Chapter 9 Unitizing

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Chapter 9Unitizing Shipping

• Many of the world class receiving principles
  apply to world class shipping except in reverse.

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Chapter 9Unitizing Shipping

• World Class Shipping Principles
• Direct loading (chap 4)
• Advanced shipping notice preparation (chap 4)
• Staging in racks (chap 4)
• Container optimization
• Container loading and void filling
• Weight checking
• Automated loading
• Dock management

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Chapter 9Unitizing Shipping

• Container Optimization
• Design and selection of shipping containers
  presents excellent opportunities to increase
  logistics efficiencies
• Excess costs and inefficiencies associated with
• Mis-sized containers
• Mis-labeled containers
• Weak containers
• Awkwardly configured containers

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Chapter 9Unitizing Shipping

• Container Optimization
• Containers are building blocks of the supply
  chain whether
• Cartons
• Totes
• Pallets
• Trailers
• 20 40 ocean containers
• Rail cars
• Air containers
• Can cause the cost of inefficiencies to multiply
  across all supply chain partners

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Chapter 9Unitizing Shipping

• Containers
• Protect, secure, identify merchandise
• Should stack nest easily
• Collapse when empty
• Handle comfortably
• Fit together with other containers comfortably
• Provide means for tracking tracing
• Be reusable/returnable reduce waste
• Plastic, collapsible, multi-use corrugated
• Minimize total life cycle cost of containerization

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Chapter 9Unitizing Shipping

• Container Optimization
• Costs Considerations
• Purchase cost
• Packaging cost
• Handling cost
• Space cost
• Maintenance cost
• Product damage
• Security losses (theft)

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Chapter 9Unitizing Shipping

• Loading Void Filling
• Load plans should be developed
• to maximize cube weight utilization
• Balance loads within the container
• Organize loads for ease of unloading
• Environmentally friendly (returnable reusable)
  void fill/dunnage should be used to prevent
  shifts damage
• Styrofoam pads
• Air packs (reusable)
• Polystyrene peanuts

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Chapter 9Unitizing Shipping

• Weigh Checking
• Outbound containers should be weighed cubed for
  load-planning purposes
• Should be used to identify ay picking or packing
  errors before loading

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Chapter 9Unitizing Shipping

• Automatic Direct Loading
• Staging is the most space labor-insensive
  activity in shipping
• Direct loading is used to by-pass staging when
  possible
• Uses pallet jacks counterbalance lift trucks
• Or, Automated loading can be employed using
• Pallet conveyors (interfacing w/ specially
  designed trailers)
• Automated forklifts
• Automated guided vehicles

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Chapter 9Unitizing Shipping

• Dock Management
• Organize dock so as to minimize time and
  paperwork
• Assign incoming trucks to dock locations near
  put-away centroid
• Assign outgoing trucks to dock locations near
  where load it is picking up is staged