ORBIS showcases sustainable packaging at FachPack

At this year’s FachPack, ORBIS Europe is presenting sustainable and durable transport packaging solutions for different industries (September 27th-29th in Nuremberg, hall 6, booth 316). That includes PlastiCorr, the first reusable brown box replacement for automated packaging lines as well as plastic pallets in a new design for the food and beverage industry. More show highlights are the UN-certified dangerous goods boxes IonPak (pictured) and foldable large containers (FLCs) such as the GitterPak and XXLPaks for automotive and industrial applications.

“Sustainability has become an important part of today’s supply chains. Reusable transport packaging follows the circular economy concept – in manufacturing, use and recycling. By making the switch to reusables, companies can reduce their environmental impact significantly. We will highlight all that at our FachPack booth,” says Christian Hemming, Technical Director EMEA at ORBIS Europe.

The PlastiCorr reusable plastic box is a direct replacement for corrugated fibre boxes with identical functionality and enhanced features. This sustainable solution works seamlessly with existing automated packaging lines and is ideal for food, beverage and FMCG applications. When compared to conventional single-use boxes, the patented design of PlastiCorr allows the plastic boxes to be reused over 70 times. In that way, companies reduce water and energy consumption, the amount of solid waste as well long-term costs.

Security and cleanliness with plastic pallets

In the area of food and beverage transportation, ORBIS showcases two of its reusable plastic pallets in a new design: the German Pallet (1180 x 1265 mm) and the Spanish Pallet (1120 x 1420 mm). Both are designed to convey rigid packaging, such as glass and plastic bottles or aluminium and steel cans in a secure way.

The new flow-through hygienic design allows for improved automated and manual washing. At the same time, the pallets’ two-piece snap-fit design with double wall thickness pallets blocks makes them more durable to handling impacts. These pallets can be combined with layer pads and top frames to create secure, stable unit loads for transport.

The dangerous goods container IonPak is UN-approved to transport solid dangerous goods (Packing Group II), such as lithium-ion batteries, and certified in accordance with RID/ADR (UN4H2/UN50H). The customised packaging consists of a robust foldable large container with European standard footprints (1200 x 800 / 1200 x 1000 / 1600 x 1200 mm) and a custom inner packaging solution optimised to protect dangerous goods. At the booth, ORBIS will feature a customer version of the IonPak.

For use in automotive and other manufacturing industries, ORBIS is showcasing the foldable large containers (FLC) GitterPak and XXLPaks. With a 900kg weight capacity and a European standard footprint of 1200 x 800 mm, the GitterPak is a sustainable, rust-free and foldable alternative to steel gitterboxes. The robust wall design allows for secure stacking of containers (1+5 static, 1+2 dynamic).

The XXLPak containers in extended length are designed to transport even long and hard-to-fit components. The inch footprints are compatible with European standard footprints (approx. 1600 x 1200 mm / 2000 x 1200 mm). All FLCs are manufactured from high-density polyethylene (HDPE) using a structural foam-moulding process for increased durability.

DHL to invest £482m in UK E-commerce operation

DHL is planning to invest £482m across its UK E-commerce operation, DHL Parcel UK. The investment follows a 40% volume uplift since the start of 2020 amid soaring demand for its E-commerce and B2B services.

The expansion project is designed to deliver the right infrastructure to facilitate growth as well as putting the business at the forefront of sustainable and digital logistics.

Nearly half of the investment will be in a brand new 25,000 sq m hub in SEGRO Park Coventry Gateway, located south of Coventry Airport. The new facility will have the capacity to handle over 500,000 items per day and is expected to create over 600 new jobs including warehouse, driver, administration and management positions.

The new hub will feature secure bonded storage and customs capabilities to support international E-commerce, a 48-door cross-dock facility and state-of-the-art mechanisation, allowing automatic sortation of mixed sized and weight items through high-speed sortation equipment.

