Reusable "Longspac packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Final Report Reusable „Longspac‟ packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q Results from a trial with B&Q demonstrating the technical ability of the “Longspac” – a multi-trip packaging system – designed for efficient transportation of kitchen components to customers and to minimise risk of product damage. Project code: RHI005-002 ISBN: 1-84405-436-5 Research date: Nov 2008 to Feb 2010 Date: May 2010
WRAP helps individuals, businesses and
local authorities to reduce waste and
recycle more, making better use of
resources and helping to tackle climate
change.
Document reference: WRAP, 2010, Reusable „Longspac‟ packaging RHI005-002.
Written by: Tim Hutchinson – Outpace
Kevin Corby – CEVA Logistics
Front cover photography: Reusable „Longspac‟ packaging
WRAP and CEVA Logistics believe the content of this report to be correct as at the date of writing. However, factors such as prices, levels of recycled content and
regulatory requirements are subject to change and users of the report should check with their suppliers to confirm the current situation. In addition, care should be taken
in using any of the cost information provided as it is based upon numerous project-specific assumptions (such as scale, location, tender context, etc.).
The report does not claim to be exhaustive, nor does it claim to cover all relevant products and specifications available on the market. While steps have been taken to
ensure accuracy, WRAP cannot accept responsibility or be held liable to any person for any loss or damage arising out of or in connection with this information being
inaccurate, incomplete or misleading. It is the responsibility of the potential user of a material or product to consult with the supplier or manufacturer and ascertain
whether a particular product will satisfy their specific requirements. The listing or featuring of a particular product or company does not constitute an endorsement by
WRAP and WRAP cannot guarantee the performance of individual products or materials. This material is copyrighted. It may be reproduced free of charge subject to the
material being accurate and not used in a misleading context. The source of the material must be identified and the copyright status acknowledged. This material must
not be used to endorse or used to suggest WRAP‟s endorsement of a commercial product or service. For more detail, please refer to WRAP‟s Terms & Conditions on its
web site: www.wrap.org.uk
Executive summary
This trial was a partnership project involving B&Q and CEVA Logistics which aimed to demonstrate the technical
ability and commercial viability of using a multi-trip packaging system – designed for efficient transportation of
kitchen components to customers‟ homes. The project commenced in November 2008 and completed in March
2010. This report sets out the methodology used for trial, details of the reusable packaging format and design,
as well as trial results and findings.
Background to the Trial
The trial was started in recognition of a previous project which successfully introduced a reusable packaging
format for kitchen worktops –„Carrierpacs‟, where B&Q and CEVA Logistics worked together to develop, trial and
subsequently roll out reusable packaging for home delivery of kitchen worktops at B&Q. This resulted in
substantial cost savings and environmental benefits. Following on from this success, further opportunities for
reusable packaging formats were explored.
Kitchens are a significant product category for B&Q, both in terms of sales and packaging materials required, and
„long‟ components are an essential part of any kitchen sold. „Longs‟ is the collective name given to long kitchen
components such as plinths, pelmets and cornices.
The original transit packaging format used for longs was a single-trip box consisting of single-flute corrugated
board wrap, designed to protect the product between the B&Q Showroom Fulfilment Centre at Branston and the
customer‟s home. With 290,000 cardboard longs boxes used annually, the cost is over £300,000 a year, plus
assembly time at Branston occupying one or two operators per shift. Customers also get left with the bulky
packaging waste to recycle or dispose of.
This results in over 400 tonnes of packaging ending up in the household waste stream annually. In addition,
with a retail price of up to £55 per item, continuing to minimise product damage is essential to avoid the
commercial and environmental cost of production, distribution and disposal of damaged and un-saleable stock.
Reusable Packaging Trialled – the ‘Longspac’
Packaging consultants Outpace Packaging Solutions worked with CEVA Logistics and B&Q to develop a multi-trip
plastic package called „Longspac‟. The packs were twice the weight of the single-trip corrugate format, made
from a woven plastic (polypropylene) outer and a corrugated plastic (polypropylene) inner. During the trial, the
Longspac was tested for its robustness to ensure it protected the product from damage during delivery to the
customer, as well as the technical performance of the pack to achieve multiple reuses. In order to demonstrate
commercial viability, it was agreed by the project team that achieving 20 trips would be the key performance
indicator (KPI) for this trial.
Trial Results
In total, 573 Longspacs were trialled during this project. Initial samples were tested and demonstrated that the
Longspacs could be reused up to 12 times, which gave sufficient encouragement for more thorough trialling. 48
Longspacs were then trialled to test three different end closure variations, with this part of the trial
demonstrating that the Longspac could achieve up to 21 reuses.
The next stage of the trial was to test the Longspacs on a larger production scale with 400 packs manufactured
and delivered to B&Q. However, the majority of these Longspacs failed due to design and manufacturing issues,
which then had to be addressed before progressing. The final Phase of the project was to manufacture a further
100 Longspacs, addressing previous design issues, which were then trialled for twelve weeks and successfully
demonstrated that the Longspac could achieve an average of 22 reuses.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 3
Environmental and Cost Benefits
By the end of the trial the Longspacs had demonstrated an average of 22 trips, had diverted over 3,200Kgs of
cardboard from the waste stream, and had delivered several thousand longs products to the customer with no
reported damage.
If the Longspac is reused 20 times, it is calculated that a pool size of 14,500 reusable Longspacs would be
sufficient to cover both seasonal variation in delivery volumes and the cycle time for Longspacs to return through
the system. This pool size is based on total number of deliveries and reuses, as well as taking into account cycle
time and loss rate which would be important factors to consider.
Approximate annual usage of 290,000 single-trip corrugated Longs boxes at 1.5kg = 435 tonnes, which
equates to approximately 457,000 kg of carbon dioxide equivalents.
