Annual Chair’s Field Trip

Englander dZignPak and Bay Cities hosted a reception for the Emerging Leaders.

AICC understands the value of bringing together young professionals from around the country. The Emerging Leaders (ELs) program allows members to feel equal, important, valued, and respected. With these affirmations, ELs are free to be the innovative and creative individuals we are. AICC understands that when young professionals are empowered, they are genuinely responsible. Each Emerging Leader event unites the future of the industry one session at a time.

Forty ELs gathered from across the United States for the annual Chair’s Field Trip. We received an insider look at the daily operations of Walmart’s Bentonville, Ark., distribution center. Bentonville, the hometown of the world’s largest corporation, surprisingly has a population of just over 47,000 residents. We listened to industry veterans speak about their take on where the future of packaging is already heading—to shelf-ready packaging (SRP).

The ELs networked during lunch in between the Walmart Distribution Center tour and visiting Englander dZignPak’s Bentonville office.

We started the Field Trip in the Walmart Distribution Center conference room. The first session was led by Ron Sasine, principal at Hudson Windsor. Sasine, former senior director of private-brands packaging at Walmart, has more than 25 years in packaging and corrugated, and he proved he had no lack of expertise on where the industry has been with RSCs and where the industry is moving toward SRP. During the facilities walk-through, it was clear that the implementations and changes that packaging is undergoing are necessary to service customers efficiently while eliminating waste and damaged products.

Walmart’s main goal is to get an item in and out of the distribution center with as few touches as possible—in their case, one touch per package. This leaves the door open for innovative ideas in operations management and best practices.

Ron Sasine and Chet Rutledge answer questions from the ELs.

Loaders move, sort, and scan freight. Unloaders manage delivery and maintain freight records. Order fillers process orders, stack freight, and label shipments. These tasks are performed seamlessly from one job to the next through teamwork and process control.

The sight was almost overwhelming as we walked out onto the 1.2 million-square-foot floor of the distribution center. There were aisles upon aisles as far as the eye could see, conveyor belts and rollers from ground to ceiling, and shrink-wrapped packages, stacking over a story high, skewed in every direction.

Walmart’s unique labeling system allows for high volume and quick processing. Viewed from a platform above the ground of the facility, packages whiz by on a conveyor at an alarming rate, yet lasers rapidly scan item labels. The high-speed laser cues arms along the conveyors to push each individual package to its proper chute—eliminating extra touches.

Delilah Gonzalez of Walmart present shelf-ready packaging.

Following the tour of the Walmart Distribution Center, we had a session with speaker Delilah Gonzalez of Walmart at Englander dZignPak. Gonzalez discussed Walmart’s initiative to create an easier and more streamlined shopping experience for customers. One of the newest concepts is color-coding products by category in SRP. Delilah explained that by packaging goods in this way, staff and consumers alike can identify and locate products more quickly. She also enlightened us that through the use of color-coding, language barriers may not play as big a role during the shoppers’ experience.

The last day, Sasine joined the ELs again to discuss the future of retail packaging, e-commerce, and new ways to solve old problems. Then, Vanguard Packaging’s Chet Rutledge, director of marketing for retail-ready packaging, and Mark Mathis, CEO, discussed the company’s transition from using RSCs to bring product to the store floor to the more cost-effective SRP.

Mark Mathes of Vanguard Packaging answers questions from the audience.

Why Shelf-Ready Versus RSCs?

SRP synonymous with retail-ready packaging, was a main topic during the sessions. Why are companies moving toward these shelf-ready packages? What are the benefits over a regular slotted container? SRP allows retail staff to easily identify products. This feature reduces placement error and increases efficiency when stocking. Along with being easy to identify, SRP is easy to shelve. A major concern for companies is damaged goods. Because SRP is easy to open and knives or scissors are not needed, the chance of products being damaged is greatly reduced. SRP saves space in both shipping and stocking. Even an extra centimeter on an RSC reduces the quantity of goods that can be transported in a truckload. Once all products are purchased from SRP, the product is easy to dispose of. And finally, SRP makes shopping easy for consumers. Packaging acts as a visual cue, improving the speed of product identification. In conclusion, shelf-ready packaging saves time, money, and labor while increasing efficiency at all levels, creating ease. How could this help you with your bottom line?

Allie O’Brien is a third-generation sales associate for KemiArt US, Inc. She has been in the industry for a year and a half and covers a 23-state territory. She can be reached at 201-675-5982 or alexandra@kemiart.net.