The building has been designed to achieve BREEAM ‘Excellent’ status to minimise its environmental impact through design features such as 7,000 sq m of solar panels, LED lighting and landscaping to protect the natural biodiversity of the area. As well as incorporating EV charging points for cars, the site will also be equipped with LGV electric charging points throughout and sustainable fuel capabilities to pre-empt technology developments in larger vehicles over the coming years.

An initial £64m will be invested in upgrading the company’s fleet with a major focus on alternative fuel vehicles. The fleet investment includes six fully electric 18-tonne trucks, 30 Liquified Natural Gas (bio-LNG) trucks, and 18 electric tugs. This roll-out will be followed by further sustainable fleet investment going forward.

The investment in sustainable infrastructure and vehicles supports Deutsche Post DHL Group’s sustainability strategy which is in line with the Paris Agreement through the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi). In total, Deutsche Post DHL Group will spend €7bn in sustainable fuel and clean technologies by 2030.

Finally, the business will also invest over £190m to create 10 brand new collection and delivery depots across the UK, and 20 more existing sites will be expanded. The new and expanded depots will create an additional 3,500 jobs across the country. The locations of the new sites have been strategically chosen to reduce the distance required to serve customers, enabling further roll-out of electric vans and improving speed of service.

Peter Fuller, CEO of DHL Parcel UK, says: “This investment is a real demonstration of the excellent work our people and partners have delivered over the past two years to get us to the level of growth where major expansion is required to meet customer demand. E-commerce is going to continue to shape the world around us. This investment, along with the strength of the DHL brand and our leading approach to digitalisation and sustainability, will put us in a strong position to take advantage of market growth.”

Minister for Investment, Lord Grimstone, says: “DHL’s investment into the heart of the Midlands is testament to the success of inward investors in the UK, and is the latest example of our investment strategy and the Government’s levelling-up agenda delivering results.

“With investment comes jobs and a boost to local economies, so I look forward to seeing the Midlands continue to flourish and promoting our commitment for a cleaner and greener future.”

 

Körber acquires Siemens Logistics’ parcel business

The international technology group Körber has successfully completed of the acquisition of Siemens Logistics’ global mail and parcel business and has moved the of headquarters of its Business Area Supply Chain to Constance, Germany.

Siemens Logistics’ mail and parcel business is a market-leading solution provider for cutting-edge mail and parcel technology, automation and advanced software and serves the leading global logistics providers.

Siemens Logistics’ mail and parcel business will be one of the core businesses of the Körber Group. It will accelerate the Group’s growth prospects and complements its market offering as a global partner to the supply chain and e-commerce industry. Therefore, Körber Supply Chain’s headquarters will relocate from Bad Nauheim to Constance. Bringing the corresponding expertise together will further position Körber’s Business Area Supply Chain as a global leader for end-to-end supply chain technology.

Thanks to its complementary positioning, the mail and parcel business fits seamlessly into Körber’s existing supply chain offering and enables fast integration, ensuring business continuity. Customers and businesses worldwide will benefit from the Group’s expertise as a global partner ranging from single solutions to large-scale projects and intelligent hubs up to complete software solutions and entire ecosystems.

The parcel automation market is expected to grow double digit annually in the coming years. The rise in e-commerce and changing consumer behaviour continue to drive demand for automation and digitisation throughout the entire supply chain, and especially in parcel processing. Parcel volumes have increased rapidly. At the same time, demands are increasing in terms of delivery, shorter transportation times and sustainability.

Rami Jokela, Member of the Group Executive Board at Körber AG and Chief Sales Officer, says: “I’m very pleased to extend our core businesses with Siemens Logistics’ mail and parcel business. We will invest in this business and its solutions to support existing and new customers to meet rising new market needs and demands in sustainable supply chains and customer experience.”

“We are thrilled to move our headquarters to Constance, bringing the teams together. By combining our knowledge and passion for cutting-edge technology and innovative solutions, we are convinced that we will be market leader in end-to-end supply chain execution and system integration and shape the future of global supply chains together,” adds Dirk Hejnal, Chief Executive Officer at Körber Business Area Supply Chain.