The weight of reusable packaging used (for the same 290,000 deliveries) would be 14,500 x 3.06kg = 44.37
tonnes, which equates to approximately 130,000 kg of carbon dioxide equivalents.
Considering solely packaging material inputs, this gives a net saving of approximately 400 tonnes per annum
and 327,000 kg of carbon dioxide equivalents1.
As well as reducing the amount of packaging used by 400 tonnes per year, achieving 20 reuses would save over
£150,000 annually.
The Longspac demonstrated that it could be commercially and environmentally beneficial, and in order to realise
these benefits the whole supply chain and delivery network need to be engaged and the reusable packaging
must be managed as an asset.
B&Q and CEVA Logistics were encouraged by the results from this trial and were confident that this project has
demonstrated the viability of switching from single-trip to multi-trip packaging for longs products. The project
team, having fine-tuned the optimum materials specifications for the Longspac for commercial adoption, ordered
2,000 Longspacs for use across a range of „longs‟ products at B&Q. These Longspacs have been used more than
20,000 times and saved over 30 tonnes of cardboard packaging2 and will accumulate further packaging savings,
as well as cost savings, as they continue to be reused.
B&Q and CEVA Logistics had already successfully rolled out the „Carrierpac‟, the award winning reusable
packaging format for home delivery of kitchen worktops3. Building on this experience they have undertaken
initial trials of the „Longspac‟, with promising results, and subsequently started to roll out this packaging format
across Longs products. Although reusable packaging is not always environmentally or commercially preferred,
this trial has demonstrated that for Longs products at B&Q, reusable packaging can help to optimise packaging
and minimise waste, reduce costs and help B&Q to deliver the targets to the Home Improvement Sector
Commitment4.
1
The carbon impact associated with the „material inputs for the packaging‟ is calculated by using generic carbon conversion
factors, for corrugated material and polypropylene (PP), to calculate carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions figures. These
carbon conversion figures are taken from WRAP‟s Courtauld Commitment Carbon Methodology. For the PP carbon conversion
figure, an average of the rigid/boxes figure and the flexible/film figure has been used.
2
The number of uses and packaging savings were calculated in September 2010 by the Branston project team.
3
The WRAP and B&Q trial demonstrated that multi-trip packaging can be commercially viable for kitchen worktops, but is
dependent on tightly controlled logistics and tracking. A case study and full report about the trial are available from:
http://www.wrap.org.uk/retail/case_studies_research/case_study_1.html.
4
The Home Improvement Sector Commitment is a voluntary agreement between WRAP and the UK Home Improvement sector
which aims to reduce the environmental impact of home improvement products. More information can be found at:
http://www.wrap.org.uk/retail/home_improvement/.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 4
Contents
1.0 Introduction and Background .................................................................................................... 6
1.1 B&Q and the Packaging Challenge ........................................................................................6
1.2 Previous Reusable Packaging Project Team Experience - „Carrierpac‟ .......................................6
1.3 Kitchens and „Longs‟ Components .........................................................................................7
1.4 Original Packaging for „Longs‟ Components ............................................................................7
1.5 Requirements for a New Packaging Format............................................................................8
1.6 Developing the Business Case for Reusable Packaging ............................................................9
2.0 Trial Objectives and Methodology ............................................................................................ 10
2.1 Trial Objectives ................................................................................................................. 10
2.2 Project Timeline ................................................................................................................ 10
2.3 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 11
2.4 Engaging the Distribution Chain .......................................................................................... 11
2.5 Trial Partners .................................................................................................................... 12
3.0 Results and Findings................................................................................................................. 13
3.1 Initial Longspac Designs and Testing .................................................................................. 13
3.1.1 Description of Initial Longspacs Prototype ............................................................... 13
3.1.2 Results from Initial Evaluation Samples ................................................................... 14
3.2 Phase 1 of the Trial ........................................................................................................... 15
3.2.1 Longspac Design Tested ........................................................................................ 15
3.2.2 Results from the Phase 1 Trial ................................................................................ 16
3.2.3 Revisions to Longspac Specification ........................................................................ 17
3.3 Phase 2 of the Trial ........................................................................................................... 18
3.3.1 Results from Phase 2 Trial ..................................................................................... 18
3.3.2 Revisions to Longspac Specification ........................................................................ 18
3.4 Phase 3 of the Trial ........................................................................................................... 20
3.4.1 Results from Phase 3 Trial ..................................................................................... 20
3.4.2 Feedback from Staff and Drivers ............................................................................ 22
4.0 Analysis and Discussion ............................................................................................................ 24
4.1 Longspac Performance....................................................................................................... 24
4.2 Environmental Benefits ...................................................................................................... 26
4.3 Costs and Benefits............................................................................................................. 27
5.0 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 28
List of Appendices ............................................................................................................................................. 30
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 5
1.0 Introduction and Background
This section provides background information to the trial including an outline of the environmental challenges
facing B&Q regarding packaging and details of a previous reusable packaging trial that the project team
undertook. Introductory information is also provided on the trial including: an outline of typical kitchen and
bathroom components; a description of current packing used; key requirements for the development of a
reusable packaging format; as well as the development of the business case for reusable packaging.
1.1 B&Q and the Packaging Challenge
Since 1990, B&Q has aimed to take a positive approach to the challenges that social responsibility presents and
has developed solutions that not only address its environmental and social impacts but also add value to its
business and its reputation.
B&Q has committed to become a One Planet Home ® business. One Planet Home is based on the global One
Planet Living initiative based on ten principles of sustainability developed by BioRegional and WWF. This
initiative encourages individuals, businesses and manufacturers to live within our fair share of the Earth‟s
resources. In the UK this means reducing our carbon emissions by 90% and our Ecological Footprint by two-
thirds by 2030.
