Category: Packaging

Goods are currently subject to increasingly stringent logistical constraints due to a context of international competition and the need for flexibility during transport. Multimodal transport, repeated loading and unloading, interim storage… all of these are so many occasions when a product might be damaged on its journey from manufacturer to user. Outer packaging and transit packaging are a key link in this chain: let’s see how Tournaire can not only help you protect your product but also its sales packaging.

 The role and type of packaging

Transported merchandise is subject to many types of constraint:

Mechanical: risk of crushing when stacking containers, collisions between products/packaging/outer packaging or with cargo handling equipment, friction, exposure to big differences in pressure (changes in altitude, non-pressurized cargo holds for air transport)

• Environmental: exposure to temperatures between -10 and +40 °C on intercontinental journeys, high levels of humidity, exposure to UV rays,
• Pollution of various types: dust, fine particles, insects, acid rain, humidity, etc.

That is why packaging is crucial for protection. Primary, secondary and even tertiary packaging solutions should be studied and optimized to guarantee maximum protection while generating minimum waste, in accordance with European Directive 94/62/CE relating to packaging and packaging waste and its more recent updates, which are even more stringent.

Primary packaging, generally the sales packaging, is in direct contact with the product. It is the product’s first layer of protection and is the smallest item of packaging in use.

Secondary packaging, or outer packaging, is used to group products together. It is an orderly arrangement of primary packaging units for the purposes of larger scale distribution and protection. It should also offer a way of achieving optimal stacking, and its surface should be such that a multiple of it fits into a transit packaging unit. Most often, it is comprised of boxes or lugs.

Tertiary or transit packaging is designed to facilitate the handling and transport of secondary packaging. The aim is to limit handling and damage linked to transit. Most often, it takes the shape of pallets, stacks of pallets or large boxes. Containers used for road, rail, maritime and air travel are not considered to be tertiary packaging.

Depending on the size and nature of the packaged product, there may be even more layers of packaging. Conversely, for bulk industrial products, a pallet crate and an IBC may be sufficient.

 

Protection adapted to each level 

There are many protection solutions which will be chosen depending on the product to protect, the type of packaging, and constraints relating to the usage or logistical chain.

A variety of materials are used: metal, cardboard, plastic (polyethylene, polypropylene, PET, polystyrene, polyurethane, etc.), wood, etc. The choice is based on compatibility with the product or association with the primary packaging, the nature of the protection required, the appearance or identification sought, the packaging and unpacking environment and other elements related to the sale or use of the product and its packaging.

Implementation technologies may be more or less complex: press-forming, folding, cutting, welding, injection, moulding, extrusion, blow-moulding, weaving, etc. They may require changes to the packaging line.

Finally, there are different levels of protection adapted or not to each type of packaging: primary, secondary and tertiary, as mentioned above.

Unitary protection involves separating / isolating / protecting products, sometimes sorting primary packaging units individually. Each element is individually protected by pre-shaped foam, a cardboard tray, a thermoformed tray, a brace, a perforated sleeve, an air cushion, etc.

Group protection involves protecting a limited number of packages using cardboard or plastic trays, loads (or rolls), shrink-wrapping or boxes. Often adapted for secondary packaging.

Finally, the overall protection for the transit packaging, often a full pallet, may be provided by adding reinforcements made from cardboard or wood, air cushions, or protective film.

All of these solutions must be considered in the product’s overall manufacturing, transport and usage chain to anticipate, at the earliest possible stage, both the complexity and the cost of implementing them at a production and logistical level. This type of planning is also required to understand how clients will use and reprocess packaging (ease of opening, safety when handling, waste management, etc.).

 

Tournaire protects your sales packaging

As a supplier of primary packaging for sensitive products, Tournaire is especially conscious of all of these issues. The company strives to continuously improve the quality of its protection and packaging, in collaboration with its distribution partners and clients, in order to deliver the best possible service for clients.

We currently offer several levels of protection adapted to:

• the type of packaging
• the logistical chain
• our clients’ usage and packaging constraints
• requirements

Unitary protection: the highest level of protection

Here are some examples of recent solutions. Please contact Tournaire if you are interested in any of them or to study the development of a solution specially tailored to your product and its use

• thermoformed polypropylene trays designed to hold each can individually, an ideal solution for small cans, combining grouping and unitary protection.
• cardboard partitions placed between our cans to separate them one by one, protect them from collisions and especially friction caused by transport.
• cardboard “honeycomb” panels which offer individual protection and offer excellent rigidity to each layer – an ideal solution for more voluminous cans.

For group protection, or outer packaging, there are four secondary solutions:

• Cardboard or polypropylene trays
• Polyethylene shrink-wrapped groups of cans,
• Trays protected by shrink-wrap,
• Boxes

These offer both mechanical protection and insulation from external pollution encountered by goods in transit while providing an optimal solution for organizing primary packaging. They also offer axial rigidity for pallet load wrapping.