Thomas Amend, CEO of Siemens Logistics’ mail and parcel business, emphasises: “We are delighted to become a strong part of Körber’s supply chain business. The two companies’ knowledge and solutions as well as the regional structures are a perfect fit. I am sure that we can make a significant contribution to strengthen Körber’s position on the way to become a global leading supplier for end-to-end supply chain technology.”

Körber will offer more integrated and automised solutions that ensure end-to-end connectivity, real-time visibility, speed, and adaptability at efficient costs. By incorporating technological innovations like artificial intelligence, robotics, as well as advanced warehouse automation and blockchain technology, Körber will further empower customers to better predict future trends and is well on track to become market leader in end-to-end supply chain execution and integration.

 

UPS releases first-quarter earnings

UPS has announced first-quarter 2022 consolidated revenue of $24.4bn, a 6.4% increase over the first quarter of 2021. Consolidated operating profit was $3.3bn, up 17.6% compared to the first quarter of 2021, and up 12.1% on an adjusted basis. Diluted earnings per share were $3.03 for the quarter; adjusted diluted earnings per share of $3.05 were 10.1% above the same period in 2021.

For the first quarter of 2022, GAAP results include a net charge of $19m, or $0.02 per diluted share, comprised of after-tax transformation and other charges of $43m offset by an after-tax gain of $24m resulting from the curtailment of benefits in a Canadian retirement plan.

“I want to thank all UPSers for their outstanding efforts during a challenging first quarter to serve the needs of our customers,” said Carol Tomé, UPS chief executive officer. “The agility of our network and the continued execution of our strategy delivered another quarter of strong financial performance, putting us on our way to achieving our 2022 consolidated financial targets.”

Pregis opens European packaging innovation centre

Pregis, a leading global manufacturer of protective packaging, has invested in a new 1,960 sq m (21,000 sq ft) customer experience facility in Europe designed to provide a holistic solutions approach to protective packaging challenges and reduce costly waste incurred by damaged products.

The new Pregis innovation headquarters, called the Pregis IQ, is located in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. It will open in April as a customer demonstration and training facility designed to optimise packaging methods.

“Our objective is to provide value-added services to assist brand owners in selecting protective packaging materials and systems that will reduce total cost, achieve sustainability goals and improve packing efficiency to help address labour challenges,” said Paul van Dijk, Marketing & IQ Director, Pregis Europe. “Pregis has always prided itself in being a material-neutral supplier focused on protecting what’s important to our customers. Our broad material and equipment expertise puts us in an ideal position to recommend a solution that is truly in the brand owner’s best interest.”

As companies and brand owners are faced with challenges that range from limited space, labour constraints, increased demand and desire to package with sustainable materials, Pregis says it is able to demonstrate and offer customer centric system-based solutions approach. At the Pregis IQ, visitors can see how protecting products from damage, minimising material usage, improving operational efficiency, creating a positive ergonomic environment for workers and joyful unboxing experience for customers is all possible with the right partner.

“The shift toward e-commerce growth means expanding order mix, greater complexity and more packaging diversity,” van Dijk said. “Labour and seasonality also impact fulfilment operations’ ability to meet orders, complicating packaging and leading to increased damages. Further, network shipping constraints, coupled with increasing costs, are expected to continue. This means to achieve customer loyalty more customisation and unique solutions will be required to adequately compete.

“By engaging the Pregis IQ services, we can take all of these factors into account and recommend the most environmentally preferred option that integrates into a customer’s operations while delivering measurable benefits.”

The European Pregis IQ is in addition to Pregis’ US-based IQ which has been operational since 2019. The expansion will help Pregis unify its consultative approach across North America and Europe.

 

Sitma returns to live events at Ipack Ima

Four years since the last edition and after two years with no live shows, Sitma is back at Ipack Ima 2022, focusing on e-commerce packaging and introducing its latest innovation, e-Wrap Paper.

Ipack Ima, a partner of Intralogistica Italia, is the starting point in the road map of in-person events confirmed for 2022 by Sitma. This will be followed by LogiMAT in Germany and Logis Tech in Japan. The theme of the shows will be automatic e-commerce packaging solutions, which have become a crucial asset for increasing not only efficiency, but also the sustainability of managing online orders.