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/content/knowledge/one_planet_living/pdf/opl_commitment.pdf
Packaging is just one aspect of B&Q‟s overall environmental impact but, as a component of most consumer
products, packaging utilises significant quantities of material resources and is a highly visible component of
global waste streams. B&Q believes that well designed packaging can provide environmental and commercial
benefits in terms of product protection and brand enhancement. B&Q‟s aim is to minimise the amount of
packaging associated with its products and, where packaging is unavoidable, to reduce the impact of its use.
In September 2009, B&Q became a founding signatory of the Home Improvement Sector Commitment, an
initiative to deliver increased resource efficiency in the sector through packaging and waste reduction.
Signatories committed to work with WRAP to achieve a 15% packaging reduction and a 50% reduction in waste
to landfill by the end of 2012, against a 2007 baseline, as well as to help customers to recycle more.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/retail/home_improvement/index.html
1.2 Previous Reusable Packaging Project Team Experience - „Carrierpac‟
In 2004, Outpace and Storsack developed a bespoke design for reusable packaging for B&Q‟s kitchen worktop
using a two-piece polypropylene (PP) construction. The Carrierpac design incorporates a woven outer and inner
„liner‟ made of polypropylene Correx®; Outpace and Storsack are joint inventors of this design and have an
agreement to this effect which is covered by various European and global patents. The same patents and
agreement cover the latest „Longspac‟ design.
The reusable worktop Carrierpac has been a major success story for B&Q, CEVA Logistics and Outpace. Since its
full scale introduction on Jan 8 2008, each year it saves B&Q over £1 million and diverted from landfill around
1,200 tonnes of single-trip packaging. Further information on the trial of the Carrierpac for kitchen worktops at
B&Q, and the subsequent roll out of these formats across all their worktops, can be found at:
http://www.wrap.org.uk/retail/case_studies_research/case_study_1.html
From a packing and logistics point of view, one of the major benefits for the new trial was that the whole
distribution chain - from B&Q‟s Showroom Fulfilment Centre, at Branston, to the regional depots and delivery
teams - was now familiar with the „reuse‟ concept. Importantly they had observed the benefits of Carrierpac and
could see the potential benefits of a reusable packaging format for longs components that would also make their
jobs easier.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 6
Based on this past experience and knowledge, the same partnership worked together to draw up designs for a
reusable packaging solution for longs components for this project.
1.3 Kitchens and „Longs‟ Components
Kitchens are a significant product category for B&Q, both in terms of sales and packaging materials required.
B&Q has been home delivering kitchens to customers for the last eight years through its Showroom Fulfilment
Centre at Branston, Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire.
Long components are an essential part of any kitchen sold. „Longs‟ is the collective name given to long kitchen
components such as plinths, pelmets and cornices. Typically up to three metres in length, they are usually
manufactured from profiled and laminated MDF. They can weigh up to 1.5 Kgs and sell for up to £55.00. The
generic „longs‟ term also includes items such as seals and worktop edging strips. These latter items sell in less
significant quantities and, although they were not the main products considered when considering a reusable
packaging format, these products can be prone to damage - so containment and protection are very important.
Figure 1: Pictures of a typical pelmet, plinth and cornice used in a kitchen. The aim of this project was to trial a
reusable packaging format, a Longspac, for the home delivery of these types of long kitchen components.
Customer satisfaction is extremely important to B&Q. It is B&Q‟s aim to achieve 100% success in delivering
every product in first class condition on time and in full. With this ambition, Longs require significant packaging
to avoid transit damage and scuffing of the corners, edges and presentation surface. Any dents or scratches are
likely to lead to the item being rejected by the customer, returned to B&Q and scrapped. At a retail price of up
to £55 per item, minimising product damage is essential to avoid the wasted cost of production, distribution and
disposing of damaged and un-saleable stock.
1.4 Original Packaging for „Longs‟ Components
Suppliers deliver the long components either in an MDF box with a banded lid in quantities of 200 items per box,
or loose-strapped to a double-length pallet. Some plinths are wrapped in corrugate, some in polythene. Most
cornices and pelmets are individually bagged in polythene.
Plinths, pelmets and cornices are sold singly at SKU5-level and their individual wrapping is not sufficient for the
full journey to the customer. Once taken out of the MDF bulk supply box, or removed from the supply pallet,
they have very little packaging. As they are then vulnerable to become damaged during transit, they are put
into a corrugate box for delivery to customer.
A UK manufacturer of corrugated board packaging materials supplies the corrugate. The weight of an empty
corrugated pack is 1.5kgs and a fully loaded longs box could weigh over 7kg. Pallets of pre-scored, continuous
fanfold corrugate are cut to length, and folded to the appropriate size, taped into shape, one end taped closed,
and then product(s) are placed into it. After picking and checking, the open end is also sealed with tape. Once
folded into shape, the box is 126mm tall (internally), 188mm wide and 3100mm long.
Adding the additional corrugated packaging for home delivery has successfully reduced levels of damage. The
project team identified that there may now be an opportunity to reduce costs and annual packaging usage whilst
maintaining the reduction in damage levels. This was the key driver in developing reusable packaging formats
for longs products. Another identified issue with the corrugated longs boxes was that due to their very long and
5
SKU - Stock Keeping Unit
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 7
thin format and handling requirements they could look in poor state (e.g. if torn or if exposed to rain / wet
conditions) and reflect poorly on the brand values B&Q require.
Figures 2 and 3: These pictures show the corrugated boxes protecting „longs‟ components and attached labels
for onwards delivery to customers.
The current packaging format relies on consumers to recycle the corrugated board packaging which, for longs
boxes, is typically too large for doorstep recycling boxes and bins. This creates inconvenience for customers,
who may need to cut up the packaging to fit into their recycling bin or have to transport the packaging to a
council recycling centre.
1.5 Requirements for a New Packaging Format
Following on from the identification of longs components as a good opportunity for a reusable packaging
solution, requirements for a new multi-trip format were identified.
