Reducing Packaging Costs through A Systems Based Approach to Unit Load Design
Millwood and Liberty Technologies introduce new approach to unit load design at MODEX 2012
Atlanta, Ga., February 7, 2012 – Millwood Inc. (www.millwoodinc.com) and Liberty Technologies,
worldwide industry leaders and innovators of unit load and packaging systems, materials and services,
demonstrated the systems based approach to unit load design at MODEX 2012, the event for the
manufacturing, distribution and supply chain industries.
Just what is a systems based approach to unit load design? It applies science and technology to design
the right mix of materials handling equipment, pallets, film, corrugated and other packaging materials
to safely transport a load through the supply chain in an economic and sustainable way.
“Too often, the materials handling systems and packaging components that support a unit load are
designed in silos,” says Ralph Rupert, Millwood’s manager of unit load technology and an expert in
corrugated materials and unit load design. “The materials handling system designer isn’t talking to the
pallet engineer who isn’t talking to the corrugated or stretch film engineers.”
A systems based approach takes into account how each of those components works together across the
supply chain.
In addition to offering a systems based approach to redesign its customers’ industrial packaging,
Millwood is developing a certified unit load test lab at the corporate technology center to run tests
under ASTM and ISTA guidelines. In the test lab, end users will be able to test their designs on
materials handling equipment. “If we’re going to provide the most sustainable and economical unit load
solutions to our customers, we need to test a design up front and verify its success after the fact,” Rupert
said. “A test lab will allow us to tie all of the components of a unit load together into a systems based
approach.”
The test lab will be operational later this year.
