Case studies
- Environmental responsibility
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TI packaging goes on a permanent diet
When it comes to shipping products, a few pounds can really make a difference to the environment and a company’s bottom line.
That’s why long-time product development and sustainable engineering expert Larry Randall focused his attention on dimensional weight, recycled materials and branding opportunities in early 2010, when he began designing a new box to ship multiple TI products.
For many years, TI’s Wireless business unit used a standard, double-layered 14 x 13 x 10-inch white box to ship its many products to customers and business partners around the world. The box weighed two pounds, including bulky and heavy foam cutouts inside each and resulted in almost 40 percent waste.
TI’s new box weighs less than a half pound and completely eliminates the need to use non-recyclable foam, removing about one cubic foot of foam for every unit shipped. In the first four months, construction of the newly designed boxes prevented the use of 4,650 cubic feet of foam, enough to fill about 700 standard-sized bathtubs.
Sleek, recyclable inserts that weigh about 2 ounces replaced the large petroleum-based foam cutout inserts and glue. An added bonus is that the new box also boasts eye-catching images that effectively communicate product quality before the package is even opened.
Setting goals
As Randall made his way through the three-month box development journey, he kept four objectives top-of-mind:
- Reduce overall size to avoid paying dimensional weight charges.
- Eliminate heavy and expensive custom-cut foam, along with foam and cardboard waste.
- Use recycled materials and encourage reuse.
- Improve the perception of quality through branding.
In addition, his design constraints included not having any special construction requirements (to help keep costs low). The box also had to accommodate both existing and future TI product designs.
“If you can do more with less, you’re saving the shipping, box and materials costs that go with it,” Randall said. “You’re making a smaller footprint and it’s a win for everyone.”
Size matters
Randall began the development process by analyzing the dimensions of several existing and not-yet-released TI products. He used that information to identify a standard-sized 16 x 12 x 2.9-inch box that would enable the products to be shipped according to actual weight instead of dimensional weight.
“This size was chosen because it both provides good protection and fits into a standard box used by commercial carriers,” he said.
Randall then designed a recyclable, molded thermofoam insert to replace the bulky and expensive foam inserts.
Dramatic cost savings
An initial lot of 5,000 new boxes is being used to ship three TI products and will accommodate several future products under development.
The total cost of the new box is $5.78 per piece, compared to $13.00 for the previous box and inserts.
In addition to the significant material cost savings, the new box design costs at least 30 percent less to ship in single quantities, with a savings of 60 percent or more on multiple unit shipments.
The average cost of shipping single units in the new box within the United States is under $23 per unit, compared to more than $35 for the previous box. To ship internationally (to France for example), one new box weighing 4 pounds costs $35 to ship, versus about $57 in dimensional weight for the old box.
“The key to cost savings is paying for actual weight, not volume,” Randall said. “We can ship six new boxes in the same volume used for shipping two of the older-style boxes.”
Branding bonus
Randall strongly believes that a consumer’s perception of product quality starts with the box in which it is packaged. So it may come as no surprise that the redesigned box also features TI branding and custom graphics.
Randall teamed with TI’s in-house communications group to create a striking design scheme that can be used to ship different products. The new design already includes a label, giving TI the opportunity to produce a customized box for about the same cost as using separate labels – which also required labor to affix them – in the old version.
Encouraging reuse
About one-third of TI’s wireless products are shipped more than once, which presented another opportunity to reduce waste. Randall established a box reuse program as part of the overall redesign effort. Today, for example, when a TI OMAP™ platform evaluation module (EVM) is shipped to another TI site or partner location, ownership of the EVM and box are transferred electronically using an asset tracking program.
The box and EVM carry matching serial numbers and are expected to be transferred together, along with the module’s power supply, power cords, cables and other items. TI employees are instructed not to write on or affix labels to the box so it can be reused numerous times.
“We want to reuse boxes as long as possible,” Randall explained.
This environmentally responsible and cost-effective box design has proven its worth in just the first few months of use and will no doubt remain in use at TI for years to come.
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