The key requirements were to:
Provide appropriate protection to the product during handling and transport, to minimise damage to
packaging and product
Match or reduce current packaging costs
Match or improve on current packing and handling time
Minimise the risk of personal injury through user-centric design considerations that particularly address the
risks of finger injury and back problems
Be of the same dimensions to fit in with the current shipment systems
Protect the product in damp and wet conditions
Allow the product to be extracted without the use of tools that could both damage the product and increase
the risk of personal injury (i.e. avoiding the use of knives)
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 8
Where possible, use packaging materials that incorporate recycled content and can be easily segregated for
recycling at end of life.
Ensuring that damage (to packaging and product) is minimised will help reduce the overall environmental impact
associated with the product, which includes the waste of resources used to create components that become
damaged and un-saleable, and the impact of increased delivery mileage arising from replacing products.
As well as commercial and environmental drivers to use reusable packaging systems, consumer benefits are also
important.
Requirements for the new reusable packaging format also included improving the customer experience,
specifically to:
Reduce or eliminate the amount of packaging left with the consumer when the product is delivered
Deliver purchased products to customers in presentable packaging
Reduce instances of customer dissatisfaction and complaints relating to damaged goods and delays in
receiving components while damaged goods are replaced.
1.6 Developing the Business Case for Reusable Packaging
Once an initial concept and outline trial had been agreed, a business case was created that included labour costs,
packaging costs, likelihood of trips achieved, potential costs of the reusable packaging, and other factors to show
what level of reuse would be required to make Longspacs commercially viable as illustrated in Figure 4.
Figure 4: The Potential Costs and Cost-Savings of Longspacs based on Number of Trips Achieved.
Trips Versus Savings
£200,000
£150,000
£100,000
£50,000
£0
£ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
-£50,000
-£100,000
-£150,000
-£200,000
-£250,000
No of Trips
Depending on the specification of the reusable packaging, it was estimated that the Longspac could become cost
effective when it reached ten trips or more. For example, using Correx® with a thicker specification (e.g.
700gsm) would require at least 17 reuses to break even, whilst a specification of 400gsm for the Correx® would
require fewer reuses (around 15). Based on a „worst case scenario‟ using a higher specification for the Longspac
and on past experience from the „Carrierpac‟ trial, it was anticipated that the Longspac would be technically
capable of substantially exceeding 11 reuses. Allowing some contingency, it was agreed that 20 trips should be
the key performance indicator (KPI) for this trial.
Other trial indicators included: collating feedback from operatives, drivers and customers relating to the design,
practicalities and performance of the Longspac; the actual delivery of kitchen longs to the customer in a
Longspac without incurring any damage to the components; and the amount of single trip packaging and
damaged products entering the waste stream through the commercial roll-out of the Longspac to B&Q kitchen
long components.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 9
2.0 Trial Objectives and Methodology
This section of the report sets out the objectives of the trial and the project timeline. A description of the
methodology used is also provided including details of how the supply chain was engaged to ensure that staff
and drivers were aware of the trial to test a reusable packaging format for kitchen and bathroom components. A
list of trial partners is also included.
2.1 Trial Objectives
The objectives of the trial were to:
demonstrate that Longspacs remain fit-for-purpose for 20 reuses, in order that they are commercially viable
in addition to reducing packaging and waste;
recycle Longspacs that are no longer robust enough to be reused;
deliver kitchen longs to the customer in a Longspac without incurring any damage to the longs products;
generate positive feedback from operatives, drivers, customers, supply chain and logistics relating to the
design, practicalities and performance of the Longspac;
review the design of the Longspac, accommodating feedback from all stakeholders, allowing further
improvement of the design, properties and performance of the Longspac;
develop a cost benefit appraisal of the Longspac upon trial completion based upon the results of the trial and
commercial-scale production of the Longspac; and
reduce the amount of packaging and product waste entering the waste stream through enabling the
commercial roll-out of Longspac for B&Q kitchen long components.
2.2 Project Timeline
The project commenced in 2008 with the development of the first Longspac design followed by several testing
and trial phases; the project completed in March 2010. A full timeline of activities and trial dates is set out
below.
Table 1: Timeline of Activities and Trial Dates
Year Project Phase Description
2008 Initial design and The first Longspac designs produced
testing Early modifications to Longspac reviewed
A design agreed for initial testing
Different variants of the Longspac were tested
Phase 1 Trial commenced with 48 Longspacs
Testing of 3 different end closure designs
2009 Phase 2 Order placed for 400 Longspacs
Testing of circular woven designs (switching from flat woven options to an
innovative circular woven design)
Testing of different adhesive methods
Modifications and revised design of Longspac
Phase 3 100 Longspac supplied for final trial
Circular woven with stronger 700 gsm virgin Correx®
Sewn end closures with no adhesive
2010 Project completed Project written up and results disseminated
The above timeline highlights the design iterations after each project phase, from the initial Longspac prototypes
and samples, through to the final Longspac specification.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 102.3 Methodology
Initial Longspac Design and Testing
The aim of this part of the trial was to produce samples of a reusable packaging format to be used for kitchen
components during home delivery. Samples were to be provided to B&Q and CEVA Logistics for initial review
and testing. It was anticipated that early modifications to the design would have to be made following feedback
from the wider project team and a design to take forward to trial would need to be agreed.
Phase 1 of the Trial
This stage of the trial aimed to test approximately 50 Longspacs to demonstrate that they could perform
technically to achieve 20 reuses, as well as identifying feedback on different designs. It was anticipated that
more than one design may be tested depending on the outcome of the initial testing stage. The Longspacs were
numbered for tracking purposes and the packs were to be used for home deliveries between B&Q‟s Showroom
Fulfilment centre, in Branston, through to the customer.
