Discover your next big idea in food packaging & processing this Sept.
Experience a breakthrough in food packaging & processing—explore solutions from 2,300 suppliers spanning all industries at PACK EXPO Las Vegas.

First Brands bags labor, freight savings

New logistics software helps First Brands configure retail display pallets cost efficiently, lowering labor and freight costs by 50% and 30%, respectively.

Many retailers order small quantities to minimize inventories, as these stacked pallets of corrugated cases suggests
Many retailers order small quantities to minimize inventories, as these stacked pallets of corrugated cases suggests

As major retailers such as Wal-Mart, KMart, and grocery chains reduce inventories by ordering goods on a just-in-time basis, they force manufacturers to respond in kind. First Brands, the Danbury, CT-based supplier of home and institutional trash bags, automotive and pet care products, is doing just that.

First Brands still ships entire pallet loads containing the same product, but it has added the versatility of shipping a variety of products on the same pallet in a "mixed" load configuration. In many instances, First Brands must meet retailer requests to ship an order on a single pallet, even though the order may not be large enough to fill the pallet's footprint. First Brands also ships on pallets smaller than the traditional 48" x 40" size.

Early this year, First Brands became one of the first users of Cape® Systems' (Plano, TX) Display Pallet, a Windows(TM)-based software program that enables its Home Products Division "to more easily configure stacking patterns for cases of mixed product on a pallet," says John Roggow, manager of production, planning and inventory control.

"Prior to using this software, whenever we ran into multiple-product pallet loads, we had to determine stacking patterns manually to find the best configurations. So the first big savings it provided were in labor costs. They exceed 50%," he estimates. "The software has also given us the opportunity to double-stack pallets on trucks. We can't stack everything two-high on the delivery trucks, but it's something we didn't do at all in the past. That cuts our transportation costs by at least 30%."

First Brands began using the Cape Pack packaging analysis software system in 1993, upgrading this year to the current version, Cape Pack 95(TM), for more traditional pallet loads that include cases of the same product. Scott Peacock, then manager of packaging engineering, spearheaded First Brands' use of the software.

Construction strategies for volatile F&B markets
See how leading manufacturers are fast-tracking projects despite economic uncertainty. Get proven tactics for overcoming tariffs, labor shortages, and rising costs.
Read More
Construction strategies for volatile F&B markets
Food safety excellence on a budget: The smart approach
When material costs rise and margins shrink, efficient cleaning becomes critical. Learn cost-effective sanitation strategies that enhance food safety while reducing resource consumption.
Read More
Food safety excellence on a budget: The smart approach