Helping a global paint brand solve the problem of damaged goods in transit

Our clients trust us

Testimonials

56 %
Cost saving

“In an industry that is really competitive, achieving marginal gains throughout our business can make a big difference. The support Lindum have provided has benefited our people, our business and also the environment. I don’t think anyone can ask for more than that.”

- Karro Food Group

65 %
Cost saving

“It was not necessary to make a full business calculation of the pay-back period. The ‘offsite’ waste reduction of 66% alone convinced the senior management …Thanks to the Caregrip™ anti-slip paper, the stacked products remain on the pallet and the downtime is reduced. In fact, there have been no stoppages caused by dropped products since the shift to PAL-Cut and Caregrip™ sheets. A welcome side-effect is the near elimination of fork-lift trucks in the packaging zone and that has been a wish for many years.”

- ‘Offsite’ waste reduction

52435 kg
Reduction in packaging waste

“In an industry that is really competitive, achieving marginal gains throughout our business can make a big difference. The support Lindum have provided has benefited our people, our business and also the environment. I don’t think anyone can ask for more than that.”

- Faccenda Foods

Introduction

A global paint manufacturer sought our help when they wanted to get to the bottom of the reason so many of their products were being damaged in transit. Through pallet stability testing, we helped to achieve some impressive results.

The Challenge

The paint manufacturer approached Lindum Packaging when they thought there may be a problem with their existing pallet packaging. They had previously tried to resolve their pallet stability problem by using a remote stability testing facility in Europe, but this had high costs associated with it, because of the transport of goods to Europe, but also didn’t give the real-time feedback that you get by testing on site. These previous efforts failed to translate into a benefit back in the real-world of transport and logistics at their UK factory. They then consulted with our team who set out to help solve the problem that was causing a high amount of damaged goods in transit.

The Solution

The manufacturer had embarked on a journey to invest in new packaging machinery at their facility, however, with so many products being damaged in transit, they didn’t want to push ahead with such an investment until they had got to the bottom of their packaging issues. Our team were able to quickly identify that the problems they were facing were down to pallet stability. With that, we utilised our innovative, UK first mobile pallet stability test lab and undertook testing at their manufacturing site.

The beauty of our test lab, is that once on site, we can test and retest. Therefore we don’t just suggest improvements, but we implement them and then test them to see real time data and measure the effectiveness of the improvements in action. Lindum’s test lab gave the flexibility to work both on and off site. Initial on-site testing identified the root causes of poor pallet stability, and further off-site trials allowed packaging formulation work to happen without taking up valuable manufacturing time on the production line.

Then further trials with the test lab on site were able to verify the results in real time, thus giving the paint manufacturer the confidence that the project was successful. We discussed and demonstrated the difference between stretch hoods and stretch wrap, allowing them to fully understand the differences and benefits of each. In combination with live test demonstrations, we were able to clearly identify not only where the problems were coming from, but also gave them the confidence to push ahead with the investment of new pallet wrapping machinery across the manufacturing plant, something which had been put on hold.

Results & Outcome

The results for the global paint manufacturer were significant. Not only did we get to the bottom of what was causing the damaged goods, but in doing so managed to save them thousands of pounds a year eliminating damaged goods in transit. By being able to test and improve pallet stability, we therefore were able to give the manufacturer the confidence they needed to invest in new packaging machinery across their manufacturing site.

The added value Lindum brought to this global brand meant that through carrying out a range of tests, we could not only recommend the right film but also go one step further. We identified that during transportation due to the changes made, they could make changes to how they stacked their products. So their 10L paint buckets could be restacked more efficiently – adding an extra layer to the pallet. Restacking in this way meant that they were able to dispatch 60 tubs on a pallet instead of 48, which was a transport and efficiency gain of over £1 million per year.

Providing solutions