Following this trial stage, it was expected that the design would need to be further refined, in terms of which of
the designs performs best and from feedback from all operatives involved with packing, delivery, return and
inspection of the Longspacs.
Phase 2 and 3 of the Trial
Following results from the previous trial, a modified specification was to be agreed and several hundred
Longspacs ordered for the second phase of testing. This stage of the trial aimed to test the manufacturing of
Longspacs on a „semi production‟ scale. This was an important part of the trial as it would give a better
indication of production costs, such as labour and materials.
However, due to manufacturing and design issues (which are presented later in this report), these Longspacs
could not be fully trialled and instead a further 100 Longspacs had to be manufactured, addressing the design
issues, and then tested for the final stage of the trial (Phase 3).
2.4 Engaging the Distribution Chain
Prior to the start of Phase 1, a B&Q briefing note was issued: „Business Improvements Briefing Note‟. The trial
objectives were summarized to all CEVA Logistics employees at the Showroom Fulfilment Centre through a
project „flyer‟ and displayed on notice boards. Specific and detailed training was given to all personnel directly
involved.
Before the start of Phase 2, further staff training took part and a further briefing note was issued. Copies of the
briefing notes and the full Business Improvement Programme communications can be found in the Appendices to
this report.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 112.5 Trial Partners
A number of organisations were involved in the trial:
B&Q is the leading DIY retailer in the UK through its nationwide stores and direct retailing through
www.diy.com. Kitchens represent a very large product category for the company and therefore opportunities to
improve efficiency, reduce costs and waste within this category are a key priority.
CEVA Logistics provides world class supply chain solutions for large and medium-size national and multinational
companies across the globe. As an industry leader, CEVA offers customers complete supply chain design and
implementation in contract logistics and freight management, alone or in combination. CEVA‟s integrated global
network has facilities in over 170 countries and more than 46,000 employees; all dedicated to delivering
consistently excellent operations and supply chain solutions. For the year ending 31 December 2009, the Group
reported revenues of €5.5 billion. For more information, please visit www.cevalogistics.com
Outpace is a packaging consultancy specialising in package design, implementation and procurement with a
strong background in environmental expertise concerning the reduction, reuse and recycling of packaging.
Outpace worked with Storsack to develop the Longspac packaging format and with B&Q to address the problems
identified with the current packaging and delivery system. Outpace provided management and administrative
co-ordination for the trial, reporting to both B&Q and WRAP.
Storsack UK has expertise in the manufacture of woven polypropylene fabric and is the world‟s largest
manufacturer of woven polypropylene big bags (e.g. for building materials such as aggregate). Storsack
developed the Longspac concept with Outpace, supplied the woven polypropylene „outers‟ and assembled the
two-piece Longspac for delivery to B&Q.
Kaysersberg Plastics (part of the DS Smith group) was selected to manufacture the protective corrugated
polypropylene „inner‟ (Correx®) for supply to Storsack to assemble with the „outers‟ to form the Longspacs.
WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) provided part-funding towards the cost of the trial as a result of
the project team submitting a successful submission in response to an open tender for R&D funding towards
reusable packaging trials in the retail supply chain.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 123.0 Results and Findings
A summary of results from the project is set out below with further details provided in the subsequent sections:
Initial designs and testing – initial development of the Longspac design. Isolated samples were reused
up to 12 times, which gave sufficient encouragement for the project to proceed to more thorough trialling.
Phase 1 - 48 Longspacs were trialled with three different end close variations; the packs averaged 11 trips
with one Longspac achieving 21 reuses.
Phase 2 - 400 Longspacs were manufactured and trialled but the majority of these packs failed due to
design and manufacture issues, and as a result this stage of the trial was cut short (3 weeks).
Phase 3 – final trial with 100 Longspacs over 12 weeks. The packs averaged 22 delivery trips.
3.1 Initial Longspac Designs and Testing
3.1.1 Description of Initial Longspacs Prototype
Longspac samples were first manufactured in March 2008 and provided to B&Q and CEVA Logistics for initial
review. The first Longspac design had a lay flat construction to allow longs components to be placed inside the
open Longspac and then the sides and ends folded over to contain the components.
Although similar in concept to the award-winning Carrierpac (for kitchen worktops), the „Longspac‟ had to be
designed to withstand far greater „crush‟ resistance, as in certain situations only one component may go into a
Longspac yet this may be stored and delivered underneath fully loaded Longspacs.
Figures 5 and 6: First Longspac design with lay flat format shown open and then closed
A woven plastic - polypropylene (PP) - outer and a corrugated plastic (also PP) inner were used. Manufacturing
learning was carried over from Carrierpac, which involved specific details around stitching, adhesives, handle
attachment and the folding, creasing and incorporation of the inner plastic Correx®.
Figure 7: Longspac construction of PP Correx® and outer PP fabric
Single wall „inner‟ PP Correx®
Heavy Duty „outer‟ PP Fabric
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 13The outer PP fabric incorporated an anti-static treatment in order to maintain physical appearance. The „outer‟
used 3% factory regrinds and the remainder was virgin polymer, used for its strength and tensile properties.
The Correx® „inner‟ liner can be made from reprocessed polypropylene. During the trial both virgin Correx®
and Correx® with recycled content were tested.
The inner Correx® was manufactured by Kaysersberg Plastics based in Gloucester, UK, and transported to
Storsack‟s site in Yorkshire for assembly. The woven outer was manufactured in Ukraine. The final assembly of
the „inner‟ and „outer‟ was carried out in the UK, close to the point of use due to the bulkiness and light-weight
nature of both Correx® and the assembled Longspacs.
Move to end-filling of Longspac
An early modification to the design was made. Following testing of the fully open-able wrap-around Longspac
design, it was considered more practical to have an end-filled Longspac design. The design was altered to
reflect this, sealing the long length of Longspac when first assembled, leaving the open ends for placing and
retrieving the product. This change removed a potentially significant cost of having a reusable closure system
(such as Velcro®) along the longest length of the pack.
Figure 8: Picture shows the early design where the pack is fully open-able along the long side. This design was
revised early on to a format where only the ends opened.
3.1.2 Initial Evaluation of Samples
A small number of early samples were trialled on an ad-hoc basis - this allowed initial design ideas to be tested
prior to further expenditure and development. This constituted an ideas-evaluation stage. This initial testing
demonstrated that up to 12 reuses could be achieved.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 143.2 Phase 1 of the Trial
3.2.1 Longspac Design Tested
48 Longspacs were ordered for Phase 1 of the trial. These were supplied in November 2008 and had a number
of specification changes to increase strength, durability and performance, based on the review of results from
the initial testing. These changes are set out in the text below.
Change in Dimensions and Material Specification
The Longspacs were manufactured to the new length of 3.1 m, to allow the long components that were slightly
over 3m to fit. The width was increased slightly to allow an exact fit of 4 Longspacs across the width of the
transport stillages, improving stability.
The outer fabric was increased in thickness. The woven fabric was increased from 75 GSM to 120 GSM. This
fabric is held together by a coating of polypropylene which was increased from 25 GSM to 30 GSM. The thicker
the woven fabric and coating, the stronger the fabric. The width of the Velcro® fastener increased from 40mm
to 50mm.
Pull handles added
Moving to end-filling of the Longspacs means that „Long‟ components are secured within the pack by closing
both ends using a three flap folded closure secured in place by a tab of Velcro®. At each end of the Longspac a
black carrying handle was sewn into the pack, to be used mainly to pull the Longpacs from the Stillage, in which
filled Longspacs are placed for transport to the customer, and (although not their primary purpose) could also be
used to carry the Longspacs from the delivery vehicle to the customer‟s door.
Figure 9: Picture shows two different handle attachments options considered in the initial testing.
Need for a Centre Join
The Longspac was manufactured in one full length (3.1m) eliminating the need for a centre join. However, a
centre join was created to allow the Longspac to fold in half for easy return once empty. Part of this stage of the
trial investigated whether delivery teams would find this feature useful - i.e. would the delivery crews fold the
empty Longspac in two for return - and also would the fold present a weak-point in the design where structural
failure might occur?
End Close Design Variations
Of these 48 packs, three variations to the end closure design were tested during Phase 1 trial, these were as
follows:
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 15 Design A [18 packs] had folded ends attached with glue „tape‟ (instead of a hot melt polypropylene adhesive
applied by a glue gun). They had external pull handles reinforced with a stitched webbing rip stop.
Design B [18 packs] were as above, with the ends profiled and attached with glue tape but not wrapped.
Design C [12 packs] had separate ends attached only with sewn PP fabric (i.e. the Correx® for the end
pieces is separate from the Correx® for the main body of the pack). This was to allow internal pull handles
without rip stops (which were considered less likely to tear away from the fabric). They had folded ends
glued with glue tape.
Figures 10 and 11: Pictures show two of the three variants for end-closures tested in Phase 1 of the trial –
Design option A (Figure 10) and C (Figure 11) are shown below; design option B is not shown. Figure 10 also
shows clearly how the packs were numbered for tracking purposes.
3.2.2 Results from the Phase 1 Trial
The 48 Longspacs trialled generally performed well, with the average number of reuses being 11 and one pack
successfully exceeding the KPI target for 20 reuses (achieving 21 trips) after 7 weeks.
Results indicated that:
For end closure designs, neither design variation (A, B or C) performed better in terms of number of
reuses. Design B had tidier unfolded ends, with the main advantage of appearing visually the neatest. In
terms of damage to packs, Design C was least preferred because the tape came away on some packs.
Feedback from the operators and delivery teams reported that the Longspacs were not being folded in
half for return. This meant that the Longspacs did not need a centre fold and could, therefore, be made from
one piece Correx®, which had the benefit of reducing manufacturing costs. On this basis, designing the
ends of the Longspac to be made from separate pieces of Correx® was preferred, as this allowed the main
Correx® body to be made from one piece.
As a result of the above findings, the end-closure design specified for Longspacs for the next stage of the
trial was based on a combination of designs B and C – using separate pieces of Correx® for the ends (as in
Design C) with profiled ends and attached with glue tape but not wrapped (as in Design B).
The adhesive tape on many packs came off or showed signs of coming off along the longest side of the
Longspacs. Attempts to repair the packs by both CEVA and Storsack were not successful. It was agreed that
the failing tape would need to be designed out for the next stage of the trial.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 163.2.3 Revisions to Longspac Specification
The Development of an Innovative ‘Circular-Woven’ Outer
Two options were identified to address the need to design out the tape:
Option 1: To make the pack from a heavy duty flat woven PP fabric sewn the complete length of the
Longspac; or
Option 2: To manufacture a light woven circular fabric as a seamless tube.
In order to help progress agreement on the next specification, one sample of each was produced. Initial
feedback was that the sewn option (1) looked robust. However, production time and costs escalated due to the
long length (3.1 m) that had to be sewn and the need for a high degree of accuracy. As a result option 1 was
not pursued and for Phase 2 of the trial, it was agreed to produce 400 units of the circular fabric (option 2).
However, there were a number of challenges manufacturing the circular-woven outer, which had to be designed
specifically for this project. Although woven-tube technology is used in other applications (e.g. for some bags),
as far as the project team are aware - this was the first time that this technology was used for such a small
diameter construction.
The material was manufactured by Storsack in its factory in Ukraine, which has the capability to manufacture to
the size required on its smallest circular weaving looms. Each piece of polypropylene tape (that is woven
together to make the fabric) was 3mm wide.
