• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • REGIONS
    • Asia Pacific
    • Canada
    • China
    • Europe
    • Latin America
    • Middle East/Africa
    • North America
  • BLOG
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » AI Tool Aims to Perfect Packaging With Shipping Cost Optimization

AI Tool Aims to Perfect Packaging With Shipping Cost Optimization

December 4, 2019
Sponsored by FastFetch

For companies that ship dozens or thousands of order items in any given day, packaging presents big opportunities for customer experience and cost savings. But matching order items to right sized boxes can turn into a complicated science. An artificial intelligence solution by FastFetch Corp. is changing that.

Much like game-playing algorithms that can determine a good move in chess, FastFetch's IntelliPack solution uses Al techniques to explore possible item placements and orientations while respecting attributes like this side up, nesting, hollow fill and weight — as well as inclusion/exclusion constraints on carton types and item types. The final challenge is to determine an optimally sized shipping carton from dozens of available cartons sizes in less than one second.

Data from a company’s historical order records help the tool identify an assortment of carton sizes — perhaps 40 or more — that will accommodate the entire set of past orders with minimal wasted space. Once this set has been determined, the company orders an inventory of those carton sizes for future packing. The solution encompasses carton storage, selection and replenishment.

Multiple units of each carton size are maintained in a flat, unerect state in racks positioned at packing stations. After scanning an order barcode the system illuminates a segment of LEDs adjacent to the location of an optimally sized carton for packing the order items with minimal wasted space. As cartons in the rack are consumed, a worker is dispatched to replenish those cartons with a cart using voice light directed and wireless barcode technologies.

Benefits include:

  • Reduced package volume — typically 30% or more
  • Compatibility with any WMS or order management system
  • Lower shipping costs by minimizing package size
  • Lower packaging costs by minimizing wasted corrugated material and dunnage
  • ROI period of six months or less
  • Improved green footprint by
    • using less fuel for transportation
    • using smaller cartons with less paper to preserve our forests
    • reducing recycling/landfill waste

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

All Warehouse Services Technology Logistics RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice E-Commerce/Omni-Channel Order Fulfillment Packaging Warehouse Management Systems Artificial Intelligence
KEYWORDS artificial intelligence E-Commerce/Omni-Channel order fulfillment packaging Warehouse Management Systems
  • Related Articles

    It’s a Match: Tools Distributor Uses AI to Perfect Packaging

    Manufacturer Slashes Shipping Costs With AI Packaging Solution

    Watch: Slashing Shipping Costs Using AI

  • Related Events

    Solving the Packaging Problem in E-commerce: Linking Products, Processes and Automated Technology

    The Worker Centric Distribution Center

  • Related Directories

    Snapfulfil

Sponsored by FastFetch

AI Tool Aims to Perfect Packaging With Shipping Cost Optimization

More from this author

Get regular updates!
Subscribe to our newsletter

Enjoy curated articles directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • 1115_chinarareearthminerals

    Podcast | Can China’s Monopoly on Rare Earth Minerals Be Broken?

    Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
  • 1107_intelusedsupplychain

    Intel Used Its Supply Chain to Reshape Company Culture — and Make Millions

    Technology
  • 1111_makeorbreakblockchain

    The Element That Can Make or Break Blockchain for the Supply Chain

    Technology
  • 1125_themodernfactory

    The ‘Modern’ Factory Remains a Dream for Many Manufacturers

    Technology
  • 1118_howconsumerproductscompanies

    How Consumer-Products Companies Are Wasting Their Digital Spend

    Technology

Digital Edition

55746

Subscribe today and receive the latest issue

Start Your Subscription

Case Studies

  • Manufacturer Slashes Shipping Costs With AI Packaging Solution

  • Apparel Retailer Saves $45 Million With Reverse Logistics Solution

  • QuestaWeb Configures Fragrance Company’s Complex Procedures Into Its Advanced FTZ Software

  • Business Turnaround: Integrated Business Planning as a Management Tool

  • How a 3PL Reduced Rejected Deliveries Using LoadProof

Visit Our Sponsors

  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • Webinars
  • The Magazine
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • Resources
    • Newsletters
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us

All content copyright © 2016 - 2018 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing