Question: Of the two types of container, rigid and non-rigid, which is most appr

Question

Question: Of the two types of container, rigid and non-rigid, which is most appropriate for use in the aviation industry? Give an example of when and how each type of container could be used in an aviation support setting.

Readings from the textbook:

Rigid Devices

Rigid devices provide an enclosure within which master cartons or loose products are unitized. The premise is that placing products inside a sealed container will both protect them and facilitate handling. The use of containers handled and transported by special equipment and ships is common practice in air and water transport. In domestic distribution, containerization can achieve transport efficiency and reduced product handling. Approximately one-half the total cost of transporting domestic goods occurs in handling products between vehicles, across docks, packaging, and filing loss and damage claims for pilferage and for insurance. The airlines use rigid containerization both for freight and for passenger baggage. The containers, which are designed to fit in the cargo area of aircraft, facilitate loading and unloading while reducing product damage and pilferage. Table 10.1 summarizes the benefits of rigid containerization.

Returnable containers have traditionally been used to distribute selected products. Most reusable containers are steel or plastic, although some firms, as noted earlier, reuse corrugated boxes. Automobile manufacturers use returnable racks for interplant shipment of body parts, and chemical companies reuse steel drums. There is an increasing trend, however, to reusable packaging for many small items and parts such as ingredients, grocery perishables, and retail warehouse-to-store totes.

Returnable containers are particularly appropriate for integrated environments where there is reasonable container security between shipment origin and destination. The automobile industry uses returnable racks between component suppliers and assembly plants. In a returnable package system, the parties must explicitly cooperate to maximize container usage; otherwise, containers may be lost, misplaced, or used by other shippers. Alternatively, deposit systems may be necessary in more free-flow supply chains, where members are linked by occasional or nonrepetitive transactions. Deposit systems are frequently used for beverage bottles, kegs, pallets, and steel drums.

Nonrigid/Flexible Devices

As the name implies, flexible devices do not protect a product by complete enclosure. The most common type of nonrigid unitization is umtyaton stacked master cartons on either pallets or slipsheets. Pallets are most commonly constructed out of wood. However, an increasing number of plastic and steel pallets are being used in specific handling situations. A hardwood pallet is illustrated in Figure 10.2. A slipsheet, which is similar to a pallet in size and purpose, is a flat stocking surface generally made of cardboard or plastic. Because slipsheets lie flat on the floor, special lift trucks are required to handle slipsheet unit loads. The primary advantage of slipsheets in comparison to pallets is cost and weight. Slipsheets are less costly than pallets and are insignificant from a weight and cube perspective.

Most industry associations recommend that a standardized pallet or slipsheet size be used as a unit load platform. The Grocery Manufacturers of America have adopted the 40 × 48-inch pallet with four-way entry and similar size slipsheets for food distribution. The beverage industry, on the other hand, has standardized on 32 × 36-inch pallets. Throughout industry, the sizes most frequently used are 40 × 48, 32 × 40, and 32 × 36. It is common practice to first identify the dimension of most frequent entry by handling equipment.

Generally, the larger a platform, the more efficient the associated handling. For instance, the 40 × 48-inch pallet provides 768 more square inches per stacking tier than the 32 × 36-inch size. Assuming that master cartons can be stacked as high as 10 tiers, the total added unitization space of the 40 × 48-inch pallet is 7680 square inches. This is 60 percent larger than the 32 × 36-inch size. The final determination of size should be based upon load, compatibility with the handling and transport equipment used throughout the logistical system, and standardized industry practice. With modern handling equipment, few restrictions are encountered in weight limitations. While pallets themselves are not flexible, the unit loads they contain are very flexible.

While a variety of different approaches can be used to tier master cartons on slipsheets and pallets, the four most common are block, brick, row, and pinwheel. The block method is used with cartons of equal width and length. With differential widths and lengths, the brick, row, or pinwheel pattern is employed. Figure 10.3 illustrates these four basic patterns. Except for the block method, cartons are placed in the unit load arranged in an inter-locking pattern with adjoining tiers placed at 90-degree angles to each other. Load stability is enhanced with interlocking. The block pattern does not provide this benefit. While the illustrated patterns provide a good starting point when there are limited master carton sizes, most pallet patterns are determined by computer analysis.

The use of flexible unitization can increase damage potential if it is not properly contained during handling or transport. In most situations, the stability of stacking is insufficient to secure a unit load. Standard methods of improving stability include rope tie, corner posts, steel strapping, taping, antiskid adhesives, and wrapping. These methods essentially tie the master cartons into the pallet stacking pattern. Increasingly popular methods for securing unit loads are shrink-wrap and stretch-wrap. Both wraps use film similar to that used in a kitchen for food preservation.

Pallet exchange pools have been organized as a way to overcome traditional problems of return and exchange. High-quality pallets are expensive and are difficult to retrieve once they leave the owner's control. When transfer to an external organization occurs, warehouses routinely exchange poor-quality pallets and keep the higher-quality ones. Pallet pools are third-party suppliers that maintain and lease high-quality pallets throughout the country for a variable fee per single cycle. A cycle might be defined as loading of pallets at a manufacturer and transporting to a retailer's warehouse. Pallet rental firms are responsible for developing, purchasing, and maintaining pallets as well as providing control and management systems.

Explanation / Answer

Rigid container are most appropriate for use in the aviation industry. Rigid containers are used by airline industries in order to protect air cargo as well as passenger baggage. It helps in easing the handling process of multiple consignments of air cargo.

Example: Rigid containers are more beneficial in aviation support settings where the transportation of fragile goods are involved. As rigid containers are intact and will therefore ensure that fragile goods are intact and safely transported.

Example of non-rigid containers in aviation support settings are the pallets. Pallets are used in transporting cargo's and baggage from one destination on air base to other.

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