The thickness of the boxes, the height of the trays and the qualities of the PE shrink wrap and PP trays are chosen to offer maximum protection to cans and bottles.

Finally, our tertiary packaging involves stacking secondary packaging on palettes. These can be made of wood or plastic, and the entire pallet is secured with shrink-wrap. This stage is designed to make handling easier as well as adding the final layer of protection against pollution and mechanical protection for our products. Indeed, depending on the specifications of the cans, the heights of intermediary cardboard trays have been optimized to offer maximum protection to all our cans in the pallet loading configuration. Furthermore, Tournaire is currently working on an operational solution to offer an even higher level of mechanical protection to our pallets.

Thanks to initiatives to continuously improve our offer and close collaboration with clients and partners, Tournaire is delighted to note that the number of damaged products in its cans during transport and related customer complaints have been diminishing sharply for several years (-64% over four years).

Tournaire is there for you at every stage in your packaging usage line, particularly during the logistical phase: please contact us for a tailored protection solution for your containers of choice.

The packaging, no matter how good it is, if it does not arrive on time and in good condition, can threaten the entire manufacturing value chain. In the current circumstances – see article on packaging in times of crisis – special attention must be paid to the supply chains of packaging suppliers. Tournaire, as a supplier of primary packaging, has always adapted its internal and external supply chains to the specific needs of its customers.

PACKAGING LOGISTICS? A SPECIFIC AND MAJOR CUSTOMER SERVICE ACTIVITY

Sometimes fragile (glass), often bulky (hollow objects), primary packaging requires special attention for transportation. It generates major flows that are sensitive to the severe mechanical stress caused in particular during multimodal transport. Choosing the right external logistics partners and putting in place the right internal organisation to meet the customer’s expectations are the key success factors for a faultless service. The medium-term visibility for customers is often hit and miss and their needs are constantly changing: optimisation of their flows, storage costs and inventory management, lack of space at the production sites, especially for empty packaging, optimisation of inventory costs, lean or just-in-time organisations, protection of the packaging itself, etc.

 

HOW TO RESPOND EFFECTIVELY TO CHANGES IN LOGISTICS REQUIREMENTS?

The organisation of the distribution network is a key factor in a successful global supply chain. The ideal service level is often linked to the proximity of a close, dedicated partner, who can respond within a few hours or days to urgent or unforeseen needs. Furthermore, the possibility of reserving load capacity in case of a shortage of available transport has become an undeniable advantage for an optimal level of service. This has recently been underscored by the shortages of containers due to the Covid-19 crisis, Brexit and the incident in the Suez Canal. The effective coverage of the markets by this sort of partner is a major driver of success. This is especially true for medium-sized volumes and average frequency orders for standardised articles. This responsiveness comes at a price, justified by the service provided and the savings made on storage and management.

For larger or more personalised flows, a direct link with the producer of the packaging is often the best answer. In this case, the entire service depends on the packaging supplier and particularly on its knowledge of the manufacturer’s or packer’s logistics needs and its organisation’s ability to anticipate and manage the requirements.

 

THE CRITERIA OF EXCELLENCE OF SUPPLY CHAIN ORGANISATION

The organisation of logistics is intimately linked to, or sometimes even integrated into the industrial organisation and one cannot be effective without the other. The commercial structure, upstream and downstream, is also a vital part of the chain. It helps to anticipate customer needs and therefore organise industrial and logistical flows. The quality and the integration of commercial, industrial and logistics management software also constitutes an essential platform for successful interaction between different entities. If the customer is listened to and the right amount of creativity and responsiveness is applied, then high-performance and varied tools and services can be provided. These supply chain tools can take many forms: dynamic inventory management, retail store, consignment stocks, just-in-time flows, truck deliveries at set times, delivery slots included in the customer’s schedule, fixed buffer stocks available on demand and many other tools. The stronger the coordination between the two partners, the greater the benefits provided by all these solutions. This is achieved thanks to a clear and detailed set of specifications combined with the agile and effective organisation of the packaging supplier.

 

TOURNAIRE IS AT YOUR SERVICE TO PROVIDE A MADE-TO-MEASURE LOGISTICS SERVICE

With nearly 200 years of experience serving a wide range of sectors, including 70% for export, Tournaire brings you logistics services to meet your needs thanks to:

• its global distribution network with over 35 partners near your factory
• its industrial and logistics firepower
• its attentive sales force
• the careful selection of its hauliers and transit agents.