It became apparent that it was critical to get the tolerance correct between such a small diameter of circular
woven fabric and the rigid square Correx® inner component of the Longspac. If the diameter of the fabric is too
small the assembled inner Correx® will not fit, if it is too tight it will crush the Correx® (once in place) and if it is
too large it will not grip the Correx® and be loose.
Messaging on Packs
The woven polypropylene outer allowed printing on packs, to enable appropriate information to be portrayed
including branding, handling instructions and messaging emphasising that the packaging is returnable and
reusable. Longspacs ordered for Phase 2 of the trial were printed with these messages.
Figure 8: Messaging printed on Longspacs.
Property of B&Q
Serially
numbered from
001 to 500
Longspac Longspac
Not to be left at Not to be left at
customer point of delivery customer point of delivery
These 3 markings to be repeated
on both vertical sides
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 173.3 Phase 2 of the Trial
3.3.1 Results from Phase 2 Trial
The aim of Phase 2 of the trial was to test the Longspacs on a large production scale with 400 packs
manufactured and delivered to B&Q. However, during this phase, a number of design and manufacturing issues
were identified which led to the trial being cut short and the 400 Longspacs being taken out of circulation.
These issues are detailed below, together with changes to the manufacturing process and further design
refinements.
Strength of Correx®
Early in Phase 2 it became apparent that the strength and rigidity of the Longspacs when stacked was not
satisfactory. This had not been a problem during Phase 1 of the trial. The lack of rigidity of the Longspacs was
thought to be caused by the Correx® used, as the specification was different to that used for the 48 Longspacs
in Phase 1 of the trial. One variant in the specification was the amount of carbon black incorporated, which is
added to ensure uniform colour across the Correx® when recycled plastic is used. The increased quantity of
carbon black may have resulted in the difference in rigidity.
Further Testing of Glue Tape and Adhesives
Storsack had previously carried out research on available bonds, tapes and adhesives that could be used for the
Longspac. Results from this research are presented in a short report and spreadsheet in the Appendices.
Building on this research, two methods were used to attach the fabric outer to the Correx® for the 400
Longspacs during this Phase of the trial. Of the 400 ordered, the first 1 to 189 were made with glue tape
and Longspacs 190 to 400 were made with a spray adhesive. This was done so that it could be determined if
one method outperformed the other.
Over half of the 400 Longspacs failed due to a lack of adhesion between the Correx® and the fabric on the end
closures, which led to the Correx® end pieces becoming detached. It was found that the spray adhesive did not
perform well, with these packs completing very few trips before being redundant. The end closures that used
glue tape generally performed better, however, the manufacturing issues with lower strength Correx® led to all
the Longspacs being removed from circulation.
As a result of these issues, all 400 of the circular woven Longspac were taken out of circulation after three
weeks; the maximum number of trips achieved by any single Longspac was 5 before the trial was stopped. All
400 Longspacs were recycled at J & A Youngs (see the Analysis Section for further details on recycling of
Longspacs).
3.3.2 Revisions to Longspac Specification
Following the learning from Phase 2 of the trial, the Longspac specification using the circular woven fabric was
modified in two main ways:
The specification was revised to 700 GSM virgin materials (still made from the circular woven outer fabric).
The recycled content of the Correx® was reduced (thereby reducing the amount of carbon black).
The end flaps were made from a woven polypropylene sandwich that trapped the Correx® in position which
designed out the need for adhesive.
Based on the above changes, two samples were manufactured and delivered in early October 2009. These were
quickly assessed for strength and functionality. They were made of 700 GSM Correx®, almost twice that of the
original 400 GSM, which ensured better strength and rigidity but led to increased weight of the Longspac.
Although there are clear strength benefits, the thicker 700 GSM Correx® was difficult to insert into the circular
woven fabric and Storsack had to adjust the Correx® by 1 or 2 flutes to allow for this.
The project team were confident that these two samples were satisfactory and so a further 100 Longspacs were
ordered based on this revised design. These were delivered in early November 2009, with the target of
achieving 20 trips by the end of February 2010 during Phase 3 of this trial.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 18Figure 12: Picture shows Longspacs during Phase 2 of the trial in stillages awaiting filling at Branston.
Figure 13: Picture shows Correx® ends of a Longspac glued to woven polypropylene fabric.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 193.4 Phase 3 of the Trial
CEVA Logistics on behalf of B&Q delivered products in Longspacs from the central Showroom Fulfilment Centre
to 12 „out bases‟ and 33 local warehouses called Installation Centres (IC) during Phase 3 of the trial. An IC‟s
function is to store all the components of a kitchen (nearer to the customer) until it is 100% complete and ready
for delivery. They act as delivery hubs and are located throughout the UK. Although beneficial to the customer
delivery process, components such as worktops and longs can be held for several weeks waiting for the direct-
from-manufacturer items to arrive at the IC. This extended delivery period has implications for the cycle time for
reusable packaging and therefore the pool size of reusable packaging units that would be required to fulfil all
orders.
Therefore, to advance the trial it was identified that the Longspacs should avoid the ICs and only be delivered on
routes local to Branston. This would allow a quicker return time.
3.4.1 Results from Phase 3 Trial
During this Phase, it was possible to achieve 2 to 3 complete delivery cycles of the Longspac per week once
picking, packing, loading, delivery, return, off-loading, inspection and return for re-packing functions were
accommodated.
Even with briefing notes and training it proved difficult to track the reusable packaging and to ensure that all of
the packs were returned. Forty Longspacs were accidently delivered to Installation Centres (ICs) that were not
participating in the trial and were not recovered as the teams at ICs had not been fully briefed because the
Longspacs were intended to only run on direct home delivery routes local to Branston.
The trial ran for twelve weeks, during which data was collated for the number of Longspacs used on each
delivery run out of Branston. The average number of reuses was 22; this figure was calculated by recording the
cumulative number of times the Longspacs were used and dividing by the 100 „pool‟ to give the mean average.
