Packaging Corner: Automotive embraces collapsible, reusable totes

With BMW, Honda, Kia, Mazda and Audi recently opening or building new assembly plants in Mexico—joining existing Nissan, Toyota, Daimler, Volkswagen, General Motors and Ford facilities—Bloomberg Business predicted in January that the country will surpass Japan as the second-largest auto exporter to the United States before 2015 ends.

Those assembly plants receive a portion of their parts and components from locations north of Mexico, says Dave McCulloch, vice president and managing director of Schaefer Systems International’s packaging systems division.

“Outside a transportation distance of 500 miles, return freight becomes a major cost factor,” he says. “For that reason, there’s been a steady movement in the automotive industry to deploy collapsible reusable packaging to eliminate shipping air on the return trip.”

Collapsible, reusable bulk containers that conform to the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) 48 x 45-inch standard footprint are widely used in the industry. However, smaller, collapsible handheld totes are gaining appeal.

That’s why Schaefer developed the ergonomic CF collapsible container line. Offered in three different footprints and three different heights, the CF containers can be grouped in layers of four, six or 12 containers, placed on a pallet with a lip and secured with a top cap.

“What’s unique about the CF containers is that they can be stacked with any straight-wall 48 x 45-inch series handheld container, bulk container or pallet with a lip, from any manufacturer—not just Schaefer’s,” McCulloch says.

For the nearly 40% of automotive parts that don’t require protective dunnage, collapsible reusable packaging is ideal. “Depending on the footprint of the CF container used, they yield a return ratio of 3:1 or 4:1, which can produce up to 75% savings on return freight. For OEMs spending millions annually on logistics, there’s a significant advantage in using collapsible handheld or bulk reusable packaging,” he says.

To help maximize packaging density, Schaefer’s packaging specialists conduct cube calculations and analysis.

“We can figure out how many parts per container, and how many containers per pallet, to determine the best container or combination of containers. By right-sizing the packaging, we can often get more parts per pallet using less containers—which further saves customers money on the initial investment and logistics,” says McCulloch.

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