The requirements for transport packaging are indeed many, and versatility is a “natural” benefit of corrugated board. Whether it’s designed for apples from Germany, tomatoes from The Netherlands, or oranges from Spain, corrugated board can be easily manufactured to satisfy individual requirements. Unique stacking heights and dimensions, air vents, or embossed handles can also be supplied using special materials that provide added strength and protection. Finally, because fruit and vegetables are especially sensitive, they must be packed and transported so as to avoid any damage or loss of value at the point of sale.
Common footprint (CF) standard ensures efficient logistics
CF trays which comply with FEFCO standard (dimensions: 600 x 400 mm and 400 x 300 mm) are packaging solutions which ensure a high degree of logistical efficiency: they support both the stacking characteristics of largeand small shipments, and the stability of the loaded pallets. Sizes are based on Europallet dimensions in order to avoid loads that are either too large or have unnecessary gaps. This enables fruit and vegetables to be transported at a highly cost efficient way throughout the EU. Corrugated board crates that meet CF standards can reduce supply chain costs by as much as 28%.
Modern Supply Chain Management (SCM) calls for RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) capable packaging. Thus it must be easy for the materials to carry the tags that are now used for identifying transported goods. This is no problem for corrugated board. RFID tags can be glued easily to the material and quickly identified at any time or place.
