treats of a palé of polietileno destined to the use of boxes retornables in Mahou-San Miguel. With an useful life of 15 years and without maintenance, is a pioneering system in Spain and possibly in Europe, inside the sector of beers and drunk.

The main advantages of the palé of plastic in relation with the one of wood are: a weight 10 inferior kilos, with which in a truck with capacity for 24 palés, transport 240 kilos less, with the consequent saving in consumption of fuel and the lower broadcast of CO2. Besides, in terms of hygiene, the palé of plastic presents a greater and better adherencia of the load in case of braked in dry until 15 km/h (in conditions of wet and dry floor).

Also in the apilado presents advantages, since it is designed to work so much in battery, to four heights, as in shelving, so that it bears 1.100 kg without any difficulty.