Transport of packaging - What is a container and what is its purpose?

Whether it is semi-finished products in manufacturing, products in the B2B sector or end consumer products - all goods must be transported. The type of transport is preceded by various practical considerations.

Of central importance here is cost-effectiveness: maximum efficient utilization of all factors under the given circumstances (for example, the space available on a pallet). So that as many goods as possible can be handled and moved per transport with a minimum of effort in a period of time as short as possible.

For the logistics industry, this means a lot of mathematical calculations. Among the many items that are used, the container always plays a decisive role. It is, so to speak, a (in practice very variable) measurement variable, in order to be able to better calculate goods (quantities) on the one hand, and to handle them more efficiently on the other.

However, not all containers are the same; in practice, the context as well as the type of packaging and transport are very important. We will now show you everything you need to know about this relevant term.

Etymology: the roots of the term container

As with many other words, also with the bundle can already be understood to some extent, what could be meant by it. In this case, "something bound or tied together". In any case, a compilation of several things.

One root of this word is found in the textile industry. There, various similar and interrelated parts are referred to as a "bundle" or, more recently, a "bundle". In this application, the bundle can be regarded as the "smallest (multi-part) manageable unit", specifically referring to several threads. Several of these units or bundles can be combined into a larger unit with its own designation, which in turn can also be combined - et cetera.

The use of the term is always similar: a compilation of a certain or indefinite quantity of a good. Mostly with the purpose to be able to calculate or handle it easier, respectively faster.

In addition to its use in the textile industry, the use of the term in the beverage industry is interesting. There, the pack was, historically, the second smallest unit of measurement for packaged beverages: the smallest unit was the single bottle; several bottles (literally connected with strings) became a pack.

Until today, the term could hold, especially among winemakers and beer brewers, but there it became a bit more unspecific. Nowadays, these experts always speak of containers when their goods are in large containers above the individual bottle. In this sense, a small five-liter barrel of beer can be just as much a container as a thousand-liter tank full of wine.

But there is no rule without exception: smaller containers (above the individual bottle) are referred to in this industry as small containers - depending on the context in distinction to large containers.

You may notice it's true here too: A compilation of a good of certain or indeterminate quantity to make it easier to handle. After all, a barrel is definitely easier to handle than many individual bottles.

Why bundles instead of individual goods?

Containers offer many advantages for efficiency in the warehouse.

This brings us to the topic of "modern logistics". Here, where everything is trimmed for maximum efficiency so that as many goods or merchandise as possible can be moved with minimum effort in the shortest possible time. This "effort" can take various forms, for example:

Required trips with the forklift until a truck trailer is filled.
The time required to load a ship.
The necessary number of operations to load a pallet to its weight limit.

This is where the container comes into play. For a better understanding, imagine, for example, that a million small screws had to be moved from the manufacturer to a customer. If each individual screw were touched, then

the entire logistical procedure would be enormously protracted;
it would be practically impossible to keep track of the quantity;
you would need a large transport container, but sometimes it would not be used efficiently.
loading and unloading would sometimes be an unnecessarily complicated process.

So what do the professionals do? They combine the one million screws into bundles. As a starting point, for example, they can use small folding boxes as a starting point. They know exactly how much a screw weighs. So you can extrapolate how much a hundred screws weigh, for example. Each folding box is placed on a scale and then as many screws are poured into it until the calculated weight is reached.

This box could now be called a small bund le - a combined but relatively small quantity of several similar goods. This bundle is already significantly easier to handle than the individual screws - and incidentally gives exact dimensions.

But the usefulness of the containers - and the possible application of the term - goes even further: even with these boxes, it would still take quite a long time to load a truck, for example. Ergo, the manufacturer would most likely make the folding boxes with the aid of larger shipping cartons to form a further pack, which would mean that there would already be two "pack levels".

For example, 50 folding boxes can then fit into one carton, which again allows a total number of screws per pack to be calculated. In addition, although the carton weighs quite a bit, it can still be handled with fewer operations (in relation to the quantity of screws packed in it) and is therefore easier to handle.

However, since this has not yet been optimized to the maximum logistically either, the final step now follows: the shipping cartons with the folding boxes in them are combined into another pack - by stacking them on one or more pallets. This tower will probably still be wrapped with foil or strapping tape to make it more stable.

