For years, bulk packaging manufacturers focused their attention simply on designing and selling functional products for a well-defined customer base. But buyers today are looking to their bulk packaging suppliers to help them better maximize their supply chain efficiencies, improve cost effectiveness, and provide more "green" products for use in their supply chains.

Bulk packaging products in general fall into two categories: rigid bulk packaging, which includes drums, rigid intermediate bulk containers (RIBCs), pails, corrugated boxes; and flexible bulk packaging, which includes shipping sacks, flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs), film wrap, strapping and liners.

Snyder Industries of Lincoln, Neb. specializes in long-lasting returnable/reusable IBCs which eliminated disposable packaging, and the associated waste and labor, reports Michael Spurrier, vice president, sales and marketing at Snyder. The company is experiencing new demand from buyers that once used steel returnable containers. The durable all-plastic designs are lighter, more corrosion- and chemical-resistant, and offer lower acquisition costs with a comparable, useful life-to-cost ratio, says Spurrier.

Another efficiency benefit to rigid bulk containers is they are designed to stack very high which maximizes floor space. "Many customers are using this to replace super-sacks or corrugated boxes with liners, and are thus able to eliminate the disposal of these sacks and boxes," reports Spurrier. In replacing the super-sacks, for example, users are able to stack rigid containers higher, creating more space efficiency.

Spurrier says buyers continue to come to Snyder Industries for cost saving ideas. "We spend time with customer decision makers, such as purchasing, product management, and engineering," says Spurrier. They discuss the function of the containers and how the containers can improve their own and customers' operational efficiency, such as better dispensing, handling and valve function that will reduce labor and waste. "We can then incorporate these ideas into feature and functional improvements on their specific container design," he adds.

Snyder recently worked with Sugar Foods Corp. in City of Commerce, Calif. on a value-analysis bulk packaging project. Sugar Foods is a supplier of sugar substitutes, turbinado natural sugar, powdered nondairy creamer, croutons, and other food products. Recently the company began looking for environmentally friendly solutions to improve its crouton manufacturing operations and one area stood out: the use of lined, corrugated boxes that were used to handle, store and dispense croutons within the facility.

After croutons are cut, baked, and seasoned, they were being conveyed and discharged into small corrugated boxes with plastic liners, holding about 4.5 cubic feet of croutons each. The system was labor-intensive, due to the need to assemble the boxes, line them, and place them below a discharge conveyor for filling. "It was a waste of our labor resources," says Keith Knearem, plant operations manager.

After filling the boxes, workers would stack them on a pallet, and then move the pallet to a storage area for cooling. Then, they were transferred to the packaging room. Once the boxes were emptied, workers would remove and dispose of the liners and boxes that were deemed unusable. "The packaging waste was not only unnecessary and inefficient, but it increased disposal costs," notes Mark Thomson, vice president of operations.

Sugar Foods began to investigate the potential benefits of a reusable bulk handling system that would improve efficiency and environmental responsibility. It concluded that a large, durable, portable hopper bin was the best solution. (Such hoppers can hold up to 100 cubic feet.) The bins are reusable and designed to be handled easily and stacked with a forklift. "A portable hopper bin enables us to load up to eight boxes into one unit that can be easily and safely transported, stacked, and discharged, which addresses our key operational issues with the boxes," says Knearem.

Initially, the plant considered traditional metal (steel or aluminum) bins. However, Snyder Industries introduced the idea of an all-plastic hopper which doesn't have any weld seams like a metal bin. This provides a smoother surface for better flow characteristics and sanitation. Another benefit to the plastic is that, while it is thicker-walled, it is lighter than metal bins, which reduces handling and transportation costs. Furthermore, the plastic bins are translucent, allowing operators to view material usage levels without having to utilize expensive level sensors, which would have been required with metal bins. "The decision to go with plastic was a relatively easy one," says Knearem. "Our payback on this investment will be less than one year."

Another bulk packaging manufacturer focused on providing supply chain efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and environmental strategies to buyers is Orbis Corp. of Oconomowoc, Wis., which manufactures rigid plastic reusable packaging. The company's specialists are able to analyze individual operations or complete supply chains, conduct financial justifications, design solutions, and implement packaging programs for sustained cost reduction and supply chain efficiency. Since supply chain systems are dynamic, the packaging programs that support them must evolve as well. To this end, the specialists continually re-evaluate opportunities for optimization with new products, quality improvements, and modified production processes.

Collapsible containers, like Orbis’ shown here, provide more flexibility.

And with the costs of freight and logistics continuing to rise, Orbis is now in the process of developing new containers that are even more freight conscious. "This means focusing on less packaging and more product within the packaging," Kukuk says. From the environmental perspective, the company's containers are 100% recyclable. "We take product back from customers, give them credit for it toward future purchases, and then reuse the material," he states. "As such, it is not only good for the environment, but the process actually saves money for customers."