Paper wrapping

Sitma, an international company that is completely made in Italy and a leader in the design and production of automation systems for packaging and logistics, presents an exclusive preview of the latest evolution of e-Wrap at the main Italian event entirely dedicated to packaging, with an all-round approach that ranges from logistics to printing, from technology to materials.

E-Wrap paper is specifically designed for the e-commerce sector, combining efficiency and ease of use, flexibility and sustainability. Customisable to different production requirements, the features of E-wrap paper enable it to be used for packaging goods in sectors as diverse as fashion and footwear, books and media, and consumer electronics, while fulfilling the eco-sustainable requirements that this world increasingly demands.

Customer-orientated portfolio

Operating in the e-commerce logistics sector for several years now, Sitma boasts numerous public and private companies in Europe and overseas that use the packaging and sorting solutions included in its product portfolio. The key to designing new solutions is to listen carefully to the needs of the end users and to diversify one’s own product range according to the requirements of the various logistics operators active in this constantly evolving market.

All the packaging solutions engineered by Sitma stand out mainly for their flexibility and reliability, being able to work at different speeds and allowing packages of variable formats and sizes to be packaged to suit the contents. The range is comprehensive and includes both stand-alone solutions and complete lines with automatic product feeding: a full portfolio of machines of different levels of complexity and cost, all supported by an advanced software component.

Sitma will be present at Ipack-IMA, from 3rd to 6th May 2022, in Hall 6P – Stand B01 C02

 

Parcel Perform opens first US office

Parcel Perform, a leading e-commerce delivery experience platform, its continuing its expansion in the United States with the opening of its first office in New York City. This development will enable Parcel Perform to provide on-site servicing of existing and new customers within the United States, Canada, and Latin America.

The company’s success in curating unique end-to-end customer journeys and optimising logistics performance for its global customer base, including Nespresso, Decathlon, and Waterdrop, has led to the doubling of its team growth to better serve its global customers with the launch of its European office in 2019 and US office in 2022.

Tiffany Jensen (pictured) has been appointed Executive Vice President, Americas for Parcel Perform, overseeing Parcel Perform’s go-to-market expansion within the United States. Her background includes over 20 years of direct and channel leadership with PGi, ON24, Andela, and nTopology, ​​where she has built and scaled global sales organisations.

With PGi, she established a world-class platform for their channels business while building a US$20m revenue stream. In addition, Jensen expanded ON24’s global strategic partnerships and alliances by 300% while directing a portfolio of some of the largest companies in the world.

“I’m delighted that Parcel Perform is doubling-down on the US market, following our extremely successful expansion in the last 24 months, defined by new hires and partnerships,” said Arne Jeroschewski, Founder and CEO, Parcel Perform. “Both my Co-Founder, Dana von der Heide, and I are thrilled to have Tiffany on board with us; she brings experience, passion, and leadership with a proven track record in building successful software businesses in the United States and Europe.

“Her appointment also highlights our ongoing success and commitment towards growing a truly global, diverse, and inclusive team at Parcel Perform.”

“I’m honoured and inspired to be joining Parcel Perform,” said Jensen. “The company has built an exciting product and has proven to the market that they are innovative, efficient, and scalable to empower the next stage of e-commerce growth. Building on this foundation, we will continue to address very real challenges that merchants across different industries face here in the US.

“I look forward to working with a truly diverse and global team, executing our growth plans, and building the Parcel Perform brand across this region.”

Data from Parcel Perform’s community and insights platform, Parcel Monitor, have revealed the growth of the US e-commerce market. The COVID-19 pandemic has escalated the growth of e-commerce over 2020, with a 71% increase in parcel volumes during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday period. This trend has continued, as observed from a 43% rise in e-commerce volumes during the same period last year. The country’s cross-border e-commerce market also shows excellent potential, with 23.9% of its international shipments originating from Europe in 2021, from 19% in 2020.