A long history connects Tournaire to the perfume, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. These industries have different practices and seasonalities. This has enabled Tournaire to implement original logistics solutions over time, such as a retail store for local customers, but also dynamic stock management for standard products. These tools are available to customers to enable almost immediate deliveries of major standard articles. This involves moving thousands of pallets every year and more or less ‘lean’ management. With several hundred standard packaged articles, it is a constant challenge. The rapid availability of the standard Tournaire range is a guarantee of success for its sales network, and even more so for its customers whose seasonality and urgency of needs are not always predictable.

For customers with specific articles or who have greater volumes, consignment stocks can be arranged. Tournaire also proposes, where relevant, a nearby buffer stock. The Fragnes site is specialised in the production of multi-layer expanded packaging. This major entity within the Tournaire Group has developed close relationships with its main customers who can benefit from just-in-time deliveries (48 hours), or even the inclusion of set delivery times in a dedicated logistics interface.

All of these services have only been made possible by a clear understanding of the customers’ needs and the logistics service providers’ ability to rapidly respond to them. These best practices result in effective services, all the more so given that they require the partners to comply with a demanding set of requirements over the long-term, guaranteeing the protection of the primary packaging. The Tournaire quality system is ISO 9001 certified: making it possible to control and adapt the performance of every link in the logistics chain.

Another major link in the effectiveness of the logistics chain is provided by the ERP management system. For example, at Tournaire every article sold is identified by a barcode. The code, linked to its place in the stock – also managed by a barcode – not only makes it possible to ensure First In – First Out (FIFO) stock management, but also to optimise storage capacity and speed of loading and helps to monitor the traceability of the products.

These few examples of tailored logistics organisations show just how much Tournaire takes the satisfaction of its customers seriously, as much for the performance of the packaging delivered, as for the quality of service provided. Do not hesitate to contact your usual sales representative so that we can build a solution to meet your packaging logistics needs together.

Interview with Christopher GIAI
Christopher GIAI, industrial methods engineer at Tournaire

 

Hi Christopher, could you introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is Christophe Gier, I am 31 years old and I have been working for TOURNAIRE for two years as an industrial methods engineer in the spinning department.

Why did you choose to be an engineer?

My career path is a bit atypical because I started as a technician with a BTS diploma, and after four years I had the opportunity to go back to engineering studies, because I wanted to improve my skills, both technically and to be able to pass on my know-how, and that’s why I decided to go back to engineering studies and become a General Mechanical Engineer.

Why work at TOURNAIRE?

I had been working for a large group for seven years and I was looking for a smaller scale company, and it is true that during my interview I liked the family aspect of the TOURNAIRE company, where you can really feel that the human aspect is at the heart of the job and we take into account both technical and human problems, especially in terms of investments, and working in an industrial methods department I found it very interesting.

Could you describe a typical day?

My days usually start at 7:30 am, I always go around the workshop to check up on the production staff. Then I have an interdepartmental meeting to review the problems encountered the day before and to define the day’s priorities. Depending on the priorities, I organize my schedule to deal with emergencies and then, depending on the problems, I try to come up with medium- or long-term solutions to solve these problems. Today, the industrial methods department is responsible for industrial performance, so my mission is to improve the industrial tool both in the medium and long term in order to guarantee the company’s sustainability for production.

What interests you in your job?

Today what interests me in my job is both the technical side, with a machine park where you can find quite old machines and new technology machines, and also especially the know-how because for me it is very important to understand the problems of people to bring technical solutions that really meet their needs. My objective is always to improve industrial performance by responding to everyday problems.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Honestly, I don’t know where I see myself in ten years, but in five years I would still like to be part of TOURNAIRE and to have reached a position of responsibility in order to contribute to the improvement of industrial performance and also to allow new entrants to increase their skills and to meet expectations in order to always improve industrial performance.

What would you say to a person who wants to work at Tournaire?

Today for me TOURNAIRE is a perennial company in which it is good to work. If today people are looking for work, they should not hesitate to apply to TOURNAIRE, I think they will find their expectations.

In conclusion?

To conclude, I would say that TOURNAIRE is a company that has opened doors for me, that allows me today to increase my skills, a company that thinks big with great projects.

Christopher Giai from Tournaire on Vimeo

Whether you are a professional in the chemical, pharmaceutical or any other sector that has sensitive products, the transporting of dangerous goods and its packaging is a major and specific aspect of your logistics, which is often multimodal and globalised. Strategic decisions are required that take into account, from the outset, the associated constraints and regulations for each stage and for each mode of transport in the chosen supply chain. In addition, the primary packaging of sensitive products and the appropriate overpackaging that will allow the transporting of dangerous materials without risk must be defined from the launch of the product or project, whether such risks are:

• physical: leakage, major degradation,
• commercial: appearance of the packaging or product altered during transport,
• legal: customs or other services of the States crossed blocking the goods,
• logistics: a forwarding agent, carrier, pilot or captain refusing to take the goods on board.

