In certain situations, customizing standard products, such as foldable large containers, can solve an apparently complex issue for clients with special requirements. In this case study, our company was approached by a major European manufacturer of cosmetic products to solve their number one problem: packaging and storing their raw materials and finished products in a more hygienic and space saving manner.
A Perilous Situation for a Cosmetics Manufacturer
Cosmetic products, from skin care creams to makeup, perfumes and hair styling products are extremely sensitive products which need to be stored with the greatest care to hygiene. This is a basic requirement for any products for direct human use and our client was already treading on the fine line towards lack of compliance with product safety regulations.
Both the raw materials and the finished products, ready to be shipped to cosmetic boutiques, hair salons and duty free stores were packed in metallic bins placed on wooden pallets. On the date of our initial inspection at the site, we noticed that these pallets were not in a very good condition, having already accumulated dirt from the floor of the warehouses and trucks. The floor itself was not adequately clean and hygienic, due to the continuous chipping off of the pallets, falling down to the floor.
Logistic Experts Assess the Client’s Needs and Requirements
The main reason for continuing to use the unreliable and unhygienic packaging materials was the specific system of storage shelves the client had in their warehouse. The wooden pallets were loaded on the short side and the access to products was given by the open shelf system.
This specific type of handling was the main problem preventing our client from purchasing reliable standard packaging, such as pallet containers or foldable large containers. The customer’s main requirements for the ideal plastic packaging material were:
- Removal of one of the short sides of the container for easy access to products;
- Anti-slip mat under the base for safety reasons;
- Skids on the short side to allow loading the containers into the racks;
- Flat base to allow the smooth loading and removal of plastic pails and metallic bins.
Modified Foldable Large Containers Solve the Client’s Problem
After observing the client’s logistic processes and warehouse operations, the team of experts from Logistic Packaging agreed to prepare a batch of customized foldable large containers to suit the specific requirements stated above.
The rationale behind this recommendation was based mainly on the customer’s need for a reliable and space saving packaging solution, which is easy to clean and to maintain and can fit on most types of shelf systems. At the same time, foldable large containers are easy to handle with most of the forklift models available and can be folded down on the base and set up quickly, minimizing the down time.
Also, given the fact that the client uses many chemical substances in the manufacturing of their end products, the foldable large containers are ideal packaging materials because they are resistant to corrosion, humidity and rust.
The client was offered various data sheets and other case studies to analyze the benefits offered by our packaging solution. In the end, they ordered two batches of foldable large containers – one customized to their specific requirements and a batch of standard FLC for use in other areas of their manufacturing facilities.
Replacing their old packaging materials with foldable large containers allowed the cosmetics manufacturer pass they product safety audit with flying colors and allowed them to organize their warehouse operations in a more efficient and space saving manner.