Then it only takes a few trips with the forklift truck and a million screws are loaded - and can be unloaded just as easily. And not only that: thanks to the division into container (levels), the recipient of the screws can see at any time how many he still has. In addition, he can issue exactly required quantities without any time delay instead of having to laboriously count out the desired number.

No matter which logistical area you look at: Everywhere, containers have the same strengths in that they combine a large quantity of things that are individually uneconomical to handle. Often, this grouping is accompanied by other advantages. Namely, the protection of goods against various hazards between weather and mechanical damage.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics presented a software called PUZZLE some time ago. Among other things, the tool helps optimize the loading of cartons and pallets by performing all the necessary calculations. For example, it can show the way in which shipping cartons need to be stacked on a pallet for optimal space utilization.

Versatile term: container in the transport system

In the previous section you could already read that there are several types of containers in logistics practice. In fact, however, the term is somewhat more diverse. Because what "container" means is often only determined by the context in which the term is used.

Specifically, we can define three ways in which the word container can be used correctly:

An empty transport container of any kind. In this sense, a beverage crate not yet filled with bottles would just as correctly be a container as a folding box not yet opened, an empty shipping carton or (at least theoretically) even a sea container.
A package that has been assembled and is therefore ready for transport - i.e. the combination of several packages or transport containers. The pallet mentioned above, which is ready for loading and contains many shipping cartons, would be such a package (or container). The forklift truck only has to slide its forks underneath and move the container.

You may notice that there is always packaging involved. A single product or a larger quantity of a product can never be a container without being packaged in some way.

The key question: How big must a container be?

If there is a need for packaging in your company, then behind this there is almost automatically (also) the desire to be able to use these products more easily. This means that the use of containers already has a raison d'être.

However, given how diverse a container can be, the key question for you is what the minimum and maximum size of the container can be.

Especially if you want to combine packs in a multi-stage process like in the screw example mentioned above, it is necessary to consider various factors:

What is the commercial quantity in which your target group would like to purchase the product? For example, if you want to sell dried pasta to the end consumer, the container would have to be much smaller than if your target group consisted of restaurant operators with much larger pasta needs.
How well or poorly can the individual product or the individual container be handled? Size plays a key role here. For example, plastic beverage bottles are often combined into six-packs with the aid of film. Among other things, these are much easier to stack on pallets and the tower retains its stability much better when individual packs are removed than if it consisted only of loosely stacked bottles.
What is the weight of product and/or smaller containers and how does the load-bearing capacity of the packaging relate to this? For example, a Euro pallet can carry a maximum of 2,000 kg. However, if smaller containers are stacked on it, then their packaging must also be included because they must bear the weight of the layers above them. This is the main reason why there are such tools as the PUZZLE mentioned above. Furthermore, weight plays a role in handling: a forklift truck, for example, can naturally move completely different loads than a single person.
In what way are the containers moved? For pure transport between manufacturer and retailer, the pallet is a common approach. But if, for example, the retailer doesn't just put the pallet on the sales floor, but puts its contents on shelves one by one, you need to include several modes of transportation.

Out of all these factors, there are three decisive variables for you:

The number of "pack levels" required between end-user packaging and sea container filled with pallet towers.
The type of packaging required.
The range of possible materials that can be used.

Just as there are different types of containers, there are different ways to reach your goal. Therefore, always strive to optimize your containers - because they ultimately play a decisive role in your business success.

Conclusion: Bundles summarize and thus facilitate many things

Individual goods may be what your customers pay for. But there are a whole host of logistical realities and necessities along the way. The different types and levels of bundles allow you to group individual goods into larger, more manageable or otherwise more efficient units.

This always optimizes the entire logistics process, gets your goods to the target group faster and reduces all transport risks.

FAQ

Are containers also subject to standards and similar specifications?
Yes, at least for certain products, packaging, and containers. For example, in the brewing sector there is the "DIN Keg". A keg with precisely defined dimensions, volume and other characteristics. Therefore, always find out if there are similar specifications for your industry and products. The probability of this is high.
Is it always necessary to use multiple container levels?
No, not at all. Again, it depends on the type of product and packaging. Above a certain size/mass, combining several containers can even become counterproductive. For example, hardly anyone would combine several thousand-liter IBC containers into one even larger container because, for most applications, this would not improve handling but achieve the exact opposite.
Are shipping cartons good for larger containers?
Yes, definitely. Because the corrugated board used is comparatively stable and load-bearing. It is therefore ideally suited, for example, to stacking several shipping cartons on a pallet