You also need to choose certified, trusted, partners for the packaging and transporting of dangerous materials.

 

WHAT ARE THE CONSTRAINTS ON THE PACKAGING OF SENSITIVE PRODUCTS DURING TRANSPORT?

International regulations consider any products that may constitute a risk for the population, the environment or property to be dangerous materials. Dangerous materials are classified into 13 categories and sub-categories:

• 1. Explosive substances and items
• 2. Compressed, liquefied or dissolved pressurized gases
• 3. Flammable liquids
• 4.1. Flammable solids
• 4.2. Spontaneously combustible substances
• 4.3. Substances that, when in contact with water, emit flammable gases
• 5.1. Oxidising substances
• 5.2. Organic peroxides
• 6.1. Toxic substances
• 6.2. Infectious substances
• 7. Radioactive materials
• 8. Corrosive materials
• 9. Miscellaneous dangerous materials and objects

On a global scale, the United Nations (ONU) ensures the consistency of the various TGD (Transport of Dangerous Goods). regulations. It has published the famous ” orange book ” that lists each dangerous material under a unique code that regulates the transport constraints and the choice of dangerous material packaging. In Europe, EC Directive 2008/68 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the inland transport of dangerous goods makes it compulsory to apply the international agreements on TDG by road (ADR) ), rail (RID) and sea (ADN).

For each product that may contain several components and, therefore, several material codes, all of the constraints apply, or the highest, both for the choice of packaging for the sensitive material and for the transport methods.

It should be remembered that even if the different modes of transport are harmonised under the UN regulations, each mode of transport and even each country has enacted its own rules:

• by road, it is the ADR (Agreement on Dangerous Goods by Road) that prevails in Europe. In the USA, it is the DOT (Department of Transportation) that regulates road transport.
• by plane, you must comply with the rules defined by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which are among the most rigorous.
• for the sea, it is the IMDG(International Maritime Dangerous Goods) or the ADN (European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Inland Waterways) that lays down the specific rules for such transport.
• Lastly, for rail, it is the RID (Regulations concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Rail) that define the rules of transport.

These different regulations impose various constraints on the packaging of sensitive materials during transport depending on the situation: appointment of a Safety Advisor, labelling and marking of packaging and overpacks, documentation, limited quantities, etc, and they also define rules for the choice and approval of packaging.

 

HOW TO CHOOSE OR DESIGN AND OBTAIN APPROVED PACKAGING FOR THE TRANSPORTING OF YOUR DANGEROUS MATERIALS?

Initially, it is often the flow of goods, the type of packaged product and the end use that will determine the choice of packaging for dangerous materials and its overpackaging. Bulk chemicals will use 1,000 L Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs) (‘unitary’ packaging within the meaning of the TDG – Transport of Dangerous Goods), where finished products will be packaged in small metal bottles, for example, then in boxes (so-called ‘combination’ packaging), then grouped on pallets for transport. For many chemical and pharmaceutical industries, the TDG constraint is an integral part of the packaging specifications that it is evolving and requires internal expertise and/or very reliable, specialised, partners.

Once the types of packaging and overpackaging have been selected, the product to be transported must be examined and, for each of its components, the UN code must be determined that will ultimately define the associated constraints, in particular the dangerousness group for the packaged product:

• Group I for very dangerous materials,
• Group II for moderately dangerous materials,
• Group III for low danger materials.

Depending on the danger group and the type of approval in question – unitary or combination – a UN-approved primary packaging or grouping box must have successfully passed a series of tests at an approved national laboratory: leakproofness, drop, pressure resistance, stacking, etc.

In France, the principal, approved, laboratories are the BVT (Bureau de Vérifications Techniques – Technical check office), LNE (Laboratoire National de métrologie et d’Essais – National Metrology and Testing Laboratory), LEREM (Laboratoire d’Etudes et de Recherches des Emballages Métalliques – Metal Packaging Studies and Research Laboratory)). There is also the BAM in Germany for example.

These laboratories, after having applied and validated the various regulatory tests, assign a UN number that must appear on the grouped packaging (‘combination’ approval) or on each packaging for dangerous materials (‘unitary’ approval). The UN number includes or codifies the following information:

• the type of packaging (eg, ‘1B1’ is aluminium packaging with a partial opening),
• the danger group (eg, ‘X’ for groups I, II or III, ‘Y’ for groups II and III, ‘Z’ for group III only),
• the maximum density or mass of the approved product,
• test pressure in kPA,
• the year of manufacture,
• the country of manufacture,
• the identification of the laboratory that carried out the tests and the report number,
• the identification of the manufacturer.

 

WHICH PARTNER SHOULD YOU CHOOSE TO TRANSPORT OF YOUR DANGEROUS MATERIALS?

