FEATURE Packaging Machinery
Five ways to boost ecommerce packaging performance
Ecommerce has been propelled to new heights, with online order volumes swamping conventional fulfilment centres, states Jo Bradley, Business Development Manager for packaging solutions at Quadient
T
he Centre for Retail Research states that ecommerce sales in Western Europe, i.e., the UK, Germany, France, Netherlands,
Italy and Spain, has reached £294bn in 2020, against a pre-Covid forecast of £249bn. This represents a growth of 31% in a single year, giving online a 16.2% share of total retail sales in 2020. Online shopping demands go through peaks and throughs, so, how are online retailers going to cope with sudden and protracted shift in demand for goods purchased over the net? Fulfi lling an ecommerce order has always been thought of as an inherently labour-intensive activity, involving large teams of pickers and packers. But, in the packing area, advanced fi t-to-size automated packaging technology is transforming operational performance, overcoming many of the obstacles presented by the Covid crisis, and providing businesses with signifi cant gains on sustainability, cost reduction and customer experience. Hence, here are fi ve key points to consider when adopting automation in the packaging area:
1. Increase capacity – be ‘peak ready’ The traditional manual approach to packing has been signifi cantly challenged by three key factors: First, following Brexit, available labour resources are no longer as easy to access in many areas of the country. Second, the national living wage, applicable to all employees over 25 years old, has risen to £8.72. And third, with the outbreak of COVID-19, social distancing requirements within the warehouse present a major headache for organisations.
If peak volumes are set to rise, then packaging performance will need to be radically improved. Bringing in large teams of people at peak is simply no longer a viable option. Greater use of automation in the packing area will help. But, simple size-constrained machines for only one-sized box do not cater for the wide variety of products and order sizes
14 March 2021 | Automation
Fulfilling an ecommerce order has always been thought of as an inherently labour-intensive activity
experienced by most online retailers. If demand for smaller items to be packed exceeds the capacity of the relevant machine, the shipper has no option but to move up a box size, leading to wasteful use of materials and extra shipping costs. A more fl exible approach is needed. Using fi t-to-size auto-boxing technology, such as Quadient’s CVP Everest, one machine can fl exibly handle a wide variety of order sizes, creating a perfect-size box for each order at a rate to 1,100 packages per hour. Operating consistently and reliably at these speeds, such a machine has the potential to replace between 20-30 packing desks, off ering a rapid return on investment.
2. Build in sustainability Oversized packaging is wasteful: More cardboard is used, void fi ll is necessary and fewer packages are carried per trailer, leading to excessive CO2
emissions and
higher fuel, material and carriage costs. Making each individual package to the needed size better protects the item in transit (without the need for void fi ll), which minimises cardboard usage, saves resources and reduces shipping costs. Using advanced 3D scanning technology, Quadient’s CVP Everest perfect-size packaging system scans and measures an
item or groups of them to be packed and calculates the ‘best fi t’ box shape and size. Material for the box and lid is cut and creased to size, erected around the item(s) and the lid glue-sealed – which is faster and more recyclable than tape. Parcels are then automatically weighted and labelled before shipped. By consistently making each box to the exact dimensions needed to hold the item(s) fi rmly, goods are better protected and package volumes reduced by up to 50%, cutting cardboard usage by 20% and eliminating the need for void fi ll. The savings on materials are signifi cant in themselves.
3. Reduce shipping costs Shipping air serves no purpose; it unnecessarily increases cost and negatively impacts the environment. Oversized packages contribute directly to more vehicles on the road, pollution, congestion and greater shipping expenses. The larger the box, the fewer can fi t into a trailer. Until fairly recently, domestic-delivery carriage charges were based on the parcel’s maximum weight and dimensions, so there was no incentive to use a smaller box, and air moved for free.
This is changing. Many of the larger carriers and couriers have moved to a dual system whereby carriage is charged at a
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