Towards Automated Packaging For E -Commerce Logistics

TThe conventional supply chain of consumer goods uses corrugated boxes on pallets as the main principle for manipulation, storage and transport of the goods. Apart from dimensions the vertical compression strength is the most important selection criterion for the boxes. In the early days of e-commerce corrugated boxes have been adopted as parcel packaging. However in e-commerce boxes are manipulated individually. They are dropped, thrown, rotated, compressed in all directions, … although they are designed for vertical compression resistance. Additional packaging material is required especially in case of fragile goods. Different types of cushioning materials are being used. Often 5 cm of expandable polystyrene chips on all sides around a fragile product is recommended by couriers and insurance companies. Some types of these chips are recyclable but most types fragment easily in small parts that survive for thousands of years if released in nature. In this research an alternative cushioning method is proposed and compared to the polystyrene chips in terms of shock absorption. Five variants of the new method are studied. The cheapest variant turns out to be the best shock absorber as well. Moreover this variant can easily be produced fully automatically. Therefore the new method is considered extremely promising.