This complex sector requires internal or external partners who are fully conversant with the various aspects of the transporting of dangerous materials:

• technics – specific to each type of packaging, overpackaging, transported products,
• regulations – UN, ADR, etc, and their updates,
• logistics.

As far as suppliers of packaging for dangerous materialsare concerned, you can use a manufacturer or a distributor, depending on your needs.

The distributor will direct you to various ranges or types of approved packaging for sensitive products that it has in stock and will give you the Certificate of Approval for the packaging sold, a document that guarantees the validity and conformity of the packaging that you use.

Manufacturers such as Tournaire have significant experience (since 1833 for Tournaire) in this sector and in-depth technical knowledge of the trades involved in transforming their materials (aluminium spinning and stamping for Tournaire). Manufacturers specialise in certain types of packaging or packaging materials or technology. This enables them to offer in-depth knowledge of containers and their performance, a wider range of approved products and the possibility of developing the container and approval to adapt it to your expectations. Tournaire, as a manufacturer of one-piece aluminium and multilayer plastic packaging, offers you a full and varied range of containers from 50 ml to 32 litres, approved either as ‘unitary’ or ‘combination’ (boxes). In addition to its over 180 years’ experience in the design and manufacture of industrial packaging and its ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications, Tournaire guarantees full compliance with the TDG regulatory constraints due to a high-performance quality organisation, audited at each of its sites at least every three years by approved laboratories and even more regularly by its customers.

The financial crisis of 2008 had a substantial impact on world trade and transporting of goods. What about the health crisis of 2020? How can future crises be tackled in order to minimize their impact? After a quick overview of the current logistics situation, we offer some ideas on how to minimize or even take advantage of the impact of crises on the transporting of goods.

2020 has been a unique year, with a global health crisis that has hit the planet in a context of geopolitical tensions. The economic impacts related to COVID-19 are substantial in terms of the international transporting of goods and, for the first time, most of us have experienced border closures or population confinement.

In the international transporting of goods, there have been significant impacts on the availability of outgoing containers with repercussions on delivery times and also, inevitably, on FOB and freight tariffs that, in some cases, have doubled.

 

THE LOGISTICS CHAIN: COMPLEX, COMPETITIVE, BUT FRAGILE

In a world in perpetual motion, international trade has multiplied since the end of the Second World War. Since the 1980s, we talk of globalization, with a rapid increase in the international exchanging of goods and services and capital movements. The growth in logistics is even greater than the growth in world production. To meet this increasing demand, the transport sector has organised itself. Thanks to a diversification of product components, transport is today mainly carried out by sea, occupying 70% of the volume, road 18%, rail networks 9%, canals 2% and air merely 0.25% despite the latter mode of transport representing approximately 35% of the total transported value.

According to the OECD, the international transport market could triple in volume by 2050 (see the 2019 study at https://www.itf-oecd.org/). The creation of value chains has accompanied this movement by seeking ever greater efficiency. Incoming flows must arrive on time and in the right quantity (‘on time in full’ or OTIF), while respecting the desired level of quality. Outgoing flows from production factories undergo the same treatment: they must leave and arrive on time, generate low CO₂ emissions, all at rates that favour sales. The goods transport sector has, therefore, become extremely competitive, heterogeneous and segmented and requires complex management. In the face of all these pressures, the sector has been transformed, with multimodal transport developing strongly since the 1960s. It provides an increasingly better response to the many issues of profitability in the supply chain.

However, this race for performance makes the sector fragile. The intensity and tension in the market make it a sector that is subject to the vagaries of uncontrolled external and internal crises. It is becoming complicated to find the right balance between flexibility (service, punctuality, organisation, traceability, etc), sustainability and costs.

 

CRISIS AND THEIR IMPACT ON COMPANY LOGISTICS

In 2008, during and even after the financial crisis, trade in goods experienced a sharp slowdown. Political crises such as the ‘yellow jackets’ crisis in France had a direct impact not only on domestic road transport but also on European flows.

The 2020 health crisis has directly led to a decrease in the production of foodstuffs and goods, with a large number of bankruptcies, temporary reconversions or relocations. The logistics sector in particular has suffered deeply and had to adapt. A second impact of the 2020 health crisis is psychological: this crisis has been unique in its scale, duration and the privations suffered. Even though States are subsidizing the recovery, industrial companies suffering shock due to this major crisis will favour prudent investments in 2021 and the recovery will be slow. The transport sector will be directly impacted.

 

TWO KEY ELEMENTS OF A LOGISTICS STRATEGY IN TIMES OF CRISIS

One crisis follows another but with different natures and intensities: the conjunction of economic, geopolitical and ecological tensions increases their occurrence and criticality. It is, therefore, essential to be prepared and take into consideration most of the elements of the goods transport value chain in order to stand out. Logistics is a major link in this process.

