Switch to corrugated saves time and money for global automotive company

A global manufacturer of automotive components in western Sweden produces brake discs, wheel hubs and connecting rods for passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The plant has a long history of high-quality products and long-term customer relationships so there’s no room for cutting corners (unless you do it literally!)

Challenge – Lower cost, less space, easier handling

Lower the total cost of the packaging used in transport from the manufacturing plant in Sweden to the storage centre in Gent, Belgium. That means less expensive materials but also optimising pallet space and a more rational, ergonomic and effective process for packing the goods which can weigh up to 50kg.

Our Approach – Expert consultation

DS Smith Packaging Strategists visited the customer and also invited their project group to meet with us at our PackRight Centre in Mariestad.

We showed the customer that it is indeed possible to replace wooden packaging with corrugated board (with testimonials from several Swedish companies operating worldwide). We used our moisture-protected corrugated board; a coated corrugated board designed to be water resistant and endure tough environments. Our Specialist in Packaging Systems made a thorough calculation of the packing stage so the best possible solution took into account everyone’s needs. We engaged all of our competences within the company; our PackRight Centre, a specialist in Packaging Systems and a coated board product specialist.

Result – Great packaging performance

• Lower costs compared to wooden packaging, 1.5 million SEK in savings
• Lower CO₂ emissions with 33% more products per pallet
• Lower transportation costs as shipments from Sweden to Belgium reduced by 25%

• Improved environmental performance as waste is easy to recycle

• Faster and more ergonomic packing thanks to the semiautomatic jig with vacuum to assemble the packaging
• Easy implementation as the new packaging integrated into the existing automation that lifts the wheel hub into the box and palletizes
• Less space for storage of the packaging is needed. The wooden solution needed nine times more space for packaging storage.

Growing the savings: The successful packaging solution resulted in DS Smith redesigning the packaging for an additional product line increasing savings to an incredible 2.4 million SEK (€260 000).