The ISO Bin should be the industries returnable of choice, see why at Auto Supply Chain, Liverpool

How much does it cost you to dispose of your packaging? Or if you do happen to use returnable, do you think there could be competitive alternatives?

With the ISO Bin from Macro Plastics, sponsor of the AutoSupply Chain Congress, there are no costs to disposing of packaging as there is nothing to dispose of. Installing dunnage inside the ISO Bin removes the need for cardboard and plastic packaging, therefore no rubbish means no cost.

Then you have concerns about the cost of shipping back to the OEM or tier supplier? Have you encountered extortionate costs for return journeys previously?

Pay me a visit whilst in Liverpool at the congress so that you can see why this type of packaging is a viable alternative to your current method solely on the benefits of returning the bins.

Purchasing cardboard and assembling the packing is a recurring cost that is removed when using plastic returnable. Plastic returnable packaging also removes the costs associated with processing components in cardboard packaging. There are no storage costs, there is no need for picking and repackaging at the plant as the ISO Bin can go lineside. Then there are disposal costs that you incur with cardboard. This sustainable product not only helps your bottom line but also ensures that your supply chain is environmentally friendly, especially as we are now in a time when green standards are high on the agenda.

The ISO containers can be stacked 8 high on their return journey, this significantly reduces the space that is needed in comparison to current returnable options on the market. Therefore you can increase the number of units per container and reducing the cost of returning the bin.

With regard to the dunnage, a dedicated container is used to return the dunnage used in the delivery of the components to the plant. The bulk of the ISO Bins can then be collapsed down and stacked to either be returned to the tier supplier or can be used elsewhere in the supply chain.

The ISO Bin can be safely stacked in a warehouse 6 high when fully loaded, again reducing the space required in comparison to alternatives and reducing the storage costs.

Potential cost downs couple with improved performance of your growing supply chain cannot be ignored. This is a solution that delivers on the two key areas of the logistical process having a direct impact on the bottom line providing a ROI.

But then why do you need to be concerned about ROI when there are options that do not require capital investment?

When it comes to food quality and safety it has to be plastic bins over wood!

Crane & Crane continuously strive to make improvements to the safety and quality standards they have on their 1000 acre farm in Washington. As a global supplier of over 7 million apples per year, need to ensure that they get the right produce to the customers globally all year round.

In order to improve their safety and quality standards, they have moved the whole farm from old wooden bins that have been used for decades to Macro Plastics’ bin. This has transformed their operations from the orchard to the warehouse through to storage.

You can see in the video how moving to 100% plastic has instantly helped improve the quality of their fresh produce.

With fresh produce now being required all year round on a global scale food safety is taken very seriously throughout the system. Plastic bins offer far better safety standards that wooden bins cannot provide.

The bins are non-porous meaning that they can be cleaned and sanitised a lot easier than wood. They won’t harbour pathogenic or spoilage organisms.

The plastic bins flex less than wooden bins that Crane & Crane have used previously. This gives the content more protection when they are being transported around the farm the orchards and into storage. This considerably reduces the risk of bruising, improving quality levels and reducing waste.