1 – LOGISTICAL

Each company has its own logistics flow management. Such organisation merits a brief summary of its fundamentals, which may need to be adapted in times of crisis.

‘Pull-flow’ logistics consists of triggering production only when the customer orders it. It is, therefore, a matter of waiting for an actual order from the customer before starting the supply sourcing and manufacturing of products. This allows for extreme flexibility and a direct reduction in production costs. It does, however, impose potentially long delivery times, especially if coupled with supply difficulties (eg, defective raw materials, delayed delivery, etc). This logistics system is similar to the Kanban method that was initiated in the 1950s for Japanese on-demand automotive production. It avoids excess production, scrapping and expiry dates and enables the customization of customer products. The result is a low stock level and reduced storage costs, with little intermediate storage due to ‘just in time’ deliveries.

The opposite is ‘push-flow’ logistics. This is a strategic production method that consists of producing and storing before the customer places an order. This requires the company to forecast its order flows, anticipate and plan for its customers’ needs, but does have a negative impact on cash flow by increasing inventories (raw materials, intermediate or semi-finished products and finished products). On the other hand, it provides an appreciable service to the customer with immediate availability of products.

These two ‘theoretical’ policies are, of course, adapted in each industrial entity according to market and production constraints. Many alternatives or intermediate solutions exist, such as stocks of intermediate products that are ready to be personalized or smaller volumes in order to reduce delivery times for the customer as much as possible. An overall analysis of flows, buffer stocks, delivery and production times often leads to effective solutions in times of crisis.

2 – CHOICE OF PARTNERS AND TRADE ROUTES

There are many stakeholders in the logistics chain: internal logistics expert, insurer, charterer, freight forwarder, shipping or airline company, storage operator, accredited customs representative, etc). It is clearly important to ensure overall efficiency, even in difficult times. For external partners, an accreditation such as ISO 9000 or 28000, CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional) or Authorised Economic Operator are guarantees of reliability. A strict policy on the choice of transport suppliers is crucial, but efficiency must also be verified by permanent assessments and frequent audits. In times of crisis, not only must your partners be reliable, flexible and creative, but you must also draw up specifications that are strict, realistic and, moreover, adaptable in difficult times.

The choice of goods transport partners is necessarily linked to the choice of trade routes. The shortest route in normal times is no longer necessarily the shortest when there is a strike or logistical shortage. For example, during the ‘yellow jacket’ crisis or the 1992-1996 trucking crisis, an Italian company wanting to deliver in England was able to choose partners using German rather than French trade routes.

 

THE CRISIS: AN OPPORTUNITY FOR TRANSPORTING OF GOODS

While the crisis can often take a devastating toll, it can become an opportunity for companies that anticipated it. In addition to the means of improvement referred to above, there is one that is often neglected in normal times but that can be decisive in a raging crisis and that is the choice of packaging.

PACKAGING AS A LOGISTICAL AND COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITY

Packaging is a crucial link in the supply chain. It can be classified according to its construction materials, functions, performance and size. There are usually two main branches: primary packaging and secondary packaging.

Primary packaging represents the last barrier between the finished product and the exterior, the ultimate defence of the value that the company transports. It is the ultimate sales showcase and, for sensitive products, the source of protection for the product and the user. Well chosen, it enables, among other things, the lifespan of the product to be extended and, therefore, its sales – a very significant argument in times of transport difficulties.

To bundle and protect the primary packaging, ‘secondary packaging’ is used. This may, for example, be a multi-pack carton that holds one or more primary packaging units. The choice of the overall solution (primary and secondary packaging) is important in order to guarantee the integrity of the primary packaging and, therefore, the sales value of the product.

Lastly, there is tertiary packaging, often being a pallet containing secondary packaging that is attached to the pallet by shrink film or various ties or straps. This is the ideal transport packaging for products in industrial quantities.

The choice of the type of packaging is crucial, as is the choice of the packaging supplier.  If the supplier is familiar with the product and the chain of use, it will be able to offer complete primary packaging solutions with adapted accessories and even adapted secondary packaging. In terms of safety and peace of mind, this is a real advantage that ensures the preservation, protection and good presentation of the products and compliance with regulatory constraints. For the transport of hazardous materials, for example, compliance with UN approvals is vital whatever the mode of transport chosen. A truck or plane can be blocked by a regulatory problem and the product unloaded.

Other services can ensure safe transportation such as unit traceability of packaging, the monitoring of pressure or temperature in contact with the product. This can be useful in the event, for example, of an unexpectedly prolonged storage on the tarmac of an airport during a strike.

