The transition to retail ready is not devoid of challenges. When a national retailer asked CHEP to design the optimal retail ready display packaging for a two-litre juice pack, the company had to factor in the weight of the container, the filling conditions, the stability of the load and the travel distance to store.
But the trial had been triggered by the retailer when it noticed that 2L juice sales in a region that used the multi-purpose beverage tray and display pallet solution were significantly better than in regions where they did not.
“Switching to the tray and display pallet solution was a more complex proposition than it first appeared to be,” CHEP business development manager, Frank Vittoria, explained.
“Some of the challenges were associated with the use of a lighter gauge plastic introduced through multiple redesigns of the juice bottle, which led to less stable loads. So innovative thinking was required.”
When undergoing the filling process, juice is heated to high temperatures, coming off the packing line into the trays at an average temperature of 45°C. “We needed to factor in the heat and materials, from the bottle, to the multi-purpose beverage tray, to the film used and wrap configuration, to ensure the 2L juice displays arrived in store as they left the packaging line,” Vittoria noted.
CHEP’s retail and business development teams worked with both the retailer and the juice manufacturer to design a solution that would enable the new bottles to be packed and transported in the tray for distances of 1000km between manufacturing sites, distribution centres and the store network.
There were a lot of trials before the team determined that to achieve the increased stability, the underside of the tray needed to be redesigned to better fit the closures of the juice bottles and lock in the bottles more securely. By doing this, the load would have greater stability when stacked four layers high and be able to be transported over the long distances. In order for the tray to retain its multi-purpose functionality, it needed to achieve this while still working with carbonated soft drink bottles.
After redesigning the underside of the tray in conjunction with the supplier, the team then conducted trials within the supply chain to ensure it was effective.
The modification made to the tray proved to be a success. The better locking mechanism with the new bottle design addressed the problem of the stability after being hot-filled, and travelling a large distance.
The results justified the effort. The entire supply chain operated more efficiently, display was more attractive and sales were boosted by 15%. The retailer has now begun the transition from cardboard cartons to multi-purpose beverage trays and display pallets for 2L juice throughout NSW, with plans to extend this nationally.