In 2021, Parcel Perform raised US$20m in Series A funding led by Cambridge Capital with participation from Softbank Ventures Asia, Wavemaker Partners, and Investible.

“Parcel Perform’s continued global expansion reflects its unique value proposition as the leading platform for brands, marketplaces, and carriers in an increasingly data-first logistics market,” commented Benjamin Gordon, Managing Partner, Cambridge Capital. “We’re pleased that they’re following through on the ambitions of their Series A funding round to set up an office within the United States and have found a fantastic leader to lead their on-the-ground presence. Their ongoing commercial success and efforts at building a truly diverse team will enable them to innovate on new and exciting features that will revolutionize and define the e-commerce experience.”

Amazon has set the global standard for e-commerce logistics practitioners, offering world-class integrated check-out solutions and accurate delivery predictions to its merchants and end-consumers. Since 2016, Parcel Perform has served the US market to support and scale e-commerce logistics operations for their customers.

Its solutions have connected e-commerce brands, retailers, and marketplaces with over 800 carriers globally to provide real-time parcel tracking for over 100 million parcels daily updates. At the same time, its bespoke machine-learning engine analyses historical data from millions of past shipments to predict the date of delivery with up to 98% accuracy.

Parcel Perform’s focus for 2022 will be to increase its global market share through continued partnerships, deploying innovations in data science, and more profound efforts in customer acquisition.

 

FedEx Express extends reach of e-commerce proposition

FedEx Express has now made its international, day-definite e-commerce service available to customers in 24 European countries with connections to 47 markets worldwide.

After a successful 10-market launch in 2021 (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Austria, Sweden, Belgium and the Netherlands), FedEx International Connect Plus (FICP), is now available in an additional 14 countries: Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Romania, Slovenia and Switzerland.

Now connecting almost 99% of the world’s GDP, services such as FICP enable e-commerce sellers to grow their business in Europe and abroad. Those businesses will be able to ship their products to online shoppers in Europe in 1-3 days, North America in 3-4 days, Asia-Pacific and the rest of the world in 3-5 days at attractive rates, improving their competitiveness in the market.

Wouter Roels, Senior Vice President Marketing International, FedEx Express Europe, said: “Worldwide e-commerce sales are expected to exceed $5tr in 2022 and grow to over $7tr in 2025, creating many opportunities for European businesses. With the latest extension of FICP to growth markets in eastern and northern Europe, FedEx Express is supporting businesses on their growth journeys by connecting them to more customers in global and intra-European markets.”

”The launch of FedEx International Connect Plus in Ireland is an exciting development for e-commerce businesses who want to reach global online shoppers with speed and efficiency,” said Brian DeCair, Vice President Operations Ireland and UK North, FedEx Express. ‘’Cross-border e-commerce is growing faster than domestic e-commerce and businesses are increasingly seeking more diversified, cost-effective solutions in order to meet consumers’ evolving needs and this new cross-border service, balancing speed with attractive prices, delivers just that.”

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, the retail landscape has transformed with growth in both domestic and cross border e-commerce sales. Consumer research in 40 countries worldwide shows that, in 2020, 37% of e-commerce shoppers bought more cross border due to the pandemic. Furthermore, 28% agreed or strongly agreed that, in the future, they will buy more online from retailers based abroad.

Asked about several elements of the delivery process, consumers indicated satisfaction levels for delivery speed were lowest. In addition, 71% of consumers would pick an online retailer that offers flexible delivery options over one that doesn’t.

The service comes with the reliability of FedEx’s international, day-definite delivery, coupled with FedEx’s customs clearance expertise and tracking capabilities. E-commerce sellers can also send out notifications and shoppers have the flexibility to change the day and location of deliveries via FedEx Delivery Manager, providing them with visibility, more control and convenience over their online orders.

Sparck produces 100-millionth fit-to-size box

Sparck Technologies, the new name for Packaging by Quadient, has hit a major milestone with 100 million boxes produced on its revolutionary fit-to-size packaging machines worldwide. As Sparck’s advanced CVP Everest and CVP Impack packaging systems make each cardboard box to the exact size required for every particular order, the company calculates that some 34,250,000 sq m of cardboard has been saved through the use of its technology, equating to the preservation of 46,000 trees.

In addition to the material savings and ecological benefits, the effect of the total volume reduction resulting from fit-to-size packaging across 100 million packages is estimated to have removed 31,700 lorry loads from the roads, contributing to reductions in the carbon footprint of Sparck Technologies’ customers worldwide.

Jo Bradley, Business Development Manager, Sparck Technologies, says: “Hitting this key milestone of one hundred million boxes really brings home the growing pace of adoption of right-size packaging technology and the important role it is playing in making ecommerce more sustainable.

“Our calculations relating to the significant total savings in resources and transport that have been achieved, gives some idea of the collective, positive impact individual companies can make by using available technology to right-size their packaging. Given that the collective gains are clearly so significant, imagine what could be achieved through industry wide adoption.”

With the capability to tailor-make up to 1,100 packages per hour, for multiple or single items, the CVP Everest and CVP Impack Packaging Systems offer automated solutions for e-commerce operations challenged by increasing order volumes, labour shortages and rising shipping costs. With installations in more than 13 countries, the CVP Automated Packaging Solutions effortlessly create, fill, fold and label each parcel in one seamless process – reducing package volumes by up to 50%, cutting cardboard usage by 30% and eliminating the need for void fill.

“Drones, flying cars? Not in my working career!”

Straight-talking Crown SDS Director, Steve Rushton, talks candidly about his views on the integration of autonomous technology within logistics and how the sector has and will continue to evolve during his career.

The landscape of the logistics sector has changed dramatically, since Rushton joined Express Tyres as a fresh-faced apprentice.

Whilst technology has been prominent throughout his career, the rapid growth of autonomous systems and the digital transformation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices has been significant in recent years.

Now responsible for operations, sales, revenue and profit at Crown SDS, in his role as Director and General Manager, he talks about the opportunities that have shaped his career and how the logistics industry has, and will, continue to evolve amid the rise in autonomous technology and digitalization.

“All this talk about the adoption of driverless transport, delivery drones and flying cars” Rushton starts, “is all valid”.

“But the technology is simply not there yet to make it scalable – and certainly won’t be within my working career”.

He doesn’t deny that there will be a multitude of technologies developed over the next decade, that will add significant value for the sector, but adds “the main role of technology and automation will be as a tool to help businesses to work smarter, better and provide far better data transparency, which will ultimately improver the customer experience.”

“The consumer trend of sameday delivery is coming into the forefront more than ever before – everything is getting faster. Decisions are becoming increasingly focused on speed and availability, over price. Whilst our focus at Crown SDS is about providing an agile service, even whilst operating at peak capacity, investing in technologies that enable us to rely more on automation has meant we’ve been able to increase the scale of our operation quickly, to meet spikes in demand.”

Commenting on the increased pressures of the current climate, Rushton adds “economic risk and inflation have put more demand on businesses to remain agile, in order to react to changes. This is something which has come further into the forefront since the beginning of the pandemic”.

“Businesses can react more quickly by becoming fitter & leaner. A key part of this transition will be through implementing technologies that improve efficiency”

“As a sustained level of inflation continues to drive up costs, it will also bring with it opportunities for individuals. As we remove wasteful practices from the supply chain, it paves the way to add value and offer fair reward for those individuals that bring value, by way of improving salaries or rates of pay for drivers – all of which are currently buckling under the current levels of inflation”

Asked if he has any advice for those just starting a career in the industry, Rushton responds: “With the dramatic rise in reliance upon technology of recent years, it can be easy to leave technology to do the work”.

“I would urge anyone – get out from the behind the desk and see for yourself what is going on”.

“Logistics touches everything and can cover a multitude of sins, but when things go wrong they can lead to chaos – it’s important to get up and go and see the problem or challenge first hand”.

“Genchi Genbutsu – go and see for yourself. It’s a philosophy I learned from the leaders that have shaped my career and is something that has stayed with me throughout”.

 

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