Good packaging sold by a qualified supplier that is well informed of the chain of use is a guarantee of the best overall solution capable of avoiding logistical problems. It will not, however, necessarily be the most economical solution…

 

BETTER TACKLING CRISES IN INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT

Periods of crisis generate significant difficulties for companies. While they reveal weaknesses, they also allow companies to stand out. By reconsidering and adapting its logistics strategy and verifying every link in the chain, the company ensures its durability and reassures its customers. A single link, such as packaging, usually considered as non-critical, provides a significant safety margin in the event of a blockage, especially for sensitive products. Lastly, customer service is guaranteed and commercial value added to the product, hence the importance of choosing suitable packaging and a reliable supplier.

 

TOURNAIRE EMBALLAGE, A PARTNER OF CHOICE FOR THE TRANSPORTING OF GOODS

Tournaire, founded in 1833, was created with the first plant distillers in Grasse, France. The group has developed its know-how along with changes in the perfume industry and according to the specific needs of its customers.

Today, Tournaire puts its recognised expertise in the design and manufacture of high-quality technical packaging at the service of industries around the world. With the most comprehensive range of 50 cc to 32 litre coextruded aluminium and plastic packaging on the market, Tournaire Emballage supplies a variety of industries, such as the pharmaceutical, perfume, foodstuffs and specialised chemical industries, while maintaining a high level of quality, service and safety. Close to its customers and attentive to the seasonal nature of each sector, Tournaire accompanies them throughout the supply chain in the management of flows due to dynamic and optimised stock management.

The identification of products by labels and barcodes ensures the traceability of the packaging, from manufacture to destination. Tournaire also offers a wide choice of primary and secondary packaging that is adapted to the various modes of shipment (road, air or sea). Protections have been specifically designed, for example, for combined ‘air/sea’ transport: overpacks, pallets and reinforced cardboard boxes.

Contact Tournaire Emballage today for more information on how to package your products and the adequacy of your logistics chain.

By Franck Bardini, Director of Operations, Tournaire Equipement

Hello everybody, I would like first to thank you all for such a great turn-out. For one thing is certain, it’s very important for us to have you here today the launch of this concept.

WiNatLab’s watchword is innovation. It’s even its raison d’être. It has been designed to boost innovation for workers processing raw materials, yes, I’m talking about you!

In 2015, we decided to drop chemical synthesis to focus exclusively on the natural market. It was very clearly the right choice, given the growth of this line of business globally. Moreover, we have seen that this line of business is also buoyed by consumer power, as people vote with their wallets to make their own healthcare choices and preserve the planet.

 The notions of eco-responsibility and commitment, even activism, are here to stay in our cultures and society.

More than ever, time-to-market is a key factor in innovation, as we face the challenges of today and tomorrow.

WiNatLab is a new business model combined with a range of services, as Luc pointed out. It is the culmination of our development over these past three years, tailored to interact with your value chain of innovations alongside specialist partners on some links in this chain.

We are entering a new phase in the modernisation of our working methods. Modernisation goes hand-in-hand with innovation. So with our staff, we sought the means to innovate in our industries, further to the experiences of these three years.

This offer is as yet all-new, as I see it. It is unique on the market, it is peerless, yet not all-out disruptive. We do not aim to break up or oust what already exists. Rather, we hope to embody a new dynamic and boost innovation via springboards. These may be disruptive, in certain ways, cultures, principles and even certainties.

 In other words, WiNatLab is positioned as a dynamic, innovation-driven method based on a collaborative platform concept, calibrated to spring into action as necessary and to replace whatever is holding innovation back.

As some of you have already seen, there is a full set of tried-and-tested, ground-breaking technologies underpinning this platform, which we can industrialise alongside you. Given this capacity to industrialise, this is not a platform for fundamental research, rather a platform from which to scale up to industrial capacity.

 Another important element is harnessing this platform to achieve the capacity to support you with hitherto unrivalled efficacy, with new processes for natural products. But also for new products that you have expert knowledge on, for which we must also re-examine our own innovations. We also hope that this platform will open up opportunities to innovate by refocusing the realities of market needs in order to come up with suitable technologies. Developing technology without being attuned to evolution and market needs serves no purpose. And it is also a platform which will help grow our staff’s skills even faster, which is another important element given the speed at which we need to act for our staff to work efficiently. Growing together.

Lastly, we are of the conviction that this virtuous circle must quickly bring you value in all or part of your innovation value chain through to production of the finished product and related services. We all know how precious, even costly, time is.

I would like to share a symbolic illustration of the ambition that shines through this platform. We’re aiming to scale up from kitchen hand to Michelin chef to work on recipes with you, which will bring a new, complementary dynamic to your innovation. Another image that comes to mind is Waze, the GPS that guides and directs you, without wasting any time, to go straight to the crux of the matter with respect to certain decisions for which we can support you.

As you listen to these clearly asserted aims, you are no doubt quite naturally wondering how WiNatLab is actually going to boost innovation for its clients.

I think most of you have already been to the workshops. We have set up ten of them here to explain how this 4-phase value chain works.