This average includes those Longspacs that were delivered to ICs and did not continue to circulate after the
eighth delivery run. If these 40 Longspacs are excluded, then the average number of trips will be substantially
higher than 22 trips.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 20Figure 14: Graph illustrates (during Phase 3 trial) the number of Longspacs on each delivery run out of Branston. The table below shows the same data in tabular format.
120
100
Quantity of Logspacs
80
40 'irrecoverable' at an IC and then onto customers
60
40
20
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45
Delivery Runs from Branston
Delivery run number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
No. of Longspacs 100 98 95 95 93 92 92 90 50 50 48 48 47 50 47 47 46 46 47 45 41 39
Cumulative number of trips 100 198 293 388 481 573 665 755 805 855 903 951 998 1,048 1,095 1,142 1,188 1,234 1,281 1,326 1,367 1,40
Average no. of trips 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 13 14 14
Delivery run number 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45
No. of Longspacs 40 38 37 37 37 34 33 32 33 32 30 30 33 36 36 38 38 37 35 34 32 29
Cumulative number of trips 1,485 1,523 1,560 1,597 1,634 1,668 1,701 1,733 1,766 1,798 1,828 1,858 1,891 1,927 1,963 2,001 2,039 2,076 2,111 2,145 2,177 2,20
Average no. of trips 15 15 16 16 16 17 17 17 18 18 18 19 19 19 20 20 20 21 21 21 22 22
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 21Figure 15: The table below shows the end fate of Longspacs used during Phase 3 of the trial.
Number of Longspacs Fate
40 Delivered to an Installation Centre (IC) and not returned
29 Longspacs not returned to the SFC at Branston
(other than those that went to an IC)
2 Damaged and withdrawn from circulation
29 Remaining at end of trial and still circulating
100 Total (pool of Longspacs)
At the end of the trial, 29 Longspacs were counted as still in circulation. This figure may increase as Longspacs
are returned from installation centres following the end of the trial. Remaining Longspacs continued to be used
beyond the end date of the trial and into May 2010, and it is anticipated that the average number of reuses
Longspacs achieved would have increased well beyond 22 trips.
Damage to Longspacs
Two Longspacs were damaged by having the Velcro® fastener cut off. This is thought to have happened in the
transport stillage where a Longspac was trapped by fully loaded Longspacs above it and the driver has not been
able to pull the Longspac out and therefore chose to cut the Velcro® tag off in order to access the products
inside. This could be corrected by sewing the tag onto the body rather than the end.
3.4.2 Feedback from Staff and Drivers
The delivery crews were delighted with the new Longspacs and a quote from a B&Q delivery driver said,
“Brilliant, much better than before, makes my job a lot easier”. Staff on site at Branston also liked the new
format as the process of inspecting a returned Longspac is far less time consuming than had been required to
assemble the single use corrugate packaging format.
As the delivery crews were now able to unfasten the Velcro® closure and pull the Longs components out of the
Longspac they adopted a new system of leaving the Longspacs in the Stillage (on the vehicle). With the original
cardboard boxes, they had to pull these from the stillages and carry them into the customer‟s house (as they
were not so easy to open).
In addition, drivers reported that previously customers sometimes asked the B&Q delivery team to take back the
empty packaging, which could be time consuming in removing this from the vehicle and taking it to the onsite
recycling area. By leaving the Longspac in the vehicle, this issue was eliminated.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 22Figures 16 to 19: Pictures show Longspacs in use during Phase 3 of the trial from empty Longspacs in stillages
awaiting inspection and reuse, filling at Branston for delivery and, finally, returned Longspacs ready for reuse.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 234.0 Analysis and Discussion
Following results from the trial, this section of the report discusses the technical performance of the Longspac
together with the environmental and commercial benefits of using this reusable packaging format.
4.1 Longspac Performance
Technical Performance
During the trial a number of design issues were experienced including loss of Correx® rigidity due to high carbon
black content and failure of glue tapes and adhesives, as well as challenges in the manufacturing process itself –
with the development of the innovative circular woven fabric. Each of these challenges led to modifications to
the Longspac design and an iterative process of testing and refinement.
Despite these challenges, during the final stage of the trial Longspacs confidently demonstrated that they were
fit for purpose and capable of multiple trips – achieving an average of 22 reuses. The Longspac was designed to
protect products during transportation and handling, but at around 3.0 kg, this is twice the weight of the single-
trip cardboard packaging. However, as the Longspac will perform on average 22 trips, the weight of the
materials used in the pack are spread over the number of trips it makes.
The Longspacs used in the final trial incurred little damage. Two Longspacs were damaged by having the
Velcro® fastener cut off; the Longspacs remaining at the end of Phase 3 had only minor surface damage, scuffs,
scratches and score marks.
Anti-static additives proved successful with very little airborne dirt attraction to the woven outer. The Longspacs
also provided good water resistance, which is important as some Longs products are at risk of being left outside
in the open for periods (e.g. at some out-bases). Also, when the stillages were returned, Longspacs could be
offloaded in the open and therefore need to be at least resistant to rain. The pull handles proved popular with
drivers and those handling the pack.
The dimensional tolerances of the Longspac allowed a better fit for rows of four Longspacs in the stillages than
had been possible with the current corrugated board specification. Feedback from the trial was that the
Longspacs appeared to withstand both stacking and overhang forces better than the corrugated board
specification (especially where the corrugate had been exposed to damp conditions) – see Figure 20 below. This
has been demonstrated in situations whereby, as a result of a customer non-delivery and the boxes being
dragged out and back into the stillages and delivery vehicles, the original corrugated longs boxes were not
always fit for the return journey. These issues are likely to be driven by a combination of both ensuring the
packaging performance specification is fit for purpose (for corrugated board boxes or Longspacs) and also
ensuring appropriate handling through the system.
Reusable packaging for delivery of kitchen components at B&Q 24You can also read
