Could Better Pallet Processes Reduce Damage and Theft in the Supply Chain?
31 Jan 2019
It has been reported that there is mounting pressure on professionals in the logistics industry to explore new ways of working. This is in line with the quantity of goods that are reported to be lost, stolen and damaged. These figures have grown over time, and now action needs to be taken to see this percentage reduced.
Many organisations have identified that these very issues are causing them problems. Some organisations have taken a brash approach and have decided to simply offset a percentage of products to loss or damage. They have accepted that it’s an issue and have decided to mitigate it by predicting it. However – other more proactive firms have been dedicating time and effort towards understand additional measures and processes through the supply chain which could help to kerb, or at least reduce, this growing problem.
Causes of Loss or Damage
Theft is by and large much more of a unique problem to solve. However, loss and damages are certainly something which is on the minds of Process Managers. Some of the key things considered to be causing this are operational issues such as:
- Labels falling off packages or being detached
- Labels becoming badly damaged from scratches and scrapes
- Labels becoming difficult to read or illegible due to water or physical damage
- Old labels being left on the package causing confusion about the route
- Delicate products not being packaged with shock-absorbent protection
- Secure palletising to reduce shifting and falling during transportation
- Measures to prevent products (e.g. pharmaceuticals) from being at risk of contamination e.g. seals
- The wrong type of packaging being used – e.g. cardboard packaging which has then crumpled
Resolving These Issues
There is no doubt that these issues, and figuring out how to resolve them, is a major headache for professionals in the logistics industry. Reinventing processes can be a lengthy process which can incur a great deal of time and expense with no guaranteed improvements. However here are some top tips from SHD Logistics which might be worth considering:
- Utilise tamper evident seals where possible so it cannot be removed and replaced without breakage
- Explore integral label holders which allow the label to be sit behind a clear layer which is secured when the lid is closed
- Make a rule for exactly where labels get placed so that less contains leave with old labels still attached
- Consider the best packaging material for your shipment – plastic crates are best for impact and puncture resistance
- Add further protection to delicate or fragile products such as internal trays or vacuum trays which stop items sliding about