 The first two phases involve the initial sign-off and R&D. These occur at our clients’ premises, i.e. yours. It’s your value chains that we line up alongside your feedback, of course. Then there’s the pilot, scale-up and industrialisation phases.

As you have seen, WiNatLab is to be run independently within the subsidiary with input and output data. And the output data is the capacity to draw up an evolutionary process with you, to evaluate an industrial solution that remains your property. You are completely free to choose, to do what you want with it subsequently.

The equipment line of business will continue, should you so wish, to work on time to market by signing off on an offer that will enable you not only perhaps to save time but also provide a guarantee of performance.

I suggest we continue to discuss this, and to take advantage of time. We do still have some time, the cocktail party is due to start soon after this ceremony but we will continue to run the workshops for those who haven’t been able to see them yet. I suggest we carry on talking together to explore how WiNatLab can act as an accelerator for your innovation.

Thank you once more for coming and for your interest in our shared ambition for WiNatLab by Tournaire – Boosting your innovation, which is a joint project.

Thank you.

 

Interview with Cécile Bergia
Manager of the Quality Control Laboratory at TOURNAIRE

 

Please can you introduce yourself and tell us what your job involves?

Hi, my name is Cécile Bergia and I manage TOURNAIRE’s Quality Control Laboratory. This is where we monitor the performance of manufactured products using a whole battery of tests.

Why has TOURNAIRE developed this Quality Control Laboratory in-house?

We inaugurated our Quality Control Laboratory this year to meet our customers’ performance needs and to keep ahead of new regulations. The lab runs more autonomously, with more powerful appliances, in an ever-cleaner environment.

What does this lab have to offer TOURNAIRE’s customers?

Our remit is three-fold. Firstly, it is to monitor the quality of our manufactured products. We test to ensure the smooth working of seals and waterproofing and to characterise particulate cleanliness. Moreover, since our packaging is approved to ship hazardous materials, we have to test for falls, pressure, and stacking, in order to achieve compliance with these regulatory requirements.

The second part of our remit is to support the Design Department, as it strives to develop ever more effective packaging, tailored to our customers’ needs. We work independently to them, conducting all related testing.

The third and final part of our remit is forward-looking, in that it involves providing support for our customers with respect to these various issues. Whether we’re testing for chemical compatibility or challenges they may face in-house, we help them resolve their various issues.

How does TOURNAIRE’s Quality Control Laboratory stand out from the crowd?

With the TOURNAIRE Quality Control Laboratory, we are now in a position to conduct over 60 tests, with a very broad spectrum to characterise all our products’ features. It’s not just about waterproofing, since we also test characterisation of cleanliness, sealing and resistance to falls. We can conduct all these tests independently and swiftly and no longer have to rely on outsourcing to other laboratories.

Please introduce yourself and your role

My name is Kévin Couvreur, I manage the Department of Transversal Processes at Tournaire Equipement. I’m 27 and I’ve been working at Tournaire for five years. As  the Manager of Transversal Industrial Processes, I support production, quality and maintenance in the “industrial methods” department, as well as running in-house training courses.

How have IT and robotics improved industrial performance on production lines?

We’re talking industrial IT. Robotics and industrial IT are technical fields which help us improve processes and smooth operating flows in production. Robotics helps to design operations that are human-centric, to support people, replacing them at workstations where people suffer from musculoskeletal disorders. So we are working to implement technical improvements as well as improve working conditions.

Could you describe a day in your life?

There’s no such thing as a typical day. I mostly start by visiting the workshop in the morning, and sometimes I go back in the afternoon to identify production issues.

The aim is to achieve non-stop production, for the best possible productivity in terms of operations. When I don’t have anything useful to contribute in production, I work on more long-term projects, contributing to plans and ongoing improvements to industrial processes.

What do you like best about your job?

Precisely the fact that no one day resembles another is an advantage for me. It keeps me on my toes all day long. I never know ahead of time how my day will play out: the possibilities are endless. Not to mention that my role covers all the firm’s transversal technologies: we have lots of robots and testing machinery, to the extent that the fundamental work I perform is really exciting, as is working directly with customers.

What challenges do you have address?

The challenges are mainly human. We’re talking about support technologies, which mainly replace tasks that are complex for people. So we need to support staff in this approach and raise awareness among those who are not necessarily interested in technology, to show them the extent to which these technologies can be beneficial to their work. It’s a truly human issue that’s interesting to manage.

Why work for Tournaire?

Quite simply because we are developing lots of projects and technologies that are being rolled out. We enjoy a great degree of independence in the completion of our projects. Once we have expressed interest in a new project, we get managerial approval. This latitude opens up opportunities to implement significant technological developments.

 

 

KEVIN COUVREUR itw anglais 1707 from Tournaire on Vimeo.