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Hand stacking containers a false economy
POSTED: 9:36 a.m. EDT, May 21,2007
Too many shippers hand stack containers to maximize the cube without considering the much higher costs incurred de-stuffing the boxes at the other end, argues Australian conveyor systems maker Adept Conveyor Technologies in Queensland's Supply Chain Review magazine.
"There is the desire to reduce shipping costs per item by packing the container to the roof, while at the same time trying to balance it against the costs of unloading, sorting and putting away," says Adept's sales chief Paul Johnson.
Mr Johnson, whose interest is selling his company's pallet-friendly cargo conveyor, the X-10der, said many companies opt to hand stack rather than palletise cargo to maximize cube use and cut packing costs.
While there are advantages to hand stacking, he conceded, such as not needing pallets, more manpower is required to de-stuff boxes. "Casual staff is sometimes hired to empty the containers by hand which involves additional charges and lengthy delays," he said. |
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